diff --git a/samples/geotag.cpp b/samples/geotag.cpp
index c94dbb32..2a18be4f 100644
--- a/samples/geotag.cpp
+++ b/samples/geotag.cpp
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ std::string Position::toExifTimeStamp(std::string& t)
         sscanf(arg,"%d%c%d%c%d%c%d%c%d%c%d",&YY,&a,&MM,&b,&DD,&c,&HH,&d,&mm,&e,&SS1);
     }
     snprintf(result,sizeof(result),"%d/1 %d/1 %d/1",HH,mm,SS1);
-    return std::string(result);
+    return result;
 }
 
 std::string Position::toExifString(double d)
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ std::string Position::toExifString(double d)
     char result[200];
     d *= 100;
     snprintf(result, sizeof(result), "%d/100", abs(static_cast<int>(d)));
-    return std::string(result);
+    return result;
 }
 
 std::string Position::toExifString(double d,bool bRational,bool bLat)
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ std::string Position::toExifString(double d,bool bRational,bool bLat)
         snprintf(result,sizeof(result),"%d/1 %d/1 %d/1" ,deg,min,sec);
     else
         snprintf(result,sizeof(result),"%03d%s%02d'%02d\"%s" ,deg,gDeg,min,sec,NSEW);
-    return std::string(result);
+    return result;
 }
 
 std::string Position::toString() const
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ std::string Position::toString() const
     std::string sLat = Position::toExifString(lat_,false,true );
     std::string sLon = Position::toExifString(lon_,false,false);
     snprintf(result,sizeof(result),"%s %s %-8.3f",sLon.c_str(),sLat.c_str(),ele_);
-    return std::string(result);
+    return result;
 }
 
 // defaults
diff --git a/src/helper_functions.cpp b/src/helper_functions.cpp
index 413664c5..07820fc1 100644
--- a/src/helper_functions.cpp
+++ b/src/helper_functions.cpp
@@ -9,5 +9,5 @@ std::string string_from_unterminated(const char* data, size_t data_length)
         return {};
     }
     const size_t StringLength = strnlen(data, data_length);
-    return std::string(data, StringLength);
+    return {data, StringLength};
 }
diff --git a/src/pngchunk_int.cpp b/src/pngchunk_int.cpp
index 81cdfcae..64b996e0 100644
--- a/src/pngchunk_int.cpp
+++ b/src/pngchunk_int.cpp
@@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ namespace Exiv2::Internal {
                 }
             } while (zlibResult == Z_BUF_ERROR);
 
-            return std::string(arr.c_str(), arr.size());
+            return {arr.c_str(), arr.size()};
 
         }  // PngChunk::zlibCompress
 
diff --git a/src/preview.cpp b/src/preview.cpp
index 9f62f54a..44c79751 100644
--- a/src/preview.cpp
+++ b/src/preview.cpp
@@ -1129,6 +1129,6 @@ namespace Exiv2 {
             buf = loader->getData();
         }
 
-        return PreviewImage(properties, std::move(buf));
+        return {properties, std::move(buf)};
     }
 }                                       // namespace Exiv2