ISO Sensitivity

What is ISO?

ISO is a measurement of the camera's ability to capture light. The ISO number is directly proportional to the sensitivity of the camera towards light. Which mean, if we only adjust the ISO and fix the aperture and shutter speed, we can get bright or dark photos. Higher ISO number will give brighter image while lower ISO number otherwise. Raising the ISO helps to capture image in low light environment without the help of flash. However, high ISO sensitivity will add "noise" to your photograph making them seem grainy. 

Canon 600D @ 18mm, f/9, 1/25 sec, ISO-100

Canon 600D @ 18mm, f/9, 1/25 sec, ISO-400

The Lawn Cafe Penang

Nikon D7200 @ f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO-100 (Panorama)

The Lawn Cafe was built by Eco World based on a contemporary glass-house concept. It has a vast compound that suitable for portrait and landscape photography. The cozy environment in the cafe is nice for refreshment or dining and chitchatting.

Nikon D7200 @ 52mm,  f/5, 1/50 sec, ISO-100 

Nikon D7200 @ 50mm,  f/2, 1/160 sec, ISO-100

Aperture (f-stops)

What is aperture?

If you search the definition of aperture in Google, you will get ‘an opening, hole or gap’. Yeah, aperture is a hole that allows light passes through into the camera body. The aperture is also known as f-numbers or f-stops. Different lens may give you different range of f-stops. 

Aperture Range

The diagram above shows the size of the aperture in different f-stops. The f-stops also impact the depth of field. Large aperture or small f-stop will make the foreground sharp but the background blurry. On the other hand, small aperture or large f-stop will make the foreground and background in focus. Below are the examples taken with different f-stops. 

Canon 600D @ 21mm, f/3.5, 1/50 sec, ISO-100

Shutter Speed

Canon 600D @ f/22, 1/4 sec, ISO-100 (Panorama)

What is shutter speed?

Shutter speed is the amount of time a camera shutter is open to allow light into the camera sensor. Fast shutter speed will freeze the motion, while slow shutter speed capture motion blurring. Fast shutter speed will also gives under exposed photos while slow shutter speed otherwise. The choice of selected shutter speed is really depends on what type of photograph you want to capture. The examples below show that the shutter speed will affect the exposure of your photo. 

Canon 600D @ 49mm, f/9, 1/60 sec, ISO-100

Canon 600D @ 49mm, f/9, 1/30 sec, ISO-100

DSLR Camera Shooting Modes (P, S, A and M modes)

P, S, A and M modes are shooting modes or exposure modes that give the user the freedom of controlling the aperture or shutter speed.

Canon 600D

Mode P (Program AE)

The camera automatically sets the aperture and shutter speed for the right exposure.

Mode P

Mode Tv (Shutter Priority AE)

The photographer has the freedom of controlling the shutter speed and the camera will automatically adjusts the aperture to obtain optimal exposure. The photographer may adjust shutter speed to make moving subjects look still or capture motion blurring.

Mode Tv