Camera Features

Many people believe in order to take great photographs, they need to purchase top of the line cameras. You don't need Pro end cameras to take good pictures. A good photographer can make great images with any camera regardless of its brand or model. However, there are some basic features to look for when purchasing a new camera. The (*) next to any of the following features are what I consider important.

Exposure control : Most cameras today offer at least four different exposure modes, Program mode, Aperture priority, Shutter priority (also called Time Value), and Manual mode. In Program mode the camera sets both the shutter speed and the aperture settings. Serious photographers never use this mode. You want to be in total control of your pictures. The camera doesn't know what you want to do.

In Manual mode  (*), you are in full control of your photographs by choosing both the f-stop and the shutter speed. Most of my work is done in this mode.

Exposure compensation dial (*):


This feature allows you to override cameras setting by 1/3, 1/2, or full stops. You can use this option to vary the amount of exposure to lighten or darken your subject (Bracketing) in any auto exposure mode.

Shutter speed range:



A range of 1-1/1000 of a second is the minimum to look for. Most cameras made today offer speeds of 30 seconds to a fast 1/8000 sec. You will rarely need anything faster than 1/1000 sec. but having a camera that meters down to 30 sec. is very useful.

Depth-of-field preview (*):



I would not buy a camera without this feature. When you look through the lens you are looking at your subject with the lens wide open. By using depth-of-field preview you will stop the lens down to the shooting aperture so you can check the range of sharpness (depth-of-field) in your viewfinder.

Mirror lock:


When you press the shutter release the mirror swings out of the way allowing light to reach the film. This can sometimes create vibrations which can lead to unsharp pictures. With this feature you raise the mirror and lock it prior to exposure to prevent any vibrations. If your camera doesn't have this feature, don't worry just try to avoid speeds between 1/8 to 1/30 sec. if possible. This is important in macro and telephoto photography.

Metering modes:



There are several metering modes available depending on the camera model. Among them are centerweighted, spot (*), multisegment, and other types of metering. All types of meters are made to give a middle tone result. A middle tone is neither light nor dark, it's half way in between. When you point the meter at a subject it will try to make the final result as medium. If your subject is medium in tune just point and shoot otherwise you will need to make some compensations. I'll explain this later in exposure section. Centerweighted metering is used to take an average reading of the hole scene. Spot meters read a small section of a scene about 2 to 5 degrees. This will allow you to take a reading of the most important part of your subject. Multisegment metering divide the scene into different sections and calculate the best exposure.

Other features: Autofocus, Autobracketing, built-in winders, custom settings, etc., are all additional features built into many cameras that are very useful. Autofocus is very handy in high speed photography such as shooting sports and wildlife but in other types of photography AF is not really necessary. Look for features you need in different brands when buying a new camera. (see News & Reviews section under cameras)