ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed

For Beginners

The photographer can control how much natural light reaches the

sensor by adjusting the camera's

•ISO• shutter speed and

• aperture

ISO

• With digital cameras, the ISO indicates how quickly the sensor absorbs light

• As the ISO increases, so does grain or noise

ISO Conditions

100 or 200 Outside, sunny conditions

400 to 800 Night time low light

1600 Dark scenes

ISO

100 - bright sunlight 1600 - low light

Shutter Speed (Tv)

• You can control the length of time the shutter remains open by setting the SHUTTER SPEED.

Longer shutter speeds = more light (1/4 second or less)

shorter shutter speeds = less light (1/250 second or more )

Shutter Speed (Tv)

Slow Shutter speed for blurring water– 10 seconds

Fast Shutter speedfreezes the action – 1/200th second

Aperture (Av) •Before light reaches the sensor, it must pass through an opening called an "Aperture

•Similar to your pupil which closes down in bright conditions and opens wider in darker conditions

Aperture

Wide aperture = small number = more light Also less depth of field or area in sharp focus

Small aperture = large number = less lightMore depth of field or area in sharp focus

ApertureAv = 16 Av = 1.4

How to take better images using these 3 features

1. Action

Fast shutter speed to freeze the motion

2. PortraitThis setting uses a wide aperture (1.4 - 3.5) to make the background out of focus

3. Landscape

This setting uses a small aperture (16) to have most objects in focus

4. Night Shots

• High ISO to increase the amount of light being absorbed by the sensor

5. Low Light

• High ISO and no flashEg 1600 ISO.

Special Effects

• Long Exposures–8 seconds, ISO 100, F2.8, flash