Beginners should focus on scene modes for best results

Getting the most out of your compact camera is the first step to creating your best photographic images.

Hidden in the depths of many compact cameras are a host of creative filters, scene modes and special effects that most photographers either never explore in any meaningful way, or don’t even know their little camera offers these capabilities. Beginning photographers will benefit from learning how to take advantage of these filters and scene modes to get the most out of the camera.

Reconsider leaving your camera on automatic and explore the scene modes to maximize your results.

For more on Photographing your garden, be sure to check out my comprehensive post on Flower Photography in your Garden.

In this image, I used a in-camera filter available in most digital cameras that takes a B&W photo of the image but lets the user choose a colour or two colours that are displayed. In this case, the dark purple salvia flower was highlighted.

The best advice I can give is to:

Place your camera manual on the table beside your favourite couch and read it – several times. If it’s a digital manual, download it to your computer and keep your computer nearby. Keep it handy for the first two or three months until you believe you know every part of the camera and its features. (I like to flip through the manual while watching television.)
Leave the camera in the same spot beside the couch. Pick it up regularly and go through the menus learning the features and how to quickly access them.
Now go out regularly with the intent of using these features, filters and scene modes. Get comfortable with them to the point that you can access them quickly and efficiently even if they are buried deep in the menus.
Don’t believe what you read that you have to use manual modes like aperture and shutter priority. There is a time to use these modes, but often the scene modes will serve you better, especially if you understand what is happening to your camera when you use these specialized modes. Many camera manuals will actually provide a brief explanation of what settings are used on the camera in the various modes.

The macro mode in the Fujifilm X10 was used to capture this image of the forest floor. Photographing images like this is a great way to experiment with using the various features and modes in the camera.

Eleven tips to improved photography with compact cameras

Know your compact camera and how to quickly access menus and features.
Keep the ISO as low as possible. You are dealing with a small sensor that will get noisy (grainy) quickly in high-ISO settings
Use in-camera stabilization to help keep ISO levels low and images sharp.
Treat the camera like a DSLR and put it on a tripod if you are shooting landscapes to get the sharpest images possible with low ISO and a high aperture. Use the self-timer feature to set the shutter without touching the camera.
If you are using a tripod, turn off in-camera stabilization.
If you are using in-camera stabilization, use proven traditional methods to hold the camera steady, including bracing yourself against a wall or tree, pushing the viewfinder up to your eye to help brace the camera or using a monopod, say at a sporting event. No need to turn off the in-camera stabilization if you are using a monopod.
Gently press the shutter button rather than jamming at it to take the picture. Pressing the shutter quickly and with force may cause camera shake and make the photo look out of focus.
Use the burst feature to shoot multiple images of a scene to ensure one of the images is sharp. Use side-by-side comparisons in post processing to pick the sharpest image.
Consider setting the in-camera bracketing feature to ensure you obtain the best exposure. Obtaining perfect exposure is more important on a compact camera than it is on a larger sensored camera, because the smaller files cannot handle as much post processing.
Shoot in RAW whenever possible and if you are comfortable doing post processing in programs like Lightroom or Photoshop. If you don’t like processing RAW images, consider using the Raw plus jpeg setting to ensure you have the opportunity to post process an important image if necessary but still retain the more convenient jpeg image.
Take advantage of the scene modes provided by most compact cameras, but also take the time to learn what the camera is doing in these scene modes so you can make adjustments if necessary.

Here, a combination of macro mode and B&W mode is used to capture this image of the forest floor. Fujifilm’s X10 enables the photographer to experiment with B&W digital film including the use of B&W filters that darken skies or lighten foliage. Experimenting with these features helps to prepare you for the time when you need them.

What compact camera features should I focus on?

Focus on the camera features you use the most and get totally comfortable using them.

Garden photographers, for example, might want to get acquainted with, macro mode, sports /action mode, portrait mode, and pet mode. These are obvious features that come to mind but night-shooting mode including night portraits are shooting modes that you might want to get familiar with before you are forced to use them.

Macro mode is obviously a feature for garden photographers to get comfortable using. Just set the camera on the macro mode and go out into the garden to experiment getting up close to flowers and insects. Don’t wait until you come across a beautiful butterfly to learn how macro mode works. By experimenting with the macro feature, you will get comfortable, for example, with how close you can get to the subject.

You’ll also learn how far away you can be while using the zoom feature to get in as close as possible. This is particularly useful to get images of butterflies from a distance.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. There is no cost to this exercise accept your time.

Try shooting with and without flash to see how the results change and how your camera handles flash up close.

The macro feature is just one of many camera features to focus on.

If, for example, you are going to watch your childs’ ball game, take the camera and use the opportunity to experiment with the action or sports mode. Set the camera on “action mode” and fire away.

Feel free to use the manual modes to capture game action, but unless you are very comfortable setting the aperture and shutter speeds setting the ISO and turning on burst modes, let the camera’s technology do most of the work for you.

Afterall, camera manufacturers have put a lot of thought into coming up with the best camera settings for the various modes.

One of my favourite cameras for creative modes is the Pentax Q. For my comprehensive post on this tiny camera, check out my post on The Pentax Q, and why you need one in 2022.

What are the best compact and micro 4/3rd cameras for 2022?

If you are wondering what the best compact cameras for 2022 are, here is a short list of some of the top compact cameras Fuji, Sony, Lumix, Canon and Leica.

The Fujifilm X100V, boasts an APS-C sensor and 24.3 megapixels along with its 23mm, fast f2 lens. It’s got a hybrid optical electronic viewfinder and a 3-inch fixed LCD screen. This is for more serious photographers who are looking for fine craftmanship and are happy with using a prime lens rather than a more versatile zoom lens. I’ve included a few links from various locations if you are interested in purchasing the camera.

Fuji X100V (Adorama)

Fuji X100V (B&H)

Fuji X100V (Amazon)

Sony ZV1 boasts 20.1 megapixels in in 1-inch sensor. It sports a fast 24-70mm zoom lens and a 3-inch screen. This enthusiast camera has very fast auto focus and a screen that can be moved to multiple views. This camera lacks a viewfinder but is a very capable camera for video.

Sony ZV-1 (Adorama)

Sony ZV-1 (B&H)

Sony ZV-1 (Amazon)

Not quite a “compact” camera but the Panasonic Lumix G9 is a mirrorless, 20.3 megapixel camera with a 3-inch LCD and interchangeable lenses in the micro 4/3rds category. It is a professional photo and video camera that has class leading dual image stabilization and outstanding video.

The Panasonic DMC-ZS 100K is a compact point and shoot 20megapixel camera with a 10X optical zoom ranging from 25-250mm (35mm equivalent). Like your phone, it has a touch screen on the back and is fully equipped to handle any challenge you may face.

Panasonic DMC-ZS100K (Henry’s Cda)

Panasonic DMC-ZS100K (Adorama)

Panasonic Lumix G9 (B&H)

Panasonic Lumix G9 (Amazon)

Adding punch of colour to images can be done with in-camera filters. Here, “vivid film” was chosen to add a punch of colour to the photograph of the container pond along side containers of flowers.

How does “sports/action mode” work on a compact camera?

Let’s examine what happens to the camera when you set it on “sports/action mode.”

Most cameras, when set on “action mode” will make a series of alterations to your camera settings to best capture fast-moving subjects.

First, the ISO setting on the camera will set the ISO to a high number to give the camera it’s best chance of stopping any action.
Second, it will set the shutter speed to a higher level to reduce the blur caused by the action on the field.
Third, it will set the aperture to provide as much light as possible so that the shutter can fire at a rate fast enough to stop the action. As a result, the depth of field will be limited.
The camera will likely choose continuous-focus mode as well as burst mode or continuous shooting mode.
The camera may choose other features to enable your best action photos, such as turning off the flash and turning on anti-shake mode if it is not already in use.

All of these actions are turned on in a fraction of a second and the camera is ready for capturing the big game.

Knowing what the camera is doing in sports mode, should also give you ideas of how to use this mode for other subjects.

If I see a fox trotting through the garden, “sports/action mode” is the first mode I go to to capture the scene. With only seconds to capture the fox as it trots through the garden, there is no time to make the changes necessary to capture the scene.

A fast shutter speed was used to help stop the motion of this hummingbird. Using action or sports mode will help you capture images of birds and animals in the garden. Using TV or time value will also help you capture the action if you choose a shutter speed of 500/sec or faster. Finding a compromise between a high shutter speed and setting a high ISO is key to capturing good, usable images.

The action mode is likely the one I would choose to capture kids playing at the park, or the dog having a great time in her pool or the hummingbird working the flowers while I sip my morning coffee.

Why use the custom features over scene modes?

Many high-end compact cameras also have custom modes that enable you to set the camera for your most-used situations such as portrait, B&W images or action photography.

Custom modes are excellent alternatives to using scene modes because they allow you to dial in all the settings you need to create the desired effects. For example, action mode may allow your camera to automatically pick an ISO setting higher than 1600, but you know that the resulting image is not very good. The custom setting would allow you to limit the ISO to say 800 or 1000 ISO.

How does portrait mode make better people photos?

We’ve discussed some of the camera settings in action mode, let’s look at what goes on in portrait mode. There is more to the portrait mode than you might think. Although each camera manufacturer will set their portrait mode differently, the number of changes might surprise you.

Consider the following possibilities:

Change the f-stop to wide open to create a pleasing background
Take several images at once in and out of focus to help create a lovely soft background
Change the colour calibrations to create a warmer, more pleasant skin tone for portraiture. Some camera manufacturers – including Fujifilm cameras – have included the colour parameters of their former portraiture films so that users can experience classic portrait film in digital form.
Add a softening filter or effect to create the illusion of softer, blemish-free skin.
Lower the ISO for a less grainy or noisy effect.
Turn the flash on or off. If the flash is on, add red-eye reduction. (My Fujifilm X10 even has a handy feature where the camera takes the portrait with and without flash. The photographer can then choose the image they like best.
I’m sure there are other changes depending on the camera manufacturer, but these changes to the camera settings should give you a good idea how much thought goes into creating the best settings for successful images using the scene modes and why you should consider using them.

Other modes, such as HDR (see above), combine several photos taken in quick succession to remove the extreme highlights and shadows and give you a properly exposed image. (Useful when shooting a cityscape from inside your condo when you want to balance the indoor light with the outdoor light.

Other modes and what they do:

Scenic modes often enhance blue skies and add punch to green foliage.
Kid modes enhance skin tones while capturing fast-moving subjects.
Pet modes allow you to capture fast-moving subjects.
Food modes (popular for instagram) enhance colour to create more appetizing food.
Sunset modes enhance warm colours creating more dramatic sunrise and sunset effects.
Fireworks mode uses long exposures to capture the fireworks.

There are many more modes that are set up to help photographers get good images in unusual or difficult situations. Once again, experiment with the modes that you expect to use regularly.

When is the best time to use manual modes

So far, we have discussed the benefit of using scene modes rather than the manual modes such as aperture priority mode (AV), or shutter priority mode (TV) or full manual mode (M).

Once you become more comfortable with the camera, using manual modes gives you more control of the camera. The scene modes are very good most of the time, especially in difficult or unusual situations, but there are times when you want full control of the camera settings.

In these situations you can set your aperture and shutter speed and let the ISO change automatically to create the proper exposure. It’s a good idea to restrict the ISO to a specific range (depending on the camera) so that the ISO levels do not go so high that they degrade the image.

By controlling the aperture, you gain control over the depth of field in the image including the perceived sharpness of the subject and/or the softness of the background.

By controlling the shutter, you gain control over the ability to stop movement or create movement in the image. You would want to stop the motion of a flower getting blown in a gentle breeze, but show the movement of a stream cascading over rocks creating the effect of soft, moving water.

Although there are scene modes in many cameras that help you create the effect of flowing water, having complete control allows you to change the look of the water in greater detail.

Final thoughts on maximizing your compact camera

For most beginning photographers, the compact camera is often the first and the best camera to purchase. Becoming familiar with the features and getting comfortable with the camera menus helps to quickly access the features when you need to and takes much of the thinking out of using the camera whether in the garden or on vacation.

By making use of the scene modes and the various filters built-in to these cameras, you can take professional looking images that just might surprise you and your friends.

As you get more comfortable with the camera, learning when to use the scene modes and filters will probably be the most difficult part of getting great photos.

Finally, when you are comfortable with the camera and understand its inner workings, you can move to more manual control and take your pictures to another level.

Over time, getting great images and developing a good eye will become second nature and you will know you have discovered the joy of photography.

Get the most out of your compact camera: Ten tips to better photos