Digital Photography Pocket Guide, 3rd Edition

Chapter 2. What Does It Do?

Taking Control of Buttons, Dials, and Menus

Now that you're familiar with your camera's basic components, you can concentrate on how to unlock its picture-taking magic. For example, you probably understand that a simple flash menu button () allows you to cycle through a series of versatile lighting controls. But what do they mean, and which one should you choose?

In this chapter, you'll learn how to use those deceptively simple buttons and dials to tap into the incredible picture-taking capacity hidden within your digital camera.

Digital Camera Controls A–Z

This chapter covers camera controls alphabetically from A to Z, or more specifically, from Aperture Value Mode to Zooming. New terms are listed in italic. If you're not sure where to find any of these settings on your particular camera, double-check the owner's manual, or refer to Chapter 1 of this guide.

NOTE

As always, it's best to have your camera in hand as you work with the text and study the photo examples. The more you shoot, the more natural these techniques will become.

Aperture Value (Av) Mode

Many intermediate and advanced cameras allow you to choose the aperture setting, and the camera sets the proper corresponding shutter speed. This setting is sometimes denoted as Av, which stands for aperture value. (Some cameras just go with a simple "A" for aperture priority.) You can typically access this ...