Digital Camera for Beginners: A Guide

Learning how to use a digital camera shouldn’t be a complicated affair, even if you consider yourself as a beginner in the world of pictures taking. One of the things that beginners often overlooked is the fact that most digital cameras come with different shooting modes. These modes have been designed so that users can worry less about setting the camera for different purposes and on different occasions. It pays to know these functions well, because it will greatly help you in your endeavor of taking the best shots with your camera. Some common shooting modes of a digital camera are manual, semi-manual and automatic mode.

When you are using your digital camera in manual mode, you basically have full control of the camera and its settings. You can choose the aperture, flash, shutter speed and the ISO of the camera. This mode is understandably reserved for a more seasoned photographer – rather than a beginner like yourself. However, feel free to test the camera in manual mode just to see the outcome of various settings. At the very least, it will help you familiarize yourself with the many jargons of photography world. If you think you have toyed with the settings for too deep, you can simply return it to the factory setting – so you don’t have to worry about messing up your camera.

The next is the semi-manual mode. Unlike the manual mode, you don’t have all access to the settings while taking pictures – just some of them. This is a great mode to use on your digital camera if you are planning to become a serious photographer. There are many individual elements of the camera that you can learn to master.

Meanwhile, the automatic mode is truly designed for people who don’t want to be bothered with the various settings of the digital camera. This is the perfect mode for those who take a point-and-shoot approach to photography, since everything else will be done automatically by the camera. For example, you don’t have to worry about setting the aperture and shutter speed of the camera before each shot. Likewise, you don’t have to worry about setting the ISO of the camera – just point and click the button.

Each shooting mode of the digital camera has its own positive and negative aspects. As a beginner, you can use your camera right away using the automatic mode. But don’t expect the pictures you take will come out amazingly – the quality will be just good enough to meet your purpose.