Hey I Just want to learn more about what Im messing with and how it will affect my shots.

What is:

Exposure time?
My exp. says I can go from -2 to 2+. What will it do?
Superfine, fine, normal?
Iso Speed (50, 100, 200, 400, my options)
Effect: Vivid,Neutral,low sharpening, sepia

All I really need to know!

Thanks Jon

 

That's not exposure time, it's exposure compensation. It will set the camera to under- or over-expose the picture by up to 2 EV (Exposure Value).

Superfine, fine and normal are the level of JPEG compression. Superfine is the least compression for best image quality but takes up the most file space. Normal is the opposite, fine is in the middle. I always leave it on superfine.

ISO adjusts the light sensitivity of the image sensor. Think of it as the gain control on an amp. The higher the ISO the more sensitive to light the sensor becomes. Also, the higher the sensitivity, the more noise you get in the image. For most small point-n-shoot cameras it's best to use the lowest possible. Outdoor daytime shots 50 will work, if you're taking indoor shots you should stick it on 100. I highly recommend not using the auto ISO setting (most cameras have this) because it will sometimes pick either 200 or 400 for the ISO and that makes too much noise.

The various effects are things you can do to the image that can also be done in photoshop. I wouldn't bother with them. Vivid ups the color saturation a bit, neutral is nothing, low sharpening reduces the sharpening effect applied to the image in the camera (you can then use photoshop or some other image editor to get the desired sharpening effect), sepia makes it sepia-toned like old-timey photos.

 

exposure...+2 is two stops overexposed -2 is two stops underexposed. Play with it in various lighting situations and it can help you out once you get used to it.

Superfine is high res .jpg (or RAW in some cameras) Fine is good jpg and normal is acceptable quality jpg

ISO speed is the speed of the "film" or how sensitive to light the CCD becomes. 400 is fast and works in lower light situations than 50.

Effect.....just what it sounds like.