Digital
Camera Controls
- Mode dial: On most
cameras this is a round dial on top of the camera. This is the shooting
mode dial. On Canon cameras, the dial is on the left side when you hold
the viewfinder to your eye and take pictures. On Nikon cameras, it’s on
the right side. You use the dial to choose the desired shooting mode.
- Shutter button: You press
this button to prefocus the camera and take a picture.
- ISO setting: You use
this feature to change the ISO setting of the camera. The ISO determines
how sensitive the sensor is to light. You use higher ISO settings to take
pictures in low light conditions. A dial or a menu command is used to
change the ISO setting.
- Aperture setting: The aperture determines how much light enters the
camera. When you choose Aperture Priority as the shooting mode, you use a
dial to change the aperture, and the camera automatically selects the
shutter speed to properly expose the image.
- Shutter speed setting: The shutter speed setting comes into play when you
shoot in Shutter Priority mode. After choosing Shutter Priority for the
shooting mode, you use a dial to change the shutter speed, and the camera
automatically selects the correct f/stop to properly expose the image.
- Exposure compensation setting: This is used to increase or decrease the exposure. You
increase or decrease the exposure when the camera gets it wrong.
- Flash control: If your
camera has a built-in flash unit, you push this button to pop the flash
unit up and enable it. You can use flash to light the scene or add
additional light known as fill flash.
- LCD panel: This panel
shows you all the current settings. When you change a setting such as the
shutter speed or ISO setting, the panel updates to show you the new
settings. If your camera doesn’t have an LCD panel, these settings are
visible in most camera viewfinders.
