Unit 2 Digital Photography

RAW

A RAW image offers more control over image processing. A RAW image contains more data per channel than the JPG has. Therefore, RAW images produce a wider range of colors.

Ball Head

A ball head is one type of tripod head. A ball head is a small head with a ball joint. The ball joint lets you position and reposition the camera at any angle.

Fisheye lens

A fisheye lens covers an angle of view of almost 180°. Due to its extensive angle of view, the produced images will curve at the edges, giving a fisheye view.

Close up/macro

A flower icon generally represents this mode. It is ideal for taking close-up shots while holding the camera very close to the subject.

Monopod

A monopod has a single leg attached to a head. Usually the head doesn't support vertical or horizontal movement. You need to move the monopod manually to frame a shot.

Motorized Grip

A motorized grip provides mechanical assistance and can store extra battery power for your camera. Grips are useful if you're taking pictures one after the other, in quick succession.

Point-and-shoot cameras

Compact digital cameras are basic, easy-to-use digital cameras that have a fixed lens and a compact shape and size

Lens aperture

the opening in the lens that allows light to reach the digital sensor. It consists of an overlapping set of blades that open to a specific diameter.

Pistol Hand Grip

A pistol grip is a non-motorized grip that you attach to the bottom of the camera. It gives you extra support when you handle the camera.

Shoulder Mount

A shoulder mount is a padded mount that rests on your shoulder for support on one end, and the other end holds the camera. You'll generally use a shoulder mount for video shooting or when you use heavy telephoto lenses.

Telephoto lens

A telephoto lens captures images that require high magnification. This type of lens has a narrower angle of view due to its longer focal length. As the focal length increases, the number of glass elements used inside the lens also increases (called telephoto grouping). The focal length of telephoto lenses ranges from 135mm to 800mm.

Tripod

A tripod, as the name suggests, has three legs. A tripod provides a steady base for your camera.

Cable sockets

Cameras come with sockets that allow photographers to connect cameras to computers in order to transfer captured images.

Batteries

Digital cameras use different types of batteries to power the camera and its various parts.

ISO control

ISO is a measure of the image sensor's sensitivity to light. A lower number means your camera is less sensitive to light.

Normal lens

In a standard camera, the most commonly used normal lens is 50 mm. A normal lens can be used for a number of different subject types. It is often used for everyday, general photography.

Program mode

In program mode, the camera automatically sets apertures and shutter speeds, while you control the ISO and flash settings.

Aperture priority mode

In this mode, you choose and control the aperture value, and the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed.

Steadycam Mount

It is a specifically designed body mount with a rigid harness. The mount attaches to a series of counterweights, and the camera attaches to an articulated arm that includes the counterweights. The weights compensate for any movement of your body and enable you to get a steady shot

JPEG

JPEG is the most common standard for a digital photograph that requires no specific manipulation. A JPEG file is smaller than a RAW image, but the quality of the image is lower than a RAW image.

Rear screen for review and mode selection

Most point-and-shoot cameras and DSLRs have a screen at the back where you can review the images you captured. These screens also display information about the current image capture, such as mode, focus, and color balance.

Night

Night mode appears on the dial as an icon of a person along with a moon or star. It is useful for taking photos at night and in low-light settings. It uses a long shutter speed to capture more light in the dark.

Shutter release

Pressing this button opens the shutter, allowing light from the subject to fall on the sensor.

Slide Rail Systems

Slide rail systems include a moving slider (on which you can mount a camera) clamped between two rails. The slider enables your camera to move smoothly from one end of the rails to the other, and ensures that you get stable pictures or videos.

Aerial Mast

The aerial mast is a long pole with adjustments for height. It has a head on the top. You electronically control the pan and tilt of this head so you can get any angle you want for your shot. You'll have a wire or an electronic shutter release to take the picture.

Aperture ring/control

The aperture controls the amount of light that falls on the image sensor.

Manual mode

The photographer has full control of all settings in this mode, including aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

Wide-angle lens

The purpose of a wide-angle lens is to capture a wider area or a greater angle of view. These lenses cover an angle of view ranging from approximately 108° to 135°. Photographers use these lenses in landscape and architectural photography or for taking pictures of groups of people.

Portrait

The dial usually shows this mode as the profile of a woman's head. This mode is ideal for photographing a single subject. The camera uses a large aperture in this mode, which blurs out the background.

depth of field

The distance between the nearest and the farthest points that are relatively sharp in a picture

Lens

The lens acts as the camera's eye. It receives light entering the camera and focuses it on the digital sensor.

Mode dial

The mode dial allows the photographer to select various shooting and exposure modes. Each mode has its own settings that cater to a specific scene or situation, such as sports, portrait, landscape, and macro.

Sports

The sports (or action) mode appears on the selection dial as a running figure. It is ideal for capturing moving subjects, such as vehicles, athletes, and wildlife. Sports mode uses a fast shutter speed to "freeze" the action.

Interchangeable-lens cameras

These cameras use removable lenses. You can select different lenses for different types of photographic work. Many Interchangeable-lens cameras also allow for a degree of manual control over various camera settings.

Tilt shift lens

These lenses are specifically for architectural photography. Objects such as buildings and bridges seem to lean backward if photographed with a normal lens. A tilt shift lens corrects the perspective of the image by rotating (tilting) or moving (shifting) the lens plane with respect to the image plane.

Software interface

This controls the user interface of the camera. It allows the photographer to adjust various camera settings and functions. The interface also provides image feedback on the rear screen.

Sensor

This device is behind the shutter and converts the light that comes through the shutter into an electrical signal.

Panorama Gimbal Brackets

This is a mechanized head that enables the camera to move accurately across two planes. This movement can be manual or mechanical.

Table or Mini Tripod

This is a small-scale version of a tripod. It doesn't rise more than a foot in height. A mini tripod is useful for low-angle shots, such as of players on a football field.

Camera strap

This is a strip of leather, fabric, or other material with both ends fastened to the camera.

Internal flash

This is basically a light bulb with a reflector at the back. The instant that the shutter opens, the flash turns on and lights up the subject

Camera body

This is the main part of the camera. The size of the camera body depends on the camera type.

Viewfinder

This is where photographers place their eye to view the image that the camera will capture.

Recording media

This is where the camera stores images.

Shutter priority mode

This mode allows you to choose and control the shutter speed, and the camera automatically adjusts the aperture.

Grip

This part of the camera body has a special shape that allows the photographer to hold the camera firmly (even with one hand) while having easy access to the shutter release and other function buttons.

Internal prism

This prism is present inside a camera. It reflects and inverts the image, allowing the photographer to preview the image through the viewfinder.

External flash socket

This socket allows you to attach an external flash device to your camera.

Prime lens or block lens

This type of lens has a fixed focal length. It also has a large aperture opening (or a smaller f-number), which makes it work better in variable and low light conditions.

Landscape

This typically appears as a mountain icon on the dial. It produces greater contrast and saturated, vivid colors. It also uses a small aperture and a slow shutter speed to bring more of the scene into focus.

Grip Strap

When you work with a camera, you may often need to shoot from awkward positions or temporarily interrupt your task. To avoid the risk of having your camera slip out of your hands during these times, you can attach an additional strap (a grip strap) to your camera.

Body Mount

You can choose from different types of body mounts, such as helmet mounts, chest mounts, and wrist mounts.

Jibs and Cranes

You can get this effect if you attach the camera to the long arm of a jib or crane. In video shoots, you can get a variety of high angles, with movement and control, by using jibs and cranes.

Finger Loops

You can insert your fingers through the loops to hold the camera steady when you shoot. The loops also reduce the chance of the camera slipping out of your hand.

Bean Bags

You can rest the camera on a small bean bag for safety in between shots or when you are not using it. You can also use the bean bag instead of a tripod as a stand for the camera while taking photos. Bean bags are useful, for example, when you shoot from a vehicle.

focal length

is the distance between the optical center of the lens and the camera's image sensor.

Shutter speed

the duration for which the shutter is open, and it is calculated in seconds. Light reaches the digital sensor only if the shutter is open; and longer shutter speeds mean the shutter is open for a longer duration.

Auto mode

the fully automated mode in which the camera selects all the settings, such as ISO, flash, and shutter speed, based on ambient light and other factors.

ISO

the measure of a digital sensor's sensitivity to light.

digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLRs)

the photosensitive medium is a digital sensor, such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor sensor (CMOS). DSLR cameras combine the benefits of an optical viewfinder with a large digital sensor to produce images.

Point of focus

the point to which the photographer wants to draw the viewer's attention.

fixed-lens cameras

these cameras feature a lens built into the body of the camera. They are good for general Point-and-shoot purposes because their field of view limits the captured images.

mirrorless Interchangeable-lens cameras (MILCs)

they do not use moveable mirrors. The absence of a mirror allows them to be more compact and lighter than DSLRs. MILCs provide high-quality images and shooting flexibility in a much smaller camera.

single-lens reflex cameras (SLRs)

use a moving mirror and prism system to focus on the exact image that you see in the viewfinder, capturing it on film. The mirror moves when you release the shutter, and light from the subject falls on the film.

Suction Mount

which is a specialized mount with a suction pad. You can attach suction mounts to smooth surfaces, such as glass, or to the metallic tops and sides of vehicles.

Zoom lens

zoom lens offers a range of focal lengths. Zoom lenses may be wide-angle lenses (such as 18-55mm, 24-70mm, and 17-85mm lenses) or telephoto lenses (such as 70-200mm, 75-300mm, and 100-400mm lenses). A zoom lens has a range of focal lengths that offer more angles of view from a single point.