Digital Camera Modes

Automatic mode lets your camera adjust the ISO, shutter, flash, etc. on your camera. This mode will usually give you a nice basic image.

Portrait mode lets the camera automatically choose a large aperture to keep the background out of focus and direct the focus right on to your subject. This is usually used when taking an image of a person as a selective focus.

Macro mode allows you to take photos of very small items like insects or flowers. Flash is not recommended in this mode because it has the ability to make a photo burnt out.

Landscape mode is the opposite of portrait mode. It is used with a small aperture to get a large focus. Landscape mode is used for things at differing distances and large areas like a mountainside.

Sports mode, also referred to as action mode, is used when taking a photo of something in action. It is ideal to use for sports, as the name implies. It captures actions using a fast shutter speed.

Night mode has a slower shutter speed and turns flash on. A tripod is recommended to make subject and background clear and blurred, though it may create a cool effect.

Movie mode is meant to take videos with audio. The quality wont be up to video standards, but it is a handy tool to use for a subject that may not be able to be captured in a photo.

Aperture Priority Mode is a semi-automatic mode. When using this mode you can choose the aperture and the camera chooses the ISO and shutter speed. A larger aperture means the opening of the camera while taking a photo will have a larger focus. A smaller aperture will be the opposite.

Shutter Priority Mode means you select the shutter speed and your camera chooses the other settings. For a quick moving object that you want to focus on, you would want a faster shutter. If you want a blurred image you would want a slower shutter speed.

Program Mode is similar to auto, but lets you choose features such as white balance and ISO. Depending on the camera the differing settings can change for camera to camera.

Manual Mode gives you full control over the camera and its settings. It lets you choose whatever ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and everything else that can be adjusted.