Jargon Buster
AF Sensor
The sensor used to detect and help correct the focus in cameras equipped with an autofocus function.
Angle of View
The width of the area a lens can see; measured in degrees.
Apeture
An opening; this term is used interchangeably with f-stop to denote a camera's diaphragm opening.
Lens Aperture
The physical opening of a lens. The smaller the f/number the more light passes through.
AVI
Short for Audio Video Interleave; the file format for Microsoft's Video for Windows standard.
Definition
The clarity of detail in an image; dependent upon resolution (number of pixels) and contrast.
Depth of Field
Means of describing the area of a photograph that is in focus.
Dynamic Range
Refers to the gradations of light and dark that a digital camera can capture where details are neither washed out by light nor concealed by shadows.
Exposure
The amount of light that reaches the film; the combination of f-stop and shutter speed, which controls the amount of light that passes through the lens to the film.
File Format
A format for encoding visual information in a file; some common image file formats include TIFF, PICT, and EPS files.
Flash Cards/Memory
Flash card - A memory card that works with the flash memory, allowing the camera to retain data after the system has been turned off.Flash Memory - A memory chip that has the ability to retain image data even after the host system has been shut off; this feature insures that, even if the digital camera's batteries die, the image data will remain stored in the camera's memory.
Focal Length
The size of the angle of view of the lens, measured in millimeters. The smaller the number, the wider the lens. Zoom lenses have a range of focal lengths.
Focus
To move the lens or film/image sensor in order to record a sharp image. Auto focus - Camera feature that uses an infrared (IR) beam or sonar to set its focus.
F-Stop
A means of measuring the width of the diaphragm opening, which determines how much light passes through the lens. Smaller numbers in an f-stop correspond to wider lens openings; as the f-stop reading increases in number, the lens opening decreases inversely.
Image Stablization
Image stabilization, IS in short, helps to steady the image projected into the camera to compensate for hand shake. It differs from digital image stabilization found in most digital video cameras as the later involves manipulation of image pixels to create a stable video image.
LCD
Short for liquid crystal display; a small, flat, visual screen that employs liquid crystal technology in order to display images.
Lens
An optical device that focuses light rays. In cameras, the lens is the device on the front face (or in a tube extending from the front face) that gathers the incoming light and concentrates it so that it can be directed toward the film (in an optical camera) or the imaging device (in a digital camera).
Wide angle lens - A lens that has an angle of view greater than that of a standard lens and that is considered of short focal length. This kind of lens is usually employed to include more of a subject within the confines of the image frame.
Zoom lens - Lens with variable focal length within a certain range.Fixed focal lens - A lens in which the focus is preset and is not adjustable.
Fish Eye Lens - This is an extremely wide-angle lens. A fish-eye lens magnifies the parts of the image near the center of the image and reduces the parts that are far away from the center.Macro Lens - Lens that allows close photography; also called a close up lens.
Rangefinder
Device in some cameras used to measure the distance from the camera to the subject and that indicates when the subject is in focus.
Light Meter
A light-sensitive measuring device used to evaluate the amount of light focused on a subject in order to set the proper exposure.
Megapixel
A measurement of 1,048,576 pixels (approximately 1 million pixels).
Is one million pixels. The term is used in reference to the resolution of a digital camera. The larger the megapixel value the higher the quality. of the camera's output
Memory Stick
Sony Electronics-based storage media used predominantly in Sony's cameras, computers, and MP3 players.
Resolution
A measure of the proportion of the smallest individually accessible portion of a video image to the overall size of the image. The higher the resolution, the finer the detail that can be discerned.
White Balance
This is the balancing of color components to create pure white when scanning a white object.
Digital Zoom
Uses digital technology to enlarge an image. Digital zoom does not have moving parts. It is the electronic enlarging of the middle of an image. The pixels at the center portion of the CCD are digitally doubled to make the image appear larger on the display.
Optical Zoom
Optical zoom magnifies the size of an image by adjusting the lens. Unlike digital zoom, optical zoom enlarges the subject without sacrificing resolution.
