26Basic Photography and PlaybackStep 4. Focus and shoot.Note on RecordingWhen the y icon is displayed or the memory icon (M or O) is blinking, pictures are being stored.Removing the memory card or battery while recording may affect pictures or damage the cameraor card.AF-Assist IlluminatorIf lighting is poor, the built-in AF-assist illuminator will light when the shutter-release button ispressed halfway, allowing the camera to focus on the subject (P.104).4 Press shutter-release button halfway.• Lightly press the shutter-release button halfway,stopping when you feel resistance. Focus andexposure are set and locked while the shutter-release button is held in this position.• In X mode, the camera focuses on the subjectat the center of the frame (P.86). When the sub-ject is in focus, the focus indicator p andfocus area [ ] will be outlined in green. Whenthe camera is unable to focus, the focus indica-tor and focus area will blink red. Change thecomposition and try again.4 Press shutter-release button the rest of theway down to take picture.• The flash may fire if the subject is poorly lit(P.28).Available Functions in Auto Shooting ModeFlash, self-timer, focus, and exposure compensation can be set (P.28, 30, 31, 32) in X mode.Image quality and Image size (P.43) can also be changed when the mode dial is set to Z mode..1F2.7F2.71/601/60 120120F2.71/60 120Focus indicator.2For more information, see “Getting Good Results with Autofocus” (P.123).
