Sony DSC-S650 - Manual (Page 15)

BIONZ ™ image processor LSI
The most powerful processing Sony has
ever built into a digital camera.
To handle more megapixels
and perform ever-more-ambitious feats of
calculation, Sony needed a quantum leap
in image processing power. That’s how
the incredible BIONZ
™ large scale integrated
circuit came into existence. Originally
featured in the award-winning a100
Digital SLR, the BIONZ processor is now
featured in a wide range of Sony’s latest
point-and-shoot cameras, where it not
only performs the usual image processing
functions, but goes far beyond, to a whole
new range of image possibilities:
• Full HD 1080 output means that you
can connect your Cyber-shot camera
to an HDTV and enjoy spectacular
HD performance.
• Face Detection can actually analyze
the picture data to identify up to eight
faces. Then the camera automatically
optimizes flash, focus, exposure and
white balance.
• Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO)
corrects common exposure problems
such as “blown out” highlights and
“crushed” shadow detail.
• In-camera retouching can
automatically apply Red-eye
Reduction and exciting special
effect filters.
• High-speed burst mode. The BIONZ
processor supports fast burst-mode
shooting of multi-megapixel images.
In fact, with the a100 Digital SLR,
you can continue to shoot full-
resolution images at three frames
per second right up to the capacity
of recording media!
Sony image
processor
features
• Soft Edge filter helps accentuate your
subject by blurring the background. A
hallmark of professional photography,
the blurred background can make a
dramatic difference in the mood and
impact of your pictures.
• Partial Color filter is another tool for
highlighting your subjects, rendering
them in full color while the background
appears in black and white.
• Fish-eye filter expands the center
of the picture creating powerful
landscapes and a comic effect
for portraits.
• Star filter makes nighttime
photography come alive by
creating beautiful star effects on
picture highlights.
Face Detection
Taking advantage of the BIONZ ™ integrated
circuit, Sony cameras accurately recognize
– and optimize – the human face.
Even a simple snapshot can trip
up the automatic adjustments
of a conventional camera. For
example, faces can easily become bleached
out because the flash was too strong. Faces
can be blurry if the camera doesn’t know
where to focus. And faces can become too
dark when sunlight or other light sources
are positioned behind the people you’re
shooting. Sony’s BIONZ
™ processor solves
these problems with Face Detection.
As you shoot, the Face Detection function
actually analyzes the data that make up your
digital picture. In this way, Face Detection
can identify and track up to eight faces at
a time. Then the camera automatically
adjusts for optimum focus, exposure, flash
and even white balance on the faces
themselves. The result is far more “good”
pictures, far fewer rejects and re-takes.
In-camera retouching
Creative options right in your camera,
thanks to the power of the BIONZ
™
image processor.
Just as the BIONZ processor can optimize
the picture at the moment you take it, this
remarkable integrated circuit can also upgrade
your image after the fact. Selected Cyber-shot
®
cameras can achieve creative results that
might otherwise require painstaking image
manipulation in a PC.
• Red-eye Reduction filter. Sony’s
pre-flash system can minimize the
ghoulish red that sometimes occurs
when a person’s retinas reflect light
from the camera flash. But if you
forget to use this feature, you can still
correct pictures after you’ve shot them
with the Red-eye Reduction filter.
27 26
blur is a good tripod. But when a tripod
isn’t available, blur can happen under a
surprisingly wide range of circumstances.
• Low light, including evenings, nights
and many indoor shots.
• When flash would ruin the mood.
You could use flash to get the birthday
girl blowing out the candles. But
you wouldn’t get the glow of the
candle-lit scene.
• Sports photography. Fast-moving
sports can easily blur, especially
indoor sports.
• Telephoto shots are extremely
susceptible, because the narrow
angle of view tends to amplify the
effect of camera shake.
The challenge of
power consumption
Digital cameras tend to wear out batteries
quickly and unpredictably. With its intensive
calculations, the image processor is a
primary culprit.
CAMERA SYSTEMS CAMERA SYSTEMS
Red-eye Reduction filter suppresses the ghoulish red
even after you’ve taken the shot. (Sample photos for
illustration purposes.)
Soft Edge filter accentuates your subject. (Sample photos
for illustration purposes.)
Another tool for highlighting your subject is the Partial
Color filter. (Sample photos for illustration purposes.)
The Star filter brings new excitement to nighttime
photography. (Sample photos for illustration purposes.)
Sony solves common exposure, focus, flash and white balance problems with Face Detection technology. (Sample photos
for illustration purposes.)
Shooting the digital way
The BIONZ LSI is the fastest, most powerful processor
Sony has ever built into a camera.
IN-CAMERA RETOUCHING
Comprehensive
anti-blur technologies
Razor-sharp pictures, even at full
telephoto zoom, even in low light,
even with fast action.
At Sony, anti-blur isn’t a “feature,” it’s
a passion. And it’s a comprehensive
commitment that extends to three
important aspects of camera design:
• Super SteadyShot ® optical image
stabilization directly counteracts
the effects of camera shake without
sacrificing resolution.
• High ISO sensitivity settings
help enable handheld shooting
in low light.
• Clear RAW ™ noise reduction enables
Sony cameras to pull usable images
out of low-light situations where
previous cameras would deliver
mottled, noise-laden images.
Taken together, the Sony approach to anti-
blur means clean, super-sharp pictures
under an impressively wide range of
circumstances: in low light, when using
telephoto lenses, for sports photography,
and when flash would ruin the mood. In
this way, Sony cameras get the shots that
others don’t.
Super SteadyShot ®
optical image stabilization
Anti-Blur Feature 1: Direct compensation for
camera shake yields clear pictures under an
amazing range of shooting conditions.
The first component of our comprehensive
anti-blur strategy is to counteract the camera
Continued on page 28.
Low light requires long exposures which can transform even slight camera movement into blur. Three Sony anti-blur
features, including Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization, reduce blur to a bare minimum. (Sample photos
for illustration purposes.)