A mode dial or camera dial is a dial used on digital cameras to change the camera's mode . Most digital cameras, including dSLR and SLR-like cameras, support modes, selectable either by a rotary dial or from a menu . On point-and-shoot cameras which support modes a range of scene types is offered. On dSLR cameras and SLR-like cameras, mode dials usually offer access to manual settings. The more compact point-and-shoot cameras, and cameras offering a great many modes, do not have mode dials, using menus instead. Some SLR lenses themselves offer control over things such as aperture , reducing the need for mode support in the camera body.
10-409: Aperture priority , often abbreviated A or Av (for aperture value ) on a camera mode dial , is a mode on some cameras that allows the user to set a specific aperture value ( f-number ) while the camera selects a shutter speed to match it that will result in proper exposure based on the lighting conditions as measured by the camera's light meter . This is different from manual mode, where
20-557: A movie mode to capture videos, and many modern dSLRs also support movie modes. Detailed information found by users on the modes supported by digital cameras are to be found in the ongoing list of digital camera modes . Manual modes include: In automatic modes the camera determines all aspects of exposure, choosing exposure parameters according to the application within the constraints of correct exposure, including exposure , aperture , focussing , light metering , white balance , and equivalent sensitivity. For example in portrait mode
30-407: A portrait in dim lighting, the photographer might choose to open the lens to its maximum aperture in hopes of getting enough light for a good exposure while maintaining the shortest possible shutter speed to reduce blur. This photography-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mode dial On most dSLRs and SLR-like bridge cameras , the mode dial is located at
40-399: A slow shutter speed (to allow a sufficient amount of light to reach the film or sensor for proper exposure), thereby causing the water to blur through the frame. At the contrary, a larger aperture allows to shorten the shutter speed reducing the hand jitter by taking a picture without a tripod or, in alternative, a lower ISO to enhance the image quality by reducing the noise. When shooting
50-421: A wide aperture (identified by a low number, e.g. f/1.4 or f/2.8) and therefore smaller depth of field may be desired to throw the background out of focus and make it less distracting. Another common use of aperture priority mode is to indirectly affect shutter speed for a desired effect. In landscape photography, a user might select a small aperture when photographing a waterfall , so that the camera will select
60-399: Is therefore useful in landscape photography , for example, where it may be desired that objects in foreground, middle distance, and background all be rendered crisply, while shutter speed is immaterial. To obtain this large depth of field, a narrow aperture (identified by a high f-number, e.g. f/16 or f/22) is necessary. Aperture priority mode also finds use in portrait photography , where
70-475: The camera would use a wider aperture to render the background out of focus, and would seek out and focus on a human face rather than other image content. In the same light conditions a smaller aperture would be used for a landscape, and recognition of faces would not be enabled for focussing. Some cameras have tens of modes, showing the majority only in the menu rather than on the dial. Many cameras do not document exactly what their many modes do; for full mastery of
80-465: The top illustration has: Most dSLRs have a few manual settings and a small sample of automatic modes. Most SLR-like cameras have manual modes and several automatic scene modes. On point-and-shoot cameras, all manual control may be condensed into one mode (e.g. ASP, for Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Program) or may be completely absent. Many compact cameras show a large array of scene modes. Point-and-shoot and SLR-like digital cameras usually have
90-490: The top of the camera, to one side of the flash/viewfinder hump. On point-and-shoot cameras, however, the mode dial's location is less standard. On many models, it is found on top like dSLRs. On other point-and-shoots, particularly those with a thin body, the dial is found on the back of the camera, often coupled with a menu-navigation button. Some thin cameras use a slide switch rather than a dial. Various camera types and specific cameras have different modes. The simpler dial in
100-411: The user must decide both values, shutter priority where the user picks a shutter speed with the camera selecting an appropriate aperture, or program mode where the camera selects both. As an image's depth of field is inversely proportional to the size of the lens's aperture, aperture priority mode is often used to allow the photographer to control the focus of objects in the frame. Aperture priority
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