When you shoot images with a digital SLR, you have the utmost in creative freedom. You can capture images with a wide array of lenses—everything from a super wide-angle fish-eye lens, to a long telephoto lens with a focal length of 500mm or greater. You can use a wide-angle lens to record a picturesque landscape and then quickly change to a telephoto to capture a close-up of a distant animal. The following illustration shows a digital SLR with additional lenses.
You have complete creative control when you shoot images with a digital SLR.
Select the proper lens for the scene you are going to capture and swap it with the current lens.
When you change lenses, you run the risk of getting dust on the CMOS image sensor because the current to the CMOS can act as a dust magnet. Dust on the sensor will show up as specks on your image. You can reduce the risk of getting dust on the CMOS if you turn off the camera power prior to changing lenses.
- Turn the camera mode dial to select the desired shooting mode. If you choose one of the creative modes, you'll need to adjust the shutter speed, aperture, or both.
- Choose the proper metering mode for the scene.
- Compose the scene through the camera viewfinder. With a digital SLR, you're looking right through the lens, so what you see is what you get.
Press the shutter button halfway to achieve focus. The camera will flash a visual warning in the viewfinder when focus has been achieved. Your camera may also beep when focus is achieved.
If the camera is unable to achieve focus in low light conditions, momentarily shine a penlight on the area you want the camera to focus on. After focus has been achieved, turn off the penlight and take the picture. Alternatively, you can switch to manual focus.
- Press the shutter button fully to take the picture. Soon you'll see the image on the camera's LCD viewer.
