Understanding your camera type

Before learning individual controls, it helps to know what sort of camera you are using. That tells you which parts can be changed, which controls you are likely to have and which later lessons apply directly to your equipment.

Phone camera

A phone camera does a great deal automatically and often combines several exposures without making that obvious. It is excellent for learning composition, light and timing, but it may give you less direct control than a dedicated camera.

Compact and bridge cameras

A compact camera normally has a permanently attached lens. A bridge camera also has a fixed lens, usually with a much larger zoom range and a body shaped more like a DSLR. You cannot swap the lens, but many models still provide useful manual controls.

DSLR and mirrorless cameras

Both normally accept interchangeable lenses. A DSLR uses a mirror and optical viewfinder system. A mirrorless camera sends the sensor image to an electronic viewfinder or rear screen. Neither type automatically makes better photographs. The important difference for this course is the controls and lenses available on your own model.

Identify yours

Look for the exact make and model on the camera body or in the phone settings. If the lens comes off, you have an interchangeable-lens camera. If you are unsure whether it is DSLR or mirrorless, look up the exact model rather than guessing from its shape.

Why this matters

Later lessons may mention a viewfinder, aperture control, interchangeable lenses or particular focus modes. If your equipment does not provide one of them, that is a limitation of the equipment, not something you are doing wrong.

Try it for yourself

The practical puts this lesson into use. You do not need to complete it perfectly. The point is to notice what your camera does and understand why.