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Step 3 Focus and Shoot
Basic Photography and Playback: Auto Mode
C During Recording
While pictures are being recorded, the O(wait) icon will be displayed and the number of exposures
remaining display or the movie length display will blink. Do not turn the camera off, open the
battery-chamber/memory card slot cover, or remove or disconnect the power source while these
icons are displayed. Cutting power or removing the memory card in these circumstances could
result in loss of data or in damage to the camera or card.
C Autofocus
Autofocus may not perform as expected in the following situations. In some rare cases, the subject
may not be in focus despite the fact that the active focus area or the focus indicator glow green:
• Subject is very dark
• Objects of sharply differing brightness are included in the scene (e.g. the sun is behind the subject
and is in deep shadow)
• No contrast between the subject and surroundings (e.g. when the subject is standing in front of a
white wall, wearing a white shirt)
• Several objects are at different distances from the camera (e.g. the subject is inside a cage)
• Subject is moving rapidly
In the situations noted above, try pressing the shutter-release button halfway to refocus several
times, or focus on another subject and use focus lock (A85). When using focus lock, be sure that
the distance between the camera and the subject with which focus was locked is the same as that
for the actual subject.
D Shutter-release Button
The camera features a two-stage shutter-release button. To set focus and exposure, press the
shutter-release button halfway, stopping when you feel resistance. Focus and exposure lock while
the shutter-release button is held in this position. To release the shutter and take a picture, press the
shutter-release button the rest of the way down. Do not use force when pressing the shutter-release
button, as this may result in camera shake and blurred pictures.
D AF-assist Illuminator and Flash
If the subject is poorly lit, the AF-assist illuminator may light by pressing the shutter-release button
halfway, or the flash may fire by pressing the shutter-release button all the way down.
The illuminator has a range of about 3.0 m (9.8 ft.) at the maximum wide-angle position and 1.5 m
(4.9 ft.) at the maximum telescopic position. The AF-assist illuminator can be set to Off manually
(A104), although in this case the camera may not focus when lighting is poor.
Press the shutter-
release button the
rest of the way down
to take picture.
Press the shutter-
release button
halfway to set focus
and exposure.