The Anatomy of a Digital Camera A digital camera contains hundreds of parts It is important to understand the most essential parts of the camera as you begin to explore its many features

Diagram A: Top View

Definitions for Parts of a Digital Camera Diagram A: Top View Lens - This part of the digital compact camera consists of several layers of lenses of varying properties providing zoom, focusing, and distortion correction. These lenses are mechanically interconnected and adjustment is controlled electronically by the camera's body. Aperture - Every camera has an aperture. Sometimes fixed but usually adjustable, the aperture is a hole that varies in size to control the amount of light falling on the sensor. Shutter - Exposes the film or digital sensor to light projected from the lens of your camera for a given duration. This can be anywhere from 1/4000 seconds to 30 seconds, depending on your camera.

Shutter Release Button - This is the "trigger" of the camera. In most cameras, a half-press activates and locks the auto-focus, and a full press captures an image. The shutter also defines how long light will fall on the sensor within the camera. Zoom Toggle - Only compact digital cameras with built-in lenses offer an optical zoom feature. "T" stands for telescopic and "W" stands for wide-angle view giving you the full range of zoom on your camera. View Finder/LCD Screen - The LCD screen on digital cameras allows images to be viewed immediately after they are taken, so adjustments can be made to improve your shots straight away. Mode Dial - A mode dial or camera dial is a dial used on digital cameras to change the camera's mode. On point-and-shoot cameras which support modes a range of scene types is offered.

Diagram B: Front View

Definitions for Parts of a Digital Camera Diagram B: Front View Flash - Is an artificial source of extremely intense light that can be added to photos shot with a digital camera. The flash fires just before the photo is snapped, giving the lens and image sensor plenty of light with which to record the digital image. Sensor - The image sensor inside a digital camera consists of millions of pixel sensors, each of which includes a photo detector. As light enters the camera through the lens, it strikes the sensor, which causes each photo detector to accumulate an electric charge based on the amount of light that strikes it. The digital camera then converts the charge to pixels that make up the photo.

Generic Mode Dial for Digital Cameras Actual dials may have more or fewer settings depending upon the camera you are using.

Generic Digital Mode Settings Auto (‘A’ or camera symbol, sometimes coloured) As the mode suggests, the camera takes care of exposing the picture, so all you need to do is press the shutter. In this mode, it is usually still possible to set the resolution and flash mode. Macro Mode (flower icon) Macro mode lets you move in closer to your subject to take a close up picture. It’s a great mode for shooting flowers, insects or other small objects. How to photograph in Macro mode: When you use macro mode it is more difficult to focus as at short distances the depth of field is very narrow (just millimeters at times). Keep your camera and the object you’re photographing parallel if possible or a lot of it will be out of focus. Do not use your camera’s built in flash when photographing close up objects or they’ll be burnt out. A tripod is helpful in macro shots as the depth of field is so small that even moving towards or away from your subject slightly can make your subject out of focus.

Portrait Mode (person icon) Portrait mode works best when you’re photographing a single subject that you wish to photograph closely as in the case of a portrait. This mode ensures your subject is the only thing in focus and is therefore the center of attention in the shot. How to photograph in portrait mode: Get in close enough to your subject (either by zooming in or walking closer) so that your photographing the head and shoulders of them. If you’re shooting into the sun, you might want to use your flash to add more light onto the subjects face. Night mode (star and moon or person with moon icon) Night mode is for shooting in low light situations and sets your camera to use a longer shutter speed to help capture details of the background, but it also uses a flash to illuminate the foreground (and subject). How to photograph in night mode: If you use this mode for a ‘serious’ or well balanced shot you should use a tripod or your background will be blurred It’s also fun to take shots with this mode in handheld position to purposely blur your backgrounds – especially when there is a situation with lights behind your subject as it can give a fun and experimental look (great for parties and dance floors).

Sport Mode (running figure icon) Is designed for photographing moving objects (also called ‘action mode’ in some cameras). It is ideal for photographing any moving objects – including sports, pets, cars, wildlife, etc. How to photograph in sport mode: Sports mode attempts to freeze the action by increasing the shutter speed. Increase your chances of capturing the moving object by panning your camera along with the subject. Attempting to pre-focus your camera on a spot where the subject will be when you want to photograph it (this takes practice). Landscape Mode (mountains icon) It is ideal for capturing shots of wide scenes, particularly those with points of interest at different distances from the camera. How to photograph in landscape mode: This mode is almost the exact opposite of portrait mode. It sets the camera up with a small aperture (large number) to make sure that as much of the scene being photographed as possible will be in focus (it gives you a large depth of field). At times, your camera might also select a slower shutter speed in this mode (to compensate for the small aperture) so you might want to consider a tripod or other method of ensuring your camera is still.