Many Nikon COOLPIX cameras have selectable picture modes

Many Nikon COOLPIX cameras have selectable picture modes, which Nikon has called "scene modes". All Coolpix cameras also have an "Auto" mode, which will select the camera settings automatically for the best picture under most circumstances; however, pictures may look better if the photographer manually selects the appropriate camera settings best suited to the conditions.

Nikon cameras with "Scene Modes" make this easy using a pre-programmed setting which are selectable via the camera's dial or menu (depending on the camera used). If pictures are going to be taken for any one of the scenarios below then choosing that "Scene Mode" will provide excellent results.

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Portrait

The main subject stands out clearly while background details are softened, this can give the image a sense of depth. By using a wide aperture (i.e. f/5.6) the camera will try to blur the background to make it less distracting and concentrating the viewer's attention to the main subject. The degree to which background is out of focus depends on the amount of light available.

Settings used:

Flash- auto any flash setting can be used, Shutter speeds- auto, Aperture -wide aperture, Focus-normal, some cameras allow manual focus point selection.

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Party / Indoor

This mode is designed for taking pictures at parties or generally in doors. While normal flash photography may result in the subject being correctly exposed the background will generally be under exposed (dark). Using the party mode the camera utilizes longer exposures (i.e. 1/30 second) to allow more ambient light from the room to be captured, improving the exposure of the background and giving an impression of the environment where the picture was taken. You can also use this setting to capture the effects of candlelight and other indoor background lighting. Note that the camera uses slower shutter speeds so some camera shake may occur. Steady the camera carefully to avoid movement.

Settings used:

Flash- on with red eye reduction, Shutter speeds - slower speed than normal are used, Aperture - auto, Focus - normal

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Beach/Snow

Vividly captures the brightness of such subjects as snowfields, beaches, or sunlight expanses of water. Photographing in these situations can be tricky as sand and snow can fool the camera into producing the wrong exposure. You may have seen holiday snaps of people skiing on what would appear to be pink/blue or grey snow, this is caused by the cameras exposure meter being tricked and giving the wrong exposure. Using the beach/snow scene mode the camera is able to compensate for these situations and produce the correct exposure.

Settings used:

Flash - auto, but any flash mode can be used, Shutter speeds- auto, Aperture -auto, Exposure compensation used (i.e. +1 exposure). Focus-normal

If your shooting a scene with predominant white (snow), you would dial in +2 EV since the meter will try to expose for 128 on the histogram. This would move the spike on the histogram from middle to roughly just before 255 - right of the histogram making the white look natural, but not blowing it. Of course, the amount of compensation required also depends on metering mode and the amount of bright white in your scene.