Casio EX-M20 - 1 User manual

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BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
This section describes the basic procedure for recording an
image.
Recording an Image
Aiming the Camera
Use both hands to hold the camera still when shooting an
image. Holding the camera with one hand increases the
chance of movement, which can blur your images.
•Horizontal Hold the camera
still in both
hands, with your
arms firmly
against your
sides.
•Vertical When holding
the camera
vertically, make
sure that the
flash is above
the lens. Hold
the camera still
with both hands.
IMPORTANT!
•Make sure your fingers or the strap does not block
the flash or lens.
Flash
Lens
NOTE
•Your image will be blurred if you move the camera
when pressing the shutter release button. Press the
shutter release button carefully, taking care that
there is no camera movement. This is especially
important when available lighting is low, which slows
down the shutter speed.

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BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
3. Compose the image
on the monitor
screen.
•You can compose
images using either the
monitor screen or the
optical viewfinder.
•When using the optical viewfinder, you can turn off
the monitor screen to save power (page 25).
4. Press the shutter
release button to
record the image.
•The number of images that can be stored in memory
depends on the resolution setting you are using
(pages 52, 183).
•Depending on the distance or angle between the
subject and the camera, the image you see in the
viewfinder may not be exactly the image that is
recorded.
ON/OFF
Power button
1200
1200
1600
1600
NORMAL
NORMAL
03/12/24
03/12/24
12:58
12:58
12
12
Shutter release button
Mode selector
Recording an lmage
Your camera automatically adjusts shutter speed in
accordance with the brightness of the subject. Images you
record are stored in the camera’s built-in memory, or to a
memory card if you have one loaded in the camera.
•When an optionally available SD memory card or
MultiMediaCard (MMC) is loaded in the camera, images
are stored on the card (page 125).
1. Press the power button
to turn on the camera.
•This causes an image or
a message to appear on
the monitor screen.
2. Align the mode
selector with “ ”
(REC).
•This enters the REC
mode for image
recording.

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BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
About the REC Mode Monitor Screen
•The image shown on the monitor screen in the REC
mode is a simplified image for composing purposes. The
actual image is recorded in accordance with the image
quality setting currently selected on your camera. The
image saved in file memory has much better resolution
and detail than the REC mode monitor screen image.
•Certain levels of subject brightness can cause the
response of the REC mode monitor screen to slow down,
which causes some static noise in the monitor screen
image.
Recording Precautions
•Never open the battery cover or place the camera onto
the USB cradle while the operation/flash charge lamp is
flashing. Doing so not only causes the current image to
be lost, it can also corrupt images already stored in file
memory and even lead to malfunction of the camera.
•Never remove the memory card while an image is being
recorded to the memory card.
•Fluorescent lighting actually flickers at a frequency that
cannot be detected by the human eye. When using the
camera indoors under such lighting, you may experience
some brightness or color problems with recorded images.
•When “Auto”is selected for the ISO sensitivity setting
(page 72), the camera automatically adjusts its sensitivity
in accordance with the brightness of the subject. This can
cause some static noise to appear in images of relatively
dark subjects.
•When “Auto”is selected for the ISO sensitivity setting
(page 72), the camera raises the sensitivity and uses a
faster shutter speed. Because of this, you need to guard
against camera movement if you have flash turned off
(page 47) when recording a dimly lit subject.
•If unwanted light is shining on the lens, shade the lens
with your hand when recording the image.

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BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
Using Zoom
You can use the digital zoom feature of your camera to
zoom in on the center of an image. Performing a zoom
operation toggles the zoom factor between 1X and 4X.
1. In the REC mode, press [MENU].
2. Use [] and [] to select the “REC”tab.
3. Use [] and [] to select “Digital Zoom”, and
then press [].
4. Use [] and [] to select “On”, and then
press [SET].
•Selecting “Off”disables digital zoom.
6. Record the image.
Zoom out Zoom in
5. In the REC mode, use [] and [] to change
the digital zoom factor.
[] : Zoom in.
[] : Zoom out.

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BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
IMPORTANT!
•Zoom is disabled whenever the monitor screen is
turned off (page 25).
•Using digital zoom can cause degradation of the
recorded image.
•To disable digital zoom, select “Off”for the “Digital
Zoom”setting on the “REC”tab.
NOTE
•You can use the key customization feature (page 75)
to configure the camera so the digital zoom factor
changes whenever you press [] and [] while in the
REC mode.
Using the Flash
Perform the following steps to select the flash mode you
want to use.
1. In the REC mode, press [MENU].
2. Use [] and [] to select the “REC”tab.
3. Use [] and [] to select “Flash”, and then
press [].
4. Use [] and [] to select the flash mode you
want, and then press [SET].
To do this:
Have the flash fire automatically
when required (Auto Flash)
Turn off the flash (Flash Off)
Always fire the flash (Flash On)
Fire a pre-flash followed by image
recording with flash, reducing the
chance of red-eye in the image (Red-
eye reduction). Have the flash fire
automatically when required.
Select this setting:
Auto

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BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
5. Record the image.
IMPORTANT!
•The flash unit of this camera fires a number of times
when you record an image. The initial flashes are
pre-flashes, which the camera uses to obtain
information it uses for exposure settings. The final
flash is for recording. Make sure that you keep the
camera still until the shutter releases.
•Image recording may not be performed if you press
the shutter release button while the operation/flash
charge lamp is flashing amber.
NOTE
•You can use the key customization feature (pages
74, 75) to configure the camera so the flash mode
changes whenever you press [] and [], or [] and
[] while in the REC mode.
■About Red-eye Reduction
Using the flash to record at night or in a dimly lit room can
cause red spots inside the eyes of people who are in the
image. This is caused when the light from the flash reflects
off of the retina of the eye. Red-eye reduction fires a pre-
flash, which causes the irises in the eyes of any people in
the image to close. This is followed by another flash
operation when the image is actually recorded.
IMPORTANT!
Note the following important points when using red-
eye reduction.
•Red-eye reduction does not work unless the people
in the image are looking directly at the camera
(flash). Before pressing the shutter release button,
call out to the subjects so they all look at the camera.
•Red-eye reduction may not work very well if the
subjects are located far away from the camera.

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BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
Flash Precautions
Take care that your fingers do not block the flash when you
hold the camera. Covering the flash with your finger can
greatly reduce its effectiveness.
•The approximate effective range of the flash is shown
below. The flash is unable to adequately illuminate a
subject that is outside this range.
0.8 meter to 1.5 meters (2.6´to 4.9´) (ISO Sensitivity :
“Auto”)
•The flash takes anywhere from a few seconds as long as
10 seconds to attain full charge after being fired. The
actual time required depends on the battery level,
temperature, and other conditions.
•The flash does not fire during movie recording. This is
indicated by on the monitor screen.
Flash
•The flash unit may not be able to charge when battery
power is low. Low battery power is indicated by the on
the monitor screen, and when the flash fails to fire
properly resulting in poor image exposure. When these
symptoms occur, charge the camera’s battery as soon as
possible.
•When the red-eye reduction mode ( ) is selected, flash
intensity is adjusted automatically in accordance with the
exposure. The flash may not fire at all when the subject is
brightly lit.
•Using flash in combination with another light source
(daylight, fluorescent light, etc.) can result in abnormal
image colors.

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BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
Recording Macro Images
You can select either normal or macro (close-up) recording
using the selector located on the left side of the camera.
The table below describes the two settings available with
the selector.
•The distances indicated above represent the distance
from the camera’s lens surface to the subject.
1. Align the Normal ( )/
Macro ( ) selector with
“ ”.
2. Record the image.
Normal ( )/Macro ( )
selector
To do this:
Shoot normal images, at a distance of
about 1m (39.4˝) to infinity (Normal)
Shoot close-ups, at a distance of about
30cm (11.8˝) (Macro)
Select this setting:
IMPORTANT!
• Selecting the macro mode causes the indicator
to appear on the monitor screen.
• Normally, you should leave the Normal ( )/Macro
() selector setting at “ ”.
MENU

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BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
Using the Self-timer
The self-timer lets you select either a 2-second or 10-
second delay of the shutter release after you press the
shutter release button. A Triple Self-timer feature lets you
perform three consecutive self-timer operations to record
three images.
1. In the REC mode, press [MENU].
2. Use [] and [] to select the “REC”tab.
3. Use [] and [] to select “Self-timer”, and
then press [].
4. Use [] and [] to select the self-timer time
you want to use, and then press [SET].
• Selecting “Off” in step 4 disables the self-timer.
• With the Triple Self-timer, the camera records a
series of three images in the sequence described
below.
1. The camera performs a 10-second countdown and
then records the first image.
2. The camera prepares to record the next image.
The amount of time required for preparation
depends on the camera’s current “Size” and
“Quality” settings, the type of memory (built-in or
card) you are using for image storage, and
whether or not the flash is charging.
3. After preparation is complete, the indicator “1sec”
appears on the monitor screen, and another
image is recorded one second later.
4. Steps 2 and 3 are repeated once more to record
the third image.
To do this:
Specify a 10-second self-timer
Specify a 2-second self-timer
Specify Triple Self-timer
Disable the self-timer
Select this setting:
10 sec
2 sec
X3
Off

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BASIC IMAGE RECORDING
5. Record the image.
• When you press the
shutter release button,
the self-timer lamp
flashes and the shutter
releases after the self-
timer reaches the end
of its countdown.
• You can interrupt an
ongoing self-timer
countdown by pressing
the shutter release
button while the self-
timer lamp is flashing.
NOTES
• The “2 sec” self-timer setting is best when shooting
with a slow shutter speed, because it helps to avoid
blurring of images due to hand movement.
• You can use the key customization feature (page 75)
to configure the camera so the self-timer setting
changes whenever you press [] and [] while in the
REC mode.
Specifying Image Size and Quality
You can specify the image size and image quality to suit
the type of image you are recording.
To specify the image size
1. In the REC mode, press [MENU].
2. Use [] and [] to select the “REC”tab.
3. Use [] and [] to select “Size”, and then
press [].
4. Use [] and [] to select the setting you
want, and then press [SET].
1600 x 1200 : 1600 x 1200 pixels
1600 x 1072 (3:2) : 1600 x 1072 pixels
1280 x 960 : 1280 x 960 pixels
640 x 480 : 640 x 480 pixels
Self-timer lamp