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T Y P E S O F C A M E R A
C O M P A C T / P O I N T A N D S H O O T C A M E R A S
D S L R C A M E R A S
B R I D G E C A M E R A S
M I R R O R L E S S C A M E R A S (A L S O K N O W N A S C O M P A C T S Y S T E M
C A M E R A S)
M E D I U M F O R M A T C A M E R A S
W H A T L E N S ?
Z O O M L E N S E S
P R I M E / F I X E D L E N S E S
S T A N D A R D / N O R M A L L E N S E S
W I D E A N G L E L E N S E S
U L T R A W I D E A N G L E L E N S E S
T E L E P H O T O L E N S E S
F I S H E Y E L E N S E S
M A C R O L E N S E S
E X P O S U R E
Overexposure is when the image is too bright and too much light has entered the camera- this causes highlights of the photo to become brighter, which loses detail and texture in the image as well as causing it to look washed out.
Underexposure is when the image is too dark and too little light has entered the camera- causing shadows to become darker and again, detail to be lost in the image. This can result in dull images.
Correct exposure is when the image represents the scene in terms of brightness and isn't too dark or too light.
However, it is important to remember that exposure is down to you and your personal opinion- and I know myself I have deliberately underexposed images for effect. Remember, photography doesn't have to be knowing the rules and following by the book- it's important to experiment and break the rules! So... how do you control exposure?
S H U T T E R S P E E D
If you want to capture moving objects, however, you want to be using a high shutter speed as these can freeze movement and keep the frame in focus. If you want to blur your subject, you should be using low shutter speeds, such as 1". Remember, though, always use a tripod for shutter speeds lower than 1/60 as if not, you may get camera shake- which basically means your image is going to be blurry and not in focus!
This can be controlled in semi-automatic mode Time Value or in the Manual Mode.
Here's a little scale, curtesy of imagesandcameras.com:
A P E R T U R E
The main use of aperture though is to control the depth of field, or in other words... how much of the image is in focus. The lower the number, the shallower the depth of field (say f/2.8) meaning the background is likely blurred, and the higher the number (or f stop), the wider the depth of field meaning everything is in focus (say f/22).
This can be controlled in semi-automatic mode Aperture Value or in the Manual Mode.
Here's another scale, curtesy of the same website:
I S O
You can control this in semi-automatic modes, such as Av, Tv and P as well as the manual mode.
Here's yet another diagram from https://www.emaze.com/@AZWRTTOO/The-Exposure-Triangle
E X P O S U R E C O M P E N S A T I O N
You can use this in semi-automatic modes and in manual mode.
Here's a scale from http://www.freedigitalphotographytutorials.com/camera-settings/how-to-use-exposure-compensation-camera-settings/
C A M E R A M O D E S & F U N C T I O N S
The next mode is called Aperture Value Mode/Aperture Priority, which is a semi-automatic mode that allows you to control the aperture while the camera adjusts the shutter speed itself. This is quite possibly the best mode to use for blog photos, because changing the aperture allows you to control how much of the frame you want in focus- perfect for that product close-up you want a blurry background for!
One down, and you have Time Value or Shutter Priority Mode- which again is a semi-automatic mode that this time, allows you to control the shutter speed while the camera controls the aperture. This mode is very useful when photographing moving objects, such as cars, as it makes sure they remain in focus- unless that is, you want to leave light trails or blur your subject!
Then, you have Program which is a semi-automatic mode that allows you to control the ISO while your camera controls the shutter speed and aperture.
Now, we come across the Fully Automatic Mode- which we've all used before! Here, you have no creative input, which could be good on the go- but perhaps not so good in other cases. Automatic mode tends to focus on getting the exposure right more than anything else, so you may find things being in or out of focus which you don't please!
One down, and we have Flash Off mode- again, an automatic mode just without the flash... quite self explanatory!
Then, we reach Creative Automatic Mode (or so on the Canon 1200D) which does all the hard work for you and just asks how blurry you want your background as well as the setting in which you're in and whether or not you want the flash on.
Now, we move to the pre-set modes which have certain features for certain scenes. Portrait and Close-Up Mode focus on having a low aperture to give a blurred background and allow the subject to stand out, whereas Landscape has a high aperture to get everything in the frame in focus. It's the same with Sports mode, it has a high shutter speed to get moving objects in focus!
Finally, we're down to our little filming mode, as you may, where you record videos.