do you have one of these? are you like me? if so, then you don't know anything about the camera you've been storing in your drawer for the past few years. or maybe you just got it as a gift. the thing of it is. you have and you want to use it but you just can't get a decent picture. i have to confess i've had a point and shoot digital camera for years. it's been in someone else's desk drawer for the past couple of years b/c i have a bigger and better camera that i already know how to use. better......i'm not so sure. recently i've decided to master this supposedly easy click camera just b/c i'm a photographer and well i should not be afraid to learn to make great pictures with such a small camera. in order to do that i have to get to know the basics about my camera. what can it do. what functionality does it have. how much control can i get. how do i make a great picture on any setting.
first what do all these symbols mean? M/Av/Tv/P/auto/face/tree/ mountain/running person/squiggly lines/camera/etc...things i can no longer recognize. i'm here to help decipher the code for you. let's start with the letters:
AUTO: is pretty simple. most of us just put the camera in auto mode and say GO! give me a great picture. the camera will do all of the work for you. but unfortunately it does not know when it is taking a great picture.
P: is similar to automatic mode. the camera is doing most of the thinking for you. but you will have some control over the camera settings like white balance, flash exposure within limitations.
Tv: is similar to shutter priority (if you are familiar with a professional SLR). it means you can set the shutter manually and the camera will set the aperture (also referred to as f-stop) according to the given light situation. this mode can be most useful when people are moving about quickly and you want your camera to behave more quickly than usual. you will maintain some control over the camera settings like white balance, flash exposure within limitations.
Av: is similar to aperture priority (on a professional SLR camera) aperture priority means that you get to set the aperture or f-stop and the camera will set the shutter speed. one might use this setting if they are aiming for a desired effect. and like shutter priority you will maintain some control over the camera settings like white balance, flash exposure within limitations.
M: manual mode. that means you get the set the aperture and shutter speed. (within certain limitations) in this mode you have the most control over the camera's settings and how it sees light. what i've noticed with my camera is that the LCD display will actually show you what the picture would look like when in this mode. so you can tell very easily if the setting are letting in enough light to make a decent picture. therefore you can adjust your settings given what you see on the LCD. i can't get that type of info from the 5k professional camera i use for work every day.
ok simmer on that for now.....next we will talk about those funny looking pictures.
