If your just learning about your camera then chances are you would have taken one look at the top of your camera and would have immediately became confused, however you don’t need to worry as i’m going to explain what each and every one of these camera modes does.




Automatic ([])

The automatic button really doesn’t need much of an introduction as you can probably guess by the name what it does.  The automatic button allows your camera to set all of your camera options “automatically” to produce the exposure that it thinks is correct.

Automatic mode doesn’t allow you to set the shutter speed, aperture, ISO or even the flash which often pops up and ruins your photos.  If you don’t know how to use your camera and start shooting in this mode I would advise against it as it won’t help you one bit and your images will more than likely come out terrible.

Program Mode (P)

The program mode is a mode for beginners to start to understand their cameras.  Program mode is similar to automatic in the way that it allows the camera to make the decision on which settings to use to correct the exposure.  Once the settings are selected you can easily change them for example if the camera thinks that the correct shutter speed would be 1/200 of a second but you think this is too slow then you can change it so it gives you a shutter speed of 1/400.

If you don’t know much about cameras I would recommend using this mode to start off with.

Aperture Priority (AV, A)

Aperture priority is a mode in which you set the aperture while the shutter speed will be automatically set for you to give the correct exposure.  This mode is useful when you want to achieve a certain depth of field, for example if you wanted a shallow depth of field (not much in focus) then you could set the aperture to your lenses lowest amount and if you wanted a wide depth of field you could set it to its highest aperture value.

Shutter Priority (TV)

Shutter priority is similar to aperture priority, this time however you only set the shutter speed and the rest is done for you.  This mode is useful when you want to tell the camera that you only want to shoot photos at a certain speed and not any lower.

Manual (M)

Once you have learnt how to use your camera you will want to be shooting in manual mode as much as possible.  While in manual mode you are able to change all of the settings as you see fit.  Aperture, ISO, Shutter speed and white balance settings can all be change to create the image you’re looking for.

Learning to shoot in manual will help you understand photography in greater detail and will allow you to produce good consistent shots each and every time.

Some commonly used terms :

What is aperture?



Aperture is the term used to describe what is simply the hole in the lens that light travels through to reach the camera’s sensor or film. This hole can be set at different sizes, and combined with shutter speed, you get the two main settings which control exposure. There is some maths involved to get the actual values, but to be honest, that doesn’t really matter. What’s more important is to know what aperture is, and what happens when you change it. Getting your head round aperture can be a bit of a hurdle, so hopefully this will help a little bit.

What is Shutter ?

Open/close


The shutter is a mechanical or electro-mechanical device which opens and closes a defined aperture to allow light to enter a camera to expose film or to allow an image to be recorded on digital media electronically. Shutters can also be used to control the exposure (the time they are open) to ensure the proper amount of light enters the system. Shutters can also be used to switch lasers, control the amount of light that is placed on a sample within a microscope, control x-rays, cut off light to protect sensitive equipment, etc.