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Aperture
The adjustable lens opening which controls the amount of light that enters the camera.
The larger the aperture, the shorter the depth of field and the fuzzier the background. The
smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field and the sharper the background. Larger
aperture values indicate smaller apertures, and smaller aperture values indicate larger
apertures.
CCD (Charge-Coupled Device)
This converts light passing through the lens into electrical signals. On this camera, light is
picked up and converted into RGB signals to build a single image.
Contrast Detection Method
This is used to measure the distance to the subject. The camera determines if the image
is focused by the level of contrast in the subject.
Conventional Photograph
This refers to recording images using silver halide (the method for recording images in
conventional, non-digital photography). This system is in contrast to still video and digital
photography.
DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System)
A standard for image files by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology
Industries Association (JEITA).
DPOF (Digital Print Order Format)
This is for saving desired print settings on digital cameras. By entering which images to
print and the number of copies of each, the user can easily have the desired images
printed by a printer or print lab that supports the DPOF format.
Eclipsing (Vignetting)
This refers to when an object obscures part of the field of view so that the whole subject
is not photographed. Vignetting also refers to when the image seen through the viewfinder
does not exactly match the image shot through the objective lens, so the photographed
image includes objects not seen through the viewfinder. In addition, vignetting can occur
when an incorrect lens hood is used, causing shadowing to appear in the corners of the
image.
ESP (Electro-Selective Pattern) Light Metering/Digital ESP Light Metering
This determines the exposure by metering and calculating the light levels in the center
and other areas of the image separately.
EV (Exposure Value)
A system for measuring exposure. EV0 is when the aperture is at F1 and the shutter
speed is 1 second. The EV then increases by 1 each time the aperture increases by one
F stop or the shutter speed increases by one increment. EV can also be used to indicate
brightness and ISO.
Exposure
The amount of light used to capture an image. The exposure is determined by the time
the shutter is open (shutter speed) and the amount of light that passes through the lens
(aperture).
Image size
The size of an image expressed by the number of pixels that make up the image. For
instance, a picture taken with an image size of 640 × 480 fills the computer screen when
the monitor setting is 640 × 480. However, if the monitor setting is 1,024 × 768, the picture
only takes up part of the screen.
Glossary of terms
