DSLR – Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera.
DSLR is used to capture pictures as we all know, but technically it is the image sensor that catches the light and gives us a perfect picture. To capture a perfect picture we need to blend in three important settings
- Shutter speed
- Aperture
- ISO
All 3 of them are responsible for capturing light. But all three of them have their own different way. The below DSLR tutorial and settings will be of help to you, if you want to understand more about the DSLR photography basics.
Shutter is a sort of curtain that rises in front of the image sensor. It opens up only when you click a picture. It allows the light to hit the sensor. We can control the shutter speed. In short we can manually adjust about how long the shutter should be opened. If DSLR shutter remains open for a longer duration more light enters and hits the sensor, resulting in brighter image and if the shutter remains open for a smaller duration less light enters and hits the sensor resulting in less brighter or darker image. Shutter speed is shown in fraction of seconds i.e. 1/30 or 1/150 which describes the time for which shutter will be opened. 1/30 means the shutter will be opened for 1/30th second of the time and so on. This helps in capturing a good picture while too much light or hardly any light is available.
Side effects: If the picture is clicked with DSLR in hand and shutter is opened for a longer period, chances are that the picture will be blur, due to hands shaking.
Hence using a tripod is necessary as small movement of hands can disturb the picture.
If the object or character is moving then you cannot keep higher shutter speed
Aperture value or F value is the amount of light that enters the sensor. Aperture is an opening hole or the gap in the lens, we can term it as the opening or closing circular door. Unlike the shutter, opening and closing of this door is variable. More the gap, more amount of light will pass to hit the sensor. Less the gap, less amount of light will pass to hit the sensor.
Aperture is the F stop value, higher the number less the gap.
It is basically the fraction. DSLR aperture helps us to take those background blur pictures, which in technical terms is said as depth of field. Aperture value determines the focus point or the range in which everything will be focused. Setting a higher aperture value will focus only the middle object and will blur the foreground and the background, this helps in those close-up shots or portrait pictures, normally we do this to put up viewers attention on one particular object or character. Lower aperture value takes a lot of the area under focus, which results in foreground and background sharpness.
ISO determines the sensitivity of light sensor to the light. Higher the ISO value more sensitive is the image sensor which will result in brighter image where as lower the ISO value less sensitive is the image sensor which will result in darker image.
Side effect: Higher the ISO more you can observe grains or noise. Lower ISO decreases the noise but results in darker shots.
To capture a perfect shot blending of Aperture, ISO & shutter speed has to be maintained. The more you spend your time with your camera, the more you get used to these settings and blending
The more decision you put on your camera the more chances are that your camera may miss judge what exactly you want. We should concentrate only on top four modes MASP
P Mode or Program Mode:
P mode is an automatic mode. The only difference between auto and P mode is that its you who decide when the flash has to be used. In P mode aperture or shutter speed is decided by you. It can be used when you have to click something fast and simple such as landscape or a static person.
S Mode or Shutter Priority or TV mode or Time Value Mode:
In this mode you control the shutter speed where as aperture is controlled by the camera. We normally use it in motion. For example, sports activity or any fast action.
A Mode or Aperture Mode or AV Mode or Aperture Value Mode:
In this mode you control the Aperture where as shutter speed is controlled by the camera. We normally use it for background blur and focus only on our object or character for sharp subject images.
M Mode or Manual Mode:
In this mode both aperture & shutter speed are controlled by you. Manual Mode is moreover used when the lighting is consistent. Manual mode can be used for artistic pictures where you have to keep the images under exposed or over exposed.
All the modes and other setting of DSLR are used to make picture clicking easier.
