This is part 2 of a 6 part series on getting to know your digital camera. Read part 1: Digital Cameras for the Impatient.

If you bought the camera with the intent of being creative, you’ve probably already read the manual and figured it out. You can stop reading now and go get a cup of coffee. The rest of you, those who want a camera simply for documenting things and events, read on.

Can you learn how to use your camera by reading the manual? Sure, if you have the patience of a saint. The problem is most digital camera manufacturers make two very gross assumptions:

1. You are computer-literate
2. You have used an SLR (a single lens reflex camera)

Why do I say this? Because its easier to write instruction manuals that way. But fear not, I’m going to help you understand how to use your camera regardless of the fact that you have limited (or no) computer savvy and you don’t even care what an SLR is. This even applies to those of you who’ve purchased a digital SLR.

• Writers want to assume you are computer-literate because it is far easier, for example, to write instructions for setting JPEG resolution than explaining what a JPEG is. Do you really need to know what it is? No. You’ll be fine with just lingo-slinging for now. The automated photo-printing kiosk at the local drug store has become your personal savior. You just need to know how to remove your camera’s memory card and insert it into the kiosk’s proper slot!
• Writers also want to assume you have used an SLR-type camera so they don’t have to spend a lot of time explaining the terminology related to image acquisition. While terms such as shutter speed and f-stop control specific functions in any camera, writers find it far easier to just tell you how and when to adjust them, rather than explain the effect they have on your picture. I’m going to show you how these SLR principles relate to your digital camera. And if you’re at all curious, you can click here to learn more about the SLR.

To begin getting good results with your digital camera, you don’t need to meet these criteria. But you do need to read and understand the following two sections. We’ll cover two fundamental concepts:

1. How a camera works (we’ll use the Pinhole Camera as our example);
2. Proper exposure

Read part 3: Pinhole Cameras.