Girl’s Guide to Basic Camera Stats, Settings & Functions

💁‍♀️ CAMERA STATS: Know Your Gear

These are the “specs” often listed in camera product pages.

Stat	What It Means	Why It Matters
Megapixels (MP)	Resolution of your photos	More MP = more detail (but 12-24MP is plenty for most)
Sensor Size	Size of the light sensor	Bigger sensor = better quality, low-light performance
Aperture (f/1.8, f/2.8...)	How wide the lens opens	Lower f-number = more light, blurrier background (aka bokeh)
Zoom (Optical vs. Digital)	How close you can get	Optical is real zoom, digital crops the image (avoid if possible)
ISO Range	Light sensitivity range	Higher ISO = better for dark scenes, but more grain
Shutter Speed	How long the shutter stays open	Fast = freeze motion, Slow = motion blur or night light trails
Frames Per Second (FPS)	For video or burst photos	Higher FPS = smoother video / faster bursts

📸 ESSENTIAL CAMERA SETTINGS: Explained Simply

1. ISO – Think: light sensitivity

• Low ISO (100-400) = bright daylight

• High ISO (800-3200+) = dim lighting, but can look grainy

2. Aperture (f-stop) – Think: background blur

• f/1.4 to f/2.8 = dreamy blurred backgrounds (great for portraits)

• f/8 to f/11 = sharp foreground and background (great for landscapes)

3. Shutter Speed – Think: motion control

• Fast (1/1000s) = freeze a jump or splash

• Slow (1/30s or slower) = light trails or night shots (use a tripod)

🎥 BASIC CAMERA MODES: Use These First

Mode	Icon	What It Does
Auto	📷	Camera chooses everything — easy but limited control
P (Program)	P	Auto with flexibility (you can tweak ISO, white balance)
A / Av (Aperture Priority)	A	You choose aperture, camera handles the rest
S / Tv (Shutter Priority)	S	You choose shutter speed, camera adjusts exposure
M (Manual)	M	You control everything — best for learning or tricky light
Portrait Mode	👧	Softens background, flatters skin tones
Landscape Mode	🌄	Everything in focus, boosts greens and blues

💡 BONUS TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

• RAW vs. JPEG: Shoot in RAW if editing later, JPEG for quick sharing.

• White Balance: Adjusts colour tones — use “Daylight” for warm tones, “Shade” to cancel blue.

• Focus Modes: Use AF-S (single shot) for still subjects, AF-C (continuous) for moving ones.

• Rule of Thirds: Turn on grid lines and avoid putting your subject dead centre.