AUTO mode is for anybody who wants a simple "point-n-shoot" operation. The menu only allows you to change the image size, file type, color mode and add a date/time stamp on the image.

Half-press the shutter to achieve the focus and exposure lock, the AF target marks will turn green and show what area it is focusing on. If the focus is locked there will be a "green dot" displayed, if not it will be red and will indicate either focus or exposure failure.

Rotate the Mode Dial to select one of the recording modes: Auto, Program AE, Aperture priority, Shutter-speed priority, Manual, Custom1, Custom2, Custom3, Movie, SCN (see next frame).

SCeNe mode lets you select from a variety of pre-programmed modes (portrait, self-portrait, sports, landscape, night portrait, night landscape, snow, beach, text/document, flower, sunset, candlelight, backlight, manner/museum, fireworks, party), each optimized for unique subjects and shooting conditions. As you navigate the scene mode menu, a description of each mode and hints for using it are presented.

PROGRAM (and Shutter, Aperture and Manual) mode give you access to a wide range of exposure (exposure compensation, flash exposure compensation, ISO sensitivity) and menu options (see below) for those that want more control over the image capturing process. We have also enabled the realtime histogram display.

MENU options in Program, Aperture, Shutter and Manual modes:

White balance - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Open shade, Sunset, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Click WB, Custom WB1, Custom WB2, Custom WB3

Custom white balance - Set a custom WB value

AF control - Continuous AF, Single AF

AF zone - Multi-zone, Center-zone, Selectable-zone

Sharpness - High, Normal or Low

Contrast - High, Normal or Low

Slow flash setup - Front sync, Front sync red-eye, Rear sync

Copy to custom mode - Copy settings to Custom 1, 2 or 3

Picture size - 5.0MP, 4.5MP 3:2, 3.1 MP, 1.2 MP

File type - Fine JPG, Standard JPG, Basic JPG, RAW, TIFF

Color mode - High Color, Natural Color, Low Color, B&W or Sepia

Date stamp - Off, YYYYMMDD, MMDDYYYY, DDMMYYYY

Press the direct buttons (Focus, Flash, Metering and Drive) to quickly change the settings for the given feature and then select the desired option on the LCD/EVF.

Manual mode lets you freely set both the aperture and shutter speed, the exposure value is displayed next to the "+/-" icon to help you get it "right."

You can record 640 x 480 (30fps) or 320 x 240 (30fps) motion video with audio. The length of the movies is dependent on available space on your memory card. You can select a maximum clip length of 5, 15 or 30 seconds if desired. The optical zoom can be used during recording but not the digital zoom.

MENU options in Video mode:

Video size - 640x480 or 320x240

Video length - Unlimited, 5, 15, 30 seconds

AF control - Continuous or Single AF