Auto Mode (6.0)
The Auto mode is very easy to access, as it is right on the mode dial with a red camera icon. This automatic mode is more like a Programmed AE mode, as it does not return to default settings when activated. ISO, white balance, exposure compensation, metering, AF area, and all other menu options are available in the auto mode. If photographers can manually focus and manually adjust the white balance in Auto mode, is it really an Auto mode?
Movie Mode (7.5)
The P505’s movie mode is marketed almost as heavily as its 5 megapixel still imaging capabilities. There are four movie modes on this digital camera with shooting sizes of 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 at 30 frames per second. The movie modes all record stereo audio, although the in-camera microphone isn’t quite as impressive. The four modes include Normal, Best Shot, Short Movie, and Past Movie modes. The Normal mode is your run-of-the-mill movie mode. Photographers can zoom in and out using the full 5x optical zoom. The auto focus doesn’t work very well in this mode, especially if the subject is moving or if the user is zooming; it will take the P505 a couple seconds to refocus after zooming. However, having the zoom option makes this Casio a far better video recoding option than other compacts without this feature.
The Best Shot movie mode has a list of scenarios in which photographers may want to capture video: Portrait, Scenery, Night Scene, Fireworks, Silent, and Register User Scene. The Silent function does not record audio and uses a Black & White filter to make video look like silent films. Users can choose a movie of their making to be the benchmark for the Register User Scene function. The Short Movie mode regulates the time to four seconds per clip. This could be good if users want to conserve space on the memory card.
The Past Movie mode is by far the coolest feature. It is similar to a last burst mode for still images. Users can capture video five seconds before they press the shutter release button – and continue until it is pressed again. The catch is that users have to be in this mode already to really utilize the Past Movie function. For example, users cannot switch from Normal to Past Movie and try to catch the last five seconds right off the bat. In Past Movie, the Casio P505 continuously records video and saves five seconds before the button is pressed. This is a great mode to use if you’re shooting video of a baby who only smiles after ten minutes of cooing and prodding; instead of shooting and deleting over and over again to get that one illusive clip of the baby’s expression, just use the Past Movie mode.
Overall, the quality of the video was decent, but not as great as expected. When zooming, it took the camera a few seconds to readjust the focus. And once uploaded to a computer, the video didn’t look nearly as clear or smooth as it did on the LCD monitor.
Drive/ Burst Mode (0.0)
While the P505 is designed for hybrid functionality, the still imaging component is its primary obligation. Without a burst or continuous shooting mode, users will have to settle for slow recording rates and long delays or switch over to video capture and cut up frames later. Either way, it’s a substantial omission.
Playback Mode (7.0)
Oddly, the Casio Exilim P505’s playback mode cannot edit still images, but it can edit movie clips. All of the options appear in the menu, whether a still image file or MPEG-4 file is displayed. The following selections are available: Slide show, Motion Print, Movie Editing, DPOF, Protect, Rotation, Resize, Trimming, Dubbing, and Copy. The trimming function is a little tricky to figure out, as it requires the use of the multi-selector and the zoom function – but it is doable and a nice inclusion to the selection. Since this digital camera has built-in memory, the Copy function allows the user to transfer images from the internal memory to the SD card or vice versa.
Playing back movies was a favorite with the Casio P505. There is a small built-in speaker, which isn’t the highest quality, but serves the purpose of providing rudimentary audio. Movie clips can be edited and cut three ways: at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. Users can scroll through the clip frame by frame if they so please to choose just the right spot to cut the clip. This playback mode is comprehensive and easier to use than other functions on the P505.
Custom Image Presets (8.0)
The Casio EX-P505 has a long list of scene modes – if you can find them. They can be found in the BSS mode located on the mode dial when the Set button is pressed. The right and left arrows on the multi-selector will scroll through the many, many options. Each option shows a small picture as an example and a text explanation of what it’s for. Here’s the lengthy list: Portrait, Scenery, Portrait with Scenery, Children, Sports, Candlelight Portrait, Party, Pet, Flower, Natural Green, Soft Flowing Water, Splashing Water, Sundown, Night Scene, Night Scene Portrait, Fireworks, Food, Text, Collection, Monochrome, Retro, Twilight, Recall User Scene, and Register User Scene. Some of the scene modes seem like repeats of picture effects, such as the Natural Green, Monochrome, and Retro modes. Still, the list covers everything from photographing your geraniums to photographing your tax report. If that weren’t enough, a firmware update put out a few months after the camera was released added an Autumn Leaves scene mode as well.
