Camera History

1. In ancient times Greek and Chinese philosophers discovered an odd optical effect they dubbed the "camera obscura" which is Latin for "dark room", this is considered the first camera; the small hole in the wall acted like a lens focusing and projecting light onto the wall of the dark chamber.
2. In the 17th century Isaac Newton and Christian Huygens perfected the understanding of optics and the process of making high quality glass lenses which we now use for lenses in our cameras.
3. In 1827 Joseph Nicéphore Niépce nearly completed the camera's design by adding film, making the camera a glass lens, a dark box, and film to effectively take a picture, develop it, and keep the photo.
4. This design is very similar to a modern camera's in that it has all of the components other than the computer.
5. Digital cameras go through a process with a computer to capture images with an electronic sensor called a "CCD" on a reusable data storage device.

6. The difference between the "Auto" and "Program" modes is that "auto" controls the flash and the exposure, while in program the photographer can usually control these factors.
7. The "Portrait" mode is a mode that attempts to blur out the background while capturing the foreground or something in the foreground. This is done by using the fastest available lens setting.
8. The "Sports" mode is used not only for sports, but also for capturing images with a lot of motion, hopefully getting rid of the blur. This works by using the highest shutter speed available.

9. A photographer should use the half-press to focus on the subject, in doing so the half-press will give the camera a faster response time, gives the photographer more control over the focus, and encourages better composition.

10.

 This icon on the camera indicates that the flash is disabled, so there will be no flash. This flash mode is usually used if the photographer wants a moodier feel, or wants the natural light.

11.

 This icon on the camera indicates that the "auto flash" is enabled, which means that if the computer in the camera decides it is too dark, it will flash giving the picture more light. This flash mode is used by default.

12. If there is too much light in the photo, the exposure will be off balance, and the photo will be washed out.
13. If there is not enough light in the photo, the exposure will be off balance as well, and the photo will be too dark.

14. A "stop" is a term used in photography to represent a relative change in the brightness of light in a photo.
15. On a planet with two suns, the brightness level would be 1 stop compared to our planet.
16. On a planet with four suns, the brightness level would be 2 stops compared to our planet.

17. A longer shutter speed will open the shutter for longer, letting in more light.
18. A shorter shutter speed will open the shutter for less time, letting in less light.
19. The "aperture" controls the light before it hits the film, acting as a pupil.
20. When adjusting the aperture opening you can use the "f-stop" to adjust the openings.