Anatomy of an interchangeable-lens camera (part
2)
Main
settings
- Exposure Compensation. It
increases or decreases the exposure in certain number, usually in
increments of 1/3 or 1/2. With experience, you'll discover how to use it
appropriately with each specific scene, for example adding +2 while taking
a snow picture or set a negative value (-2 or -3) when using the flash to
darken the background to enhance the mood. When shooting in manual mode,
pressing this button allows to change apertures.
- Shortcut button.
It allows quick access to key features via LCD display and 4-direction
controller. For example, press Q (Quick) of Canon and you can quickly
access the shooting speed/aperture, ISO index, Picture Style, White
Balance and exposure compensation. On some cameras, such as Pentax K-x, a
similar function is done by info button, while other brands, such as Sony,
use Fn button.
- Viewfinder. DSLR
offers a watch style –“Through The Lens” (TTL), so everything you see in
the viewfinder is a direct image through the lens. Alpha SLT (eg A33, A35,
and A55) of Sony, has an electronic viewfinder, as well as the other CSC
with viewfinder.
- AF point selection. Multi-point
AF is found on all cameras, it helps focus the subject deviates from the
center. This button allows you to switch between multi-point AF, or switch
to single-point AF. Just choosing a point is useful in situations that you
need exact focus control, such as the portrait that you need to focus on
the eyes of the topic.
- Menu.
Click menu to access all features. You should learn how menu system works
on your first using camera. All menus have a series of submenus/tab.
- Photo processing light. It
lights up when the image is transmitting from camera to memory card.
