CAMERA TERMINOLOGIES when the shutter release is half-pressed.

Learning Objectives:
AVI - Movie clip in Windows' AVI format. See "Movie clip"
After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, trainee must be able AWB - Automatic White Balance. A system for automatically
to determine the terminologies used by VIDEOGRAPHERS. setting the white balance in today's digital cameras. See also
"White Balance"
AA cell - In the digital camera world this refers to the most B&W - Term used to mean black and white
common power source, the AA-size battery. See also "NiCd" and Back Lit - The subject is heavily lit from behind which generally
"NiMH" and check here: NiMH Batteries/Chargers causes it to be underexposed unless you use critical spot
AC Power - Running your digital camera off the wall outlet power metering or use your flash
rather than by battery power. Usually means purchasing optional Backlight - The illumination for a colour LCD display. Early
AC power adapter. colour LCD used high voltage fluorescent lamps, newer LCDs
Add-On Lens - Some lenses have filter threads on the front edge now use white LEDs which are much more energy efficient.
that allow you to mount an auxiliary wide angle or telephoto lens Barrel Distortion - A common geometric lens distortion causing
in addition to the standard lens. an acquired image to pucker toward the centre and be "rounded"
AE - Auto Exposure, a system for automatically setting the proper along the outer edges.
exposure according to the existing light conditions. There are Bitmap - The method of storing information that maps an image
three types of AE systems: pixel, bit by bit. There are many bitmapped file formats, .bmp,
Programmed: where the camera picks the best shutter speed and .pcx, .pict, tiff, .tif, .gif, and so on. Most image files are bit
aperture automatically; mapped. This type of file gives you the 'jaggies', when examined
Aperture Priority: the user chooses an aperture value and the closely you can see the line of pixels that create the edges.
shutter speed is automatically determined by lighting conditions; Bleed - Printing term referring to an image or linked area that
and extends to the edge of the printed piece.
Shutter Priority: the user chooses a shutter speed and the Blue Tooth - The new wireless standard for connecting cameras,
aperture is automatically determined by lighting conditions PDAs, laptops, computers and cell phones. Uses very high
AE Lock - The ability to hold the current exposure settings and frequency radio waves. Blue Tooth devices when in-range (less
allow you to point the camera elsewhere before capturing the than 30 feet) of each other easily establish a connection.
image. This is usually accomplished by half-pressing the shutter BMP - BitMapped graphic file format popular with Windows
button and keeping it at that position until you're ready to capture computers. This is an uncompressed file format like TIFF.
the image. Borderless - Means a photo print with no border around it. Old
AF - Auto Focus. A system that automatically focuses the camera term for this was full-bleed printing.
lens. Bracketing - see Exposure Bracketing
Algorithm - A mathematical routine that solves a problem or Brightness - The value of a pixel in an electronic image,
equation. In imaging, the term is usually used to describe the set representing its lightness value from black to white. Usually
of routines that make up a compression or colour management defined as brightness levels ranging in value from 0 (black) to
program. 255 (white).
Anti-Shake - Konica Minolta's "Anti-Shake" feature is the Buffer - A temporary storage area usually held in RAM. The
mechanical shifting of the imager to compensate for camera purpose of a buffer is to act as a temporary holding area for data
movement and minimise blurring at lower shutter speeds. Putting that will allow the CPU to manipulate data before transferring it to
this type of image stabilisation in the camera body of a dSLR a device. Also see DRAM Buffer
means that it doesn't have to built into the lenses and therefore it Burst Mode - The ability to rapidly capture images as long as the
makes them lighter and less expensive. See also "Optical Image shutter button is held down. Also called Continuous frame
Stabilisation" capture.
Aperture - The lens opening formed by the iris diaphragm inside Byte - An ensemble of eight bits of memory in a computer.
the lens. Calibration - The act of adjusting the colour of one device
Aperture Priority AE - Exposure is calculated based on the relative to another, such as a monitor to a printer, or a scanner to
aperture value chosen by the photographer. This allows for depth a film recorder. Or, it may be the process of adjusting the colour
of field (DOF: Range of focus) control - large aperture = shallow of one device to some established standard.
DOF and a small aperture = deep DOF. Card Reader - A device that you insert flash memory cards into
Aspect Ratio - The ratio of horizontal to vertical dimensions of an to transfer the data to the computer. Much faster than the serial
image. The most common aspect ratio in digital cameras is 4:3 so port.
that images "fit" properly on computer screens (800x600, CCD - Charged Coupled Device, a light sensitive chip used for
1024x768, 1280x1024). Some cameras offer a 3:2 mode so that image gathering. In their normal condition these are grey scale
you can print "perfect" 4x6" prints with no cropping necessary. devices. To create colour a colour pattern is laid down on the
(35mm film is 3:2, TV sets are 4:3, HDTV screens are 16:9) sensor pixels, using a RGBG colour mask (Red, Green, Blue, and
Aspherical Lens - A lens whose edges have been flattened so Green) The extra Green is used to create contrast in the image.
that it is not a perfect sphere, produces a superior image. The CCD Pixels gather the colour from the light and pass it to the
Automatic Exposure - The camera automatically adjusts the shift register for storage. CCDs are analog sensors, the digitising
aperture or shutter speed or both for the proper exposure. happens when the electrons are passed through the A to D
Autofocus - The camera lens focuses automatically, usually converter.
CD - CompactDisc - read only storage media capable of holding takes up about a megabyte of storage space. To make image
650MB of digital data. files smaller almost every digital camera uses some form of
CD-R - CompactDisc Recordable - a CD that you can write to compression. See the "JPG" entry below.
once that can not be erased. Continuous Autofocus - (Continuous-AF) The autofocus system
CD-RW - CompactDisc ReWriteable - the newest kind of CD-R is full-time and works even before the shutter release is pressed.
that can be erased and re-used many times, holds about 450MB Contrast - A measure of rate of change of brightness in an
of data. image.
Centre-Weighted - A term used to describe an auto exposure CR-V3 - This is a 3V lithium battery used in many Olympus brand
system that uses the centre portion of the image to adjust the (and other) digital cameras. It lasts much longer than alkaline but
overall exposure value. See also "Spot Metering" and "Matrix it is also more costly.
metering" CRW / CR2 - The raw CCD file format used by Canon digital
CF - see CompactFlash and click here: Flash Memory Cards cameras. Abbreviated from CanonRaW. Canon also has newer
Channel - One piece of information stored with an image. True CR2 raw format as well.
colour images, for instance, have three channels-red, green and Dark Frame - A noise reduction process whereby a camera takes
blue. a second exposure of a black frame after the camera takes a long
Chromatic Aberration - Also known as the "purple fringe effect." exposure (1/2-second or longer) image. The image "noise" is
It is common in two Megapixel and higher resolution digital easily identified in the black frame shot and is then electronically
cameras (especially those with long telephoto zoom lenses) when removed from the actual image. This helps reduce the amount of
a dark area is surrounded by a highlight. Along the edge between hot pixels that normally show up in long exposure shots from
dark and light you will see a line or two of purple or violet digital cameras.
coloured pixels that shouldn't be there. DC - Direct Current. Battery power as in 9v DC battery
CIFF - Camera Image File Format, an agreed method of digital Decompression - The process by which the full data content of a
camera image storage used by many camera makers. compressed file is restored.
CMOS - Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor - Another Dedicated Flash - Describes an electronic flash that is made to
imaging system used by digital cameras. It is not as popular as be used only with a specific model of camera. Canon, Nikon,
CCD but the future promises us even better digital cameras Olympus and other cameras have specific electrical contacts in
based on CMOS sensors due to the lower amount of power the hot shoe to pass TTL-metering and AF range data to/from the
consumption versus the typical CCD device. flash unit. You can not use a dedicated Canon flash on a Nikon
CMS - Colour Management System. A software program (or a camera for example.
software and hardware combination) designed to ensure colour Densitometer - A tool used to measure the amount of light that is
matching and calibration between video or computer monitors reflected or transmitted by an object.
and any form of hard copy output. Depth of Field - depth of field (DOF) The range of sharp focus.
CMYK - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, black; These are the printer Controlled by the focal length and aperture opening of the lens. A
colours used to create colour prints. Most colour printers, Ink-Jet, large aperture yields shallow DOF. Smaller apertures yield
Laser, Dye-Sublimation and Thermal printers use these as their deeper DOF. Here's an online - DOF Calculator
printer colours. (This is one of the colour management problems (Be sure to follow the directions when calculating the DOF for
for computers. Converting RGB files to CMYK files cause's colour your digital camera's lens -- it is NOT calculated using the 35mm
shifts.) When used by a printer the CMYK is also known as a equivalent (i.e. 35-105mm) focal length often quoted in our
reflective colour since it is printed on paper, or reflective films. reviews -- you must use the real focal length of the smaller digital
Colour Balance - The accuracy with which the colours captured lens. The site linked above has a listing of popular cameras and
in the image match the original scene. their real lens specifications.)
Colour Correction - The process of correcting or enhancing the Digital Film - Term used to describe solid state flash memory
colour of an image. cards, commonly called memory cards.
Colour Depth - Digital images can approximate colour realism, Digital Image Stabilisation (DIS) - An electronic method of
but how they do so is referred to as colour depth, pixel-depth, or minimising the effect of camera shake during video recording.
bit depth. Modern computer displays use 24-bit True Colour. It's The most common method of DIS is to capture a larger frame
called this because it displays 16 million colours, about the same and electronically crop the edges depending on the direction of
number as the human eye can discern. camera movement. See also "Anti-Shake" and "Optical Image
CompactFlash (CF) - This used to be the most common type of Stabilisation"
digital camera flash memory storage (now superceded by secure Digital Zoom - A digital magnification of the centre 50% of an
digital SD cards). It is removable, small and commonly available image. Digital zooms by nature generate less than sharp images
in sizes from 16MB up to 8GB. because the new "zoomed" image has been interpolated.
CF Type I the original 3.3mm high card
CF Type II cards and devices that are 5mm high. Digitisation - The process of converting analogue information
Type I devices are all solid state but Type II devices include the into digital format for use by a computer.
IBM/Hitachi Microdrive, a miniature, rotating hard drive. Diopter Adjustment - Adjusts the optical viewfinder's
Compression - A digital photograph creates an image file that is magnification factor to suit the eyesight of the user. Look for a
huge, a low-resolution 640x480 image has 307,200 pixels. If knob or dial next to or beneath the viewfinder's eyepiece. Not all
each pixel uses 24 bits (3 bytes) for true colour, a single image cameras have this feature.
DOF - Abbreviation for Depth of Field (see above). colour balance, and colour compensation capabilities of RAW
Download - Transfer image data from the camera to the digital negatives for applying to your JPEG files.
computer using a cable attached to either the serial port (slow) or E-TTL - Canon's Evaluative-TTL exposure system that uses a
USB port (faster.) brief pre-flash before the main flash to calculate the exposure
DPI - Dots per Inch. A measurement value used to describe index.
either the resolution of a display screen or the output resolution of EV - Exposure Value, a very complex thing but in the digital
a printer. camera world it usually means the ability to override the auto
DPOF - Digital Print Order Format. Allows you to embed printing exposure system to lighten or darken an image.
information on your memory card. Select the pictures to be EVF - Electronic ViewFinder, a small colour LCD with a magnified
printed and how many prints to make. Some photo printers with lens that functions as an eye level viewfinder. Usually found on
card slots will use this info at print time. Mostly used by video camcorders but they have been showing up on super-zoom
commercial photo finishers or those Kodak kiosks you find in the digital cameras where optical viewfinders are impractical. (Canon
mall. Pro90, Fuji 2800Z, Olympus C-2100, Nikon Coolpix 5700).
DRAM - Dynamic Random Access Memory. A type of memory EXIF - EXIF (Exchangeable Image File format) refers to the
that is volatile - it is lost when the power is off. embedded camera and exposure information that a digital
DRAM Buffer - All digital cameras have a certain amount of fixed camera puts in the header of the JPG files it creates. Many
memory in them to facilitate image processing before the finished graphic programs (Photoshop, ThumbsPlus, Qimage Pro,
picture is stored to the flash memory card. Cameras that have a CameraAid) can read and display this information.
burst mode have much larger DRAM buffers, often 32MB or Exif Print - Exif Print (Exif 2.2) is a new worldwide printer
larger. This also makes them more expensive. independent standard. Under Exif 2.2, the digital still camera can
DSLR - Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera. record data tags for specific camera settings and functions such
Interchangeable lens digital camera. Manufacturers include as whether the flash was on or off, if the camera was in
Canon, Fuji, Kodak, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sigma. landscape, portrait or night scene mode, etc. Referencing some
DVD - "Digital Versatile Disc" or all of this information, an Exif Print compatible application can
DVD is DVD-Video recorded on a DVD-R or DVD-RW disc, which process digital camera images intelligently based on specific
contains superior quality video (MPEG-2) and audio. Typically, a camera settings and the shooting environment.
DVD can hold more than one hour of video. Exposure - The amount of light that reaches the image sensor
DVD Video Parameter Settings and is controlled by a combination of the lens aperture and
Frame Size: 720x480 (NTSC) or 720x576 (PAL) shutter speed.
Frame Rate: 29.97 frames/second (NTSC) or 25 frames/second Exposure Bracketing - the camera automatically takes a series
(PAL) of 3 or 5 pictures and slightly varies the EV for each frame. This
Video Data Rate: 4~8 Mbps CBR or VBR (Constant/Variable Bit insures that at least one of the pictures will be as close to
Rate) perfectly exposed as possible.
Audio Settings: Stereo, 48 kHz and 192~384 kbps MPEG audio Exposure Compensation - Lighten or darken the image by
Dye Sub - Dye Sublimation is a printing process where the colour overriding the exposure system. Also known as EV
dyes are thermally transferred to the printing media. Dye sub Compensation.
printers use the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) colour f-stop - A numerical designation that indicates the size of the
format and have either three ribbons (cyan, magenta and yellow) aperture. It is inversely proportional as a smaller number like F2.8
or high-end printers have four CMY plus a blacK. The paper is is a large opening and a large number like F16 is a relatively
run in and out of the printer four times, once for each colour and small opening.
then a fourth time when a protective overcoat is applied. Dye sub Field of View - please see FOV below.
is continuous tone printing, it prints tiny square dots each of File - A collection of information, such as text, data, or images
which is denser in the centre and lighter on the edges. Dye sub saved on a disk or hard drive.
prints rival conventional photographs in both their colour gamut File Format - A type of program or data file. Some common
and longevity with water and UV resistant qualities. image file formats include TIFF, JPEG, and BMP.
Dynamic Range - A measurement of the accuracy of an image in Fill Flash - The most popular use for flash is to fill (lighten) harsh
colour or gray level. More bits of dynamic range results in finer shadows in sunlit outdoor portraits. Most cameras with built-in
gradations being preserved. flash units offer both auto-flash and fill-flash modes. In auto-flash,
EPP - Enhanced Parallel Port - the newer hi-speed, bidirectional the flash unit automatically fires when needed (i.e., in dim
printer port on modern computers. Some older digital cameras lighting). In fill-flash mode the flash will fire for every shot,
and scanners use the EPP port to transfer data. regardless of light level. This is the mode to use to fill-in those
ERI-JPEG - Extended Range Imaging Technology, a new file harsh shadows in sunlit portraits (in auto-flash mode, the flash
format used in Kodak professional digital cameras. This probably won’t fire due the the bright ambient light level).
proprietary technology offers an innovative image file format FireWire - Also known as "iLink" and officially designated as the
similar to a JPEG, but with the dynamic range and colour gamut IEEE 1394 protocol. A high-speed data interface now being used
information of raw DCR camera files. Extended Range Imaging on digital camcorders and some high-end digital still cameras.
Technology files allow you to easily open, edit, and print JPEG
files within your JPEG workflow. Your JPEG files are captured
directly in the camera. With ERI, you'll have the extensive editing,
 output process. It is generally used in describing the capabilities
Firmware - An often-used micro program or instruction set stored of a printer to reproduce colours faithfully and vibrantly - i.e. "The
in ROM. Usually refers to the ROM-based software that controls xxxxx printer has a wide colour gamut."
a unit. Firmware is found in all computer based products from GIF - A graphic file format used mainly for Web graphic or small
Cameras to Digital Peripherals. animated files. Not good for photos as it only contains a
Fixed Aperture - Normally when a zoom lens goes from wide maximum of 256 colours.
angle to telephoto the aperture changes. If the camera has an Gigabyte (GB) - A measure of computer memory or disk space
option to fix the aperture value then it remains constant consisting of about one thousand million bytes (a thousand
regardless of focal length. megabytes). The actual value is 1,073,741,824 bytes (1024
Fixed Focal Length - A term that describes a non-zoom lens, it megabytes).
is fixed at a given focal length and is not variable. Gradation - A smooth transition between black and white, one
Fixed Focus - A lens that is preset to a given focus distance, it colour and another, colour and no colour.
has no auto focus mechanism, set to give the camera the Gray Level - The brightness of a pixel. The value associated with
maximum depth of field a pixel representing it's lightness from black to white. Usually
Flash - A built-in flash supplies auxiliary light to supplement defined as a value from 0 to 255, with 0 being black and 255
natural or available lighting conditions often resulting in better being white.
colour, better exposure, and improved picture sharpness. Gray Scale - A term used to describe an image containing
Flash Memory - This is the "film" for digital cameras, it can be shades of gray rather than colour. Most commonly referred to as
erased and reused many times. It is non volatile memory, data is a black and white photo.
preserved even when it is not under power. They are several Guide Number - The output power rating of a electronic flash
major types used in digital cameras. unit.
Focal Length - A lens' angle of view, most commonly indicated HAD CCD - Sony's latest CCD imager, HAD = Hole Accumulation
as wide angle, normal or telephoto. Usually compared to a 35mm Diode
camera's lenses as in "the camera has a wide angle lens Halftone Image - An image reproduced through a special screen
equivalent to a 38mm lens on a 35mm camera." See also "Zoom made up of dots of various sizes to simulate shades of gray in a
Lens" photograph. Typically used for newspaper or magazine
Focus Assist - Some cameras employ a visible or invisible reproduction of images but it is also how today's inkjet printers
(infrared) lamp to illuminate the subject so the auto focus can work. Halftoning or dithering are the methods used to produce a
work in low light or total darkness. smooth gradation of colour versus distinct bands of colour or
Focus Lock - Pre-focusing the camera and then moving it to re- moirè patterns.
compose the image before capturing it. Accomplished by half- HD - Hard drive (aka HDD), the internal, large-capacity data
pressing the shutter button and keeping it held at that position storage unit in today's PC computers.
while moving the camera to another point before pressing it all HDTV - High Definition Television. New video "standard" that will
the way to capture the image. resolve 1,125 lines in the United States instead of the traditional
FOV - Field of View - The area covered by the lens' angle of 525 lines of the NTSC standard. The aspect ratio is 16:9 versus
view. This is important to those with a digital SLR camera using 4:3 of regular TV sets.
lenses designed for 35mm film cameras. The manufacturers Histogram - A bar graph analysis tool that can be used to identify
specify the FOV for these lenses when used on a 35mm camera contrast and dynamic range of an image. Histograms are found in
but not when they're used on a modern dSLR camera. the more advanced digital cameras and software programs
FPX - FlashPiX - Trade name for a new multi-resolution image (graphic editors) used to manipulate digital images. The
file format jointly developed and introduced in June 1996 by histogram shows a scale of 0 - 255 (left to right) with 0 being
Kodak, HP, Microsoft and Live Picture. black and 255 being white.
Frame - One of the still pictures that make up a video.

Frame rate - The number of frames that are shown or sent each Hot Shoe - A flash connector generally found on the top of the
second. Live action relates to a frame rate of 30 frames per camera that lets you attach a flash unit and trigger it in sync with
second. the shutter.
Full Bleed - Printing term used when an image or inked area Hologram Laser AF - Sony introduced a new laser-assisted auto
extends to the edge of all four sides of the printed piece. Better focus system on the Cyber-shot DCS-F707 that uses a safe
known as "borderless" in today's world of inkjet photo printers. Class 1 laser to paint a grid on the subject that makes the auto
Gamma - A measure of the amount of contrast found in an image focus fast and accurate. Also found on the DSC-F717, F828, V1
according to the properties of a gradation curve. High contrast and V3 cameras.
has high gamma and low contrast low gamma. Hue - A term used to describe the entire range of colours of the
Gamma Correction - In reference to displaying an image spectrum; hue is the component that determines just what colour
accurately on a computer screen, Gamma correction controls the you are using. In gradients, when you use a colour model in
overall brightness of an image. Images which are not properly which hue is a component, you can create rainbow effects.
corrected can look either bleached out, or too dark. For more info i-TTL - Nikon's new flash exposure system, used on new D70
on gamma, go here digital SLR and SB-600 and SB-800 Speedlights.
Gamut - The range of colours that are available in an image or ICC Profile - The International Colour Consortium, a group that
sets standard guidelines for colour management in the imaging grey-scale digital images of "natural", real-world scenes. It does
world. Click here to read their FAQs about colour management not work so well on non-realistic images, such as cartoons or line
and ICC profiles and the like. Most printers, monitors and drawings. JPEG does not handle compression of black-and-white
scanners as well as digital cameras, usually come with a driver (1 bit-per-pixel) images or moving pictures. See "JPG" below.
disc for Windows and Mac systems that includes ICC profiles for JPEG2000 - The new JPEG compression standard that will be
the particular device. Colour profiles simply let one piece of used in digital cameras and software starting in 2000. It will
hardware or software "know" how another device or image feature higher compression but with less image quality loss.
created its colours and how they should be interpreted or KB - Can be used to mean either a keyboard for a computer or
reproduced. more commonly "KB" means a kilobyte of data.
iESP - Olympus' exposure metering system. Landscape Mode - Holding the camera in its normal horizontal
iLink - Sony's term for IEE-1394 FireWire data port found on orientation to capture the image. See Portrait Mode.
Sony camcorders. LCD - Liquid Crystal Display. Two types: (1) a TFT high-
Image Processing - Capturing and manipulating images in order resolution colour display device like a tiny TV set. (2) A
to enhance or extract information. monochrome (B&W) information display using black
Image Resolution - The number of pixels per unit length of alphanumeric characters on a grey/green background. Note: like
image. For example, pixels per inch, pixels per millimeter, or TV and computer screens, LCD measurements are taken on the
pixels wide. diagonal. 2 inch, 2.5 inch sized LCD is the measurement from
Image Sensor - A traditional camera exposes a piece of light- opposite corners.
sensitive film, digital cameras use an electronic image sensor to LED - Light Emitting Diode. All those wonderful little red, green
gather the image data. See "CCD" and "CMOS" as well as and yellow indicator lights used on cameras, power supplies and
"Interlaced" and "Progressive Scan" most electronic devices.
Image Stabilisation - An optical or digital system for removing or Li-ion - Some digital cameras are packaged with a lithium-ion
reducing camera movement in telephoto zoom lenses. Usually rechargeable battery pack. Lithium batteries are lighter but more
found only on extremely long focal length lenses such as the 10X costly than NiMH or NiCd type of rechargeable cells. Lithium cells
lens on Sony and Olympus. Can also be found on Panasonic 12X can be recharged regardless of their state of discharge, they're
Leica zoom lens. Canon has has appended an "IS" abbreviation lighter in weight and maintain a charge better in colder
to its Powershot S1_IS and S2_IS series of digital cameras. temperatures. Li-ion also holds a charge longer when idle.
InfoLITHIUM - Sony's "smart" lithium rechargeable battery pack. Low Pass Filter - Most digital SLR cameras employ a Low Pass
It has a chip inside that tells the camera how long (in minutes) it Filter (LPF) or Anti-Aliasing (AA) filter in front of the imager to
will last at the current discharge rate. help eliminate colour aliasing (moire) problems.
Inkjet - A type of printer that sprays dots of ink onto paper to Macro - The ability of a lens to focus very close (less than 8") for
create the image. Modern inkjet printers now have resolutions of taking pictures of small objects at a 1:1 ratio.
up to 2880dpi and create true photo-quality prints. mAh - A rating used in the consumption of power of an electronic
Interpolated - Software programs can enlarge image resolution device such as an LCD or the storage capability of a device like
beyond the actual resolution by adding extra pixels using an NiMH or Nicad rechargeable battery (i.e. 2500mAh cell). It
complex mathematic calculations. See "Resolution" below stands for milliAmperehour.
Intervalometer - Fancy term for Time-Lapse. Capture an image Matrix metering - In most digital cameras there is a matrix
or series of images at preset intervals automatically. metering option which uses 256 areas of the frame to calculate
Interval Recording - Capturing a series of images at preset the best overall exposure value. see also: "Spot metering" and
intervals. Also called time-lapse. "Centre-weighted"
IR - InfraRed (aka IrDA) uses an invisible (to humans) beam of MB - MegaByte, memory term meaning 1024 KiloBytes. Used to
light to either wirelessly control a device or as a method of denote the size of a flash memory card such as 4MB, 8MB etc.
transferring data from camera to computer (or printer) without
cables. Some cameras also employ infrared in the auto focusing MD - MiniDisc - Digital recording media like a small floppy disc.
system. This is common for audio data and has been used on several
ISO - The speed or specific light-sensitivity of a camera is rated digital cameras sold in Japan and Europe but not in the U.S. yet.
by ISO numbers such as 100, 400, etc. The higher the number, Megapixel - CCD resolution of one million pixels. digital cameras
the more sensitive it is to light. As with film, the higher speeds are commonly rated by Megapixels. You multiply the horizontal
usually induce more electronic noise so the image gets grainier. resolution by the vertical resolution to get the total pixel count:
ISO is the abbreviation for International Standards Organisation. Memory Stick - A flash memory card standard from Sony. They
(In the good old days it was known as the "ASA film speed.") resemble a stick of gum. Used in Sony cameras prior to 2003.
"Jaggies" - Slang term for the stair-stepped appearance of a See Sony Memory Sticks.
curved or angled line in digital imaging. The smaller the pixels, Memory Stick Pro - The year 2003 upgrade to Sony's Memory
and the greater their number the less apparent the "jaggies". Also Stick flash cards. The new MS Pro cards are available in 256MB,
known as pixelization. 512MB and 1GB capacities and offer faster read/write times.
JFIF - A specific type of the JPG file format. Also known as EXIF Metering - Used to calculate the exposure from the existing light
JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group - The name of the conditions. See: "Matrix Metering," "Spot metering" and "Centre-
committee that designed the standard image compression weighted"
algorithm. JPEG is designed for compressing either full-colour or Microdrive - IBM/Hitachi miniature hard disk drive for digital
cameras and PDA devices. Packaged in a CompactFlash Type II has been pretty much replaced by the NiMH type.
housing and available in 170MB, 340MB, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, NiMH - Nickel-Metal Hydride, a type of rechargeable battery.
4GB capacities. NiMH is the more modern type of rechargeable battery and has
miniCD - The small diameter (3-inch) CD discs. miniCD-R and been touted as having no memory effect as is common with
miniCD-R/W discs are used in the Sony Mavica "CD" series Nicad type batteries when they are charged before they have
(CD200, CD250, CD300, CD400 and CD1000) digital cameras. been fully discharged. Check here: NiMH Batteries/Chargers
Their maximum capacity is ~165MB Noise - Pixels in your digital image that were misinterpreted.
mm - millimeter, measurement to denote the focal length of a Usually occurs when you shoot a long exposure (beyond 1/2-
lens (i.e. 50mm) second) or when you use the higher ISO values from 400 or
MMC - MultiMedia Card, a flash memory card used in some above. It appears as random groups of red, green or blue pixels.
digital cameras and MP3 players. It is identical in size and shape Noise Reduction - Some cameras that offer long shutter speeds
to the Secure Digital (SD) flash cards. (exceeding 1 second) usually have a noise reduction (NR) feature
Moirè - A visible pattern that occurs when one or more halftone that is either automatic or can be enabled in the menu. This is to
screens are misregistered in a colour image. Often produces a help eliminate random "hot" pixels and other image noise.
coloured checkerboard or rainbow pattern. NTSC - Term used to describe the 60 field video output
MOV - Apple QuickTime MOVie file format. See "Movie clip" (television) standard used in the U.S. and Japan. See also "PAL"
Movie clip - A sequence of motion captured in AVI, MOV or and "Video Out". In Australia the standard is PAL. Most recent
MPEG format. Some digital cameras can capture short movie equipment switches automatically between NTSC and PAL.
sequences, some can also record the sound. OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer. Means that the piece of
Motion JPEG - A video sequence composed of a sequence of equipment is made by one company but labeled for and sold by
JPEG compressed images. Abbreviated to MPEG (see MEG another company.
below). OLED - Organic Light Emitting Diode - Newly developed display
MP - Abbreviation for MegaPixel, i.e. 5MP or 5MPixel technology that could replace LCD. OLED does not require a
MPEG - Motion JPEG movie file. See "Movie clip" backlight like LCD displays and therefore is more energy efficient
The digital video compression standard agreed upon by the which is important to battery-operated portable devices. It also
Motion Picture Expert Group, from the motion picture-computer offers increased contrast and a better viewing angle which means
industry. MPEG-2 is used by most camcorders and MPEG-4 with it can be more easily viewed in bright (sunlight) conditions.
a higher compression ratio is popular with digital cameras that Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) - Most commonly found in
offer motion video recording. higher-end dSLR telephoto and tele-zoom lenses. OIS uses a
MPEG-EX - Motion JPEG movie file created by Sony cameras. spinning gyroscope and a lens element to counteract camera
This was the first motion video recording sequence mode that movement and handshake at longer focal lengths and lower
was limited in length only by the amount of available storage shutter speeds. OIS is also incorporated into fixed-lens digital
space. cameras, first seen on the Olympus C-2500L and now being used
MPEG-HQX - Motion JPEG movie file created by year 2002 Sony extensively by Panasonic on their "FZ" series of 12x super-zoom
cameras that incorporates the MPEG-HQ (high quality, full- digital cameras.
screen) and the unlimited recording capability of MPEG-EX in Optical Viewfinder - An eye level viewfinder that is used to
320x240 resolution. compose the photograph. Recently this has been left off new
MPEG-VX - Motion JPEG movie file created by year 2003 Sony cameras as the cameras become smaller and LCD screens
digital cameras. It is VGA resolution (640x480) at 16fps with larger (and more power efficient).
audio and the length is limited only by available storage space.
VX Fine is 30fps, very high quality.

Optical Zoom - Means that the camera has a real multi-focal

Multi-Pattern Metering - Exposure is determined by reading length lens, this is not the same as a "Digital Zoom" which
many different zones in the frame. This yields a more optimum magnifies the centre portion of the picture and degrades the
exposure than those cameras using only a central zone metering image.
system. ORF - Olympus RAW format. The unprocessed image format
Multi-Point Focusing - The autofocus systems uses SEVERAL created by Olympus E1, E10, E20, E300, E500 SLRs and C-
different portions of the image to determine the proper focus. 5050, C-5060, C-7070, C-8080 Zoom cameras.
Multi Zone Focusing - Many digital cameras now offer multi Orientation Sensor - A special sensor in some cameras that
zone focusing. The camera will automatically determine which "knows" when your turn the camera in portrait orientation to take
zone (centre, left, right, upper, lower) to use to perform the auto a vertical shot and "tells" the camera to display it that way later
focusing. You no longer have to make sure that your subject is when viewed on the TV screen during playback.
dead-centre to be properly focused. Overexposure - An image that appears too light. All the
NEF - Raw image data file format used by the Nikon digital SLR highlights and colours are totally lost and usually unrecoverable
(D1x, D100, etc) and some Coolpix digital cameras. NEF means even by software.
Nikon Electronic Format. PAL - The 50 field video format used primarily in Australia and
NiCd - Nickel Cadmium (aka Nicad), a type of rechargeable Europe and other places outside of the U.S. and Japan. See also
battery. Nicad was the original type of rechargeable battery and "NTSC" and "Video Out"
Palette - A thumbnail of all available colours to a computer or Point and Shoot - A term used for a simple, easy to use camera
devices. The palette allows the user to chose which colours are with a minimum of user controls. Generally the user turns the
available for the computer to display. The more colours the larger camera on, aims it at the subject and presses the shutter button.
the data and the more processing time required to display your The camera does everything automatically.
images. If the system uses 24-bit colour, then over 16.7 million Polarising Filter - A filter than helps eliminate light reflections by
colours are included in the palette. limiting the angle of light that reaches the lens. There are two
Panorama - Capturing a series of images to create a picture types: Linear and Circular. Linear type filters should not be used
wider than what you could capture in a single image. Requires with digital cameras as they hinder the auto focus system. The
special "stitching" software to combine and blend the images into circular type filters can be rotated to adjust to the light angle
one finished image. Some recent Kodak cameras have in-camera needed.
"stitching". PPI - Pixels Per Inch - A measurement to describe the size of a
Parallax - An effect seen in close-up photography where the printed image. The higher the number the more detailed the print
viewfinder does not see the same as the lens due to the offset of will be.
the viewfinder and the lens. This is a non-issue if using the LCD Pre-Flash - Some digital cameras use a low-power flash before
as a viewfinder or if your camera is a SLR type. the main flash to set the exposure and white balance. This does
PC - In camera terms it denotes a type of flash synch connector, not allow the use of a normal photo slave strobe as it will be
popular on most film cameras. triggered by the pre-flash.
PC - In computer terms it means a Personal Computer as in IBM- Programmed AE - the camera picks the best shutter speed and
PC aperture automatically, also called "Automatic" or "Point-n-Shoot"
PC Card - Refers to a credit card-sized device which can be a mode.
flash memory card, a network card, a modem or even a hard Progressive Scan - Term used to describe an image sensor that
drive. Comes in two flavors: Type I/II which is a single slot height gathers its data and processes each scan line one after another
and Type III which requires a double-height card slot. in sequence. See also "Interlaced" for the other method.
PCMCIA - The card slots found on laptop computers to use PC Prosumer - Refers to more expensive semi-professional digital
Cards. There are PCMCIA adapters for CompactFlash, cameras costing $1,000 and up. The average digital camera is
SmartMedia, Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard and Memory Stick made for the consumer market and costs well under $1,000.
flash cards. QuickTime - A motion video standard created by Apple. They
PictBridge - PictBridge is the standard for direct USB printing have an entire QuickTime web site to explain it. QuickTime video
from digital cameras to inkjet and dye sub photo printers without sequences can contain an audio track and are stored as .MOV
the use of a computer. Almost all new digital cameras are files.
PictBridge compatible. QVGA - Refers to a Quarter-VGA resolution (320 x 240) motion
Pin-Cushioning - A common geometric lens distortion causing video sequences.
an acquired image to pucker toward the centre, usually found at RAM - Random Access Memory . The most common type of
telephoto focal lengths. See examples of it at Andromeda's computer memory; where the CPU stores software, programs,
LensDoc page. and data currently being used. RAM is usually volatile memory,
Pixel - The individual imaging element of a CCD or the individual meaning that when the computer is turned off, crashes, or loses
output point of a display device. This is what is meant by the power, the contents of the memory are lost. A large amount of
figures 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x960 and etc when RAM usually offers faster manipulation or faster background
dealing with the resolution of a particular digital camera. Higher processing.
numbers are always better!!

Pixelisation - The stair-stepped appearance of a curved or Rangefinder - The viewfinder on most cameras is a separate
angled line in digital imaging. The smaller the pixels, and the viewing device that is independent of the lens. Often mounted
greater their number, the less apparent the "pixelisation" of the above and to the right or left of the lens. It exhibits a problem
image. Also known as the "jaggies". known as parallax when trying to frame subjects closer than five
Plug-n-Play - An automated installation process used in MS feet from the camera so it is advisable to use the colour LCD
Windows to connect peripherals to a computer. When new when shooting close-ups for this very reason.
devices are plugged into the computer the computer recognises RAW - RAW files store the unprocessed image data - at 12 bits
the device and prompts the user to choose setup options and per channel - from the camera's imaging chip to its memory
finish installation. storage device. Lossless compression is applied to reduce file
Polariser - A photographic filter for eliminating glare and size slightly without compromising any quality. RAW image files
reflections. Just like your polarised sunglasses get rid of annoying must be processed with special software before they can be
glare, the polariser filter does the same for your digital camera. viewed or printed. The advantage is that you have the ability to
However - there are 2 types, linear and circular. Linear is for film alter the white balance, exposure value, colour values, contrast,
only, it screws up most auto focus systems on digital cameras. brightness and sharpness as you see fit before you convert this
Therefore be sure you use a circular polariser filter. It can also be data into the standard JPEG or TIFF format. Professional digital
used to darken skies. photographers import RAW image data directly into photo-editing
PNG - An image file format. PNG stands for Portable Network programs like Photoshop CS (which comes with a Camera Raw
Graphics. It is a compressed file format similar to JPG. import module that works with most popular RAW formats.)
Red-Eye - An effect caused by an electronic flash reflecting off of songs. Not all cameras that use SD cards can use MMC cards so
the human eye and making it look red. Compact cameras with the be sure to read your owner manual before buying additional
flash located close to the lens suffer the worst from this problem. cards.
Pro photographers use a bracket to hold an external flash unit Secure Digital - Secure Digital. See "SD" above.
above and off to the side of the lens to eliminate red-eye. There SDHC - SDHC high capacity card specification will allow
are also software options to remove red-eye. manufacturers to develop a new world of digital devices. SDHC
Red-Eye Reduction Mode - A special flash mode whereby a (SD High-Capacity) Memory Card based on the new SD
pre-flash or a series of low-powered flashes are emitted before Specification Version 2.00. This latest specification was
the main flash goes off to expose the picture. This causes the established to meet the growing demand for HD (High Definition)
pupil in the human eye to close and helps eliminate red-eye. video and high-resolution image recording now used in many SD-
Render - The final step of an image transformation or three- enabled devices. Camera manufacturers may issue firmware
dimensional scene through which a new image is refreshed on updates for existing cameras which wouls allow these cameras to
the screen. use the new high capacity SDHC cards. SDHC cards have the
Resize - Usually means to take a large image and downsize it to same form factor as SD cards but allow for capacities of 4 GB or
a smaller one. Most graphic viewing and editing programs offer a greater (by using sector addressing rather than byte addressing).
Resize option for this purpose. Link to: SanDisk 4gb Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC)
Resolution - The quality of any digital image, whether printed or Memory Card
displayed on a screen, depends in part on its resolution—the Self Timer - Preset time delay (2, 5 or 10 seconds) before the
number of pixels used to create the image. More and smaller shutter fires. Allows the photographer to get into the picture
pixels adds detail and sharpens edges. without using a cable release or remote control. It is also great for
Interpolated Resolution adds pixels to the image using complex taking macro shots as you don't touch the camera to trip the
software algorithms to determine what colour they should be. It is shutter and thus eliminates any camera shake.
important to note that interpolation doesn't add any new Sepia - The (brown) mono-toned images from the "bygone era"
information to the image - it just makes it bigger! now often found as a special image effect on some digital
Camera makers often specify the resolution as: QVGA (320 x cameras.
240), VGA (640 x 480), SVGA (800 x 600), XGA (1024 x 768) or Serial Port - Same as "RS-232" above.
UXGA (1600 x 1200) Shutter - The physical device that opens and closes to let light
RF - Range Finder - a type of camera viewfinder that uses one from the scene strike the image sensor. digital cameras use both
lens to frame your subject and another lens to capture the image. electronic and mechanical shutters.
See "SLR" for the other type. Shutter Lag - The time between pressing the shutter and actually
RGB - Means Red, Green and Blue - the primary colours from capturing the image. This is due to the camera having to
which all other colours are derived. The additive reproduction calculate the exposure, set the white balance and focus the lens.
process mixes various amounts of red, green and blue to produce Reduce the lag by half depressing the shutter (pre-focus).
other colours. Combining one of these additive colours primary Shutter Priority AE - the user chooses a shutter speed and the
colours with another produces the additive secondary colours aperture is automatically determined by lighting conditions.
cyan, magenta and yellow. Combining all three produces white. Shutter speed priority is used to control motion capture. A fast
RS-232 - Standard type of serial data interconnection available shutter speed stops fast action, a slow shutter speed blurs a fast
on most PC type computers. It's the slowest way to transfer moving subject.
image data from a camera. Most digital cameras made after 2001 Skylight Filter - This is an UltraViolet absorbing filter that helps
do not use serial ports, they use the faster USB. overcome the abundance of blue in outdoor photographs. Not
really necessary in digital photography as the camera's white
Saturation - The degree to which a colour is undiluted by white balance system adjusts for the colour temperature of the scene.
light. If a colour is 100 percent saturated, it contains no white We do use them to protect the camera's lens from scratching,
light. If a colour has no saturation, it is a shade of gray. fingerprints or dirt.
Scanner - An optical device that converts images - such as Slow Sync - A flash mode in some digital cameras that opens
photographs - into digital form so they can be stored and the shutter for a longer than normal period and fires the flash just
manipulated on computers. Different methods of illumination before it closes. Used for illuminating a foreground subject yet
transmit light through red, green and blue filters and digitise the allowing a darker background to also be rendered. Good for night
image into a stream of pixels. time shots of buildings with people in the foreground. Often called
Scene Modes - Many digital cameras now have an exposure Night Scene or Night Portrait mode.
mode called SCENE where the user selects the best pre- SLR - Single Lens Reflex - Means the camera has a viewfinder
programmed scene to suit the current shooting conditions. The that sees through the lens (TTL) by way of a 45°-angled mirror
camera will automatically change many settings to capture the that flips up when the shutter fires and allows the light to strike
best possible image. For an overview of photographic scene the image sensor (or film).
modes, click here. SmartMedia - SmartMedia memory cards are available from
SD - Secure Digital card, a flash memory card used in digital 64MB up to 128MB in size. They are no longer used in current
cameras and MP3 players. It is identical in size and shape to the model digital cameras and have been difficult to supply in recent
MultiMedia Card (MMC) flash cards. The difference being that SD times. They are almost obsolete.
cards were designed to hold protected (copyrighted) data like Smoothing - Averaging pixels with their neighbors. It reduces
contrast and simulates an out-of-focus image. USB 2.0: - The newest USB standard, close in throughput speed
Spot Metering - The camera's auto exposure system is focused to FireWire now. Up to 400Mb/s.
on a very small area in the centre of the viewfinder to critically UV Filter: - This is an UltraViolet absorbing filter that helps
adjust the overall exposure value ONLY for that area. overcome the abundance of blue in outdoor photographs. Not
see also: "Centre-weighted" and "Matrix metering" really necessary in digital photography as the camera's white
SRF - Sony raw format filetype identifier. i.e. DSC00101.SRF balance system adjusts for the colour temperature of the scene.
SSFDC - Solid State Floppy Disc Card - See "SmartMedia" Can be to protect the camera's lens from scratching, fingerprints
above or dirt.
Stitching - Combining a series of images to form a larger image UXGA: - Refers to an image resolution size of 1600 x 1200
or a panoramic photo. Requires special graphic software. pixels.
SuperCCD: - Fujifilm's image sensor used in their line of digital VCD - "Video Compact Disc"
cameras. For more information, read their SuperCCD press A CD-ROM disc that contains video and audio. Typically, a VCD
release. can hold about 74 minutes (650MB) of video and stereo-quality
SVCD: - "Super Video Compact Disc" audio. The video and audio are stored in MPEG-1 format and
A CD-ROM disc that contains high quality video and audio. follow certain standards (White Book). VCD video quality is
Typically, a SVCD can hold about 35~45 minutes (650MB) of roughly the same as VHS video.
video and stereo-quality audio (depends on the data rate used for VPS: Video Parameters Settings
encoding). The video and audio are stored in MPEG-2 format, Frame Size: 352x240 (NTSC) or 352x288 (PAL)
much like a DVD. SVCD video has better quality than VHS video. Frame Rate: 29.97 frames/second (NTSC) or 25 frames/second
SVCD Video Parameter Settings (PAL)
Frame Size: 480x480 (NTSC) or 480x576 (PAL) Video Data Rate: 1152 kbps
Frame Rate: 29.97frames/second (NTSC) or 25 frames/second Audio Settings: Stereo, 44.1kHz and 224kbps audio bit rate
(PAL) VGA: - Refers to an image resolution size of 640 x 480 pixels.
Video Data Rate: Variable bit rate up to 2600 kbps Video Out: - Means the digital camera has the ability to output its
Audio Settings: 32~384 kbps MPEG-1 Layer 2 audio bit rate images on television screens and monitors using either NTSC or
SVGA: - SuperVGA refers to an image resolution size of 800 x PAL format.
600 pixels. Viewfinder: - The eye level device you look through to compose
Telephoto: - The focal length that gives you the narrowest angle the image.
of coverage, good for bringing distant objects closer. Vignetting - A term that describes the darkening of the outer
TFT: - Refers to the type of hi-res colour LCD screen used in edges of the image area due to the use of a filter or add-on lens.
digital cameras. TFT = Thin Film Transistor. Most noticeable when the zoom lens is in full wide-angle.
Thermal Dye Sublimation - please see Dye Sub White Balance - Refers to adjusting the relative brightness of the
Thumbnail" - A small, low-resolution version of a larger image red, green and blue components so that the brightest object in
file that is used for quick identification or speedy editing choices. the image appears white. See also "AWB"
TIFF: - Tagged Image File Format - An uncompressed image file Wide angle - The focal length that gives you the widest angle of
format that is lossless and produces no artifacts as is common coverage.
with other image formats such as JPG. X3 Image Sensor - Foveon's new image sensor for digital
Time-Lapse: - Capturing a series of images at preset intervals. cameras that captures red, green and blue data at every pixel.
Also called Interval Recording or Intervalometer. Read the X3 press release for full details.
Transreflective: - This is a type of LCD display that uses xD-Picture Card - A new flash memory card standard that was
ambient light as well as a backlight to illuminate the pixels. Can co-developed by Fujifilm and Olympus in mid-2002. Rumoured to
be seen easier in bright outdoor conditions. be replacing SmartMedia which has stalled at 128MB. xD is
True Colour: - Colour that has a depth of 24-bits per pixel and a scheduled to go as large as 8GB in a form factor the size of a
total of 16.7 million colours. postage stamp.
TTL: - Through the Lens, used when talking about either an XGA: - Refers to an image resolution size of 1024 x 768 pixels.
autofocus or auto exposure system that works through the ZLR: - Zoom Lens Reflex, a term coined by Olympus to describe
camera's lens. It's also (incorrectly) used to mean SLR, see their fixed mount lens SLR type cameras. An SLR camera has
"SLR" above. interchangeable lenses, a ZLR has a non-removeable zoom lens.
TWAIN: - Protocol for exchanging information between Zoom Lens: - A variable focal length lens. The most common on
applications and devices such as scanners and digital cameras. digital cameras has a 3:1 ratio (i.e. 35-105mm). See "3x" and
TWAIN makes it possible for digital cameras and software to "Focal Length"
"talk" with one another on PCs. The word TWAIN is the
abbreviation of "Technology Without An Industry Name."
Underexposure: - A picture that appears too dark because
insufficient light was delivered to the imaging system. Opposite of
overexposure.
USB: - Universal Serial Bus - the data I/O port on most digital
cameras and found on modern PC and Mac computers. Faster
than the serial port. Up to 12Mb/s with v1.1 interfaces.