Your mode selection dial on top of the camera gives you
control over how you use the camera, whether you use what's
known as the creative zone i.e Program, Aperture Av, Shutter
Tv, Manual and Bulb or there are also manufacturer presets, that
gives priority to either shutter or aperture depending on your
selection i.e, sports, portrait, macro, landscape or low light or
night shot.
Shutter Priority
Shutter priority allows you to control the shutter speed while the camera adjusts the
aperture automatically.
Here are some examples of when to use certain shutter speeds.
1/4000 - used to freeze high speed action.
1/2000 - motion (requires plenty of light).
1/1000 - Horse racing and football.
1/500 - as above.
1/250 - Normal every day use.
1/125 - as above.
1/60 - Evening light.
1/30 - Below this value use a tripod.
1/15 - as above.
1/8 - Record motion of fast flowing water to a blur, blur people
in photographs.
1/4
1/2
1 - seconds
2 - seconds long exposures in twilight will allow movement to
be recorded and still keep colour in sky.
8 - seconds turn busy traffic into artistic trails.
16 - seconds.
30 - seconds fireworks.
Bulb - star trails, for shutter speeds longer then 30 sec you will
have to use a remote shutter release, the shutter will
remain open for as log as the shutter button is pressed.
Aperture Priority
Use aperture priority when you want control over your camera's aperture settings
that is the iris diaphragm in your lens that controls the amount of light that reaches
the sensor or film.
Here's an example of aperture settings f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22.
The lowering of the f number i.e. f/2.8 the wider the opening of the iris diaphragm this
action is also known as opening up.
The increasing of the f number i.e f/8.0 the smaller the opening of the iris diaphragm
this action is known as stopping down.
The aperture setting that you choose will vary the overall zone of focus within the scene
recorded i.e. f/2.8 will have a short zone of focus and a larger value say f/16 will have a
longer zone of focus.
Each time you stop down the aperture say from f/2.8 - f/4 you half the amount of light
reaching the sensor or film.
Examples of aperture settings and where use.
1. f/2.8- f/4.0 macro photography where you want to totally blur
back ground and low light photography.
2. f/5.6-f/8.0 good for portraits and general photography.
3. f/11-f/16 good for landscape photography.
Program Mode
When program mode is selected on the mode dial the camera takes into account
your lens focal length and the distance between the camera and the subject the
automatically sets the appropriate Shutter speed and aperture setting to make sure
that the subject is within the zone of focus.
Program Shift
Similar to program, some cameras give you the option of changing the cameras
automatic settings, when shift has been activated, each time you rotate the selector
the aperture and shutter speed change appropriately to give you the same exposure
for a particular scene.
Manual Mode
In manual mode you have full control over both shutter speed and aperture settings.
Bulb Mode
In bulb mode the shutter stays open for as long as you have the shutter depressed.
Basic Modes
Portrait mode - In portrait mode the camera is set to your lens's
widest aperture setting ( f/2.8 - f/5.6) in order to
blur the background and make the subject
stand out. The AF is set to one shot and the iso
is set as low as possible to reduce noise.
Sports Mode - In sports mode the shutter is set high ( 1/500 -
1/800 seconds) in order to freeze the action the
aperture is set a little wider this time ( f/7.1 -
f/8.0 ), AF mode is set to AI servo and the drive
to continuous.
Landscape Mode - In landscape mode the aperture is narrower
f/11, this helps ensure that most of the scene
is in focus from front to back, AF is set to one
shot and drive mode set to single shooting.