54 ENGetting to know your camera betterThe flash is activated automatically when there is insufficient light, or when the camera isshaken. To take pictures with no flash in dark places, set the flash mode to [$] and set asfollows:Increase the [ISO] settingg “ISO Changing the ISO sensitivity” (P. 24)There are several factors that can cause the picture to appear grainy.Using the digital zoom to take close-up pictures• With the digital zoom, part of the image is cropped and enlarged. The greater themagnification, the grainier the picture appears.g “DIGITAL ZOOM Zooming in on your subject” (P. 25)Increasing the ISO sensitivity• When you increase the [ISO] setting, “noise”, which appears as spots of unwanted color orunevenness in the color, can be introduced and give the picture a grainy appearance. Thiscamera is equipped with a function to allow shooting at high sensitivity while suppressingnoise; however, increasing the ISO sensitivity can result in some noise, depending on theshooting conditions.g “ISO Changing the ISO sensitivity” (P. 24)• The reason why there are sometimes differences between the actual colors and the colorsrecorded in a picture is related to the light source illuminating the subject. [WB] is thefunction that helps the camera determine the true colors. Normally, the [AUTO] settingprovides the optimal white balance, but depending on the subject, results may be better ifyou manually adjust the [WB] setting.• When the subject is in the shade on a sunny day• When the subject is illuminated by both natural light and indoor lighting, such as whennear a window• When there is no white in the center of the frameg “WB Adjusting the color of a picture” (P. 24)• Take pictures with K in s mode. Suitable for taking pictures on a sunny day at thebeach or in the snow.g “s (Scene) Selecting a scene mode according to the shooting situation” (P. 23)• Often, bright subjects (such as snow) turn out darker than their natural colors. Use 1F toadjust toward [+] to make these subjects closer to their true shades. Conversely, when youare shooting dark subjects, it can be effective to adjust toward the [–]. Sometimes, using theflash may not produce the brightness (exposure) that was intended.g “1F button Changing picture brightness (Exposure Compensation)” (P. 16)• When [SHADOW ADJ. ON] is selected, the subject’s face appears brighter even againstbacklight and the color of the background is enhanced in the picture. This function can alsobe used to shoot a subject inside a home or building from outside.g “f Brightening the subject against backlight” (P. 17)• With [ESP/n] set to [n], the picture can be taken based on the brightness at the centerof the monitor without being affected by the light in the background.g “ESP/n Changing the area for measuring the brightness of a subject” (P. 25)• Set the flash to [#] to activate fill-in-flash. You can shoot a subject against backlight withoutthe face of the subject appearing dark. [#] is effective for shooting against backlight andunder fluorescent and other artificial lighting.g “3# button Flash shooting” (P. 16)Taking stabilized pictures without the flashThe picture is too grainyTaking pictures with the correct colorTaking pictures of a white beach or snow sceneTaking pictures of a subject against backlight