2. Z 9 Reference Guide
  3. Basic Photography and Playback
  4. Taking Photographs

Taking Photographs

The basic steps involved in taking photographs are described below.

Lenses with Retractable Barrels

Lenses with retractable barrels must be extended before use. Rotate the zoom ring as shown until the lens clicks into the extended position.

  1. Select photo mode by rotating the photo/video selector to C.

  2. Ready the camera.

    Holding the handgrip in your right hand and cradling the camera body or lens with your left, bring your elbows in against the sides of your chest.

    Landscape (wide) orientation

    Portrait (tall) orientation
  3. Frame the photograph.

    Position the main subject near the center of the frame.

  4. To focus, press the shutter-release button halfway (i.e., lightly press the shutter-release button, stopping when it is pressed halfway).

    • The focus point will be displayed in green when the camera focuses. If the camera is unable to focus, the focus point will flash red.

    • The AF-assist illuminator may light to assist the focus operation if the subject is poorly lit.

    • You can also focus by pressing the AF-ON button.

    The AF-Assist Illuminator

    Do not obstruct the AF-assist illuminator while it is lit.

  5. Without lifting your finger from the shutter-release button, press the button the rest of the way down to take the picture.
The Memory Card Access Lamp

The memory card access lamp will light while the photograph is being recorded. Do not remove the memory card or battery.

The Touch Shutter

You can also take a photograph by touching the monitor. Touch your subject to focus and lift your finger to release the shutter (The Touch Shutter).

Framing Photos in Portrait (“Tall”) Orientation

The camera is equipped with controls for use in portrait (“tall”) orientation, including vertical shutter-release, S, Fn, AF-ON, and i buttons, main and sub-command dials, and a multi selector.

  • Rotate the vertical shooting shutter-release button lock to L to avoid accidentally operating these controls when the camera is in landscape (“wide”) orientation.

Using Zoom in Photo Mode

To zoom in on the display in photo mode (to a maximum of approximately 16×), press the X button.

  • Use the X and W (Q) buttons to zoom in and out.

  • A navigation window showing the area currently visible will appear at the bottom right corner of the display.

  • Use the multi selector to scroll to areas of the frame not visible in the monitor.