Intelligent Auto Categories

The smart Auto Mode assigns a portrait category when the camera’s software detects a human face in the image. The software goes a step supplementary and determines if the image setting is daytime or nighttime. In both daytime and nighttime portraits, if there is inadequate light, you will be prompted upon pressing the shutter-release button with the message PLEASE USE THE FLASH. You will not be able to take the picture without adding light to the subject. Therefore, you should either pop up the flash unit or supply additional lighting to the image.

For still pictures only, when the face identification option is enabled (MENU/SET>INTELLIGENT AUTO>FACE RECOG.> [ON]), the camera’s software will search for a registered face. If found, the camera’s software will display an R within the category icon and display the registered name beneath the face on the display screen. In addition, the camera will establish if the registered subject is classified as a baby (i.e., if the saved age is 3 years old or less). If so, the resulting picture will be categorized in the i-BABY category for future playback and group selection identification.

If the subject’s identified age is greater than 3 years old, the resulting picture will be categorized as an i-Portrait or i-Nighttime Portrait, depending on the camera’s software.

            The Intelligent Auto Mode determines an image to be in a “scenery” category based on a amalgamation of what it is and what it is not. It is unclear what parameters are important for this occupation because we have noticed when taking multiple pictures of the same scene within seconds of each other that one would be categorized as i-Scenery and the next picture’s category was undecided and therefore assigned iA. Some of the parameters used for classifying a picture are based on what is missing. Failure to identify a face means the scene is not categorized as i-Portrait. Failure to focus on a close subject—i.e., within about 1 foot—means the scene is not categorized as i-Macro. Regularly, the camera may identify a distant shot as a scenic shot, but as we mentioned earlier, this is not always the case. In other words, scene identification as practiced by intellectual Auto is imperfect. It should be viewed as a expediency, and as you become more contented with using the camera, you can categorize the subject yourself and select the appropriate mode dial predefined scene mode.

As with portraits, the software goes a step further and determines if the image setting is daytime or nighttime scenery. We have run tests with indoor and outdoor scenes and have found, as in the case of portraits that the software can differentiate between daytime and nighttime outdoor sceneries. However, time was not the deciding factor since the camera did not differentiate daytime or nighttime indoors shots. In this case the camera always selected daytime scenery category. In the case of videos, the category classification will be between i-Low Light and i-Scenery. Videos recorded in dim lighting, regardless of the time are assigned the i-Low Light category. Videos recorded with sufficient lighting are assigned the i-Scenery category.