Module One: Digital Camera Basics
IMAGE CAPTURE
Instead of film, a digital camera uses a device called a ____charge coupled device______. The CCD is a light-sensitive chip that converts ______light______into a ______digital______ signal. The sensors are also known as _________pixels______.
CCD SENSITIVITY
The higher the number or ISO setting, the________greater___ the sensor's sensitivity to light. Using lower numbers means that the sensor needs more light to reach it in order to record a properly exposed shot. In general, use:
100 or 200 ISO for sunny and bright daylight
400 ISO for cloudy days, or indoors for window light portraits
800 ISO for indoors without a flash
1600+ ISO for really low light situations – school play (if cameras are allowed!), movie theater (hmmmm…)
IMAGE RESOLUTION
Resolution is explained as the number of horizontal pixels multiplied by the number of vertical pixels. The more pixels there are, the _______higher__________the resolution. In addition, the higher the resolution the more space (memory) your image requires.
dpi = dots per inch ppi= pixels per inch
Screen resolution is ___72______ dpi, for printing you will want to keep the resolution above ___200___ dpi.
FILE FORMATS
The ______JPEG______ is the standard image file format for the Internet. Subsequently most digital cameras create this file format for each image taken. It’s best to set your camera to the ______largest_________ image size and the _______smallest______ compression option, this will give you the highest quality image, however it will also means you can store fewer photos on your memory card.
METERING
Correct exposure happens when your photograph has the same range and intensity of tone as the scene being photographed. Underexposure occurs when the sensor _________too little light_____, and overexposure occurs when the sensor receives ____too much light______. Sensors on the camera measure the amount of light reflecting back off the subject(s), then the camera uses this information to calculate the exposure – a process known as metering.
______underexposed______balanced______overexposed_______
APERTURE AND SHUTTER SPEED
Proper exposure also depends on finding the right combination of aperture and shutter speed.
Aperture controls the amount of ___light____ entering the camera, much like the iris of a human eye--widening and constricting to let in more or less. Apertures are shown in f/numbers. The biggerthe F-stop number, the ___smaller___ the aperture opening is. This is tricky!! Aperture controls the Depth of Field, which we will talk about in another module.
Shutter Speed refers to how much time the light is allowed to enter the camera and is measured in fractions of a second. Think of a door opening to the outdoors: if you take your time to open and close the door, more light will be let in than if you open and slam the door quickly. For example 250 is 1/250th of a second, 2 is ½ (half) a second and 1 is a full second. Shutter Speed can be manually controlled to alter how motion (a moving subject) is captured in your photographs.
TRANSFERING AND STORING FILES
Memory cards initially store your images. Using either a USB cord or a Memory Card Reader you can transfer your images to a computer.
Our Macs will assume that you want to store your images in iPhoto. You can override this by closing iPhoto and navigating to an alternative storage location (i.e. your network folder or a Flash drive) then click and drag the files you wish to transfer. Be sure that you copy instead of move the files if you want them to remain on your camera! If you store your images only in iPhoto other people can view and alter your images.
MODULE 1 ASSIGNMENTS (10 points)
- Complete the “35mm Manual Camera” worksheet (labeling parts).
- Complete the “My Digital Camera” worksheet (labeling, drawing, brief explanations).