You want to buy a new digital camera but you wonder what all these
abbreviations and strange terms are and what do they mean? Here are a
few which I have tried to explain in a simple way.
AE Lock. This
means Auto Exposure Lock and means that you can point to your subject
matter, get a light reading, then swing the camera to set up the
complete picture, still retaining that setting.
Aperture. Size of
the variable opening in the lens that controls the amount of light that
passes through the lens to the sensor (CCD) and which is usually
expressed as an f/number.The higher the f/number the smaller aperture,
and the lower the f/number the larger the aperture. Also controls depth
of field.
Aperture Priority. This is a semi-manual setting in
some cameras. The user sets the aperture for the depth of field they
want and the camera sets the shutter speed to obtain correct exposure.
Auto Focus. Most digital cameras have an auto-focus mode which focuses the lens
Battery.
Cameras come with different types of batteries which power the camera.
Each manufacturer tends to have their own variation on this and
batteries are not usually interchangeable between cameras.
Bracketing.
Bracketing shots is where a photographer takes shots of the same scene
three times or more at different exposures. This can be done
automatically on some cameras.
Card reader. Device that is used to connect the computer with your memory card
CCD
or charged coupled device. This refers to the chip inside the camera
which is used to record image information (on a non-digital camera this
would be the film).
Light hits the CCD when a photo is taken, and then the analog CCD converts the information to digital.
Contrast. This is the difference between the lightest and darkest part of a photo.
Depth
of Field. The distance between the nearest point and farthest point,
that is sharp and in focus. This varies with aperture setting. A small
aperture will give greater depth of field than a large aperture.
Digital
Zoom. Some cameras will provide digital zoom which really means that it
"zooms" into the center part of the image and enlarges the pixels. This
causes " noise" or poor resolution. Optical zoom is far superior.
DPI
Dots per inch. Printers define the sharpness of an image by DPI. A
figure of 1200 dpi, or higher is required for printing photographs.
Exposure. Exposure is a combination of how long the shutter is open and how wide the aperture is.
EXIF.
The exchangeable image file. This is used by cameras to record data of a
shot such as date, time taken, exposure etc which can be read sometimes
in the camera or in software. This is useful for knowing what was
happening when a picture was taken.
Exposure Control. Controlling
exposure settings through shutter speed and aperture is important to
serious photographers. Cheaper digital cameras will only shoot in auto
mode. If you feel that you might want to take photography more seriously
at some point this needs to be considered.
Focal length.Focal length describes the magnification of the lens. The greater the focal length, the greater the magnification.
F-Stop (or f/number or stop). The size of the opening in the diaphragm which allows light into the camera
Histogram.A
histogram is a graph which shows image tones or a graph of brightness.
Can be used to check exposure of a shot to see if you need to adjust and
shoot again.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). A format,
that that allows the camera to squeeze a large picture into a small
amount of memory. This is the most common system used by digital cameras
LCD
Liquid Crystal Display. The majority of digital cameras have a screen
at the back of the camera which can be used for viewing shots taken or
sometimes as a viewfinder. A heavy user of battery power!
Macro.This is the camera mode for taking extreme close-ups.
Manual
mode. This is found on top end cameras and is used by experienced
photographers as this gives full control over shutter speed and
aperture.
Megapixel. This is a million pixels and can describe
the sensor's capacity. Megapixels define the quality of your image. More
megapixels means a better and sharper picture or that it can be
enlarged without losing quality.
Memory Card.The majority of
digital cameras store pictures taken onto memory cards which can be
removed and the pictures transferred to your computer. Cards are of
various shapes and sizes but all do the same job.
Memory Stick.
Memory Stick is a removable flash memory card format, launched by Sony
in October 1998 and is also used in general to describe the whole family
of Memory Sticks.
Optical zoom. This is a true zoom that brings
you closer to the subject without moving by magnifying the image. It is
preferable and superior to digital zoom. It is recommended to get at
least 3x optical zoom.
Pictbridge. Pictbridge is a standard
technology that allows the transfer of images direct from a camera to a
compliant printer, bypassing the computer.
Pixels. A pixel,
meaning picture element, is the base component or building block of a
digital image and can have color and tone.
There can be several million "building blocks" in an image.
RAW .The name is to identify the virtually raw data (has had no internal processing by the camera) image file format.
Resolution.
A measure of an image expressed as picture size or pixel (megapixel)
size or dots per inch on a printed image i.e. the more pixels there are
in an image the sharper the picture will be. This is usually shown as,
for example, 1200 x 1800 which relates to height and width.
Shutter priority. This is a semi-manual mode and the opposite of aperture priority.
The photographer chooses the shutter speed and the camera sets the correct aperture for the conditions.
Useful for action shots or the need to blur shots.
SLR.
Single Lens Reflex is a camera which has a mirror that reflects the
image onto a pentaprism and then on to the viewfinder screen. This means
you see what the camera sees and is useful for framing your shots
accurately.
The mirror reflexes out of the way when you take the picture.
Secure Digital (SD) is a flash memory card format developed for use in portable devices.
Sensor
or CCD.An electronic chip, or light sensor which contains light-
sensitive pixels and which records the image when you take a picture.
Shutter
Speed. Speed of the shutter as it opens and close to allow light onto
the sensor. It is expressed in fractions of a second i.e.1/60, 1/250
TIFF Tagged Image File Format. TIFF is an image file format that does not lose any quality when it is saved and compressed.
Tripod.
If you are taking landscape or portrait photos a tripod is essential
for clear, sharp photos in order to reduce camera shake and blurring of
images.
USB. Universal Serial Bus. This is a standard interface
on all computers that allows accessories to be connected to the computer
while it is turned on.
I hope this is useful!
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