Digital Camera Workshop for Seniors Intoduction

How cameras work Very similar to the way we all see (sight) How do our eyes work?

How our eyes see Look at an object Our Eyes see it upside down Out brain process what the eyes see Put it the right way up

How is this similar to a camera?

Camera similar to our eyes A camera records light Must have a light source Light goes through a lense Aperture (like the Iris of our eye) Shutter (like opening & closing eyes) Sensor (same as optic nerve)

Must have light Just like we can not see in total dark either can a camera. (see below) However using some techniques cameras can record even the smallest amout of light Some cameras can record infra red light that we can not see

Light source Usally sunlight or artifical light Can come from Camera itself (flash) Could come from outside our solar system (stars)

Lense Used to concentrate light on the sensor And have the image in focus Can be the most expensive part of a camera Are many different types that perform different function. Eg zoom The fact that light goes through a lense reduces the amount of light reaching the sensor

Aperture Restricts the amount of light reaching the sensor Are talked about in F-numbers The bigger the F-number the smaller the Aperture (less light gets to the sensor) The smaller the F-number the bigger the Aperture (more light gets to the sensor)

Aperture Open and close like the Iris (coloured area) of our eyes

Shutter Determins how long the light is on the sensor Is talked amout in time Usally fractions of a second eg. 1/250 or 1/1000 The longer the time the more light reashes the sensor The shorter the time the less light reashes the sensor

Shutter

Sensor Converts light to computer (digital) signal Then passes that signal to the digital processor (computer within the camera) There are two types of sensors CCD (Charge Couple Devise) CMOS (Complementary Metal–oxide– Semiconductor)

Sensor The degree to which the sensor is effected by light can be adjusted This is called the ISO speed A low ISO speed requires a longer exposure to light and is referred to as slow A high ISO speed requires a shorter exposure to light and is referred to as fast

CCD CCD-Colorsensor

Processor May adjust the image in some ways May compress the image to make it small so you can fit more images on your memory card Save the image to the memory card Also allows images on memory card to be viewed Provides the interface to enable you to use the camera

Light Meter Most modern cameras have a built it light meter It is used to measure the amount of light Information from the light meter can be presented to you to help you take a photo Or the camera can use the light meter information to set the camera for automatic or semi automatic taking of photos

Digital Camera Modes Fully automatic (Auto) Partially automatic (Program,Tv Av ) Fully Manual (M) Some digital camers do not allow some partial automatic and fully manual modes

Fully automatic (Auto) The camera controls: Flash, Aperture, Shutter ISO and Focus You control: zoom, what photo you take and when you take it The camera uses it light meter and processor to calculate the Aperture, shutter, ISO, Focus and flash

Semi Automatic - Program The camera controls: Aperture, Shutter and ISO You control – In addition to, for Fully Auto Mode: Flash and optionally Focus and ISO The camera uses it light meter and processor to calculate the Aperture and shutter

Semi Automatic - Tv Mode Also know as Sutter priority The camera controls: Aperture and optionally ISO You control – In addition to, for Fully Auto Mode: Flash, Shutter and optionally Focus and ISO The camera uses it light meter and processor to calculate Aperture

Semi Automatic Av Mode Also know as Aperture priority The camera controls: Shutter and optionally ISO You control – In addition to, for Fully Auto Mode: Flash, Aperture and optionally Focus and ISO The camera uses it light meter and processor to calculate Shutter speed

Fully Manual Mode The camera controls: Optionally only ISO You control – In addition to, for Fully Auto Mode: Flash, Aperture, Sutter speed and optionally Focus and ISO The camera uses it light meter and processor to calculate Shutter speed and Aperture

When to use which modes Fully Automatic Mode will give you good photos most of the time, but it limits creativity With Semi automatic and manual modes you can get bad photos more often, if you don't know what you are doing, but you can be much more creative

When to use which modes The best way to learn when to use which modes is to read about photograph in books or web pages and to experiment Different camera models have different ways of selecting modes Remember this workshop is about using the technology of digital camers Not about photography.