Digital cameras like this Nikon can be used in full manual or automatic shooting modes.
Digital cameras are very efficient at taking pictures and storing them to a memory card. Digital single-lens reflex cameras (digital SLR's) have many shooting programs including semi-automatic modes where the photographer can select the shutter speed or aperture and the camera will select the other variable for a proper exposure. Digital cameras also have "Scene" shooting modes where the photographer can select a program to match her lighting or shooting conditions. The "Manual" mode is present on most digital SLR's, but is seldom used by casual photographers; most basic point-and-shoot cameras will not offer this function. In manual mode the photographer controls all the settings on the camera.
Instructions
1. Turn your digital camera on, and set the exposure or shooting mode to "M" for Manual. Depending on the type and manufacturer of the digital camera you are using this may vary from model to model. However "M" is almost universally adapted as the setting for Manual.
2. Press the "ISO" button or access the "ISO" menu; this is the setting for the camera's light sensitivity. If you are shooting outdoors, set the ISO to "200" if you are shooting indoors set the ISO to "400." Increase the ISO in lower light conditions if you do not want to use a flash, but be aware that higher ISO's will cause more "noise" to appear in the photograph.
3. Press the "WB" button to program the camera's white balance. Light has different temperatures, and setting your camera to the correct light balance will not only ensure better looking pictures it will save you time in post editing.
4. Set your shutter speed to match your ISO setting. So if you are shooting outdoors, set your shutter speed to one two-hundredth (1/200th) of a second, or the closest setting to that number.
5. Hold the camera up to your eye, look at the rear LCD screen or through the viewfinder and look for the light meter. The light meter will likely be a line in the bottom of the viewfinder with a middle point and a "-2" on one end and a "+2" on the other end, with a pointer that rests just above or below this line.
6. Adjust the aperture on your camera until the pointer is at the middle point on the light meter. This now means your picture is properly exposed.
7. Press the shutter release fully to take the picture.
Tags: Digital cameras, light meter, shutter speed, your shutter speed, digital camera, middle point