Sony DSC-S70 Digital Camera

Predetermined Picture Modes

The S70 has a variety of preset picture modes to make the more casual photographer more achieve the desired picture effect. Each of these features is accessible via the "Program AE" button that resides right above the LCD.

The first picture mode that is hit after bypassing the shutter and aperture priority modes is the twilight mode, represented by a moon icon on the rear LCD display. In this mode, the shutter speed appears to be lowered down to allow for more light to enter the picture. The twilight plus mode, the second picture mode to come up, is represented by a moon icon with a small plus next to it. In this mode, an even slower shutter speed than the twilight mode is selected.

Landscape mode is next to come up after the night modes. Represented by two mountains, the landscape mode sets a very small aperture to allow for the most depth of field to be achieved. Here the camera attempts to make all items, near and far, in focus.

Next is what Sony calls "Panfocus" mode. Here zoom is automatically set to wide-angle and aperture is cranked smaller. The focus is set basically to infinity to capture objects both near and far. In this mode, the camera acts more like a simple digital camera with a fixed focus.

The final mode is the spot metered mode, represented by an icon of a box with a circle in the middle of it. When this mode is selected, a small cross hair appears in the middle of the rear LCD. The camera determines exposure based solely on what it sees in the point of the cross hair, unlike the center weighted averaging mode normally used by the camera. Spot metered mode is most useful when a very bright subject is on a very dark background or vice versa.