Camera Basics

Camera Basics

　

I have been asked to talk about camera basics that I have learnt within the session.

Aperture ( F-stop)

The aperture is the opening of the lens this controls how much light passes through the camera. The aperture is like the pupil of a human eye. To change the aperture on the camera you should change the f number. An easy way to remember the f number is:

The lower the f number the more light is let through ( shallow depth of field).

The higher the f number the less light is let through ( deep depth of field).

Shutter Speed

The longer the shutter speed the more light is let in. (blurs action).

The shorter the shutter speed the less light is let in. (freezes action).

ISO

ISO stands for International standards Organization. Iso is how sensitive the sensor is to light. The lower the Iso the better quality the image will be and using a higher ISO will give images noise.

JPEG

JPEG is a small compressed file so more images can be stored on a card. When shooting on JPEG a lot of quality of the image is lost. JPEG’s are used on the world wide web. - This is a large file that has come straight from the camera and hasn’t been altered by built in camera software.

Raw
This is a large file that has come straight from the camera and hasn’t been altered by built in camera soft ware. Raw gives the best quality of image and when post processing images, items can be changed such as white balance and colouring. When shooting Raw you get less images on a card than you would with JPEG.

Modes

All are DSLR cameras are different but they all have more or less the same modes. I have a canon 400D and this come with the following modes:

Macro - Taking close ups and records onto the camera senser at a 1:1 ratio.

Manual - This should be used, you have to set the aperture and shutter speed so your telling the camera what to do, not the camera telling you what to do.

Night - Taking images in the dark so it gives a longer exposure and needs a higher Iso.

Landscape - Using landscape will capture a lot of detailed scenery using high a f stop.

Aperture priority - This mode sets the aperture.

Sports - Uses a high shutter speed to capture moment.

Shutter Priority - Sets the shutter speed.

Portrait - For taking portrait images. The back ground will blurred out and uses a low f number.