The move to digital SLR photography should be very smooth if you’ve ever used a 35 mm film photography camera along with cheap camera accessories before. And even if a photographic camera has never been touched before, this learning guide will teach you the basics.

There are hundreds of different digital SLR cameras in the market. Each of them, however, work more or less the same way. Let’s go over the camera’s basic components when you have decided to buy photography equipment.

The shutter button and the viewfinder

This is probably the camera’s most critical button. You should be able to hit it quickly with your right index finger if you are holding the camera. Remember that, in two stages, you can force it down.

If you force it halfway down, the camera sets the autofocus, selects the settings to be used on the basis of the selected software, and shows the exposure on the viewfinder and LCD. Move it down the whole way, and you’re going to take a photo.

The viewfinder should be right in front of you if you keep the camera in your hands. Through it, you can take a look. What you see is 95-98% of what you’re going to shoot. If you push the shutter button halfway down now, all important details, including shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, will be shown in the viewfinder. Besides, as you expose manually, you can also see a light meter that will help you get the correct exposure.

LCD display

You can find an LCD-display if you look underneath the viewfinder. All the information you find in the viewfinder, as well as some more useful information, will be displayed here. Depending on your camera, the organized informationcan vary.

Also, some cameras allow you to use the LCD display as a viewfinder. In certain instances, it can be helpful. There are, however, several reasons why you should try to use the viewfinder instead.

The program selector wheel

You’ll find a wheel on the top of the camera, next to the shutter button, which you can turn to set the camera software you want to use.

You may have few or several of these programs, depending on your camera. Don’t let yourself be lost. You can only use a couple of these applications for now. The full-auto program is the first software that you should know about.

Normally, it is indicated by a green rectangle. The only button you really have to think about is the shutter button when the camera uses this software.

In certain instances, it works. One problem you will always face, though, is that when you don’t want it to, the flash shows up and destroys your images. Switching to an auto-no-flash-program is the answer.

With a line across, it is shown by a lightning strike and functions in the same way as the full-auto-program. Finally, it is worth mentioning the manual of the program, normally labeled with the letter M.When you start to get the hang of digital SLR photography, that’s the software you can use most of the time.