What is the difference between Fine and Standard picture modes?

Many Sony® digital still cameras have both a Fine and Standard mode setting for recording JPEG images. Each has different advantages.

The Fine mode uses less compression when storing a picture. Therefore, the recorded pictures will have better quality than those recorded in the Standard mode. However, since there is less compression, the file size is larger and requires more memory space for storage. Although the image quality is better, fewer images can be recorded.

Standard mode uses more compression when storing a picture. For this reason, the picture quality is not as good as images recorded in the Fine mode. But, since there is more compression, the file size is smaller and requires less memory space for storage. Even though the image quality is not as good, more images can be recorded.