Digital camera functions
The best way to learn about a digital camera is to read the instruction manual.
These functions allow the user to set the camera to the 鈥榓utomatic鈥 shoot mode and take quality photographs.
| Camera function | Detail |
| Shoot modes | Portrait, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual and automatic. Often found on a dial at the top of the camera. |
| Shutter button | The button to take the photograph. Press it gently to allow the camera to focus properly before pressing it down entirely to take the shot. Located on the top right of most cameras. |
| Optical zoom | On some digital cameras there is a switch beneath the shutter button with the letter W (wide angle) on one side and T (telephoto) on the other. This allows you to zoom in and out. |
| Flash | There is usually an in-built flash which will turn on automatically when needed. You can override this to switch it on or off. |
| Playback and delete | A button on the back, usually a green triangle/arrow. This allows you to see your photos on the screen. There is another button, usually with a bin icon, that deletes unwanted photos. |
| Camera function | Shoot modes |
|---|---|
| Detail | Portrait, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual and automatic. Often found on a dial at the top of the camera. |
| Camera function | Shutter button |
|---|---|
| Detail | The button to take the photograph. Press it gently to allow the camera to focus properly before pressing it down entirely to take the shot. Located on the top right of most cameras. |
| Camera function | Optical zoom |
|---|---|
| Detail | On some digital cameras there is a switch beneath the shutter button with the letter W (wide angle) on one side and T (telephoto) on the other. This allows you to zoom in and out. |
| Camera function | Flash |
|---|---|
| Detail | There is usually an in-built flash which will turn on automatically when needed. You can override this to switch it on or off. |
| Camera function | Playback and delete |
|---|---|
| Detail | A button on the back, usually a green triangle/arrow. This allows you to see your photos on the screen. There is another button, usually with a bin icon, that deletes unwanted photos. |
Shoot modes
A shoot mode wheel found on many digital cameras
Many bridge and DSLR cameras can operate in different shoot modes and each mode has a different purpose.
| Shoot mode | Description |
| Manual mode | The user chooses all the settings on the camera and have full control over the aperture and shutter speed. |
| Program mode | The camera will automatically select the shutter speed and aperture setting for the best lighting in the shot. This does restrict you from creating any 鈥榙epth of field鈥 or capturing motion. |
| Aperture priority mode | The camera will choose the shutter speed but you have control over the aperture. If you choose a wide aperture, the camera will use a faster shutter speed etc. |
| Shutter priority mode | The camera will choose the aperture whilst you control the shutter speed. Commonly used to freeze movement or capture motion. Useful to capture sport shots. |
| AUTO-mode | The camera automatically adjusts all settings: aperture, shutter speed, focus, white balance and colour profile. This is ideal for beginners. |
| Shoot mode | Manual mode |
|---|---|
| Description | The user chooses all the settings on the camera and have full control over the aperture and shutter speed. |
| Shoot mode | Program mode |
|---|---|
| Description | The camera will automatically select the shutter speed and aperture setting for the best lighting in the shot. This does restrict you from creating any 鈥榙epth of field鈥 or capturing motion. |
| Shoot mode | Aperture priority mode |
|---|---|
| Description | The camera will choose the shutter speed but you have control over the aperture. If you choose a wide aperture, the camera will use a faster shutter speed etc. |
| Shoot mode | Shutter priority mode |
|---|---|
| Description | The camera will choose the aperture whilst you control the shutter speed. Commonly used to freeze movement or capture motion. Useful to capture sport shots. |
| Shoot mode | AUTO-mode |
|---|---|
| Description | The camera automatically adjusts all settings: aperture, shutter speed, focus, white balance and colour profile. This is ideal for beginners. |
Click through the slideshow to see some of these effects being used.
Image caption, Astronomy photography is most successful when using the manual mode
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