An EV digital camera doesn't exist as a specific camera type. Instead, EV (Exposure Value) is a concept related to the light measurement in photography, and therefore a feature or setting that digital cameras utilize. It defines the amount of light that reaches the camera's sensor, which is a result of the aperture and shutter speed combination.
Understanding Exposure Value (EV)
EV is not a setting you would directly adjust on your camera like aperture or shutter speed; it's more like a benchmark for how bright an image will be, given the current aperture and shutter speed settings.
How EV Works:
- EV and Light: A higher EV value means less light reaches the sensor, resulting in a darker image. Conversely, a lower EV value means more light is captured, resulting in a brighter image.
- Aperture and Shutter Speed: The EV value is calculated using a combination of lens aperture (f-number) and shutter speed (how long the sensor is exposed to light). These settings are the ones you will manipulate on a camera to achieve the desired EV.
- Reference: According to the reference, "EV indicates the amount of light (exposure amount) obtained from the combination of 'lens aperture value' and 'shutter speed.'"
Why EV Matters in Digital Cameras
Although you don't set the EV directly, understanding it helps in:
- Metering: Digital cameras use light meters to determine the appropriate EV for a scene, then suggest aperture and shutter speed settings to the user (or automatically set them).
- Exposure Compensation: You might manually adjust the exposure compensation setting on your camera. This is essentially telling the camera to add or subtract a certain amount of EV from the meter's suggestion, for brighter or darker images.
- Manual Mode: In manual mode, knowing what EV is gives you control to make correct exposure, understanding the impact of adjustments to aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
EV as a concept not a camera type.
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| What it is | A measurement of the total amount of light reaching the sensor. |
| Influencing Factors | Lens Aperture and Shutter Speed. |
| Direct Adjustment | Usually not adjusted directly, you set the aperture, shutter speed and ISO, and it will result in the set EV value. |
| Camera Role | The Camera uses EV measurement to meter light and suggest or implement the optimal settings. |
| User Control | You influence it by setting the aperture, shutter speed and ISO manually or by making an exposure compensation change in the camera settings |
Example
- If a camera meter suggests an EV of 12 for a given scene, various combinations of aperture and shutter speed can achieve this EV level. For instance: f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second or f/4 at 1/250th.
In Conclusion
Therefore, "EV digital camera" is not a proper term. Rather, any digital camera incorporates and utilizes the concept of EV when determining and setting exposure. Understanding EV aids photographers to correctly expose pictures, whether in auto or manual modes.
