I am beginning to write some articles on Digital Photography. This article is a beginners guide on cameras. There will be more articles in the future this one is just to get a basic understanding of Digital photography. This article is just to help out beginners, experts will find no use of this knowledge but are more than welcome to share their advice.
Basics of Digital Photography
There are several things I will be discussing in the future but for now we are going to introduce the beginners to what digital photography is. I am going to give you a basic understanding of the parts of a digital camera and give you a homework assignment. So lets begin.
Parts of the Digital Camera
There are several parts of a digital camera that are in every camera. These parts are no less import than any of the others parts. They all have to work together. So what are the parts?
Lens
The lens of the camera is responsible for focusing the image and allowing the light to enter the camera. With SLR cameras the lens is responsible for the aperture and exposure. The lens also determines zoom or how wide of an angle you can view. If you own a point and shoot camera, you are stuck with what you got but some lenses on those cameras are pretty good lenses. On a SLR though you can swap out your lens for other types of lenses allowing you to be able to use a different lens for different scenes. Later I will discuss lenses in more detail.
Digital Camera Sensor
This sensor is what captures the image and converts it to bits of information. The sensor has small cavities in an array that can measure how much light is is hitting the sensor. Each of these cavities can measure certain colors being able to see a colored image. You can find more information at http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-sensors.htm.
Shutter and Shutter Release
The shutter opens and closes to control the length of time light casts on the sensor. The shutter release is the button that releases or “trips” the shutter mechanism. Shutter speeds are measured in fractions of a second like, 1/30 1/60 1/125 1/250 1/500 and 1/1000 of a second.
Aperture
It opens and closes to control the amount of light that passes though. It is controlled by the f-stop. The aperture determines how much of a focal range you have.
Viewfinder
The viewfinder is where you are able to see what your photograph is going to look like. Some cameras have one you must look through with one eye and some have screens that allow you to see the viewfinder on the back of the camera.
Camera Body
The camera body is simply the shell of the camera. All the components are held in this part of the camera. Depending on the type of camera will determine the size of the camera. SLR’s tend to be the bulky bodies, while some point and shoots will fit in the smallest pocket on your jeans.
Flash
A light that will flash when you take your photograph. The flash provides artificial light if there is not enough light. You can use the flash is several different ways to produce different lighting effects and should almost never be just pointed at your subject.
Homework
Well those are the basic parts parts of the camera. You should look at your camera and identify all the parts on your camera. Next article I will go over some of the parts in more detail and teach you some techniques to produce amazing images.