The camera gives us direct control over many things that, when we're studying a scene with our eyes, are handled automatically and subconsciously.

Most notably, the camera's idea of exposure – i.e. whatever we tell it to expose – gives it a tremendous light-shifting ability compared to our eyes, which always adapt to give our brain the most well-balanced exposure possible for the conditions.

Nowhere is this more obvious than the night sky, viewed here from near Dorset, Ontario in August.

We can tweak the exposure to roughly match what we see with the naked eye:

Or, we can allow the camera to work its magic:

18 s at f/3.5, ISO 3200, 18 mm on APS-C, pushed down or up two stops in post. Click for a bigger image for maximum effect.