1. Compact Interchangeable Lens Camera

2. CILC: Contains many of the same features that an SLR has, but in the size of a P&S. Contains larger image sensors, and a removable lens. Better image quality, and more control than a P&S. The only negative, is that it does not contain two optical viewfinders, like the SLR, only an LCD screen.

3. Battery, Media Card, and Power Switch Battery: Requirement for the camera to operate. Media Card: memory chip that your camera uses to store images while shooting. Power Switch: Obviously used to turn camera on and off.

4. Framing Your Shot Focal Length: The length of the lens is measured in millimeters. A longer focal length means a more telephoto lens (more magnification) and a less field of view. A lens with more magnification yields an image with a narrower field of view.

5. Shutter Button Although pressing the shutter button may seem simple, there are many things you need to understand. Press the shutter button down halfway, the camera’s autofocus mechanism will then engage. Finding the subject of your photo and thus locking focus. Most cameras now a days have multiple focus points. Little squares centered around the subjects of your photo. Use the “half-press, wait, full press” technique when taking your photos.

6. Managing Flash IN Auto Mode Your camera is very stubborn about firing the flash in auto mode. Your camera might have a special, “no flash” auto mode that gives you all of the features of auto mode, minus the auto flash selection. If working with an SLR that doesn’t have a no flash auto mode, then follow the procedure below: 1)half press the shutter button to meter/focus, flash may then pop up 2)Push the flash down while still holding the shutter button down. 3)Take the picture.

7. Auto Mode In Low Light In a low light situation, you might see some strange flashes coming from the built in flash or bright lights coming from another light source. The “Focus Assist Light” may be engaged to brighten up the scene. Sometimes your camera will not take the picture, this is due to the fact that it has not yet achieved focus. Fix this by reframing your shot, or changing the lighting of the scene.

8. Shutter Speed And Status Exposure is simply the measure of how much light the image sensor in your camera is exposed to during the shot. OVEREXSPOSED – Too bright UNDEREXPOSED – Too dark Your camera provides three different mechanisms for controlling exposure: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.

9. Shutter Speed The shutter in your camera is a little curtain that sits in front of your image sensor – Opens and closes very quickly controlling how much light comes in. It is measured in seconds. The longer the shutter stays open, the more light is let in, causing moving objects to be blurrier. Typically a scene shot in bright sunlight will require a shutter speed of 1/60 of a second. Shutter speed can range to 1/8000 of a second, VERY FAST!