Digital SLR Handbook. John Freeman
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Holding a DSLR correctly makes it easier to use and helps keep it steady for each shot you take.
Fitting and charging batteries
It should come as no surprise to learn that a DSLR uses batteries to power its systems and allow you to take pictures. Most DSLRs use a single, rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack that is supplied with the camera, together with a charger.
It’s important to give a new battery a full charge before you use it in the camera. The amount of time a full charge needs varies depending on the make and model of the camera/battery combination but, typically, expect at least a wait of a couple of hours. Check the camera’s manual for specifics to be safe. To charge the battery, slot it into the charger – it will only go in one way – and plug the charger into a mains socket. A small LED will flash or glow, depending on the make of your camera/charger, indicating the charge is progressing.
Once charged, insert the battery into the camera. This may seem fiddly but is really quite simple because, just as with the charger, the battery will go in only one way. A flap, which is usually on the camera’s base, must be opened to reveal a cavity for the battery. Slot the battery home, close the lid and now you’re ready to insert a memory card.
DSLR batteries come in different shapes. Whichever one fits your camera, it can only slot home one way round – its shape means that you can’t get it wrong.
Many DSLRs are supplied with a special battery pack and charger, similar to the kit shown here. Always give a new battery a full charge before use.
Inserting a memory card
No matter what type of storage your camera uses, it will be housed within the camera in a slot under a flap either on the base or the side of the camera body. The memory card-housing lid must be opened to reveal the slot into which the card slips home.
The card fits in only one way, so don’t force it. There is usually a small diagram alongside the card slot, indicating which way round the card will go (check the manual if you’re at all unsure). Once the card is slotted safely in place, close the hatch and you’re ready to get snapping.
This model has slots for 2 SD cards. Camera manufacturers are increasingly using this type of card rather than the compact flash card, which is physically much larger.
Menus
DSLR menus might seem daunting at first but they’re actually quite logical and, once you’re familiar with them, you’ll be able to navigate to various settings quickly and easily.
Navigating the menus
DSLRs use a system of menus displayed on their large screen to help you get at and set up many settings within the camera. Menus allow the external complexity of the camera to be simplified – there are fewer buttons – and allow specific items to be changed, such as setting the time and date or altering the compression used when an image is saved to the memory card. More powerful options include changing how the focus system behaves in a given situation or selecting a specific image optimization setting, such as making colours in an image more vivid.
Most menus are set out in batches, just like a filing system, so all the shooting settings will be in one menu, while menus for playback preferences or general set-up settings, such as the date and time, will be in another menu ‘file’. It pays to explore the menus on your camera with the manual to hand. That way, you’ll quickly familiarize yourself with the many options presented, what they do and when they might be needed. Most new DSLRs have a built-in help system that can be invoked to explain a particular menu or setting should you forget, which is particularly useful.
Many camera manufacturers have simplified the menus on some of the entry level models. In this case the menu shows SOFTEN BACKGROUNDS. If this function is chosen the lens will automatically set to a wide aperture to reduce the depth of field.
The importance of becoming familiar with these menus cannot be overstated since many of the more powerful tools in the camera’s armoury are held within them. However, using the camera and not being afraid to experiment is the key to understanding what they do.
DSLR cameras are extremely sophisticated pieces of kit that have many functions. These functions are displayed on a menu that is visible on the camera’s LCD screen. Getting to know these functions will enable you to get the best out of your camera.
Camera settings
All DSLRs have the equivalent of a point-and-shoot mode, where you turn on the camera, switch to auto-everything mode and away you go. But, eventually, you’ll want to wrest control away from the camera and be more creative with it, or there may be a situation the auto-setting cannot cope with and you will need to take charge.
ISO (sensitivity)
The term ISO (International Standards Organization) was originally used as a rating to denote the sensitivity of camera film to light. For example, film with an ISO of 100 is less sensitive to light than that with an ISO of 400, and so on. Therefore, the higher the number, the gloomier the conditions you can shoot in without resorting to flash.
Left: Getting a sharp shot of these flamenco dancers in low light required a sensitivity of ISO 1250 to ensure a fast-enough shutter speed. Such a high ISO has resulted in a picture replete with noise, visible as monochromatic dots and small red and blue speckles.
Right: The noise is especially noticeable in this close-up. Extra processing on a computer would be needed to clean the image.
Although there is no film in a DSLR, the term ISO is still used in digital photography to denote the sensitivity of the sensor. It’s the same principle as with a film camera, except increasing the ISO of a DSLR increases the gain (think of it as the volume) of the sensor. Just as in film, the higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor becomes to light, but a downside (as with film) is that increasing the sensitivity can make images look ‘grainier’. ‘Grain’ in digital terms is known as ‘noise’ since raising the ISO increases the chance of picking up ‘noise’ from non-image forming elements within the camera’s system. Analogous to the static ‘snow’ on a TV that’s not properly tuned, image noise typically makes its presence felt in areas of shots that are dark (the shadows), lighter areas (plain, grey skies) or in uniform areas of colour or areas that lack detail.
Establishing the ISO
The following ready reckoner shows when to use a particular ISO (sensitivity) setting and why, based upon typical DSLR sensitivity settings. Your camera may have more or fewer options available, but this guide works well as a rule of thumb:
• ISO 100 Bright daylight, sunny conditions, hand-held shooting, where clean images (no noise) are a priority.
• ISO 200 As for ISO 100, but where a faster shutter speed or a slightly longer focal length is required and where you need extra flexibility with apertures and shutter speeds.
• ISO 400 Indoor or slightly overcast conditions, where you want to avoid using flash or you need fast shutter speeds and full aperture control to shoot hand-held.
• ISO 800 Overcast or dark indoor shooting, or sports or action photography, where you need to freeze the motion, and noise issues are not paramount.
• ISO 1250 Low light or indoors, long lens shooting (hand-held), but noise may become an issue.
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