One of the situations where compact cameras really struggle is low light situations. The following are some examples of what happens when you shoot at high ISOs in (usually) in low light. See the grainy, ugly pattern over the whole picture? (Click on the picture to see it larger.) That is noise caused by pushing ...

New lenses all have bunch of acronyms attached to them. Here is a simple guide to the more recent Nikon lenses to understand what these all mean, and to understand if any of this is important: AF: Autofocus These lenses autofocus with autofocus capable Nikon bodies that have an internal autofocus motor. AF-S: Autofocus with silent wave motor These lenses ...

This is an illustration of the most commonly used sensor sizes on the market. In my opinion, the technology in the camera is not worth talking about unless you can actually see fairly obviously how it makes a difference. Fortunately, it is quite easy to see the effects of sensor size. There are two very common failings ...

The problem: As you shoot with longer and longer shutter speeds, the slight shakiness/movement of the camera starts to become visible as blurring of the picture. The following is an example: A rule of thumb is not to go below 1 / focal length (35mm equivalent) for the shutter speed. For example, if you are shooting with ...

The shutter speed is the duration during which the shutter of the camera stays open to let light shine on the sensor or film. Think of the shutter as a very fast opening and closing curtain. The longer the curtain stays open, the longer the sensor or film is exposed to the light. This allows the photographer to ...