Digital SLR Camera Basics

Digital SLR Camera Construction

Digital cameras take photographs using an image sensor that converts light to electronic signals. The distinguishing feature of singlelens reflex (SLR) cameras is that the optical viewfinder displays the view through the camera lens. The single lens in the name single-lens reflex is a reference to this feature: a single lens serves both for taking photographs and for the viewfinder. The reflex portion refers to the reflection of light. Digital SLR cameras are equipped with mirrors that guide light from the lens into the viewfinder by reflecting it upward, hence the term reflex. The light that is reflected upward falls on the viewfinder focusing screen; after passing through the screen, it then proceeds through a pentaprism or pentamirror to the viewfinder eyepiece window. This allows the photographer to view the image from the camera lens directly in the viewfinder. When the shutter-release button is pressed all the way down, the mirror is raised and the light coming through the lens proceeds straight through to the shutter curtain. The curtain simultaneously opens to allow the light to fall on the image sensor and a photograph is taken. The shutter then closes and the mirror drops back into its original position. By linking the action of the shutter with the movement of the mirror, the light passing through the lens can be made to fall on either the viewfinder focusing screen or the image sensor. Some newer digital SLR cameras can display the view through the lens in the monitor: this is known as live view. The mirror is raised during live view; blocking the light that would otherwise reach the focusing screen and preventing photographs from being framed in the viewfinder.

Before the shutter-release button is pressed all the way down, the mirror inside the camera is positioned between the lens and the shutter curtain, reflecting the light from the lens upwards. A pentaprism or pentamirror guides the light into the optical viewfinder. When the shutter-release button is pressed all the way down, the mirror is raised and the shutter curtain opens, allowing the light passing through the lens to proceed directly to the image sensor.

Shutter and Aperture Construction

Digital SLR cameras are fitted with image sensors. Immediately in front of the image sensor is a shutter that blocks the light. The shutter is normally closed, preventing light from reaching the image sensor. When the shutter-release button is pressed, the mirror is raised and the shutter opens, allowing light to fall on the image sensor. Changing the shutter speed changes the length of time the shutter is open. The lens has an aperture or opening consisting of a diaphragm composed of overlapping blades. Changing the aperture value (fnumber) changes the size of this opening, in turn changing the amount of light it allows through. The higher the f-number (e.g. f/16), the smaller the size of the opening; the lower the f-number (e.g. f/2.8), the larger the size of the opening. The camera controls the amount of light that falls on the image sensor by adjusting the length of time the shutter is open and the size of the aperture

Here are some samples of the same scene photographed at different exposures. You may want to reduce exposure to bring out the color of the sky, or increase exposure to bring out cars and other details in shadows. The best exposure varies according to photographer and what details he or she considers important or wants to emphasize.

Exposure is determined by the combination of shutter speed and aperture (f-number). If you increase the f-number, you can still achieve optimal exposure by choosing a slower shutter speed. To put it another way, if you lower the f-number, you can still produce a photograph of the same brightness by choosing a faster shutter speed.

Combining Aperture and Shutter Speed

The combination of aperture (f-number) and shutter speed determines exposure (another important factor in determining exposure is ISO sensitivity, but in the discussion that follows we will assume that ISO sensitivity is fixed). Choosing higher f-numbers correspondingly darkens the image that falls on the image sensor, but you can still achieve optimal exposure if you slow shutter speed in proportion. On the other hand, you can also achieve optimal exposure by choosing a lower f-number and a faster shutter speed. In other words, there are many combinations of aperture and shutter speed that will produce the same exposure. For example, suppose the subject will be correctly exposed at an aperture of f/4 and a shutter speed of 1/250 s. The correct exposure will then also be achieved if you increase the f-number to f/5.6 while slowing shutter speed to 1/125 s. The same is true at f/8 and 1/60 s and at f/11 and 1/30 s.

Combinations of aperture and shutter speed that will produce the same exposure as f/4, 1/250 s

Aperture Shutter speed(seconds)

F16 1/15

F11 1/30

F8 1/60

F5.6 1/125

F4 1/250

F2.8 1/500

F2 1/1000

F1.4 1/2000

If you always adjust shutter speed to match any changes in aperture, you can achieve correct exposure at any aperture or shutter speed. Note, however, that changing aperture also changes depth of field, while changing shutter speed alters the appearance of moving objects. In other words, you can also adjust aperture for depth of field or shutter speed to produce the effect of motion. *The distance in front of and behind the focus point that appears to be in focus is referred to as depth of field.

Exposure Compensation
Exposure compensation is used to alter exposure from the value selected by the camera, making photographs brighter or darker. In modes P, S, and A, the camera automatically adjusts settings for optimal exposure, but this may not always produce the exposure the photographer intended. Exposure is a matter of personal preference, and an exposure brighter or darker than that selected by the camera may sometimes better reflect the photographers intent. The feature used in such situations is called exposure compensation. Digital SLR cameras allow you to check the results immediately, so you can take a photograph, display it in the monitor, and then raise exposure compensation for brighter results or lower exposure compensation for darker results and take another picture.

ISO Sensitivity
In the case of digital cameras, ISO sensitivity is a measure of the cameras ability to capture light. Digital cameras convert the light that falls on the image sensor into electrical signals for processing. ISO sensitivity is raised by amplifying the signal. Doubling ISO sensitivity doubles the electrical signal, halving the amount of light that needs to fall on the image sensor to achieve optimal exposure. In other

words, if ISO sensitivity is raised from ISO 100 to ISO 200 while aperture is left unchanged, the same exposure can be achieved with a shutter speed twice as fast. The same is true if ISO sensitivity is raised from ISO 200 to ISO 400. The slow shutter speeds needed for dark interior scenes leave photographs prone to camera blur. If you raise ISO sensitivity, you can choose faster shutter speeds and reduce camera blur. This is why people say that ISO sensitivity should be raised if lighting is poor. ISO sensitivity can be set manually by the photographer or automatically by the camera.

Perspective
Perspective is a term for a visual effect that causes objects to appear smaller as their distance from the viewer increases. In photography, you can control perspective by changing the lens focal length. Lenses are typically described as being either wide (wideangle lenses) or long (telephoto lenses). Wide-angle lenses have wide angles of view, increasing the difference in the apparent sizes of objects that are at different distances from the camera. In other words, nearby objects appear larger and distant objects smaller. Telephoto lenses, in contrast, have small angles of view, decreasing the difference in the apparent sizes of objects that are at different distances from the camera. This effect can be used to exaggerate or reduce the effects of perspective by changing the focal length of the lens. Imagine photographing a subject at the same apparent size using lenses with different focal lengths. Despite the difference in focal length, you will be able to photograph the subject so that it appears to be the same size in the frame , but only by moving the camera: with a wide-angle lens you will have to be close to your subject while with a telephoto lens you will have to be farther away. And although the subject will be the same size within the frame, the apparent distance to the background will change. At wide angles, more of the background will be visible and background objects will appear to be farther away. With telephoto lenses, on the other hand, less of the background will be visible and background objects will appear to be closer.

Although the above photographs were taken in the same location, background details are much more blurred in one than in the other. As you can see, you can change the impression the photograph creates by changing the aperture, focal length, and distance to the subject.

Flash Level (Guide Number)

In flash photography, the light from the flash is used to illuminate the subject. The distance at which a built-in flash can light a subject is however limited. The flash guide number (GN) is a measure of the distance at which the flash can illuminate a subject. The higher the guide number, the greater the distance at which the light from the flash is sufficient for optimal exposure. The formula for calculating the guide number is as follows: Guide number (GN)=distance (meters) aperture (f-number) Using the guide number, it is easy to calculate the how close the subject should be at a given aperture or the aperture required to photograph a subject at a given distance. If the flash unit has a guide number of 12 at ISO 100 and aperture is set to f/4, the subject can be up to 3 m away. If the subject is more than 3 m distant , the flash will not be bright enough to light the subject and the photograph will be underexposed. Increasing ISO sensitivity increases the guide number; consequently, raising ISO sensitivity makes it possible to achieve optimal exposure at greater distances. Digital SLR cameras can also be used with optional flash units with higher guide numbers. Using an optional flash unit such as the Nikon SB-400 or SB-900 makes it possible to achieve optimal exposure at

greater distances than with the built-in flash. We recommend using an optional flash unit when taking photographs at weddings and in other situations in which you may frequently be taking photographs at a distance from the subject.