Cat 01
What does DSLR stand for?
Digital Single Lens Reflex
How different elements of an image are arranged within the frame.
Composition
How sensitive your camera is to light. A higher ISO will be more sensitive and photos will generally be brighter. A lower ISO less so.
ISO
The difference between the darkest and lightest tones in an image — the range of dark and light that a camera is capable of. Darkest and lightest hues are very rarely pure black or pure white. Cameras usually have a lower dynamic range than the human eye.
Dynamic Range
How long the camera’s shutter is open and the sensors inside are exposed to light. Very high shutter speeds are used for things like capturing a moving subject without blur.
Shutter Speed
Modern camera software can usually recognize common subjects like human faces and will make sure they are not blurred.
Auto or Manual Focus
The main part of the digital camera includes the sensors, electronics, software, etc. The thing you’re holding when you take pictures.
Camera Body
The combination of aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, which determines the time and intensity of light being let into the camera. Different exposures in film and digital images alike are achieved by adjusting these exposure settings.
Exposure Triangle
A device used to precisely measure a light source or the amount of light in a space.
Light Meter
Small cameras designed for ease of use. They usually focus and handle exposure automatically, have flashes built in, and do not require a great amount of skill to use effectively. These cameras are less popular now that smartphone cameras are so common.
Point-and-Shoot
The mounting point on a camera for a flash or other electronic accessory. Usually on top of the camera body.
Hot Shoe / Shoe / Sled
The part of the camera that opens to let light in. The f-stop or f-number is the measurement of how open or closed the aperture is.
Aperture
The distance (usually measured in millimeters) between the optical center of a camera lens and the camera sensor (sometimes called the image sensor).
Focal Length
Lenses that specialize in long-range photography and make the subject appear closer to the camera.
Telephoto Lens
Technically most DSLR, point-and-shoot, and smartphone cameras are this type of camera. However, this term is a specific term for a camera where the sensor is directly exposed to light and the photographer has a preview of the potential image at all times to view on an electronic viewfinder.
Mirrorless Camera
Stands for tagged image file format. A popular format for storing high-resolution raster graphics — graphics made of a set number of pixels.
TIFF
The size of the aperture opening, also known as the f-number. A small f-number means the aperture is open more. A larger f-number means it’s open less. For example, f/1 lets in much more light than f/6.
f-stop
Lenses with a fixed focal length. Distinct from zoom lenses, which have variable focal lengths. Sometimes called unifocal lenses.
Prime Lens
Letting in either too much light or too little on the camera sensor. Overexposed photos look blown out, with subjects generally looking overly pale. Underexposed photos tend to look dark and dim.
Overexposure and underexposure
The practice in digital photography of making the colors look more natural. The photo could look particularly seem blue or yellow depending on the color temperature of the light. You can adjust the this setting to ensure that white looks white, and other colors look accurate as well.
White Balance
A lens whose focal length is shorter than its physical length. Allows for a wider field of view, good for landscapes, architecture photography, and large group photos.
Wide-Angle Lens
What the photographer looks through to take a picture.
Viewfinder
The difference between the closest and farthest in-focus objects in a photo. A shallow depth of field means that relatively close background objects become blurry.
Depth of Field
A lens with an adjustable focal length, allows the photographer to quickly change the angle of view without swapping out lenses.
Zoom Lens
A setting on cameras usually abbreviated as A or Av. Allows the photographer to set a specific aperture or f-number, and the camera will automatically choose a shutter speed and ISO to match. Useful for keeping a specific depth of field while shooting.
Aperture Priority