Tips And Tricks

To extend battery life, turn off the image display and use the viewfinder instead when framing pictures and recording video. Minimizing both flash usage and zooming of the camera lens also saves battery power.

To avoid blurry or out-of-focus images, use the viewfinder to frame the pictures. Holding the camera steady against your face while using the viewfinder helps to stabilize the camera. For longer exposures, consider using a tripod.

When the distance between the camera and the subject is more than 4 meters (13 feet), and the subject is in a dimly lit area, use the Adaptive Lighting setting.

Turning off the flash and shooting with the existing light, and using a tripod may also improve results.

Use the Flash On setting (fill-flash) for best image results with very bright or high contrast situations while outdoors and within 10 feet of the camera. The extra light in fill-flash will even out harsh contrasts and brighten shadowy areas.

The best times to shoot pictures are at dawn or dusk, when the quality of light is best. Light at mid-day can make images look harsh and less appealing.

Ensure that the sun is behind the camera when shooting a picture in sunlight. If you cannot avoid taking a picture while facing into the sun, use your hand to shade the lens.

When using a Macro focus setting to shoot close-up pictures of small objects, use a tripod to get the sharpest images. Also, use the image display to frame macro pictures to help compensate for parallax error - the difference between the image seen by a cameras viewing system and that taken by its lens.

When using the Panorama shooting mode, use a tripod with a rotating head to get the best stitching results. Keep the same focal distance from the subject(s), and avoid framing moving subjects in the overlap area of panoramic shots.

To capture the best action shots, press and hold the Shutter button halfway down to pre-focus on the area ahead of the action. When the action enters the frame, press the Shutter button all the way down to take the shot. This helps to reduce shutter lag.

Try to avoid placing subjects in the exact center of the frame. Slightly offsetting the subjects will create a more pleasing composition.