Get to Know Your Camera

Objective Learn camera terms Learn camera modes and how to use them 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com

Table of Contents Cameras Work Like Our Eyes Understanding Exposure – Collecting Rain Aperture – How open is your lens? Shutter Speed – How fast should it be? ISO Speed – How much light do you want? Your Camera Modes 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com

Cameras Work Like Our Eyes Lens collects light Iris controls how much light Bigger opening = more light Smaller opening = less light Blinking controls how long we see a moment Image: https://scienceeasylearning.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/diagrams-related-to-structureworking-of-human-eye/ http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_aperture.html What Is Aperture? The main function of a camera lens is to collect light. The aperture of a lens is the diameter of the lens opening and is usually controlled by an iris. The larger the diameter of the aperture, the more light reaches the film / image sensor. Aperture is expressed as F-stop, e.g. F2.8 or f/2.8. The smaller the F-stop number (or f/value), the larger the lens opening (aperture). [Note: Many camera user manuals today will refer to the aperture in terms of "aperture value" instead of f/value. I'm not sure when this trend started but don't get confused between "aperture" and "aperture value." Aperture value" is simply another way of saying f/value.] In practice, unless you are dealing with a fixed-aperture lens (many simple point-and-shoot cameras have only one fixed aperture), the aperture of a lens is usually expressed as a range of fstops. 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com

Understanding Exposure – Collecting Rain How can we collect rain? The width of the bucket How long we leave it in rain How much water we want Too much or too little Overexposed Underexposed Many different combinations Image and text - http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-exposure.htm Achieving the correct exposure is a lot like collecting rain in a bucket. While the rate of rainfall is uncontrollable, three factors remain under your control: the bucket's width, the duration you leave it in the rain, and the quantity of rain you want to collect. You just need to ensure you don't collect too little ("underexposed"), but that you also don't collect too much ("overexposed"). The key is that there are many different combinations of width, time and quantity that will achieve this. For example, for the same quantity of water, you can get away with less time in the rain if you pick a bucket that's really wide. Alternatively, for the same duration left in the rain, a really narrow bucket can be used as long as you plan on getting by with less water. 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com

Aperture – How open is your lens? Lens controls how much light enters your camera Controls depth of field Range of distance that is in focus F/stop Low f/stop = small area of focus High f/stop = is large area of focus Fence knob - http://jmaklak.blogspot.com/ Bridge - http://megcollierphotography.blogspot.com/2013/01/depth-of-field.html http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_aperture.html http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-exposure.htm 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com

Shutter Speed – How fast should it be? Shutter opens and closes lens Controls how long light enters camera Faster shutter speed = sharp photo Image -http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/dslr/basics/04/03.htm Text - http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-exposure.htm camera's shutter determines when the camera sensor will be open or closed to incoming light from the camera lens. The shutter speed specifically refers to how long this light is permitted to enter the camera. "Shutter speed" and "exposure time" refer to the same concept, where a faster shutter speed means a shorter exposure time. By the Numbers. Shutter speed's influence on exposure is perhaps the simplest of the three camera settings: it correlates exactly 1:1 with the amount of light entering the camera. For example, when the exposure time doubles the amount of light entering the camera doubles. It's also the setting that has the widest range of possibilities: 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com

ISO Speed – How much light do you want? Controls sensitivity to light Lower is almost always better Higher ISO speed = image noise Grainy photos Image - http://snipe.net/2008/11/photo-retouching-how-to-salvage-a-dark-digital-photo/ The ISO speed determines how sensitive the camera is to incoming light. Similar to shutter speed, it also correlates 1:1 with how much the exposure increases or decreases. However, unlike aperture and shutter speed, a lower ISO speed is almost always desirable, since higher ISO speeds dramatically increase image noise. As a result, ISO speed is usually only increased from its minimum value if the desired aperture and shutter speed aren't otherwise obtainable. Common ISO speeds include 100, 200, 400 and 800, although many cameras also permit lower or higher values. With compact cameras, an ISO speed in the range of 50-200 generally produces acceptably low image noise, whereas with digital SLR cameras, a range of 50-800 (or higher) is often acceptable. 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com

Your Camera Modes Auto Mode - No worries Manual Mode – Total Control Sets everything automatically Manual Mode – Total Control No safety net Aperture Mode: You size aperture Camera sets correct shutter speed Blur background or keep entire image in focus A Key to Camera Icons: Making Sense of the Symbols Illustration: Diego Aguirre Auto Mode: When you want to take snapshots without worrying about the mechanics of photography, leave this setting on Auto. This mode sets all exposure levels automatically, and it usually locks you out of making any minor adjustments manually. 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com

Your Camera Modes, Cont’d Shutter Mode: You set shutter speed Camera sets correct aperture Freeze a scene or blur the picture Program Mode: Preset that allows small changes Creative changes possible Macro Mode: Focus extremely close Life-size pictures of insects, flowers, etc. Very narrow focus range 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com

Your Camera Modes, Cont’d Landscape Mode Camera picks aperture and shutter settings for depth of field for landscapes Sand and Snow Overexposes scene to gain details that would be lost due to brightly colored, glaring backgrounds 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com

Your Camera Modes, Cont’d Action – Sports Sets the camera to the highest shutter speed Increases odds of getting a clear shot Night Combines flash, which freezes people in the foreground, with slow shutter speed Allows lights from buildings, cars, etc. to show in the background. 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com

Summary Cameras work much like our eyes Correct exposure depends on 3 variables Aperture – determines area of focus Shutter speed ISO speed – lower makes less “noise” Camera Modes: All or nothing, some control 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com

. Works Cited Johnson, Dave. "Photo Tips: What Are All Those Camera Icons?" TechHive, edited by John Phillips, IDG Consumer & SMB, 28 Oct. 2004, www.techhive.com/article/118231/article.html. Accessed 12 Nov. 2016. McHugh, Sean. "Understanding Exposure." Cambridge in Colour, www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/ camera-exposure.htm. Accessed 12 Nov. 2016. "What Is... Aperture?" Photoxels, edited by MyKhanh Wong and Yin Wong, MyKhanh Wong, www.photoxels.com/tutorial_aperture.html. Accessed 12 Nov. 2016. 11/12/2016 ThroughtheLens4h.weebly.com