Digital Cameras | Digital SLR Camera

Here are some terms and jargons that are frequently used with digital cameras. Have a quick read to give you an idea on what kind of digital camera is best suitable for the type and style of photography you are going to use it.

Aperture This is the opening in the lens that allows light to reach the image sensor. In most digital cameras, the size of the aperture can be adjusted to restrict or boost the amount of light hitting the sensor. This will be done automatically in Automatic mode, but cameras with aperture Priority Mode will also enable you to set the aperture manually. The aperture is measured in f-numbers, with the lowest number (eg f2) representing the largest aperture size and the highest (eg f8) representing the smallest.

Camera Shake The natural shaking of our hands can cause the camera to wobble, resulting in blurred pictures. Many compacts now feature technologies to counteract the effects of camera shake. Each brand has its own name for this, but they're commonly referred to as Anti-shake or Image stabilisation modes.

DSLR Stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex, a type of high end digital camera in which the view finder enables you to view exactly what the camera is seeing through the lens as opposed to the approximate framing offered by other camera viewfinders. DSLRs also feature interchangeable lens systems.

Exposure Compensation Also commonly described as EV compensation, this is a feature availalbe on the majority of cameras that enables you to manually override the automatic exposure to deliver an increase or decrease of light hitting the sensor. Exposure compensation is measured upwards or downwards according to an EV Exposure Value scale.

Focal Length This is a measure of the distance between the optical centre of the camera lens and its focal point. In fixed lenses, the focal length is constant, but a zoom lens will have a focal length range depends on the level of zoom magnification used. A single focal length may give differing results on different cameras, due to the variable size of image sensors from model to model.

Focus All cameras feature an autofocus often abbreviated to AF system in which the lens adjusts itself automatically to focus on the subject of your photo. However, more sophisticated cameras also have a Manual Focus (MF) system that enables you to set focus yourself. This is useful if you want to, for example, focus off-centre or onto a backgound rather than foreground subject.

ISO Sensitivity Refers to the light sensitivity of the camera, using the same ISO scale of sensitivity found on 35mm film. In Auto mode the camera will select the most appropriate sensitivity level itself, but most models will also enable you to select your own sensitivity. A standard ISO level is in between 200 and 400, but a low sensitivity of ISO 50 would be suitable for bright conditions. A high sensitivity of ISO 1600 or above would be suitable for low light conditions. Image quality can suffer as a result of using extreme ISO levels.