The Anatomy of a Digital Camera
• A digital camera contains
hundreds of parts
• It is important to
understand the most
essential parts of the
camera as you begin to
explore its many
features
Diagram A: Top View
Definitions for Parts of a Digital Camera
Diagram A: Top View
• Lens - This part of the digital compact camera consists of several
layers of lenses of varying properties providing zoom, focusing, and
distortion correction. These lenses are mechanically interconnected
and adjustment is controlled electronically by the camera's body.
• Aperture - Every camera has an aperture. Sometimes fixed but
usually adjustable, the aperture is a hole that varies in size to
control the amount of light falling on the sensor.
• Shutter - Exposes the film or digital sensor to light projected from
the lens of your camera for a given duration. This can be anywhere
from 1/4000 seconds to 30 seconds, depending on your camera.
• Shutter Release Button - This is the "trigger" of the camera. In most
cameras, a half-press activates and locks the auto-focus, and a full
press captures an image. The shutter also defines how long light
will fall on the sensor within the camera.
• Zoom Toggle - Only compact digital cameras with built-in lenses
offer an optical zoom feature. "T" stands for telescopic and "W"
stands for wide-angle view giving you the full range of zoom on
your camera.
• View Finder/LCD Screen - The LCD screen on digital cameras allows
images to be viewed immediately after they are taken, so
adjustments can be made to improve your shots straight away.
• Mode Dial - A mode dial or camera dial is a dial used on digital
cameras to change the camera's mode. On point-and-shoot
cameras which support modes a range of scene types is offered.
Diagram B: Front View
Definitions for Parts of a Digital Camera
Diagram B: Front View
• Flash - Is an artificial source of extremely intense light that can be
added to photos shot with a digital camera. The flash fires just
before the photo is snapped, giving the lens and image sensor
plenty of light with which to record the digital image.
• Sensor - The image sensor inside a digital camera consists of
millions of pixel sensors, each of which includes a photo detector.
As light enters the camera through the lens, it strikes the sensor,
which causes each photo detector to accumulate an electric charge
based on the amount of light that strikes it. The digital camera then
converts the charge to pixels that make up the photo.
Generic Mode Dial for Digital Cameras
Actual dials may
have more
or fewer settings
depending
upon the camera
you are using.
Generic Digital Mode Settings
• Auto (‘A’ or camera symbol, sometimes coloured)
As the mode suggests, the camera takes care of exposing the picture, so all
you need to do is press the shutter. In this mode, it is usually still possible to
set the resolution and flash mode.
• Macro Mode (flower icon)
Macro mode lets you move in closer to your subject to take a close up
picture. It’s a great mode for shooting flowers, insects or other small objects.
How to photograph in Macro mode:
 When you use macro mode it is more difficult to focus as at short
distances the depth of field is very narrow (just millimeters at times).
 Keep your camera and the object you’re photographing parallel if possible
or a lot of it will be out of focus.
 Do not use your camera’s built in flash when photographing close up
objects or they’ll be burnt out.
 A tripod is helpful in macro shots as the depth of field is so small that even
moving towards or away from your subject slightly can make your subject
out of focus.
• Portrait Mode (person icon)
Portrait mode works best when you’re photographing a single subject that you wish to
photograph closely as in the case of a portrait. This mode ensures your subject is the only
thing in focus and is therefore the center of attention in the shot.
How to photograph in portrait mode:
 Get in close enough to your subject (either by zooming in or walking closer) so that your
photographing the head and shoulders of them.
 If you’re shooting into the sun, you might want to use your flash to add more light onto
the subjects face.
• Night mode (star and moon or person with moon icon)
Night mode is for shooting in low light situations and sets your camera to use a longer
shutter speed to help capture details of the background, but it also uses a flash to
illuminate the foreground (and subject).
How to photograph in night mode:
 If you use this mode for a ‘serious’ or well balanced shot you should use a tripod or
your background will be blurred
 It’s also fun to take shots with this mode in handheld position to purposely blur your
backgrounds – especially when there is a situation with lights behind your subject as it
can give a fun and experimental look (great for parties and dance floors).
• Sport Mode (running figure icon)
Is designed for photographing moving objects (also called ‘action mode’ in some cameras).
It is ideal for photographing any moving objects – including sports, pets, cars, wildlife, etc.
How to photograph in sport mode:
 Sports mode attempts to freeze the action by increasing the shutter speed.
 Increase your chances of capturing the moving object by panning your camera along
with the subject.
 Attempting to pre-focus your camera on a spot where the subject will be when you
want to photograph it (this takes practice).
• Landscape Mode (mountains icon)
It is ideal for capturing shots of wide scenes, particularly those with points of interest at
different distances from the camera.
How to photograph in landscape mode:
 This mode is almost the exact opposite of portrait mode. It sets the camera up with a
small aperture (large number) to make sure that as much of the scene being
photographed as possible will be in focus (it gives you a large depth of field).
 At times, your camera might also select a slower shutter speed in this mode (to
compensate for the small aperture) so you might want to consider a tripod or other
method of ensuring your camera is still.