Difference between revisions of "Detents"

From Camera-wiki.org
Jump to: navigation, search
(created stub)
 
(Rewrote some of the text.)
(2 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
Positions on a moving dial (eg, shutter speed or aperture dial) at which movement is locked.
+
'''Detents''', sometimes referred to as '''click-stops''', are positions on a dial (or a ring around a lens - typically the [[aperture]] ring) at which the control stops readily. This is usually achieved by a captive spring-loaded ball bearing, which settles into one of a series of shallow holes in the mating part.
  
{{stub}}
+
Detents have several advantages. They allow the control to be set repeatably (that is, the position of f/8, say, is the same each time), avoiding small random errors in exposure. They may also prevent the control being accidentally moved after setting. Detents also allow the aperture ring (of a lens without automatic stop-down) to be set without taking the camera from the eye.
 +
 
 +
On the other hand, the presence of detents may make it hard to select values between them.
  
  
 
{{glossary}}
 
{{glossary}}

Revision as of 17:11, 1 May 2014

Detents, sometimes referred to as click-stops, are positions on a dial (or a ring around a lens - typically the aperture ring) at which the control stops readily. This is usually achieved by a captive spring-loaded ball bearing, which settles into one of a series of shallow holes in the mating part.

Detents have several advantages. They allow the control to be set repeatably (that is, the position of f/8, say, is the same each time), avoiding small random errors in exposure. They may also prevent the control being accidentally moved after setting. Detents also allow the aperture ring (of a lens without automatic stop-down) to be set without taking the camera from the eye.

On the other hand, the presence of detents may make it hard to select values between them.


Glossary Terms