diff --git a/src/iptc.cpp b/src/iptc.cpp
index 4bccaea75a..3aeadbddcd 100644
--- a/src/iptc.cpp
+++ b/src/iptc.cpp
@@ -420,10 +420,11 @@ int IptcParser::decode(IptcData& iptcData, const byte* pData, size_t size) {
 }  // IptcParser::decode
 
 DataBuf IptcParser::encode(const IptcData& iptcData) {
+  DataBuf buf;
   if (iptcData.empty())
-    return {};
+    return buf;
 
-  DataBuf buf(iptcData.size());
+  buf = DataBuf(iptcData.size());
   byte* pWrite = buf.data();
 
   // Copy the iptc data sets and sort them by record but preserve the order of datasets
diff --git a/src/jp2image.cpp b/src/jp2image.cpp
index fd0ea16800..7b4309a867 100644
--- a/src/jp2image.cpp
+++ b/src/jp2image.cpp
@@ -100,9 +100,9 @@ Jp2Image::Jp2Image(BasicIo::UniquePtr io, bool create) : Image(ImageType::jp2, m
 // Obtains the ascii version from the box.type
 std::string Jp2Image::toAscii(uint32_t n) {
   const auto p = reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&n);
-  if (isBigEndianPlatform())
-    return std::string(p, p + 4);
   std::string result(p, p + 4);
+  if (isBigEndianPlatform())
+    return result;
   std::reverse(result.begin(), result.end());
   return result;
 }
diff --git a/src/pngchunk_int.cpp b/src/pngchunk_int.cpp
index 1b38829bc2..82ae6d4161 100644
--- a/src/pngchunk_int.cpp
+++ b/src/pngchunk_int.cpp
@@ -467,11 +467,11 @@ std::string PngChunk::makeUtf8TxtChunk(const std::string& keyword, const std::st
 }  // PngChunk::makeUtf8TxtChunk
 
 DataBuf PngChunk::readRawProfile(const DataBuf& text, bool iTXt) {
+  DataBuf info;
   if (text.size() <= 1) {
-    return {};
+    return info;
   }
 
-  DataBuf info;
   const unsigned char unhex[103] = {
       0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,  0,  0,  0,  0,  0,  0, 0,
       0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,  0,  0,  0,  0,  0,  0, 0,
@@ -488,26 +488,26 @@ DataBuf PngChunk::readRawProfile(const DataBuf& text, bool iTXt) {
   const char* eot = text.c_str(text.size() - 1);  // end of text
 
   if (sp >= eot) {
-    return {};
+    return info;
   }
 
   // Look for newline
   while (*sp != '\n') {
     sp++;
     if (sp == eot) {
-      return {};
+      return info;
     }
   }
   sp++;  // step over '\n'
   if (sp == eot) {
-    return {};
+    return info;
   }
 
   // Look for length
   while (*sp == '\0' || *sp == ' ' || *sp == '\n') {
     sp++;
     if (sp == eot) {
-      return {};
+      return info;
     }
   }
 
@@ -519,12 +519,12 @@ DataBuf PngChunk::readRawProfile(const DataBuf& text, bool iTXt) {
     length = newlength;
     sp++;
     if (sp == eot) {
-      return {};
+      return info;
     }
   }
   sp++;  // step over '\n'
   if (sp == eot) {
-    return {};
+    return info;
   }
 
   enforce(length <= static_cast<size_t>(eot - sp) / 2, Exiv2::ErrorCode::kerCorruptedMetadata);
@@ -540,7 +540,7 @@ DataBuf PngChunk::readRawProfile(const DataBuf& text, bool iTXt) {
 #ifdef EXIV2_DEBUG_MESSAGES
     std::cerr << "Exiv2::PngChunk::readRawProfile: Unable To Copy Raw Profile: cannot allocate memory\n";
 #endif
-    return {};
+    return info;
   }
 
   if (info.empty())  // Early return
diff --git a/src/preview.cpp b/src/preview.cpp
index 21ae651ec3..a429c86225 100644
--- a/src/preview.cpp
+++ b/src/preview.cpp
@@ -325,16 +325,16 @@ const LoaderTiff::Param LoaderTiff::param_[] = {
 };
 
 Loader::UniquePtr Loader::create(PreviewId id, const Image& image) {
+  Loader::UniquePtr loader;
   if (id < 0 || id >= Loader::getNumLoaders())
-    return nullptr;
+    return loader;
 
   if (loaderList_[id].imageMimeType_ && std::string(loaderList_[id].imageMimeType_) != image.mimeType())
-    return nullptr;
+    return loader;
 
-  auto loader = loaderList_[id].create_(id, image, loaderList_[id].parIdx_);
-
-  if (loader && !loader->valid())
-    return nullptr;
+  loader = loaderList_[id].create_(id, image, loaderList_[id].parIdx_);
+  if (!loader->valid())
+    loader = nullptr;
 
   return loader;
 }
@@ -568,11 +568,13 @@ PreviewProperties LoaderExifDataJpeg::getProperties() const {
 }
 
 DataBuf LoaderExifDataJpeg::getData() const {
+  DataBuf buf;
+
   if (!valid())
-    return {};
+    return buf;
 
   if (auto pos = image_.exifData().findKey(dataKey_); pos != image_.exifData().end()) {
-    DataBuf buf = pos->dataArea();  // indirect data
+    buf = pos->dataArea();  // indirect data
 
     if (buf.empty()) {  // direct data
       buf = DataBuf(pos->size());
@@ -583,7 +585,7 @@ DataBuf LoaderExifDataJpeg::getData() const {
     return buf;
   }
 
-  return {};
+  return buf;
 }
 
 bool LoaderExifDataJpeg::readDimensions() {
@@ -854,6 +856,7 @@ DataBuf decodeHex(const byte* src, size_t srcSize) {
 const char encodeBase64Table[64 + 1] = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+/";
 
 DataBuf decodeBase64(const std::string& src) {
+  DataBuf dest;
   // create decoding table
   unsigned long invalid = 64;
   auto decodeBase64Table = std::vector<unsigned long>(256, invalid);
@@ -864,11 +867,11 @@ DataBuf decodeBase64(const std::string& src) {
   auto validSrcSize = static_cast<unsigned long>(
       std::count_if(src.begin(), src.end(), [&](unsigned char c) { return decodeBase64Table.at(c) != invalid; }));
   if (validSrcSize > ULONG_MAX / 3)
-    return {};  // avoid integer overflow
+    return dest;  // avoid integer overflow
   const unsigned long destSize = (validSrcSize * 3) / 4;
 
   // allocate dest buffer
-  DataBuf dest(destSize);
+  dest = DataBuf(destSize);
 
   // decode
   for (unsigned long srcPos = 0, destPos = 0; destPos < destSize;) {
@@ -930,18 +933,19 @@ DataBuf decodeAi7Thumbnail(const DataBuf& src) {
 }
 
 DataBuf makePnm(size_t width, size_t height, const DataBuf& rgb) {
+  DataBuf dest;
   if (size_t expectedSize = width * height * 3UL; rgb.size() != expectedSize) {
 #ifndef SUPPRESS_WARNINGS
     EXV_WARNING << "Invalid size of preview data. Expected " << expectedSize << " bytes, got " << rgb.size()
                 << " bytes.\n";
 #endif
-    return {};
+    return dest;
   }
 
   const std::string header = "P6\n" + std::to_string(width) + " " + std::to_string(height) + "\n255\n";
   const auto headerBytes = reinterpret_cast<const byte*>(header.data());
 
-  DataBuf dest(header.size() + rgb.size());
+  dest = DataBuf(header.size() + rgb.size());
   std::copy_n(headerBytes, header.size(), dest.begin());
   std::copy_n(rgb.c_data(), rgb.size(), dest.begin() + header.size());
   return dest;
diff --git a/src/tiffimage_int.cpp b/src/tiffimage_int.cpp
index c5d86cf87f..d67f172d2f 100644
--- a/src/tiffimage_int.cpp
+++ b/src/tiffimage_int.cpp
@@ -2101,12 +2101,13 @@ WriteMethod TiffParserWorker::encode(BasicIo& io, const byte* pData, size_t size
 
 TiffComponent::UniquePtr TiffParserWorker::parse(const byte* pData, size_t size, uint32_t root,
                                                  TiffHeaderBase* pHeader) {
+  TiffComponent::UniquePtr rootDir;
   if (!pData || size == 0)
-    return nullptr;
+    return rootDir;
   if (!pHeader->read(pData, size) || pHeader->offset() >= size) {
     throw Error(ErrorCode::kerNotAnImage, "TIFF");
   }
-  auto rootDir = TiffCreator::create(root, IfdId::ifdIdNotSet);
+  rootDir = TiffCreator::create(root, IfdId::ifdIdNotSet);
   if (rootDir) {
     rootDir->setStart(pData + pHeader->offset());
     auto state = TiffRwState{pHeader->byteOrder(), 0};