Primer on Digital Camera Settings

August 26, 2010, By 1 comment

Primer on Digital Camera Settings

If you have a digital SLR, or an advanced digital compact camera, and you have never advanced any further than the automatic scene modes, then this handy guide will walk you through the digital camera settings you've been missing out on.

Program Mode

Usually marked with a 'P' on your mode dial, program mode is a customizable version of auto mode. The most obvious difference you will find is that your flash will no longer pop up and fire automatically. In program mode, you will have to activate it yourself; however, this is not a bad thing. Flash can be a quick way to ruin a perfectly good photo with its harsh, direct light.

So what do you do if it's dark? Try raising your ISO speed. ISO measures your camera's sensitivity to light. The larger the number, the more light that will enter your camera, and the brighter your picture can be in low light situations. The trade-off is digital noise, or a graininess that will appear in your photos. To counteract this, stick to ISO speeds of 800 or below with your digital compact. If you have a DSLR, you should be fine with up to ISO 3200.

Page 1 of 4

Comments (1):

Greg H.
Greg H. 1. Increasing the ISO does not let in more light. It changes the sensitivity of the sensor. Any ISO over 400 shows an exponential gain in noise. 2. Remember that f-stops are a fraction of the opening. A f-stop of 2 is actually 1/2 of the whole opening of the lens. This is why the small numbers are larger openings. This is the number one thing that trips up everyone. A f-stop of 16 is actually 1/16 of the whole opening or very very small. The smaller the f-stop number (larger the opening) the more light passes thru the lens to the sensor. The larger the number (smaller opening) the less light is coming thru the lens. 3. Shutter speed is the same as f-stop. It's a fraction of a second. 30 is actually 1/30 of a second. A faster shutter speed will stop action. Remember that as you change your shutter speed, you have to compensate with changing your f-stop and/or ISO. It's all give and take. 4. While this is basically correct, you have to take into consideration what you are photographing. This won't work if you're shooting on the ski slopes on a bright sunny day, or shooting a dark subject against a dark wall. The best thing to do is to bracket, and most SLRs will do this automatically. Finally, what ever camera you own, whatever you shoot, buy a book and learn about the technical aspects of photography. - 02/12/2011

© 2012 Man of the House, Barefoot Proximity, P&G Productions