Camera Essentials

Required Supplies Must have a Digital Camera! You are responsible for the care of your equipment. You must have a working camera! I do not have alternate assignments.

Types of Digital Cameras Basic Cameras Subcompacts Compacts Superzooms Review from first day

Subcompacts- point and shoot Subcompacts fit in a pocket, are lightweight but generally have few manual controls. A few include nontelescoping zoom lenses, and others have zooms as high as 14x.

Compacts- point and shoot Compacts are a bit larger, and often have more manual controls than subcompacts.

Point and Shoot Concept Anyone can take photos! Quick captures- not a lot of artistic thought Examples: Selfies, Facebook posts, Family albums etc.

Superzooms Superzooms offer 15x or greater zoom, with some recent models including optical zooms as great as 35x. Like compacts, superzooms often, though not always, include manual controls.

Types of Digital Cameras Advanced Cameras Advanced point and shoots SLR like SLR

Advanced point and shoots Advanced point-and-shoots have a nondetachable lens but differ from basic models because they have lots of manual controls, a hot shoe for an external flash, and support for RAW files. It's the lightest advanced type.

SLR like SLR-like models have interchangeable lenses, but they lack a through-the-lens viewfinder. They're smaller and lighter than an SLR but usually larger than a point-and-shoot.

SLR SLRs have the most features, with interchangeable lenses and the largest sensors for the best image quality in low light, and a through-the lens viewfinder. Controls are extensive. They're also the heaviest, most expensive cameras.

An APS-C format SLR (left) and a full-frame DSLR (right) show the difference in the size of the image sensors.

Camera Modes

On/Record- Power button Playback- Allows user to view and edit stored images OFF- complete turns camera off

Modern cameras can do a lot of things AUTOmatically, but it is important, as a photographer, to understand the manual settings to capture the photos as best as possible.

Auto- camera completely controls the flash and exposure. Sometimes represents Auto Automatic-Assist, point and shoot Usually control flash and a few other

Movie/Video Macro/Close Up Party/Night- longer exposures to capture dark scenes. Usually used with flash.

Portrait- attempts to blur our the background, (aperture) Landscape- attempt to capture detailin foreground and background by using high f-stop (aperture) *depth of field Sports- freeze motion, use the highest shutter speed possible

Aperture Priority- Sometimes an A You can set the Aperture (f-stop) and the camera will attempt a good exposure Shutter Priority- Sometimes an S You can se the Shutter and the camera will attempt a good exposure. Manual- You set both shutter and aperture

Point and Shoot Screen

DSLR Screen

Flash Options