Using the photography basics mode is simple and easy but it does not provide much control as to how you would like your shot to be taken. In addition, the photos are captured only in jpeg files. The creative mode zone will allow for more control as to how a picture is to be taken. You may render the photo into RAW, JPG, or both. Do note that RAW files are rather big size and you would need very high capacity storage media in order to take many photos.

The creative mode photography zone comprises the P, Tv, Av, M and A-DEP which are the Program, Time priority, Aperture priority, Manual and Auto Depth of field. It is at these modes the complexity of mastering the art of photography is where it becomes interesting. In the creative mode, you will have the ability to set the ISO, exposure level, and white balance plus a host of other intricate settings.

The Program (P) mode is similar to the Full Auto of basics mode where the shutter speed and aperture is automatically set. You could still adjust the settings by turning the main dial or the quick dial. Turning the dial will change the aperture settings which at the same the camera will adjust the shutter speed to match your aperture settings and vice versa. Basically in the P mode you could just press the shutter without any adjustment as the camera would select the appropriate average shutter speed and aperture setting for quick shooting.

The Time Priority (Tv) mode is where your first preference is to control the shutter speed while letting the digital camera select the aperture automatically. You want to control the shutter speed because you want freeze or blur the appropriate action of a scene. For example setting a shutter speed of 1/30 or 1/60 of a second allows you to blur a moving object to enhance the idea of movement.

The Aperture Priority (Av) mode is where you want to control the iris of the lens for the control of depth of field while allowing the camera to automatically select the appropriate shutter speed. Setting f-stop of 5.6 or below open wide the aperture thereby giving emphasis of the subject in focus while blurring the surrounding background to isolate subject matter. Using f-stop like 8.0 and above provides wider range of focus, useful for taking landscape photography where you want a scene to be clear and in focus.

Manual (M) mode is where you want full control of both the shutter speed and aperture f-stop setting. You will use this mode when you have an exposure level that you know will produce a good photo based on the camera settings that you have selected. This can be very tricky to judge and comes with experience.

And finally the Automatic depth of field (A-DEP) mode is where the camera will select the appropriate aperture settings based on the focus points in the digital SLR camera so that the subjects in question would be in focus. For example when you want to take a three person standing at angle to you, you want to capture a photo whereby all three persons will be in focus. Using the A-DEP setting will help to select the best aperture f-stop to get a good focusing result.