Glossary
This is a growing glossary of common camera terms. Feel free to add items that aren't listed.
- 35mm - A film format with frames measuring 24mm x 36mm on a roll of film wound into an easy-to-load cassette.
- aperture - An opening in a lens that limits the amount of light passing through it.
- aperture priority - A metering method which recommends a shutter speed based on a desired aperture.
- autofocus
- auto exposure
- Bay I - Bayonet type I. A type of filter mount commonly used on TLRs.
- Bay II - Bayonet type II. A type of filter mount used on some TLRs.
- center-weighted
- click stops - See also detents.
- cable release
- coated
- contrast
- Compur
- Copal
- coupled rangefinder - A rangefinder that provides a focusing aid which is "coupled" to the focus adjustment on a lens.
- depth of field - The range of distances (from near to far) within which a scene will be considered to be "in focus."
- detents - Positions on a moving dial (eg, shutter speed or aperture dial) at which movement is locked.
- diopter - An optical adjustment that allows someone to adjust the viewfinder's magnification to their vision.
- exposure
- f-stop - The measure of the aperture setting on a lens.
- field of view - The diagonal measure of the part of a scene that is visible with a given lens.
- film advance
- flash sync - The manner by which a flash is fired while the shutter is open.
- focal plane - The flat plane onto which a lens focuses its image.
- focal plane shutter
- frame counter
- GOST - A measurement of film speed used in the former Soviet Union.
- large format - A film format larger than medium format, in which negatives are loaded one at a time rather than in rolls.
- leaf shutter - A type of shutter mechanism that uses small metal blades in a leaf pattern.
- Leica nipple
- lens - One or more glass elements used to focus an image onto the focal plane.
- lens barrel
- light meter - A device that measures light to determine the proper exposure settings for a scene.
- medium format - A film format larger than 35mm but smaller than large format (typically 120 film) wound onto spools.
- metering
- mirror lockup - A feature on some SLRs that allows the reflex mirror to be locked in the up position to eliminate vibration.
- mirror slap - The vibration caused by the mirror in an SLR flipping out of the way before a shot.
- optical axis - The straight line which passes through the centers of curvature of the lens surfaces.
- parallax - An effect in photography where the image seen in the viewfinder is not the same as the image seen through the lens.
- parallax error
- point-and-shoot - Camera designed to eliminate the user's need to make focus and exposure settings.
- polarizer - A filter that only allows light with a specific orientation to pass through it.
- QL - A Canon designation for film cameras using their "quick loading" feature.
- rangefinder
- rangefinder base - A measure of distance between the viewfinder and rangefinder windows on a rangefinder camera.
- rear-curtain sync
- saturation
- self-timer - A mechanism built into the shutter release, used to release the shutter after a set period of time.
- selenium
- sharpness
- shutter curtain
- shutter lag - See also shutter latency.
- shutter latency - The delay between the moment the shutter release is pressed and the moment the shutter actually opens.
- shutter priority - A metering method which recommends an aperture based on a desired shutter speed.
- shutter release - The mechanism (usually a button) that causes the shutter to open and close.
- shutter speed
- SLR - "Single Lens Reflex."
- sunny-16 rule - A light metering guideline that says proper exposure on a sunny day is f/16 at a shutter speed that is the reciprocal of your film speed.
- TLR - "Twin Lens Reflex."
- toy camera - An inexpensive camera usually made almost entirely out of plastic.
- trigger advance
- TTL - "Through the Lens."
- viewfinder - The part of a camera you look through when composing your shot.
- viewfinder blackout