Basic settings of cameras and lenses in cinematography

• In photography and cinematography exposure is the expression for the brightness of the light in a media file (image or video).
• Like, by fingers combined together completes a fist, likewise, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO all together complete the value of exposure.
• Light affects a media file (image or video) along with these three steps.
• settings of these three options determine the setting and quality of exposure.

1. Aperture
2. Shutter-speed
3. ISO

Aperture-

• The value of aperture is mainly dependent upon the lens that you are using.
• Aperture considered as the hole also called “iris” within the lens, light reaches the camera sensor by the lens through this hole.
• Setting the value of aperture is controlled through the camera that you are using.
• Essentially, the aperture setting depends on both lenses and cameras that you are using. 
• There are two ways aperture mainly affects footages, one the brightness of the light another the depth of field.
• When the aperture value increases/decreases, the size of the hole or the iris in a lens increases/decreases, and when the size of the iris increases/decreases the amount of light passes through the lens is also increases/decreases, and when the amount of light increases/decreases and reaches to the sensor, the brightness of the footage also increases/decreases. Combine all together we learned the value of aperture determines the brightness of the footage.
• If the value of the aperture is high, the brightness of the footage will high, If the value of the aperture is low, then the brightness of the footage will low.
• And also with a high aperture value, we get a shallow depth of field, with a low aperture value we get a wide depth of field.

Shutter-speed-

• When light passes through the lens to the sensor, the length of time requires, to capturing the subject or the speed of the shutter while you capture the subject determines how much light will reach the sensor and also whether you want to freeze or blur the subject’s movement. This is the whole concept behind shutter speed.
• Let’s understand clearly, when the shutter does open in a camera for some time, how much light reached the sensor with a certain amount of time before it closes or what is the speed of the shutter while capturing an image is considered as shutter speed. Because it related to time too, Shutter-speed not only has control over the amount of light for the sensor but also has control over the movement of the subject or object.
• Through this quality, you can freeze or blur the movement of the subject or object.
• If the shutter speed is fast then you can freeze the movement of the subject or object, also less amount of light will reach the sensor.
• If shutter-speed is slow then you will get blurry footage, also a high amount of light will reach the sensor.
• All the above points are applicable for those cameras who support shutter speed, largely photography cameras with video shooting features or you could say DSLR’s.
• But when it comes to cinema cameras, there is a new concept called shutter angle( we will discuss it later…), and for today’s digital cameras there is used electronic shutter ( also we will discuss later ).
• shutter speed settings purely depend upon the camera that you are using.

ISO (International Standards Organization)-

• The idea behind ISO is it represents the sensitivity of the light for the camera sensor or how sensitive the light is for the camera sensor is considered as ISO.
• If the outside lighting condition is enough bright you don’t need to set the value of ISO, to high, because If the value of ISO is high, the sensitivity of the light for the camera sensor is also going to be high, and because the sensitivity of the light for the camera sensor is high and outside lighting condition has enough light then the result leads to overexposed image or media.
• It simply means if the outside lighting condition is high you need a low amount of ISO value for the camera sensor on the basis of sensitivity of the light, you need a high amount of ISO value for the camera sensor on the basis of sensitivity of the light when outside lighting conditions are low for the sensor.
• Low ISO needs a high amount of light, and high ISO needs a low amount of light that’s it. Or adjust the value of ISO according to the lighting condition that you’re shooting. If the lighting condition is high then you need a low ISO value, and if the lighting condition is low then you need a high ISO value, and if lighting conditions are average you need an average ISO value.
• With a high ISO value, there is a problem you will face called noise. You will find certain amounts of grains are floating in your image or media though those can be removed in the post-production process. To avoid this problem you need an appropriate lighting condition while you’re shooting and the right settings in your camera.
• ISO settings also purely depend upon the camera that you are using.

Exposure has its three expressions –

1. Underexposure
2. Right/correct exposure
3. Overexposure

Underexposure –

when in the footage, the brightness of the light seems to be less as compared to what is supposed to be, then, that state of the footage is called underexposed.

OR

If For our eyes brightness of the light in the footage seems to be dark or darker, then we call that footage is underexposed.

Correct exposure –

when in the footage, the brightness of the light seems to be good/great, then that footage is called well-exposed footage, or it is in the state of right/correct exposure.

OR

If for our eyes brightness of the light in the footage seems to be well enough, then, we call that kind of footage to correct exposed footage.

Overexposure –

when in the footage, the brightness of the light is more than what is supposed to be, then that state of the footage is called overexposed footage.

OR

If for our eyes brightness of the light in the footage seems to be brighter, then, we call that footage is overexposed.