1 Lens Hood Bayonet/Filter Thread

The front edge of your lens includes several features to allow mounting accessories such as lens hoods and filters. The bayonet system ensures that the lens hood is oriented properly on the lens.

2 Zoom Ring

Zoom lenses have a ring that can be twisted to magnify or reduce the image.

3 Focus Ring

The focus ring is twisted to bring the image into sharp focus when focusing manually, or to fine-tune focus set automatically with lenses that allow overriding the autofocus system.

4 Focus Scale

These markings show the current focus point.

Other Lens Features

Some lenses have an Automatic/Manual focus switch that overrides its counterpart on the camera body. Lenses with an extensive focus range (particularly macro lenses) may have a Lock switch to lock out either the most distant focusing range or the closest.

5 Mode Dial

This dial changes the exposure mode or programming used to calculate exposure. All dSLRs will include program (the camera sets user-tunable exposure); manual (user sets both shutter speed and aperture); aperture priority, also called Av (user chooses f/stop and the camera selects a shutter speed); and shutter priority, also called Tv (user selects shutter speed and the camera chooses f/stop).

6 External Flash Hot Shoe

Speedlights designed to work with a specific camera exchange information with the camera. This information exchange allows fully-automatic flash exposure with through-the-lens metering.

7 Monochrome Status LCD

This display screen shows information about the camera’s current settings, including number of exposures remaining, shutter speed, f/stop, ISO, battery status, or focus/exposure mode in use. Some cameras provide minimal information on this screen (such as number of exposures left) even when the camera is turned off.

8 Status LCD Backlight Button

Pressing this button activates a light underneath the status LCD so the information can be viewed in dim light or total darkness.

9 EV Button

Holding down this button allows adjusting the exposure by adding or subtracting exposure values (EV) when a command dial is spun.

10 Exposure Zone/Method Selector

Holding down this button while spinning a command dial allows you to change the area used for calculating exposure.

11 Shutter Release

If the metering system has switched itself off, it will revive and begin measuring exposure again. If your camera has been set to fix exposure and focus point when the shutter release is partially depressed, those parameters may be locked.

12 On/Off Power Switch

It powers your camera on and off.