Stewie is my co-pilot

Taken with the Panasonic GH2 in iA (intelligent Auto) mode. I rarely use the automated modes on a camera because just end up fighting with them. Kind of like when you argue with your GPS on the best way to get home. But I can’t be a total Luddite; I’ve got to try the new stuff and imagine situations where they might come in handy.

In a nutshell, what iA does is evaluate the scene you are framing and try to guess what kind of shot you are trying to take – portrait, landscape, macro, etc… – and then adjusts the settings accordingly. I don’t believe that it’s the first camera to do this and I’m sure that it won’t be the last.

Once it’s evaluated a scene, a little icon appears if it’s found a match. It’s kind of fun to see what it guesses – it thought that Stewie was a flower and chose macro/close-up. Good job! It wasn’t always right though, but I was holding the camera and swaying a little as I drove down the highway. KIDS DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Apart from that, the sky and a part of the dash is a bit blown out here, which is understandable. I wonder if the camera can pop up the flash to provide fill while simultaneously dialing down the ambient?

I also wonder if the Pentax K-5, with its vaunted dynamic range, would have handled this scene better?