Starlight Xpress SXVF-H35 - Manual (Page 6)

Handbook for the SXVF-H35 Issue 1 August 2007
6
If you use a normal lens, then stop it down to the smallest aperture number possible
(usually F22) as this will minimise focus problems and keep the light level reasonable
for daytime testing. The pin hole needs no such adjustments and will work
immediately, although somewhat fuzzily!
Point the camera + lens or pinhole, towards a well-lit and clearly defined object some
distance away. Now click on the camera icon in the toolbar of the SXV-H35 software
and the camera control panel will appear (see above). Select an exposure time of 0.1
seconds and press ‘Take photo’. After the exposure and download have completed
(between 8 and 10 seconds) an image of some kind will appear on the computer
monitor. It will probably be poorly focused and incorrectly exposed, but any sort of
image is better than none! In the case of the pinhole, all that you can experiment with
is the exposure time, but a camera lens can be adjusted for good focus and so you
might want to try this to judge the image quality that it is possible to achieve.
One potential problem with taking daylight images is the strong infrared response of
the SXVF-H35 as this will cause ‘soft focus’ with camera lenses. Soft focus is much
reduced by keeping the aperture setting below F8. Also, IR blocking filters are
available from various suppliers (True Technology, Edmunds etc.) and are
recommended for the best results when using a lens.
If you cannot record any kind of image, please check the following points:
1) Is the power LED on?
2) Does the software indicate that the camera is successfully connected? An attempt
to take a picture will fail with an error message if the USB is not properly installed. In
this case, try unplugging the USB cable and then reconnecting it after about 5