Photography Basics

List of Terms

Click on terms to open related pages or step through content using the Previous and Next links at the bottom of each page. Some topics include multiple pages and may be best covered using the bottom navigation controls.
Aperture: Opening, allows light to reach imaging sensor
Shutter: Cover/curtain in front of sensor; opens when you fully press the shutter release and when shooting video
ISO: International Standards Organization; in photography, this is also referred to as "film speed"
Stabilization: lens or in-camera ability to reduce lens/camera shake
Magnification: lens magnification is the designated lens focal length, expressed in milimeters (mm) divided by 50. A 400mm lens is essentially an 8x magnification factor on a full-frame sensor camera.
Wide-angle lens: considered less than 50mm, which is similar to your eye magnification
Telephoto lens: Any lens in the 70mm to 200mm range (focal length) range. It can be a fixed focal length (prime) or a variable focal length (zoom) lens.
Super-telephoto lens: Generally anything above 200mm; available up to 800mm from major manufacturers such as Nikon and Canon
Cost Factor: What makes one camera or lens cheaper or more expensive than another? (3 pages)
Sensor Types: CCD and CMOS are most common but are available in various sizes; full-frame, APS-H, APS-C
Sensor Capacity: imaging sensor capacity measured in megapixels; affects on-screen and printed image size and can impact image detail
Depth of field: The "depth" of the area in acceptable focus; affected by lens focal length, image sensor size, aperture setting, and distance from the camera's sensor
Bokeh: Out of focus area, typically behind the subject
View finder: The tiny screen inside the camera where you typically look to focus and shoot
TTL: Through The Lens-refers to how you view your subject in the viewfinder in real time; TTL viewfinder reflects the image directly from the lens to the viewfinder using mirrors
Electronic Viewfinder: Image projected electronically to a tiny screen in the viewfinder; generally lags real-time due to processing and transmission via electrical means
Chromatic aberration: Abnormal coloring along contrasty edges, especially backlit subjects
Vignetting: The areas around the edges, especially corners, of your image that are darker than the rest of the image
Priority Shooting Modes:
- Aperture: You set the aperture and the camera changes shutter speed and/or ISO for correct exposure
- Shutter: You set the shutter speed and the camera changes aperture and/or ISO for correct exposure
- ISO: You set ISO speed and the camera adjusts shutter speed and aperture, essentially an automatic mode but with your set ISO speed
Macro lens/photography: a specialty lens or type of photography providing extreme magnification at close range, typically within inches of the subject
Extension Tubes: Hollow metal tubes inserted between the end of the lens and the camera's lens mount. Allow focusing at close range than the lens's rated minimum focus distance
Lens Adapters (for increased magnification): Standard adapters added to the lens between the small end of the lens and the camera's lens mount to increase overall magnification.

< Previous | Next >