Digital Photography Pocket Guide, 3rd Edition

Chapter A. Appendix

Use the following tables as a quick-reference guide for a variety of camera settings. For more detailed explanations of the data listed here, see Chapters 2 and 3.

Table A-1. Exposure compensation reference guide

Lighting situation	Recommended exposure compensation (via the scale setting)
Subject against a bright sky background (high clouds on sunny day)	Overexpose by 2 (+2.0); use fill flash if within 10 feet
Light object (white color), front lit	Overexpose by 1.5 (+1.5)
Subject against white sand or snow (e.g., person skiing)	Overexpose by 1.5 (+1.5)
Landscape scene dominated by bright, hazy sky	Overexpose by 1 (+1.0)
Fair-skinned subjects with bright front lighting	Overexpose by .5 (+.5)
Subject against green foliage in open sun (e.g., outdoor portrait with background trees and shrubs)	No compensation
Dark-skinned subjects with bright front lighting	Underexpose by .5 (–.5)
Brightly lit subject against dark background (e.g., theater lighting)	Underexpose by 1 (–1.0)
Dark object (black color), front lit	Underexpose by 1.5 (–1.5)

Table A-2. Flash mode settings

situation	Recommended flash mode [1]
Outdoor portrait in open shade or sun	Fill flash (flash forced on)
Subject against bright background, such as hazy sky	Fill flash (flash forced on)
Weddings and other special events (both indoor and outdoor shooting)	Fill flash (flash forced on)
Subject in brightly lit evening scene, such as Times Square, New York, or Sunset Strip, Las Vegas	Slow-synchro flash (hold camera steady or use tripod)
Portrait against twilight sky, brightly lit monument, or building	Slow-synchro flash (hold camera steady or use tripod)
Portrait in brightly lit room where ambient lighting needs to be preserved	Slow-synchro flash (hold camera steady or use tripod)
Subject who typically blinks as flash fires	Red eye reduction flash (to eliminate recorded blinking)
Mood portrait by window, bright lamp, or other light source	Flash off (steady camera with tripod or other support)
Sporting event or outdoor concert when shooting from the stands	Flash off (steady camera with tripod or other support)
[1] On some point-and-shoot cameras, these flash settings are accessible only when you enable manual mode. Cameras typically ship in automatic mode, which limits the number of adjustments that the photographer can change. Refer to your owner's manual for more information.

Table A-3. White balance settings

Lighting condition	Recommended white balance setting
Sunny, outdoor conditions	Auto or Daylight
Open shade (e.g., under a tree), indoor portraits by window light, or when flash is on indoors	Cloudy (add fill flash when possible)
Snow setting, bluish winter light, or when overall light balance is too "cool"	Cloudy
Indoors with flash off, when dominant light source is tungsten light	Tungsten
Outdoors at sunset or sunrise, when light is too "warm"	Tungsten
Indoors, when dominant light source is fluorescent tubes	Fluorescent

Table A-4. Camera modes with explanations

Camera mode [2]	Explanation
Programmed autoexposure (P)	Camera sets both aperture and shutter speed. Good for general photography.
Shutter priority/timed value (S or Tv)	Photographer sets shutter speed and camera sets corresponding aperture. Best for action, sports, or running water photography.
Aperture priority/aperture value (Av)	Photographer sets aperture and camera sets corresponding shutter speed. Best for landscape photography or any situation that requires depth of field control.
Manual (M)	Photographer sets both aperture and shutter speed. Advanced mode for those with an understanding of photography.
Movie	Camera records video segments and saves them as QuickTime, AVI, or MPEG files. Some models also record sound to accompany the video.
Panorama	Camera designates a sequence of shots to be later "stitched together" to create one image with a wide perspective. Some cameras give you onscreen assistance to line up the sequence.
Nighttime	Allows for longer shutter speeds (even when the flash is enabled) to enable photography in low ambient light, such as at sunset or for brightly lit interiors. A tripod should be used to help steady the camera when using this mode.
[2] Your camera may have all, some, or only a couple of these modes available. Typically, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual modes are available only on advanced models.

Table A-5. Metering modes with explanations

Metering mode [3]	Explanation
Evaluative metering	Camera divides viewing area into "segments" and evaluates each area alone and in combination with others. End result is very accurate overall exposure for most scenes. Good choice for general photography.
Spot metering	Camera reads only center portion of viewing area, usually within the center brackets or crosshairs. Good choice for situations that require precise exposure control on a particular element in the scene. Most popular use is to correctly meter a person's face in difficult lighting situations.
Center-weighted metering	Camera reads entire viewfinder area, but with more emphasis placed on central portion of scene. Typically used for landscape and general photography. Evaluative metering is usually preferred over center–weighted metering.
[3] Many point-and-shoot cameras offer only one metering mode—usually center-weighted or evaluative. Intermediate and advanced models usually include spot metering, too.

Table A-6. Exposure starting points for sunset and astrophotography ^[4]

Subject	ISO speed	Aperture (f-stop)	Shutter speed
Sunset (point at sky without sun shining in viewfinder)	100	Programmed autoexposure	Programmed autoexposure
Full moon	100	f-8	1/250th–1/500th of a second
Quarter moon	100	f-5.6	1/125th–1/250th of a second
Total lunar eclipse	200	f-2.8	2 seconds (use tripod)
Half lunar eclipse	200	f-4	1 second (use tripod)
Aurora borealis	200	f-2.8	2–30 seconds, depending on intensity (use tripod)
Star trails	100	f-4	10 minutes or longer (use tripod)
Meteors	100	f-5.6	30 minutes or longer (use tripod)
[4] The settings in this table should only serve as starting points for astrophotography. Allow ample time for testing with your equipment and conditions for optimum results.

Table A-7. Megapixels to print size reference

Camera type	2 MP	3 MP	4 MP	6.3 MP	8 MP
Photo-quality	5" x 7"	8" x 10"	10" x 12"	11" x 14"	14" x 16"
Acceptable	8" x 10"	10" x 12"	11" x 14"	14" x 16"	16" x 20"

Table A-8. Number of pictures to capacity of memory card reference ^[5]

Camera resolution	1600 x 1200 (2 MP)	2048 x 1536 (3.3 MP)	2272 x 1704 (4 MP)	2560 x 1920 (5 MP)	3072 x 2048 (6.3 MP)	3456 x 2305 (8 MP)
Card capacity	How many pictures	How many pictures	How many pictures	How many pictures	How many pictures	How many pictures
32 MB	20	17	15	13	11	8
64 MB	40	35	30	26	23	17
128 MB	82	71	61	54	48	36
256 MB	180	143	123	110	101	72
512 MB	370	287	247	221	203	145
1 GB	727	575	494	443	409	293
2 GB	1,456	1,150	989	887	820	588
4 GB	2,910	2,302	1,980	1,776	1,642	1,178
[5] The number of pictures listed for each memory card size in this table is for images saved at the highest quality setting in the JPEG format. You can "squeeze" more pictures onto a card by lowering the quality setting, but this is not recommended. Different camera brands may produce results slightly different from those shown here.

Table A-9. Color temperature chart in Kelvin

Degrees Kelvin	Type of light source
1700–1800K	Match flame
1800–2200K	Dawn, dusk, candle flame
2400–2600K	40W incandescent bulb
2800–3000K	100W incandescent bulb
3200–3400K	500W photoflood bulb, quartz bulb
4200K	Sun at 20 degrees altitude, cool white fluorescent bulb
5400K	Sun at noon
5500K	Photographic daylight
5500–6000K	Hazy sun, photo electronic flash, HMI lamp, neon bulb
6500–7000K	Bright sun, daylight fluorescent bulb
8000–9000K	Open shade outdoors, overcast sky
9000–10000K	North light, skylight window