Camera Terms and Acronyms for Dummies

[Jaszek]

ok nvm. Noise isnt there. Ill update the first post in like a week when I get back to the states

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[Actor]

gauge
The width of roll film, usually given in millimeters, e.g., 35mm film. Sometimes indicated by jargon such as “medium format.” The term seems to be used more by cinematographers than still photographers.

glass
Jargon for lens, or lenses. E.g., “the camera has good glass,” meaning the camera has a good lens.

glass thermometer
A thermometer which measures temperature by measuring the volume of a working fluid held in a graduated glass tube. Historically the working fluid was mercury but, since mercury is a hazardous substance, there has been a move toward using other fluids.

gray card
A card colored 18% gray, used as a reference in determining exposure. See 18% gray.

gray market
A term for equipment and supplies whose route from the manufacturer to the consumer is questionable, and which may be substandard and/or not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. Such items can often be had at a lower price.

guide number
A measure of a flash unit’s intensity. One determines the correct aperture by dividing the guide number by the camera to subject distance, which must be in the same units as the guide number (feet or meters). The guide is usually given for ASA 100. A further adjustment of the aperture must be applied if a different speed is used.

halation
An effect caused by light bouncing off the back of a film’s support (substrate) making halos appear around objects. Films usually include an anti-halation layer to prevent this.

handheld rule
In 35mm photography one can avoid jitter (camera shake) from a hand-held camera by choosing a shutter speed that is numerically equal to or greater than the focal length of the lens. E.g., when using a 90mm lens choose a shutter speed of 1/90 second or faster. This rule is subject to just how steady the photographer’s hand is.

hypo
Synonym for fixer.

hypo clear
A chemical to aid in washing remaining fixer from the negative or print.

[Actor]

incident light vs. reflected light
Incident light refers to light which falls on the subject. Reflected light refers to light reflected by the subject. In measuring incident light the meter is held near the subject and the light sensitive element is covered with a small dome which attenuates the light. The meter is pointed at the camera and a reading is taken. Reflected light is read by a meter held near the camera (without the attenuating dome) or by an in-camera meter. The meter (or camera) is pointed at the subject and the reading is taken.

inverse square law
Mathematically

I = I’/(d – d’)^2

where I is the intensity of the light at distance d and I’ is the intensity of the light at distance d’, both distances being measured from the source of the light. ^ means “to the power of” and ^2 means “to the second power” or “squared”. An example in less mathematical terms is if you double the distance from a light to the subject you will decrease the illumination by a factor of 4 (2^2 = 4).

ISO
Abbreviation for International Standards Organization. To photographers ISO is a notation of film speed in both ASA and DIN, i.e., if the ASA is 100, then DIN is 21 and ISO 100/21 is written on the box. See ASA, DIN.

large format
Any format larger than 70mm, in particular 4” x 5” sheet film or larger.

latent image
An image formed on the emulsion when light strikes the film and which must be “developed” to become visible.

leader
A paper (or other non-light sensitive material) attachment, which is the same width as roll film, which allows the film to be loaded into a camera without having to load the camera in the dark. In some instances (120 film) the leader is a backing which extends the full length of the film and beyond both ends. In other cases (220 film) the leader is only attached to the ends. In still other cases (movie film) the film is “self leading” and the ends of the film are simply sacrificed. Self leading depends on the film attenuating the light enough that several layers will protect the inner layers of the spool from exposure.

leaf shutter
A shutter designed like an iris. Such a shutter exposes all areas of the negative simultaneously, unlike a focal plane shutter. Leaf shutter usually reside in the lens and are common in medium format and large format photography.

loupe
A magnifier for examining a negative, transparency or print at very close distance.

[Bresine]

Wow, thanks for great post...very helpful.

just got a D3000 with a Nikor18-55mm

wondering what the [A M] and VR abbreviations are for on the side of the lense? (sorry, I am very much a new user as you can tell) thanks so much!!!

[Eyetattoo]

Wow, thanks for great post...very helpful.

just got a D3000 with a Nikor18-55mm

wondering what the [A M] and VR abbreviations are for on the side of the lense? (sorry, I am very much a new user as you can tell) thanks so much!!!

A=autofocus , M=manual focus, VR=vibration reduction (image stabilization, sp?)

[Bresine]

thanks

[marmots]

is pov the same as angle of veiw

[Actor]

is pov the same as angle of veiw

I don't think so. POV means "point of view" and as far as I know it's a cinematography term. It's an script directive that tells the director to place the camera at a place supposedly occupied by a character in the movie so that the shot shows us what the character sees. For example:

ANGLE ON BATTLEFIELD - PATTON'S POV

"Angle on" is also a cinematography term meaning "take a shot of." Thus the above instruction says "Take a shot of the battlefield as seen by Patton."

Both POV and ANGLE ON are unpopular in Hollywood today. In recent years directors have become "auteurs" who don't like screenwriters telling them how to shoot the movie.

[joeywpc]

great topic, very interesting reading, makes me contemplate that photography is both art and science, so many things to consider yet when it all comes together it is beautiful.

[Actor]

magazine
a light proof container into which film is loaded. The magazine itself is then loaded into or attached to a camera which draws film from the magazine and returns it to the magazine after it is exposed. Magazines are more common in motion picture cameras than still cameras. Film backs used in medium format cameras are a kind of magazine.

maximum black
the density of a film or print which cannot be increased by further exposure.

medium format
any film format using a film gauge wider than 35mm.

[Double H]

I have a problem with the term Bokeh.
It's Selective Focus, for crying out loud!

Sheesh.

[thisyast]

I accept:The common technique of putting the subject slightly off-centre, about a third of the way from either the left, right, upper or lower part of the photograph. Not always the best option, but generally can help a photograph's composition.

[jacob.Emily]

How about: witch, shrew, vixen, she-devil, hellcat, harridan, termagant, virago, harpy; grimalkin, malicious, unpleasant, dificult.

[Sbuxo]

what about DIY?

[Darkhunter139]

what about DIY?

Do it yourself