This is a collection of technical terms that you may encounter with regard to digital photography, including still and video aspects since most digital cameras have both.
If you don't find what you are looking for here, checkout Canon's Glossary.

Term	Explanation
	The flash icons are frequently used on digital cameras to denote flash settings. The icons may be displayed on a button that you can press and/or be displayed on the camera's viewing screen. The rightmost icon indicates that flash is turned OFF.
	The mountain icon is frequently used on digital cameras to denote landscape settings. The icon may be displayed on a button that you can press and/or be displayed on the camera's viewing screen.
	The portrait icon is frequently used on digital cameras to denote portrait settings. The icon may be displayed on a button that you can press and/or be displayed on the camera's viewing screen.
	The tulip icon is frequently used on digital cameras to denote closeup or macro settings. The icon may be displayed on a button that you can press and/or be displayed on the camera's viewing screen. Some cameras may also give you a choice of macro settings, while many invoke it automatically based on distance.
1" Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 12.8mm × 9.6mm, Surface Area: 123mm2, Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and Crop Factor: 2.70. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Canon, Leica, Panasonic, and Sony.
1" (CX) Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 13.2mm × 8.8mm, Surface Area: 116mm2, Aspect Ratio: 3:2 and Crop Factor: 2.72. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Nikon, Samsung and Sony.
1/1.33" Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 9.5mm × 7.2mm, Surface Area: 68.4mm2, Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and Crop Factor: 3.6. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Motorola, Samsung and Xiaomi.
1/1.7" Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 7.53mm × 5.64mm, Surface Area: 42.47mm2, Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and Crop Factor: 4.6. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Apple (iPhone 12 Max) and DJI OSMO Pocket 2.
1/1.8" Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 7.18mm × 5.32mm, Surface Area: 38.2mm2, Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and Crop Factor: 4.84. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Olympus, Nokia and others.
1/2" Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 6.4mm × 4.8mm, Surface Area: 30.7mm2, Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and Crop Factor: 5.41. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Fujifilm, Xiaomi and others.
1/2.3" Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 6.17mm × 4.55mm, Surface Area: 28.5mm2, Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and Crop Factor: 5.62. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Panasonic, Pentax, Sony and others.
1/2.5" Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 5.76mm × 4.29mm, Surface Area: 24.7mm2, Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and Crop Factor: 6.02. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Nokia, Sony and others.
1/2.55" Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 5.6mm × 4.2mm, Surface Area: 23.5mm2, Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and Crop Factor: 6.15. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Apple (iPhone11).
1/3.0" Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 4.8mm × 3.6mm, Surface Area: 17.3mm2, Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and Crop Factor: 7.21. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Apple (iPhone5C,5S,6,6+,6S+ Rear) and LG (G3)
1/3.2" Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 4.54mm × 3.42mm, Surface Area: 15.5mm2, Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and Crop Factor: 7.61. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Apple (iPhone4,5 Rear).
1/6" Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 2.46mm × 1.80mm, Surface Area: 4.43mm2, Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and Crop Factor: 16.0. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Apple (iPhone4,5,6,SE1 Front).
2/3" Sensor	Digital camera image sensor with Dimensions: 8.8mm × 6.6mm, Surface Area: 58.1mm2, Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and Crop Factor: 3.93. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used by Fuji, Nokia and others.
35mm format	The 35mm format, or just 35mm, describes the width of the film format conceived by Oskar Barnack of Leica in the 1920's, thus it is sometimes called the 'Barnack format' or the 'Leica format'. It is the common name for the 135 film format used in 35mm photography which
	utilises a 36mm × 24mm image. Images are stored longitudinally with an Aspect Ratio of 3:2, and a diagonal measurement of approximately 43mm. The format has been used in countless photographic applications including single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras, rangefinder cameras (film and digital), mirrorless interchangeable-lens digital cameras, digital SLRs, point-and-shoot film cameras, and disposable film cameras. It is also the reference upon which all lenses and sensors are measured, and equates to "Full-Frame" when referenced in digital photography.
360 Camera	Refers to a camera that is capable of taking pictures and/or video over a full 360 degrees. Various techniques are used, but the most common are single lens cameras that use a parabolic mirror arrangement, and dual lens cameras that typically use two fish-eye lenses with a separate sensor for each placed back to back.
	Popular 360 cameras are the GoPro Max, Insta360 One X2, Kandao QooCam 8K 360, Garmin VIRB 360, Ricoh Theta V, Vuze XR, etc.
Action Camera	An action camera or action-cam is a digital camera designed for recording action while being part of it. Action cameras are therefore typically compact, rugged, and waterproof at surface-level. Many can record photos in burst mode and time-lapse mode with the point of view of the shooter. Some even capture video in 4K mode as this allows continuous capture of the action without having to interact with the camera or indeed removing it from its housing, if an additional protective housing is used. Most record onto a micro SD card, and have a Micro-USB connector.
	The category is associated with the GoPro range of cameras, and many action cameras come with a GoPro mount adapter to take advantage of the accessories available for these cameras.
Advanced Photo System	Advanced Photo System (APS) is a discontinued film format for still photography first produced in 1996. It was marketed by Eastman Kodak under the brand name Advantix, by FujiFilm under the name Nexia, by Agfa under the name Futura and by Konica as Centuria.
	Despite it no longer being in use, many of the digital formats are still based on APS formats. The film was 24 mm wide, and had three image formats: H for "High Definition" (30.2 × 16.7 mm; aspect ratio 16:9; 4×7" print) (1.25 crop compared to 36x24mm full frame) C for "Classic" (25.1 × 16.7 mm; aspect ratio 3:2; 4×6" print) (1.44 crop compared to 36x24mm full frame) P for "Panoramic" (30.2 × 9.5 mm; aspect ratio 3:1; 4×11" print) (1.36 crop compared to 36x24mm full frame)
AF	An Auto Focus (or AF) optical system uses a sensor, a control system and a motor to focus on an automatically or manually selected point or area. An electronic rangefinder has a display instead of the motor; the adjustment of the optical system has to be done manually until indication.
	Auto Focus methods are distinguished by their type as being either active, passive or hybrid variants.
Airy Disk	The Airy disk (and Airy pattern) are descriptions of the best-focused spot of light that a perfect lens with a circular aperture can make, limited by the diffraction of light. The diffraction pattern resulting from a uniformly illuminated, circular aperture has a bright central region, known as the Airy disk, which together with the series of concentric rings around it, is called the Airy pattern.
APS-C (Nikon)	Advanced Photo System type-C (APS-C) is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the Advanced Photo System film negative in its C ("Classic") format. It is smaller than the APS-H and larger than the APS-C as used by Canon. It measures 23.6mm × 15.7mm, with a Surface Area of 370mm2 and an Aspect Ratio of 3:2. Sensors approximating these dimensions are used in many digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLRs), mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (MILCs), and a few large-sensor live-preview digital cameras. APS-C size sensors are also used in a few digital rangefinders.
APS-C (Canon)	This is a smaller variation of the APS-C image sensor format described above, and is used by Canon in some of their point-and-shoot cameras. It is smaller than the APS-C and larger than the Foveon. It measures 22.2mm × 14.8mm, with a Surface Area of 329mm2 and an Aspect Ratio of 3:2. Canon appears to be the only user of this format.
APS-H	Advanced Photo System type-H (APS-H) is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the Advanced Photo System film negative in its H ("High Definition") format. It is smaller than Full Frame but larger than the APS-C. It measures 28.7mm × 19.0mm, with a Surface Area of 548mm2 and an Aspect Ratio of 3:2. Canon appears to be the only user of this format.
Aperture	The Aperture is the opening within a lens that controls how much light hits the imaging sensor, analogous to the pupil in your eye. The size of the aperture will dictate two things; firstly, your depth of field and secondly, the shutter speed required to expose the image correctly. Adjusting your Aperture settings will therefore play a huge part in the look and feel of the image. The size of the Aperture is expressed in 'f numbers' and represents the diameter of the Aperture as a ratio to the focal length of the lens. Therefore, the smaller the number, the larger the Aperture, and of course the larger the Aperture, the greater the amount of light which is able to pass through.
Aspect Ratio	The aspect ratio of an image describes the proportional relationship between its width and its height. It is commonly expressed as two numbers separated by a colon, as in 16:9 or as in 16 × 9. For an x:y aspect ratio, no matter how big or small the image is, if the width is divided into x units of equal length and the height is measured using this same length unit, the height will be measured to be y units.	Click image to enlarge
Bridge Camera	Bridge cameras are digital cameras that "bridge the gap" between the single-lens reflex cameras (SLRs) and the compact or point-and-shoot camera. They are often comparable in size and weight to the smallest digital SLRs (DSLR), but lack interchangeable lenses, and almost all bridge cameras lack an optical viewfinder system. These cameras typically feature full manual controls over shutter speed, aperture, ISO sensitivity, color balance and metering.
	Because the lens is not interchangeable, most come with a flexible zoom lens and almost every brand has at least one "super" zoom model offering 40x zoom or more.
Brightness	Brightness is an attribute of visual perception in which a source appears to be radiating or reflecting light. In other words, brightness is the perception elicited by the luminance of a visual target. It is not necessarily proportional to luminance.
CCD Sensor	In recent years the Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) has become a major technology for digital imaging. In a CCD image sensor, pixels are represented by p-doped metal-oxide-semiconductors (MOS) capacitors. These capacitors are biased above the threshold for inversion when image acquisition begins, allowing the conversion of incoming photons into electron charges at the semiconductor-oxide interface; the CCD is then used to read out these charges. Although CCDs are not the only technology to allow for light detection, CCD image sensors are widely used in professional, medical, and	Click image to enlarge
	scientific applications where high-quality image data are required. In applications with less exacting quality demands, such as consumer and professional digital cameras, active pixel sensors, also called complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS) are generally used; the large quality advantage CCDs enjoyed early on has narrowed over time.
Chroma	Chroma is the colourfulness relative to the brightness of a similarly illuminated area that appears to be white or highly transmitting. Therefore, Chroma should not be confused with Colourfulness.
Circle of Confusion	In optics, a circle of confusion (CoC) is an optical spot caused by a cone of light rays from a lens not coming to a perfect focus when imaging a point source. It is also known as disk of confusion, circle of indistinctness, blur circle, or blur spot. In photography, the circle of confusion is used to determine the depth of field, the part of an image that is acceptably sharp.	Click image to enlarge
	A standard value of CoC is often associated with each image format, but the most appropriate value depends on visual acuity, viewing conditions, and the amount of enlargement.
CMOS Sensor	Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors have an amplifier for each pixel compared to the few amplifiers of a CCD. This results in less area for the capture of photons than a CCD, but this problem has been overcome by using microlenses in front of each photodiode, which focus light into the photodiode that would have otherwise hit the amplifier and not be detected. Some CMOS imaging sensors also use Back-side illumination to increase the number of photons that hit the photodiode.	Click image to enlarge
	CMOS sensors can potentially be implemented with fewer components, use less power, and/or provide faster readout than CCD sensors. They are also less vulnerable to static electricity discharges.
Colour Temperature	The colour temperature of a light source is the temperature of an ideal black-body radiator that radiates light of a colour comparable to that of the light source. Colour temperature is conventionally expressed in kelvins, using the symbol K, a unit of measure for absolute temperature. Colour temperatures over 5000 K are called "cool colours" (bluish), while lower colour temperatures (2700-3000 K) are called "warm colours" (yellowish).
Colourfulness	Colourfulness is the "attribute of a visual perception according to which the perceived colour of an area appears to be more or less chromatic". The colourfulness evoked by an object depends not only on its spectral reflectance but also on the strength of the illumination, and increases with the latter unless the brightness is very high (Hunt effect).
Compact Camera	A compact camera, also known as a point-and-shoot camera, is a still camera designed primarily for simple operation. Most use focus free lenses or autofocus for focusing, automatic systems for setting the exposure options, and have flash units built in.
	They are by far the best selling type of separate camera, as distinct from camera phones. Most of these cameras use small 1/2.3" image sensors, but since 2008 a few non-interchangeable lens compact cameras have used a larger sensor such as 1" and even APS-C. While many have zoom lenses of varying capabilities, none have lens mounts.
Crop Factor	Crop factor is the ratio of a camera sensor's size to a 35mm film frame. Use it to calculate effective focal lengths and compare lenses between DSLRs. Crop factor is a term that describes the difference between your camera's sensor size and a traditional 35mm film frame.
		The crop factor determines what your camera's sensor will see through a given lens compared to what another camera with a different crop factor would see through the same or an equivalent lens. The higher the crop factor, the less it will see.
	The focal length for a lens is often specified for when it is used with a full frame image sensor. To calculate the equivalent lens for a camera with a smaller sensor, divide the value by the appropriate crop factor. Conversely, to calculate the equivalent of a smaller sensor for a full frame camera, multiply by the crop factor.
Depth-of-Field	Depth of field (DoF) is the distance between the closest and farthest objects in a image that appears acceptably sharp. While your camera can only focus sharply at one point, there is a gradual transition from sharp to unsharp, and what is acceptble depends on what you chose either for technical or artistic purposes.
	The depth of field is determined by focal length, distance to subject, the acceptable circle of confusion size, and aperture. With digital post processing software, the depth of field can be reduced electronically but increasing sharpness is less satisfactory.
DiG!C	Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit (styled as "DiG!C") is Canon's name for a family of signal processing and control units for digital cameras and camcorders. DiG!C units are used as image processors by Canon in its own digital imagery products. Several generations of DiG!Cs exist, and are distinguished by a version number suffix.
	Currently, DiG!C is implemented as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designed to perform high speed signal processing as well as the control operations in the product in which it has been incorporated. Over its numerous generations, DiG!C has evolved from a system involving a number of discrete integrated circuits to a single chip system, many of which are based around the ARM instruction set. Custom firmware for these units has been developed to add features to the cameras.
Digital Zoom	Digital zoom crops a portion of the image and then enlarges it to fill the total pixel area. The result is similar to using your computer editing software to do the same task. Smartphones, tablets and many digital cameras may also have digital zoom.
DSLR or D-SLR	Digital Single Lens Reflex refers to a digital camera where light travels through the lens, then to a mirror that alternates to send the image to either the viewfinder or the image sensor under the control of the focal plane shutter. 1. Camera lens 2. Reflex mirror 3. Focal-plane shutter 4. Image Sensor 5. Matte focusing lens 6. Condensor Lens 7. Pentaprism/pentamirror 8. Viewfinder eyepiece
EVF	An Electronic ViewFinder is a camera view finder where the image captured by the lens is projected electronically onto a miniature display. The image on this display is used to assist in aiming the camera at the scene to be photographed. It differs from a live preview screen in being smaller and shaded from ambient light. The sensor records the view through the lens, the view is processed, and it is then
	projected on a miniature display which is viewable through the eyepiece. Electronic viewfinders are used in digital still cameras and in video cameras.
Exposure	Exposure is the process of 'exposing' the camera's imaging sensor to light, so as to capture the photographic image, and is determined by a combination of aperture, ISO and shutter speed. Most digital cameras have one or more of the following standard-ized exposure modes:
	Auto (green rectangle) where the camera automatically selects all exposure settings. Program (P)where the camera automatically selects aperture & shutter speed; you can choose a corresponding ISO speed & exposure compensation. Aperture Priority (A or Av) where the camera's metering determines the corresponding shutter speed; you specify the aperture & ISO. Shutter Priority (S or Tv) where the camera's metering determines the corresponding aperture; you specify the shutter speed & ISO. Manual (M) where you specify the aperture, ISO and shutter speed - regardless of whether these values lead to a correct exposure. Bulb (B) where you specify the aperture and ISO; the shutter speed is determined by a remote release switch, or by the duration until you press the shutter button a second time. A-DEP (Canon only) where you tell the camera which parts of your photo need to be in-focus, and the camera picks a corresponding aperture guaranteed to get everything just right. A, Av, S, Tv, and M are often called "creative modes" or "auto exposure (AE) modes".
Flange Focal Distance	For an interchangeable lens camera, the flange focal distance (FFD) (also known as the flange-to-film distance, flange focal depth, flange back distance (FBD), flange focal length (FFL), or register, depending on the usage and source) of a lens mount system is the distance from the mounting flange (the metal ring on the camera and the rear of the lens) to the film plane. This value is different for different camera systems. The range of this distance, which will render an image clearly in focus within all focal lengths,
	is usually measured in hundredths of millimeters and is known as the depth of focus (not to be confused with the similarly named depth of field). The diagram illustrates the difference between the flange focal length of an SLR-type and a mirrorless-type camera.
Focal Length	The focal length of a lens (ƒ) is a calculation of an object distance from the point where light rays converge to form a sharp image of an object on the focal plane of a camera (F), determined when the lens is focused at infinity, based on a 35mm format image. The image captured for any given focal length varies depending on the size of the image sensor.
FOV	Field Of View refers to the angle subtended between one side of an image and the other when viewed through an optical device such as a camera lens. The field of view is generally determined by the focal length of the lens, shown here for a full frame camera.
	The focal length values for cameras using smaller sensors will obviously be smaller and depend on the size of the image sensor.
Foveon	The Foveon X3 sensor is an image sensor for digital cameras, designed by Foveon, Inc. (now part of Sigma Corporation) and manufactured by Dongbu Electronics. It uses an array of photo sites, consisting of 3 vertically stacked photodiodes, organized in a two-dimensional grid. Each of the 3 stacked photodiodes responds to different wavelengths of light; i.e. each has a different spectral sensitivity curve. This difference is because different wavelengths of light penetrate silicon to different depths. The signals from the three photodiodes are then processed, resulting in data that provides the amounts of three additive primary colors, red, green, and blue. It is smaller than the Canon APS-C but larger than the Micro 4/3. It measures 20.7mm × 13.8mm, with a Surface Area of 286mm2 and an Aspect Ratio of 3:2. Sigma appears to be the only user of this format.
Full Frame Camera	A full-frame camera uses an image sensor that is the same size as a single frame of traditional 35mm film. It measures 36mm × 24mm, with a Surface Area of 864mm2 and an Aspect Ratio of 3:2. Because this is the size upon which the Crop Factor is based, it obviously has a value of 1. It will typically have more than 25 Megapixels, but with continual improvements in technology this value keeps increasing.
Full Frame Sensor	Digital cameras that use a mechanical shutter typically use a type of sensor called a Full Frame Sensor. Unlike the Interline Transfer Sensor, the full frame sensor has no circuitry on the pixel to store the charge that builds up as light contacts the array. Cameras that use a mechanical shutter typically bleed off any residual electrical charge while the shutter is closed, open the shutter, and then close the shutter. Once the mechanical shutter is closed, circuitry is then used to shift the charge from each pixel into a storage area. Since the pixels on the sensor remain "live" during readout, if the shutter remained open, light would continue to alter the charge accumul-ated by each pixel during the shifting operation which could result in blur or ghosting.
Gimbal Camera	Equipped with motors and sensors, a gimbal is a device that allows your digital camera to rotate smoothly along an axis. Most cameras allow 3-axis gimbal movement, often limited to certain angles, while some also provide various controls for each axis. They stabilise your camera while you tilt, pan and roll, and help you to capture fluid, smooth footage while you're on the move.
HEIC	Please see Glossary of Computer Terms.
HEIF	Please see Glossary of Computer Terms.
HEVC	Please see Glossary of Computer Terms.
Hue	Hue is one of the main properties (called colour appearance parameters) of a colour, defined technically (in the CIECAM02 model), as "the degree to which a stimulus can be described as similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow" (which in certain theories of colour vision are called unique hues). Hue can typically be represented quantitatively by a single number, often corresponding to an angular position around a central or neutral point or axis on a colorspace coordinate diagram (such as a chromaticity diagram) or colour wheel, or by its dominant wavelength or that of its complementary colour. The other colour appearance parameters are colourfulness, saturation (also known as intensity or chroma), lightness, and brightness. Usually, colours with the same hue are distinguished with adjectives referring to their lightness or colourfulness, such as with "light blue", "pastel blue", "vivid blue". Exceptions include brown, which is a dark orange.
Hybrid Zoom	Hybrid zoom is used in some smartphones to take advantage of optical zoom, digital zoom, and software to get improved results when zooming in further than the lens's physical capabilities.
HyperLapse	Hyperlapse is a technique used in photography for creating motion shots. In its simplest form, Hyperlapse is recorded from a moving camera position usually with the movement being towards a point of interest. Many of the latest digital cameras and smartphones have this facility built-in. This is different from MotionLapse and TimeLapse.
ILC	An Interchangeable Lens Cameras is one where different focal-length lens can be attached and detached from the DSLR or Mirrorless camera. A camera body equipped with the ability to interchange lenses allows the user to employ a variety of creative shooting scenarios. However, different camera brands uses different lens mounting techniques, so you are limited to using a lens that is specific to your camera or designed to fit your camera.
Image Sensor	An image sensor is an electronic device that detects and conveys information used to make an image. It does so by converting the variable attenuation of light waves (as they pass through or reflect off objects) into signals, small bursts of current that convey the information.
	Cameras integrated in small consumer products generally use CMOS sensors, which are usually cheaper and have lower power consumption in battery powered devices than CCDs. CCD sensors are used for high end broadcast quality video cameras, and (C)MOS sensors dominate in still photography and consumer goods where overall cost is a major concern. The size of the image sensor is also a major factor with Large Format being the most expensive, then Medium Format, Full Frame, APS-C, Micro 4/3, and so on.
	When it comes to image sensor sizes, a rather ambiguous system using 'inch' measurements based on the diameter of 1950's video tubes makes them almost impossible to decipher, hence details of common image sensors have been included in this glossary using metric measurements.	Click image to enlarge
Intensity	Intensity, also known as Saturation or Chroma, is the "colourfulness of an area judged in proportion to its brightness", which in effect is the perceived freedom from whitishness of the light coming from the area. An object with a given spectral reflectance exhibits approximately constant saturation for all levels of illumination, unless the brightness is very high.
Interline Transfer Sensor	Cameras, typically smaller point-and-shoot cameras, that use no mechanical shutters typically use an interline transfer sensor. An interline transfer sensor dedicates a portion of each pixel to store the charge for that pixel. The added electronics necessary to be able to store the charge for each pixel reduces the fill factor of the pixel, in turn reducing it's ability to capture light since a portion of each pixel is not light sensitive.	Click image to enlarge
	Microlenses can be used to compensate but they are not 100% efficient and they can add expense to the design. Interline transfer sensor's typically have higher noise levels and lower sensitivity than the full frame sensor's used in high end digital SLR's. One obvious benefit is that this design eliminates the need for a potentially bulky mechanical shutter and can turn a purse size camera into a shirt pocket camera.
IS	Image Stabilisation is a family of techniques that reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera or other imaging device during exposure. On some camera systems it is located on the body of the camera and is applied to every lens, while on others it is located on the lens itself and only applies to that lens. Generally, it compensates for pan and tilt (angular movement, equivalent to yaw and pitch) of the imaging device, though electronic image stabilization can also compensate for rotation.
	With still cameras, camera shake is a particular problem at slow shutter speeds or with long focal length (telephoto/zoom) lenses. The rule of thumb for capturing sharp, handheld imagery is that you shouldn't handhold a camera at shutter speeds slower than the equivalent focal length of the lens. This means a 500mm lens shouldn't be handheld at speeds slower than 1/500-second, a 300mm lens slower than 1/300-second, a 50mm lens slower than 1/50-second, and a 20mm lens slower than 1/20-second.
ISO Speed Setting	The ISO Speed Setting, is a measure of the sensitivity of photographic film as defined by the International Standards Organisation (ISO), but is sometimes called ASA or DIN. For digital cameras it refers to how sensitive the digital sensor in your camera is to light.
	The lower the ISO number, the less sensitive it is to light. Setting a higher ISO number increases the sensitivity of your camera sensor to light. Most cameras have ISOs ranging from about 50 or 100 ISO right up to 16,000 ISO or higher. As you increase the ISO value, your camera sensor becomes more sensitive to light. The higher the ISO used, the more digital noise will be present in the image. Digital noise results in a graininess that can have a negative effect on image quality.
JPEG/JPG Image	Please see Glossary of Computer Terms.
Lens Mount	A lens mount is an interface - mechanical and often also electrical - between a photographic camera body and a lens on Interchangeable Lens Cameras. A lens mount may be a screw-threaded type, a bayonet-type, or a breech-lock (friction lock) type. Most modern camera lens mounts are of the bayonet type, because the bayonet mechanism precisely aligns mechanical and electrical features between lens and body.
	Screw-threaded mounts are fragile and do not necessarily align the lens in a reliable rotational position. There are over 100 different lens mounts on the market so it is important to ensure that any lens is compatible with the lens mount on your camera.
Lightness	In colourimetry and colour theory, lightness, also known as value or tone, is a representation of variation in the perception of a colour or colour space's brightness. It is one of the colour appearance parameters of any colour appearance model, of which there are several such as HSL, HSV, Lab, Munsell, etc.
Luminance	Luminance is a photometric measure of the luminous intensity per unit area of light travelling in a given direction. It describes the amount of light that passes through, is emitted from, or is reflected from a particular area, and falls within a given solid angle.
LVF	A Live View Finder is what you generally find on Point-and-Shoot cameras, where the LCD on the back of the camera used for inter- acting with the controls, also serves as the viewfinder. Due to ambient light, reflections and other factors they are not always easy to see and generally you have to rely on Auto-Focus to get acceptable results. Some DSLR cameras also support the Live View function and allow the photographer to use the LCD as a (bigger) viewfinder.
Medium Format Camera	Medium format has traditionally referred to a film format in still photography and the related cameras and equipment that use film. Nowadays, the term applies to film & digital cameras that record images on media larger than 24 mm × 36 mm or Full-frame as used in 35 mm photography, but smaller than
	4 in × 5 in (100 mm × 130 mm) (which is considered to be large-format photography). As you might expect, Medium Format Cameras tend to be a lot more expensive.
MegaPixels	MegaPixels (MP) is a measure of the total number of picture elements or pixels that can be resolved and recorded by the image sensor on your digital camera, often referred to as 'resolution'. For example, an HD 1080p image has a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels which means it has a 16:9 aspect ratio and a total of 2,073,600 pixels or 2.07MP.
	When it comes to resolution, most point-and-shoot cameras are 8MP and greater, DSLR cameras are 20MP and greater, Medium Format cameras 50MP and greater, and cameras on smartphones are up to 12MP, but all are increasing as technology improves.
MF	Manual Focus (or MF) is something a lot of us have grown up with but when we acquire a camera with Automatic Focus we tend to forget there is still a manual option. Auto Focus can have problems working properly when the subject and background are a similar color; when the subject is partly in
	bright sun and partly in shadows; and when an object is between the subject and the camera. In those instances, switch to manual focus.
MFT	MFT shares the original image sensor size and specification with the Micro 4/3 system, designed for D-SLRs. Unlike M4/3, the MFT system design specification does not provide space for a mirror box and a pentaprism, which facilitates smaller body and lens designs via the shorter flange focal distance of 19.25mm. The short flange distance, when combined with an adapter of proper depth, allows MFT bodies to use almost any lens ever made for a camera with a flange distance larger than 19.25mm. Still-camera lenses produced by Canon, Leica, Minolta, Nikon, Pentax and Zeiss have all been successfully adapted for MFT use - as well as lenses produced for cinema, e.g., PL mount or C mount.
Micro 4/3	The Micro Four Thirds system (M4/3) is a standard released by Olympus and Panasonic in 2008, for the design and development of mirrorless interchangeable lens digital cameras, camcorders and lenses. The image sensor in a M4/3 system camera is smaller than APS-C and Foveon with a different Aspect Ratio. It measures 18.0mm × 13.5mm, with a Surface Area of 225mm2 and an Aspect Ratio of 4:3, which means that it is smaller than the Foveon but larger than 1" (CX). Camera bodies are available from Blackmagic, DJI, JVC, Kodak, Olympus, Panasonic, and Xiaomi. MFT lenses are produced by Cosina Voigtländer, DJI, Kowa, Kodak, Mitakon, Olympus, Panasonic, Samyang, Sigma, SLR Magic, Tamron, Tokina, Veydra, and Xiaomi, amongst others.
Mirrorless Camera	As the name suggests, a mirrorless camera is one that doesn't require a reflex mirror, a key component of D-SLR cameras. The mirror in a D-SLR reflects the light up to the optical viewfinder. In a mirrorless camera, there is no optical viewfinder.
	Instead, the imaging sensor is exposed to light at all times. This gives you a digital preview of your image either on the rear LCD screen or an electronic viewfinder (EVF). Mirrorless cameras are called "mirrorless," rather than D-SLRs being called "mirrored," simply because they came second. Technically, a point-and-shoot is a mirrorless camera, but the term "mirrorless" is generally used to describe digital interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs) that either have electronic viewfinders or simply no viewfinder.
MotionLapse	MotionLapse is a technique used in photography where you take several photos over a (usually extensive) period of time at various intervals moving slightly after each photo, then play them back at a faster rate as a continuous projection of the frames. Many of the latest digital cameras and smartphones have this facility built-in. This is different from HyperLapse and TimeLapse.
Optical Zoom	Optical zoom uses the lens to increase the focal length of the image recorded by the sensor. A 2x optical zoom increases the focal length by a factor of 2, thus a 50mm focal length becomes a 100mm focal length. This has the effect of magnifying the image, but with a reduced depth of field. For most lenses, depth of field reduces and the F stop increases as the focal length increases.
Photosite	Photosites are found on the digital image sensor in a digital camera, and are the tiny (as small as 0.8µm) light-sensitive cells that detect the light before being converted to pixels of the image. Whilst multiple photosites are generally used for each pixel, the number of photosites typically matches the specified resolution of the camera, so there are millions of them.
Pixel	A pixel (derived from "picture element") is the basic unit of programmable colour from an image sensor, in a computer image or on a computer display, where each pixel is like a tile in a mosaic. For an input device or in a digital image it describes the physical dots that form the image. A computer display also has pixels but the size of the pixel depends on how you've set the logical screen resolution, within the limits of the physical resolution.
PNG Image	Please see Glossary of Computer Terms.
Point-and-Shoot Camera	A point-and-shoot camera, sometimes abbreviated to P&S and also known as a compact camera, is a still camera designed primarily for simple operation. Most use focus free lenses or autofocus for focusing, automatic systems for setting the exposure options, and have flash units built in.
	They are by far the best selling type of separate camera, as distinct from camera phones. Most of these P&S cameras use small 1/2.3" image sensors, but since 2008 a few non-interchangeable lens P&S cameras have used a larger sensor such as 1" and even APS-C. While many have zoom lenses of varying capabilities, none have lens mounts.
Portrait Lens	A portrait lens is any lens that has the right focal length and aperture to take exceptional portrait photos, without signifcantly distorting the features. A wide angle lens makes features appear sharper and more pronounced, while a telephoto lens tends to flatten the features. For cameras with a full frame image sensor, the best portrait lenses usually have a focal length of 70-135mm, with a moderately wide maximum aperture for great low-light performance and a shallow depth-of-field. For digital cameras with
		smaller image sensors, the optimal focal length will be proportionally smaller, e.g. for a 1/2.3" sensor the equivalent would be 12-24mm based on the 5.62 crop factor.
Raw Image	A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, a motion picture film scanner, or other image scanner. Raw files are named so because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor. There are literally dozens of raw formats in use by different manufacturers, with very little compatibility between them. Best left for the experts.
Resolution	Resolution refers to the number of pixels in an image. It is sometimes identified by the width and height of the image, for example, an image might be described as 2048 pixels wide and 1536 pixels tall. Alternatively it may be identified by the total number of pixels, for example 2048 × 1536 is 3,145,728 pixels (or 3.1 Megapixels). The higher the resolution the sharper the image will appear. When an image is displayed or printed it will typically maintain that resolution, but the size may be different depending on the size of the pixels on the device.
Quality	Quality refers to the sharpness, colour accuracy, and pixel count of a saved digital image, as determined by both the camera settings and subsequent processing of the file.
		Often the file format used to save the image can have a big impact on quality, even when the resolution has been maintained, shown here between upper and lower images.
Saturation	Saturation, also known as Intensity or Chroma, is the "colourfulness of an area judged in proportion to its brightness", which in effect is the perceived freedom from whitishness of the light coming from the area. An object with a given spectral reflectance exhibits approximately constant saturation for all levels of illumination, unless the brightness is very high.
Shutter	Digital cameras may use several different types of mechanical shutters, but, if used, all of them serve the same purpose. They block light from reaching the sensor when closed and move out of the way to let light accumulate on the sensor while open. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is that the sensor, being an electronic device, should be able to simply turn on/off electronically.
	Why is the mechnical shutter even needed? Well, in fact, many cameras use an electronic shutter that simply turns on/off the "light reading" capability of the sensor when needed. Many pocket point-and-shoot cameras use this technique, and even emulate the sound of a shutter, but it can usually be turned off. Pocket cameras that use the rear LCD to preview the picture are sometimes set up this way and hence have no mechanical shutter at all. Realizing that some cameras have all-electronic shutters while others have mechanical shutters, it's obvious that there are pros and cons to both designs.
SLR	Single Lens Reflex refers to a film camera where light travels through the lens, then to a mirror that alternates to send the image to either the viewfinder or the film under the control of the focal plane shutter. 1. Camera lens 2. Reflex mirror 3. Focal-plane shutter 4. Film 5. Matte focusing lens 6. Condensor Lens 7. Pentaprism/pentamirror 8. Viewfinder eyepiece
Super Resolution Zoom	Super resolution zoom is used in some smartphones and is the practice of generating a higher resolution image by taking and processing multiple lower resolution shots. This technique essentially fills in the detail gaps and reduces noise when enlarging an image. Super resolution has previously been used in astronomy, as the European Space Agency notes, processing multiple lower resolution images to make one higher resolution snap. It's also been an option on some DSLR cameras, with the likes of some cameras spitting out a 40MP image with a 16MP sensor.
Surface Area	Surface Area defines the amount of light that can be captured by an digital image sensor, irrespective of its format. This ultimately affects the sharpness of the image, the depth of field, the exposure settings and the shutter speed. The larger the surface area, the better the image obtainable should be.
Telephoto Lens	A telephoto lens is a specific type of a long-focus lens in which the physical length of the lens is shorter than the focal length, giving a narrow field of view and a magnified image. Telephoto lenses are sometimes broken into the further sub-types of medium telephoto: lenses covering between a 30° and 10° field of view (67mm to 206mm with full frame camera), and super telephoto: lenses covering between 8° through less than 1° field of view (over 300mm with full frame camera). The focal length values for cameras using smaller sensors will obviously be smaller and depends on the size of the image sensor.
TIF/TIFF Image	Please see Glossary of Computer Terms.
TimeLapse	TimeLapse is a technique used in photography in which the frequency at which film frames are captured is at defined intervals rather than continuously. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster. TimeLapse is typically recorded from a fixed camera position with the action being recorded over a period of time. Many of the latest digital cameras and smartphones have this facility built-in. This is different from HyperLapse and MotionLapse.
Triad	A triad consists of three electronic dots, one for each of the primary colours, Red, Green and Blue. Together, these make up one coloured pixel on a display screen. The resulting pixel is essentially square and each of the primary colours has 255 levels of brightness.
View Finder	A viewfinder is what the photographer looks through to compose, and, in many cases, to focus the picture. Some viewfinders are separate, and suffer parallax, while DSLR cameras let the viewfinder use the main optical system. However most point-and-shoot cameras have a Live View Finder (LVF) utilising the LCD on the back of the camera. Mirrorless cameras typically use an Electronic View Finder (EVF) instead.
Wide Angle Lens	A wide-angle lens refers to a lens whose focal length is substantially smaller than the focal length of a normal lens for a given film plane. This type of lens allows more of the scene to be included in the photograph, which is useful in architectural, interior and landscape photography where the photographer may not be able to move farther from the scene to photograph it.
WiFi	With many of the modern cameras you can use WiFi to transfer files from your camera to your PC, laptop, tablet or even a smartphone with the necessary app installed. WiFi can also be used to provide remote control for your camera from your tablet or smartphone.
Zoom Lens	A zoom lens is a mechanical assembly of lens elements for which the focal length (and thus angle of view) can be varied, as opposed to a fixed focal length (FFL) lens. A true zoom lens, also called a parfocal lens, is one that maintains focus when its focal length changes. A lens that loses focus during zooming is more properly called a varifocal lens. Despite being marketed as zoom lenses, virtually all consumer lenses with variable focal lengths use varifocal design.