What is the shutter on a camera?

What is the shutter on a camera?

• A. The part that focuses light onto the sensor.
• B. A device that opens and closes in front of the lens of a camera.
• C. The film inside the camera.
• D. A wheel that changes color balance.

Answer: (B)

The shutter is the mechanism that controls how long light is allowed to reach the camera’s sensor or film. It sits in front of the lens so that when it opens, light can pass through to create an image, and when it closes, light is blocked. The length of time it stays open, called shutter speed, determines the exposure and can affect motion in the photo: short times freeze movement, longer times can blur it. It’s not the part that focuses light, not the film itself, and not a color-b balancing wheel. So the shutter is the device that opens and closes in front of the lens.

The shutter is the mechanism that controls how long light is allowed to reach the camera’s sensor or film. It sits in front of the lens so that when it opens, light can pass through to create an image, and when it closes, light is blocked. The length of time it stays open, called shutter speed, determines the exposure and can affect motion in the photo: short times freeze movement, longer times can blur it. It’s not the part that focuses light, not the film itself, and not a color-b balancing wheel. So the shutter is the device that opens and closes in front of the lens.