Scene Modes

All pocket cameras, and all but the most expensive SLRs, have scene modes. These are canned settings for common photographic situations like Sports, Portraits, Landscapes, Macro (super-closeup), and so on. Usually, tiny icons for the scene modes appear right on the main Mode dial; see Auto or Scene Mode? for details. (Sometimes, the Mode dial has only one setting called Scene; you're then supposed to choose which mode you want by choosing on the screen.)

Cameras are getting smarter lately; some compact models now have Auto-Scene or Intelligent Scenes. That is, they can switch modes automatically by studying the scene. (A little icon identifies its selection.) A very nice feature.

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