Just got a Nikon D50. Completely Clueless! F-Stop??

Hi..I know this a dumb question, but here goes.......!

I just got my first DSLR (Nikon D50) and before I bought it, I tried educating myself on photography & lighting, etc. So I understant the effects of the F-Stop, etc.

But on the actual camera, where do you control the aperture & the shutter lag?

Also, how does ISO effect photos?

Thanks!

shutter lag? well, on the camera you have various modes. in order to control your shutter speed and aperture you have the following options:

P mode (programmed auto) roll the command dial right or left to change the program combination. the P* (flexible program) logo will appear when you deviate from the central line of the program.

A mode: roll the command dial right or left to change aperture
S mode: roll the command dial right or left to change shutter speed
M mode: roll the command dial right or left to change shutter speed, hold down the Exposure Compensation (+/-) button, which you see has an aperture icon printed by it, just behind and to the right of the shutter release and turn the command dial to change Aperture.

The manual explains all of this a bit better.

ISO affects photos in two ways:

A higher ISO will increase the sensitivity of the sensor, so it will pick up more light in the same amount of time. You can therefore have a faster shutter speed with the same aperture, or a smaller aperture (higher f/number) with the same shutter speed, or even both depending on how much you change the ISO, but still maintain proper exposure.

A higher ISO will also induce noise into the photo, which is random pixels of a color or luminance value that is not in the photo- it isn't terribly unlike film grain on high speed films. Noise is generally more of a problem in underexposed photos or in the shadows of properly exposed photos than in properly exposed sections. You can remove noise using noise reduction software.

Thanks for your reply!