Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) Camera

In my most recent Media Studies lesson, i have been taught about the digital SLR camera. I was given the opportunity to experiment with the camera and images. My teacher also went through all the settings and functions on the camera. Here is what i have learnt. The digital SLR camera is most definitely the best and most technical camera around today. They are a much more advanced camera to the everyday digital camera. It uses a mechanical mirror system to reflect the picture into the viewfinder. There are many different settings and functions on SLR that are always changed to fit to the setting of the photograph, and therefore to create the perfect image.

Settings on a Digital SLR

On your standard issue digital SLR camera, the main manual settings are:

AUTO - This is the setting where all the functions of the camera are automatically set to the atmosphere of the image. This is what we call a ‘Point & Shoot Mode’, because all you are doing is simply aiming the camera and taking the photograph.

P - This is a setting which is the exact same as AUTO mode, although the only difference is that the flash is not set up automatically.

TV - Time Value.

AV - Aperture Value.

M - Manual.

Two very important elements of an image are the aperture and the shutter speeds. These are what is essentially needed to produce the image you are looking for. Here are the definitions for both of these elements:

Aperture - This is the amount of light which travels through the lens of the camera and reaches the image sensor. On a digital SLR, aperture can be altered using the f-numbers option to determine the amount of light that enters the lens. For instance, if the f-number setting is put to a smaller number e.g 1.6, this means that the hole of aperture in the lens will be larger and wider, therefore much more light travels through into the image. Where as, if the f-number is set to a larger e.g 32, it means the the hole for light to travel through becomes more narrow and small, so that less light enters the image.

Shutter Speeds - A shutter speed is something which combines with the aperture. It is purely how quickly the shutter opens and closes to capture the image. If the shutter speed is quicker, then it leaves less time for light exposure to travel through to the image, so less light is displayed on the photograph. On the other hand, if it is set to a slow shutter speed, the shutter is open for longer, so more light exposure can enter the lens and onto the image.

The thing that combines both of these is that you need to measure up both the shutter speed and the f-number of aperture setting, in order to make the image you want. The combinations of these vary depending on what kind of image it is that you want. For instance, if you are wanting to photograph sport then you would need to set the camera to a fast shutter speed and to a large aperture. Where as if you are wanting to photograph a waterfall, then you would need the camera set to the slowest shutter speed possibly and also a very small aperture setting.

Functions on a Digital SLR

On a Digital SLR camera, there are many different settings which all have their own capabilities. Also, many functions have to be altered in order to create the perfect photograph. Here is a list of these settings and functions which can be found on a digital SLR camera:

ISO - This is one of the most important elements of the image. ISO is where you are given the choice on how sensitive the sensor of the camera is to light. The higher the ISO level is, the more sensitive it will be to light. On your standard digital SLR camera, the ISO levels you can use are 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and also a manual setting where you can adjust it completely by yourself.

AWB - Auto White Balance.

Metering - There are 3 different options: evaluative metering, spot metering & multi-zone metering.

AF Mode - One shot, AI focus, AI servo.

Drive Mode - Continuous shooting, single shooting & self timer.

Quality - RAW, FINE, NORM, BASIC