Infrared shutter release sensor: Lets you fire the shutter remotely. Shutter button: Opens the camera shutter to expose the digital sensor to light and make a photo. Self-timer light: Flashes to indicate the self-timer duration before the shutter fires. Depth-of-field preview button: Closes the lens’s aperture to let you preview the extent of sharpness in a photo before you take it. Lens electronic contacts: Let the camera communicate with the lens to set aperture and focus. Reflex mirror: Light from the lens is reflected up from the mirror to the optical viewfinder. Lens mount index: Helps you align your lens correctly when attaching it to the camera. Lens release button: Disengages the lens mount, letting you remove the lens from the camera.Tripod socket: Lets you mount your camera on a tripod to increase stability and avoid camera shake. Battery compartment: The camera’s rechargeable batteries are inserted here.Many cameras let you choose and save a range of custom shooting settings. This facility is a useful way to configure a camera to your personal style of shooting. Practice makes perfect. Regular use of your camera will help you find controls intuitively rather than needing to search for them.Menu and info buttons: Let you change camera options and view camera status. Optical viewfinder: Shows the image passed through the lens and reflected off the reflex mirror. LCD monitor: Shows camera menus, Live View, and Playback. Live View/Movie shooting: Switches between Live View and Movie mode. Playback button: Lets you review and edit your photos or movies. Control dial: Used to set camera options when shooting images or viewing menus. Delete button: Erases photos stored on the memory card. AF button: Activates the camera’s autofocus feature. Zoom button: Magnifies photos in Live View and Playback.Flash button: Raises the built-in flash. Microphone socket: Allows the use of an external microphone when shooting movies. Remote release socket: Used to attach an optional cable-type remote release. HDMI socket: Lets you connect your camera to an HDTV to review your photos or movies. Digital interface: Used to connect your camera to a computer so you can download photos and movies. Memory card cover: A slot that takes a memory card to store photos and movies.Mode dial: Lets you set the required shooting mode. On/Off switch: Turns the camera on and off. Built-in flash: A small built-in flashgun, useful as a fill-in light. Hot shoe: Mount for an external flashgun. Secondary control dial: Used for setting the camera’s shooting and menu functions. Shooting option buttons: External controls for setting a limited range of shooting functions. Top-plate LCD: Small LCD showing the shooting options currently set on the camera.
Anatomy of a camera
