Glossary
Aberrations. Faults in a lens.
AF. Auto Focus.
Ambient Light. The light available at a scene with no intervention from the photographer.
Anti Aliasing. A method of smoothing diagonal jagged lines.
Aperture. The opening in the lens through which the light enters into the camera. For example f4 is ¼ of the focal length and lets in the same amount of light in any camera, the larger the number the smaller the aperture.
APS. A film size but is now the size of sensor used in many digital SLR cameras.
Artefact. Information in a digital image that is a visible defect caused by encoding.
Aspect Ratio. The ratio of the width to the height of an image. SLRs usually use 3:2 other digital cameras have a ratio of 4:3 but now wide screen computer screens are popular some have 16:9.
Backlighting. When the light comes towards the camera, from behind the subject.
Barrel Distortion. Normally found at the wide angle setting of a lens, straight lines at the edge of the frame bend in at the top and bottom.
Bulb / B Shutter Setting. This camera setting opens the shutter for as long as the shutter button is pressed, used for long exposures.
Bracketing. Taking a picture with different settings to ensure the correct exposure.
Blur. Unsharpness in an image caused by subject/camera movement or inaccurate focusing.
Burst Rate. An expression of the speed at which photographs can be taken in rapid succession.
Camera Shake. This is the blurring of the image caused by camera movement during exposure. A faster shutter speed or using a tripod will eliminate it.
CCD. Charge Coupled Device. A type of sensor used in digital cameras this is the part that receives the image which it converts into an electrical signal.
Chromatic Aberration. A lens fault where white light is not focused correctly at the sensor plane seen as coloured fringes.
Clipping. Loss of detail in the highlights or shadows.
CMOS. Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. Another type of sensor.
Contrast. A measure of the difference in tone from the lightest to darkest in an image.
Crop. To use only part of the image.
Depth of Field. The distance between the nearest and furthest points of a subject that are in focus. It is effected by the size of aperture, distance to the subject and focal length.
DSLR. Digital Single Lens Reflex. See SLR.
EVF. Electronic Viewfinder. These are found in Long Zoom cameras and consist of a viewfinder behind which is a small LCD screen to view the image.
EXIF. Exchangeable Image File is saved with a JPEG image it records details of the settings used by the camera at the time of the exposure.
Fill in. To lighten the shadows by providing extra light from a flash, another light source or reflector.
Filter. A device that fits in front of the camera lens made of glass or gelatin, altering the quality or quantity of light reaching the sensor.
Flare. Non image forming light in a lens that degrades the image.
Focal Length. The distance from the lens to the sensor when focused at infinity, expressed in millimetres. Most camera manufacturers state this figure in comparison to 35mm camera focal lengths.
Focal Plane Shutter. A shutter system used in SLR cameras.
Guide Number. This is a guide to the output of an electronic flash. The higher the number the more powerful it is.
Highlights. The bright parts of an image.
High Key. A scene made up of light tones only.
Histogram. A graph that shows the range of tones in a digital image.
Hot Shoe. A camera fitting which will accept an accessory such as flashgun or spirit level. It's called hot because there are contacts in the shoe to provide a link to a flashgun.
Image Stabilisation. A system that is built into the camera or lens which reduces the effects of camera shake.
Infinity. The focus point at which light rays are effectively parallel to each other when reaching the lens.
ISO Speed. This is the universal measurement of the sensitivity of cameras to light. 200 ISO is twice as sensitive as 100 ISO.
JPEG. Joint Photographic Experts Group. A popular file format used in digital cameras.
LCD. Liquid Crystal Display. The colour screen on the back of cameras.
Lens Hood. A device that fits on the front of a lens to shade it from extraneous light that can cause flare.
Live View. A camera with live view shows the picture on the LCD display in real time before the photograph is taken.
Macro. A term now used for close focusing of a lens. The correct meaning is an image life size or larger.
Megapixel. One million pixels. Used to describe the resolution of a sensor.
Memory Card. This is small plastic device that stores photographs in its memory. SD, Compact Flash, XD and Memory Stick are all different types of memory card.
Noise. Areas of an image that should have a smooth uniform appearance have noise when they appear mottled or speckled. This is normally caused by a high ISO speed or long exposure.
Pincushion Distortion. A lens aberration found at the telephoto setting where straight lines at the edge of an image bend towards the centre.
Pixel. The single smallest element of a digital image.
RAW. A type of image file available with some cameras. It has the advantage of being the original image information which is not processed by the camera. These flies can be manipulated on a computer to alter exposure and colour balance.
Red Eye. Caused by having the flash too close to the lens. The light reflects back from the subjects eye retina giving a spot of red in the eye.
Saturation. The intensity of a colour.
Self Timer. A camera setting that delays the firing of the shuttter for a fixed period of time often 2 or 10 seconds.
Single Lens Reflex. Single Lens Reflex. A camera where the lens is used for both viewing and taking the photograph.
Thumbnail. A small, low resolution copy of an image.
TIFF. Tagged Image File Format. This another file format used for digital images
TTL. Through The Lens.A metering system that measures the light through the camera lens.
Tripod. A three legged support for a camera.
Vignetting. A darkening in the corners of an image due to inadequate coverage of the lens.
White Balance. The colour of light varies at different times of the day and with artificial light sources. A cameras auto white balance will try to compensate for this to produce an image that looks natural. Manual adjustment may be require to get the best result.
Aberrations. Faults in a lens.
AF. Auto Focus.
Ambient Light. The light available at a scene with no intervention from the photographer.
Anti Aliasing. A method of smoothing diagonal jagged lines.
Aperture. The opening in the lens through which the light enters into the camera. For example f4 is ¼ of the focal length and lets in the same amount of light in any camera, the larger the number the smaller the aperture.
APS. A film size but is now the size of sensor used in many digital SLR cameras.
Artefact. Information in a digital image that is a visible defect caused by encoding.
Aspect Ratio. The ratio of the width to the height of an image. SLRs usually use 3:2 other digital cameras have a ratio of 4:3 but now wide screen computer screens are popular some have 16:9.
Backlighting. When the light comes towards the camera, from behind the subject.
Barrel Distortion. Normally found at the wide angle setting of a lens, straight lines at the edge of the frame bend in at the top and bottom.
Bulb / B Shutter Setting. This camera setting opens the shutter for as long as the shutter button is pressed, used for long exposures.
Bracketing. Taking a picture with different settings to ensure the correct exposure.
Blur. Unsharpness in an image caused by subject/camera movement or inaccurate focusing.
Burst Rate. An expression of the speed at which photographs can be taken in rapid succession.
Camera Shake. This is the blurring of the image caused by camera movement during exposure. A faster shutter speed or using a tripod will eliminate it.
CCD. Charge Coupled Device. A type of sensor used in digital cameras this is the part that receives the image which it converts into an electrical signal.
Chromatic Aberration. A lens fault where white light is not focused correctly at the sensor plane seen as coloured fringes.
Clipping. Loss of detail in the highlights or shadows.
CMOS. Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. Another type of sensor.
Contrast. A measure of the difference in tone from the lightest to darkest in an image.
Crop. To use only part of the image.
Depth of Field. The distance between the nearest and furthest points of a subject that are in focus. It is effected by the size of aperture, distance to the subject and focal length.
DSLR. Digital Single Lens Reflex. See SLR.
EVF. Electronic Viewfinder. These are found in Long Zoom cameras and consist of a viewfinder behind which is a small LCD screen to view the image.
EXIF. Exchangeable Image File is saved with a JPEG image it records details of the settings used by the camera at the time of the exposure.
Fill in. To lighten the shadows by providing extra light from a flash, another light source or reflector.
Filter. A device that fits in front of the camera lens made of glass or gelatin, altering the quality or quantity of light reaching the sensor.
Flare. Non image forming light in a lens that degrades the image.
Focal Length. The distance from the lens to the sensor when focused at infinity, expressed in millimetres. Most camera manufacturers state this figure in comparison to 35mm camera focal lengths.
Focal Plane Shutter. A shutter system used in SLR cameras.
Guide Number. This is a guide to the output of an electronic flash. The higher the number the more powerful it is.
Highlights. The bright parts of an image.
High Key. A scene made up of light tones only.
Histogram. A graph that shows the range of tones in a digital image.
Hot Shoe. A camera fitting which will accept an accessory such as flashgun or spirit level. It's called hot because there are contacts in the shoe to provide a link to a flashgun.
Image Stabilisation. A system that is built into the camera or lens which reduces the effects of camera shake.
Infinity. The focus point at which light rays are effectively parallel to each other when reaching the lens.
ISO Speed. This is the universal measurement of the sensitivity of cameras to light. 200 ISO is twice as sensitive as 100 ISO.
JPEG. Joint Photographic Experts Group. A popular file format used in digital cameras.
LCD. Liquid Crystal Display. The colour screen on the back of cameras.
Lens Hood. A device that fits on the front of a lens to shade it from extraneous light that can cause flare.
Live View. A camera with live view shows the picture on the LCD display in real time before the photograph is taken.
Macro. A term now used for close focusing of a lens. The correct meaning is an image life size or larger.
Megapixel. One million pixels. Used to describe the resolution of a sensor.
Memory Card. This is small plastic device that stores photographs in its memory. SD, Compact Flash, XD and Memory Stick are all different types of memory card.
Noise. Areas of an image that should have a smooth uniform appearance have noise when they appear mottled or speckled. This is normally caused by a high ISO speed or long exposure.
Pincushion Distortion. A lens aberration found at the telephoto setting where straight lines at the edge of an image bend towards the centre.
Pixel. The single smallest element of a digital image.
RAW. A type of image file available with some cameras. It has the advantage of being the original image information which is not processed by the camera. These flies can be manipulated on a computer to alter exposure and colour balance.
Red Eye. Caused by having the flash too close to the lens. The light reflects back from the subjects eye retina giving a spot of red in the eye.
Saturation. The intensity of a colour.
Self Timer. A camera setting that delays the firing of the shuttter for a fixed period of time often 2 or 10 seconds.
Single Lens Reflex. Single Lens Reflex. A camera where the lens is used for both viewing and taking the photograph.
Thumbnail. A small, low resolution copy of an image.
TIFF. Tagged Image File Format. This another file format used for digital images
TTL. Through The Lens.A metering system that measures the light through the camera lens.
Tripod. A three legged support for a camera.
Vignetting. A darkening in the corners of an image due to inadequate coverage of the lens.
White Balance. The colour of light varies at different times of the day and with artificial light sources. A cameras auto white balance will try to compensate for this to produce an image that looks natural. Manual adjustment may be require to get the best result.
Zoom. A lens with variable focal length.
Web Links
Web Links
Here's a list of interesting photo related web sites for you to visit:
Recommended Web Site
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This is an excellent site dedicated to photography of birds with digiscopes. It's recently been completely updated with a new section for DSLR owners and a visitors forum. |
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