Photography basics: getting started with an SLR camera
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The first steps with the SLR camera are a challenge for many beginners. We explain the basics so that you can take high-quality pictures.
Photography basics: the focal length
The focal length is the distance from the lens system to its focal point. The distance is given in millimeters in photography. With the focal length you can change the image section from your shooting location. You can fully image a distant house with a high focal length (300mm), while with a small focal length (35mm) you can get a picture of every area around the house.
Photography basics: The ISO values
Every single-lens reflex camera has a light sensitivity value: the ISO number. If the number is low, the picture is sharper. However, it must also be exposed long enough. When the ISO number is high, the exposure times become shorter. This is at the expense of image quality. Doubling the ISO number doubles the light that is captured. However, you have to expect that higher ISO settings will result in more noise in the images. So you should take the smallest possible ISO values in the ISO settings.
Photography basics: the aperture
The following values can often be read on the lens of an SLR camera: f / 1.8, f / 2.8, f / 5.6, f / 8 etc. Small f-numbers (e.g. 1.8) allow a lot of light, large f-numbers (e.g. 8) leave little light during the selected exposure time.
- How you set the aperture depends on your subject. If you want to have everything in focus from front to back, you should choose a small aperture. The larger the aperture, the less the depth of field. This means that there is a general blurring.
- You should also note that blur can occur with a small aperture. In this case you should use a tripod. The aperture function is marked with "Av" or "A".
Photography basics: exposure times
The exposure time is the time in which the camera leaves its shutter open. Light falls on the sensor within this time. Especially as a beginner, you should choose exposure times that are as short as possible so that the image is not blurred and moving objects are not blurred.
- If you choose long exposure times, you won't be able to avoid a tripod. It is also possible to "freeze" fast movements (eg a falling drop of water) with very short exposure times. In this case, you should choose an exposure time of 1/500 seconds.
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