Understanding Your Camera: Exploring Different Modes

The different modes on your camera allow you to control the parameters of an exposure, specifically, shutter speed, aperture and ISO. While certain modes can fully automate the camera exposure, there are other modes that let the photographer manually control some or all parameters of the exposure. The four main types of camera modes are:

- Shutter Priority (Tv or S)

- Aperture Priority (Av or A)

- Program mode

- Manual mode

In addition to these, there are several other modes that are available on different cameras. These include:

- Full Auto-Mode

- Portrait mode

- Landscape mode

- Sports mode

- Night portrait mode

- Close-up mode

- Macro mode

- Movie mode

- Sunset mode

- Snow mode

- Starry sky mode

- Foliage mode

Shutter Speed

On the other hand, a fast shutter speed can freeze motion, even from fast-moving objects like birds in flight. This is often used in sports photography to capture sharp images of athletes in motion.

• People who pose and stay relatively still: 1/125
• Landscape photography (blurring water movement): 1-10 seconds
• Landscape photography (nothing moving): as slow as possible to maximise light capture
• Landscape photography (some things moving): 1/125
• Wildlife photography: 1/2000
• Sports photography: 1/2000

Aperture

The size of the aperture is expressed in f-numbers or f-stops, such as f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, etc. Interestingly, small f-numbers represent large apertures, and large f-numbers represent small apertures. For example, f/2.8 is a larger aperture than f/4. This is because aperture is a fraction, so f/16 is much smaller than f/4.

Overall, understanding and controlling aperture is essential for achieving the desired results in photography, whether it is a shallow depth of field for portraits or a wide depth of field for landscapes. By adjusting the aperture, photographers can ensure their images are properly exposed and have the desired amount of blur and sharpness.

ISO

The acronym ISO stands for "International Organization for Standardization", which sets a standard that represents sensitivity to light as a numerical value. A higher number indicates a higher sensitivity and a greater ability to capture light.

For example, when shooting at night, or indoors with dim lighting, a setting of ISO 1600 or higher is recommended. On the other hand, when shooting outdoors on a sunny day, it is best to use a lower ISO value, such as ISO 100, to minimise graininess and noise.

While a higher ISO can help capture images in low-light environments, there are trade-offs. Photos taken with a very high ISO setting may exhibit a lot of grain, also known as noise, and might not be usable. Therefore, it is generally recommended to stick to the lowest native ISO on your camera, typically ISO 100 or 200, whenever possible.

Some cameras also have extended "HI" and "LO" ISO values that go beyond the native range, but these are simulated and will result in lower image quality.

It is worth noting that the ISO setting does not directly affect the live image seen through the camera's viewfinder. It only influences the exposure and brightness of the final captured image.

Manual Mode

ISO controls your camera’s sensitivity to light. So by adjusting the ISO, you can increase your camera’s light sensitivity, which will, in turn, give you a brighter image.

Aperture is an opening in the lens. The wider the aperture, the more light it lets in and the brighter the resulting exposure. Aperture is also responsible for controlling the depth of field – the window of focus within the photograph. The larger the aperture, the smaller the depth of field, and the narrower the window of focus.

Shutter speed is the exposure time of an image; that is, it refers to how long the shutter stays open to allow light to hit the sensor. The faster the shutter speed, the less light that hits the camera sensor and the darker the final image. The shutter speed also determines image sharpness. A fast shutter speed will generally freeze the action, while a slow shutter speed will often produce motion blur.

I only use this mode in extreme situations, when shooting panoramas or when using on-camera or off-camera flashes.

Semi-Automatic Mode

There are two main Semi-Automatic Modes: Aperture Priority (marked as A or Av) and Shutter Priority (marked as S or Tv). In Aperture Priority, you choose the aperture and ISO while the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed. This mode is useful for controlling the depth of field in your images. In Shutter Priority, you choose the shutter speed and ISO while the camera adjusts the aperture. This mode is useful when you need to freeze or blur motion in your images.

In Aperture Priority, a wider aperture (smaller f-stop number) results in a shallower depth of field, while a narrower aperture (larger f-stop number) results in a deeper depth of field. Most lenses have a sweet spot around f/8 that gives the sharpest image. When using Aperture Priority, it is important to use a tripod in low-light conditions to avoid camera shake due to slow shutter speeds. Alternatively, you can increase the ISO, but this will introduce more noise into your images.

Shutter Priority is particularly useful for sports photography or any situation where motion needs to be frozen or blurred. By choosing a fast shutter speed, you can freeze motion, while a slower shutter speed will create motion blur. When using Shutter Priority, be mindful that setting a very fast shutter speed in low-light conditions can result in an underexposed image if the maximum aperture of your lens is not wide enough to let in enough light. On the other hand, using a very slow shutter speed in bright conditions can lead to overexposure.

Frequently asked questions