The scene modes employ a combination of settings
Portrait mode will rely of face detection to find the face, adjust exposure on skin tone and focus on the eye (if it's good enough) it will then use a large aperture to help knock the background out of focus.
Some cameras will even soften skin tones! Madness putting that in the hands of a camera IMO but there we go...

Landscape mode will do the opposite, meter of the whole frame, set a small aperture to get as much from front to back in focus as it can. Some will adjust colours slightly too ...

There is nothing wrong with scene modes for those who have little interest in learning ... Photography is not for everyone, but everyone wants to be a photographer ... Of you get my meaning ...

Portrait mode can be emulated in the following way
Set the camera to aperture priority, and a large aperture
Set it to spot meter, or centre weighted
Set the camera to focus from the centre spot
Point that at the subjects eye, holding the button half way down, recompose the frameing to how it looks best and take the shot

I was banging on to Paul on the phone yesterday about how if somthing is easier it shouldn't nessasarily be dismissed ... portrait mode does make things easier, as it takes away the need to think!
Photography should be about thinking about what you are doing ... Especially as an ameture!
Technology that makes things easier is much better employed for speed by a pro who already knows how to do it the hard way ... I'm rambling again here ...

Not rambling - I get what you are saying. No more Scenes for me until I can operate my cameras manually!

... Just don't loose the shot!
If a scene mode will bag a fleeting shot quicker then use it!
Just don't rely on them ...
I use aperture priority most ... Gives you creative control of DOF which is arguable the most important thing to control in the majority of (non sport at least) situations ...

This is why you film camera is the best way to learn ...
You take a meter reading, set the aperture to what most suits the subject, then set the shutter speed so its right for the meter reading ... Do that enough times and everything comes naturally!

Have a look at this ... Should give you an idea about selection of apropriate aperture
http://www.realphotographersforum.co...ale-focus.html

Thanks again, Hamish. I'll try to digest it all.

Cheers,

Rob