List of abbreviations in photography
Encyclopedia
This is a list of abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms commonly used by photographers in digital photography
as well as in older film photography
and related branches of electronics
and optics
. Some of these terms are specific to digital photography.
Since the early years of the 21st century most amateur and professional photographers have been using digital camera
s in preference to the older film
technology.
Digital cameras use electronic image sensor
s to capture images (i.e.: "take photographs"). These cameras also make extensive use of electrical devices to measure the luminance
of the subject, and to set exposure
and focus
automatically. These miniature electric motor
s, actuator
s and sensors are controlled by microprocessor
s embedded within the camera, pre-programmed with dedicated software
often referred to as firmware
. The output of the image sensor is processed
electronically and the resulting digital files
transferred into storage memory
. With the rapid growth of digital photography, many new abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms
have been introduced by those using and discussing the new technologies and practices.
Digital photography
Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of light sensitive sensors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on light sensitive film...
as well as in older film photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and related branches of electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
and optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
. Some of these terms are specific to digital photography.
Since the early years of the 21st century most amateur and professional photographers have been using digital camera
Digital camera
A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography...
s in preference to the older film
Photographic film
Photographic film is a sheet of plastic coated with an emulsion containing light-sensitive silver halide salts with variable crystal sizes that determine the sensitivity, contrast and resolution of the film...
technology.
Digital cameras use electronic image sensor
Image sensor
An image sensor is a device that converts an optical image into an electronic signal. It is used mostly in digital cameras and other imaging devices...
s to capture images (i.e.: "take photographs"). These cameras also make extensive use of electrical devices to measure the luminance
Luminance
Luminance is a photometric measure of the luminous intensity per unit area of light travelling in a given direction. It describes the amount of light that passes through or is emitted from a particular area, and falls within a given solid angle. The SI unit for luminance is candela per square...
of the subject, and to set exposure
Exposure (photography)
In photography, exposure is the total amount of light allowed to fall on the photographic medium during the process of taking a photograph. Exposure is measured in lux seconds, and can be computed from exposure value and scene luminance over a specified area.In photographic jargon, an exposure...
and focus
Focus (optics)
In geometrical optics, a focus, also called an image point, is the point where light rays originating from a point on the object converge. Although the focus is conceptually a point, physically the focus has a spatial extent, called the blur circle. This non-ideal focusing may be caused by...
automatically. These miniature electric motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
s, actuator
Actuator
An actuator is a type of motor for moving or controlling a mechanism or system. It is operated by a source of energy, usually in the form of an electric current, hydraulic fluid pressure or pneumatic pressure, and converts that energy into some kind of motion. An actuator is the mechanism by which...
s and sensors are controlled by microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
s embedded within the camera, pre-programmed with dedicated software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
often referred to as firmware
Firmware
In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices...
. The output of the image sensor is processed
Image processing engine
The image processing engine, or image processor, is an important component of a digital camera. The digital image processing engine can perform a range of tasks.- Bayer transformation :...
electronically and the resulting digital files
Digital image
A digital image is a numeric representation of a two-dimensional image. Depending on whether or not the image resolution is fixed, it may be of vector or raster type...
transferred into storage memory
Memory card
A memory card or flash card is an electronic flash memory data storage device used for storing digital information. They are commonly used in many electronic devices, including digital cameras, mobile phones, laptop computers, MP3 players, and video game consoles...
. With the rapid growth of digital photography, many new abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms
Acronym and initialism
Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...
have been introduced by those using and discussing the new technologies and practices.
Acronyms and initialisms that are not brand-specific
| AE | Automatic exposure. Hardware and software ("firmware Firmware In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices... "), built into the camera, measures luminance of the subject and automatically sets shutter speed Shutter speed In photography, shutter speed is a common term used to discuss exposure time, the effective length of time a camera's shutter is open.... , lens aperture F-number In optics, the f-number of an optical system expresses the diameter of the entrance pupil in terms of the focal length of the lens; in simpler terms, the f-number is the focal length divided by the "effective" aperture diameter... or sensitivity Film speed Film speed is the measure of a photographic film's sensitivity to light, determined by sensitometry and measured on various numerical scales, the most recent being the ISO system.... . |
| AE-L or AEL | Automatic exposure lock. Technology for holding an exposure setting from one scene to another. |
| AF | Autofocus Autofocus An autofocus optical system uses a sensor, a control system and a motor to focus fully automatic or on a manually selected point or area. An electronic rangefinder has a display instead of the motor; the adjustment of the optical system has to be done manually until indication... . The lens is focused automatically by means of the camera's hardware and firmware Firmware In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices... , to obtain optimum sharpness of an image. |
| AF-L or AFL | Autofocus lock. Locks a particular focus setting, preventing refocusing if the scene changes. |
| APEX | Additive system of Photographic EXposure APEX system APEX stands for Additive system of Photographic EXposure, whichwas proposed in the 1960 ASA standardfor monochrome film speed, ASA PH2.5-1960,as a means of simplifying exposure computation.-Exposure equation:... . A system to aid calculation of correct exposures, developed in the 1960s. Some aspects are included in Exif. |
| APS-C APS-C Advanced Photo System type-C is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the Advanced Photo System "classic" size negatives... |
A film format defined by the Advanced Photo System Advanced Photo System Advanced Photo System is a film format for still photography first produced in 1996. It was marketed by Eastman Kodak under the brand name Advantix, by FujiFilm under the name Nexia, by AgfaPhoto under the name Futura and by Konica as Centuria.- Design :The film is 24 mm wide, and has three... as 25.1 x 16.7 mm. Different manufacturers use this term for image sensor Image sensor An image sensor is a device that converts an optical image into an electronic signal. It is used mostly in digital cameras and other imaging devices... s measuring between about 20.7 x 13.8 mm to 28.7 x 19.1 mm. |
| ASA | The American Standards Association (now called the American National Standards Institute American National Standards Institute The American National Standards Institute is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organization also coordinates U.S. standards with international... , ANSI) defined the ASA system for rating the speed sensitivity of photographic emulsions; now superseded by the ISO system. |
| Av | Aperture value F-number In optics, the f-number of an optical system expresses the diameter of the entrance pupil in terms of the focal length of the lens; in simpler terms, the f-number is the focal length divided by the "effective" aperture diameter... . Aperture priority Aperture priority Aperture priority, often abbreviated A or Av on a camera mode dial, is a setting on some cameras that allows the user to choose a specific aperture value while the camera selects a shutter speed to match. The camera will ensure proper exposure... automatic exposure mode, where the photographer sets the lens f-stop and the AE firmware Firmware In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices... sets the shutter speed Shutter speed In photography, shutter speed is a common term used to discuss exposure time, the effective length of time a camera's shutter is open.... . |
| AWB | Automatic white balance Color balance In photography and image processing, color balance is the global adjustment of the intensities of the colors . An important goal of this adjustment is to render specific colors – particularly neutral colors – correctly; hence, the general method is sometimes called gray balance, neutral balance,... . A setting that allows the camera's hardware and firmware Firmware In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices... to estimate the colour temperature of the scene. |
| CA | Chromatic aberration Chromatic aberration In optics, chromatic aberration is a type of distortion in which there is a failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same convergence point. It occurs because lenses have a different refractive index for different wavelengths of light... . Failure of a lens to focus all colours at the same point. The aberrations can be along the optical axis (Longitudinal CA, or LoCA) or off-axis (Lateral or Transverse CA, TCA). |
| CCD | Charge-coupled device Charge-coupled device A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time... . A semiconductor technology, used to create photosensor arrays for some digital cameras. |
| CMOS | Complementary metal oxide semiconductor CMOS Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor is a technology for constructing integrated circuits. CMOS technology is used in microprocessors, microcontrollers, static RAM, and other digital logic circuits... . A semiconductor technology, used to create photosensor arrays for some digital cameras. |
| CMYK | CMYK color model CMYK color model The CMYK color model is a subtractive color model, used in color printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself. CMYK refers to the four inks used in some color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key... . A subtractive process for colour printing that utilises cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks to create any printable colour. It is possible to omit black ink, in which case the process is termed CMY. |
| CP, CPL, or CPoL | Circular polarizing filter Polarizing filter (Photography) The polarizing filter used with most modern cameras is a circular polarizer. The first stage of the polarizer is a linear filter which filters out light that is linearly polarized in a specific direction... . |
| CSC | Compact System Camera. Mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, smaller than a Digital single-lens reflex camera Digital single-lens reflex camera Most digital single-lens reflex cameras are digital cameras that use a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera.... . |
| DCF | Design rule for Camera File system Design rule for Camera File system Design rule for Camera File system is a JEITA specification which defines a file system for digital cameras, including the directory structure, file naming method, character set, file format, and metadata format. It is currently the de facto industry standard for digital still cameras... . A digital camera file system standard; JEITA number CP-3461. |
| DIN | Deutsches Institut für Normung Deutsches Institut für Normung is the German national organization for standardization and is that country's ISO member body. DIN is a Registered German Association headquartered in Berlin... . A logarithmic system for expressing film speed in common use in Europe since 1934. Now combined with the ASA linear system, in the form of the ISO system. |
| DOF or DoF | Depth of field Depth of field In optics, particularly as it relates to film and photography, depth of field is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image... . A measure of the permissible distance within which an object remains in acceptable, though not perfect, focus. Calculations of DOF assume that an imperfectly focused "circle of confusion" Circle of confusion In optics, a circle of confusion is an optical spot caused by a cone of light rays from a lens not coming to a perfect focus when imaging a point source... smaller than 0.20 to 0.25 mm is indistinguishable from perfect focus in an image viewed from a normal distance.. This is approximately equivalent to 0.03 mm in the case of an image on 35 mm film or FF format. |
| DPI | Dots per inch Dots per inch Dots per inch is a measure of spatial printing or video dot density, in particular the number of individual dots that can be placed in a line within the span of 1 inch . The DPI value tends to correlate with image resolution, but is related only indirectly.- DPI measurement in monitor... . A measure of the ability of a printer or scanner to handle fine detail. |
| DR | Dynamic range Dynamic range Dynamic range, abbreviated DR or DNR, is the ratio between the largest and smallest possible values of a changeable quantity, such as in sound and light. It is measured as a ratio, or as a base-10 or base-2 logarithmic value.-Dynamic range and human perception:The human senses of sight and... . Expresses the luminance range of a scene, a captured image or the maximum range of luminance that a camera can successfully capture at one setting. It is often used imprecisely, but can sometimes be quantified as a ratio. The term contrast ratio Contrast ratio The contrast ratio is a property of a display system, defined as the ratio of the luminance of the brightest color to that of the darkest color that the system is capable of producing... may be preferred for the luminance range in a scene. |
| DSLR | Digital single-lens reflex camera Digital single-lens reflex camera Most digital single-lens reflex cameras are digital cameras that use a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera.... ; also dSLR. |
| ED | Extra Low Dispersion glass Low dispersion glass Low dispersion glass is a type of glass with low dispersion. Crown glass is an example of a relatively inexpensive low-dispersion glass.... . Used in composite lenses to reduce chromatic aberration. One of a class of special glasses, including Anomalous Dispersion (AD), Special Low Dispersion (SLD) and Extraordinary Low Dispersion (ELD) glass, used in place of fluorite. |
| EFC, EFCS or EFSC | Electronic first curtain, electronic front curtain, electronic first curtain shutter, electronic first shutter curtain of a focal plane shutter. |
| EV | Exposure value Exposure value In photography, exposure value denotes all combinations of a camera's shutter speed and relative aperture that give the same exposure. In an attempt to simplify choosing among combinations of equivalent camera settings, the concept was developed by the German shutter manufacturer in the 1950s... . A system for indicating correct exposure in which the shutter speed and f-number are related arithmetically. |
| EVF | Electronic viewfinder Electronic viewfinder An electronic viewfinder or EVF is a viewfinder where the image captured by the lens is projected electronically onto a miniature display. The image on this display is used to assist in aiming the camera at the scene to be photographed.-Operation:... . The through-the-lens view is displayed on a miniature solid-state screen, rather than on an optical screen or view. |
| EVIL | Electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens camera. See also MILC, Mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera. |
| Exif | Exchangeable image file format Exchangeable image file format Exchangeable image file format is a standard that specifies the formats for images, sound, and ancillary tags used by digital cameras , scanners and other systems handling image and sound files recorded by digital cameras... . A standard format for tag data in digital camera files. |
| f | f-number, f-stop. The numerical value of a lens aperture. The ratio of the focal length of the lens divided by its effective aperture diameter. |
| FF | Full frame, where the image sensor Image sensor An image sensor is a device that converts an optical image into an electronic signal. It is used mostly in digital cameras and other imaging devices... is approximately the same size as a 35 mm film negative: 36 x 24 mm. |
| FP | Focal plane Focal-plane shutter In camera design, a focal-plane shutter is a type of photographic shutter that is positioned immediately in front of the focal plane of the camera, that is, right in front of the photographic film or image sensor.-Two-curtain shutters:... . A shutter that opens and closes near to the film or image sensor Image sensor An image sensor is a device that converts an optical image into an electronic signal. It is used mostly in digital cameras and other imaging devices... , usually as a fast-moving slit, as contrasted with a bladed/leaf shutter located near a nodal point of a lens. |
| FPA | Focal plane array. A matrix of sensors positioned in the focal plane of a lens or other focusing device. |
| FPS | Frames per second Frame rate Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems... . Used in reference to maximum continuous shooting rate or video. |
| GIF | Graphics Interchange Format. A computer file format for coloured images, restricted to 256 colours and useful for small file-size. |
| GIMP GIMP GIMP is a free software raster graphics editor. It is primarily employed as an image retouching and editing tool and is freely available in versions tailored for most popular operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X, and Linux.In addition to detailed image retouching and... |
GNU GNU GNU is a Unix-like computer operating system developed by the GNU project, ultimately aiming to be a "complete Unix-compatible software system"... Image Manipulation Program. Open-source software for editing digital images. Distributed free of charge. |
| GN | Guide number Guide number The guide number for an electronic flash measures its ability to illuminate the subject to be photographed at a specific film or sensor sensitivity and angle of view... . A value indicating the power of an electronic flash Flash (photography) A flash is a device used in photography producing a flash of artificial light at a color temperature of about 5500 K to help illuminate a scene. A major purpose of a flash is to illuminate a dark scene. Other uses are capturing quickly moving objects or changing the quality of light... apparatus, and used to estimate exposure. GN = distance x f-number. One needs to specify the film or sensor ISO speed, and it is conventional to quote for ISO 100/21°. The distance can be in feet or in metres, the units to be specified. |
| GND | Graduated neutral density Graduated neutral density filter A graduated neutral density filter, also known as a graduated ND filter, split neutral density filter, or just a graduated filter, is an optical filter that has a variable light transmission. Typically half of the filter is of neutral density which transitions, either abruptly or gradually, into... . A type of neutral density filter in which brightness is reduced more on one side of the filter than on the other, allowing the photographer to reduce the contrast between, for example, bright sky and dark land. |
| HDR | High dynamic range High dynamic range imaging In image processing, computer graphics, and photography, high dynamic range imaging is a set of techniques that allows a greater dynamic range between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than current standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods... . Techniques that allow a digital image to show a wider contrast range than current image sensor Image sensor An image sensor is a device that converts an optical image into an electronic signal. It is used mostly in digital cameras and other imaging devices... s can record in one file. Some cameras have firmware Firmware In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices... to do the processing. |
| IQ | Image quality Image Quality Image quality is a characteristic of an image that measures the perceived image degradation . Imaging systems may introduce some amounts of distortion or artifacts in the signal, so the quality assessment is an important problem.-In photographic imaging:In digital or film-based photography, an... . An informal abbreviation used in discussion forums. Usually subjective, though some studies have analysed mathematically quantifiable components of image quality. |
| IR | Infrared Infrared Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm... . The electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than about 700 nm and not visible to the human eye. |
| IS | Image stabilization Image stabilization Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical... . Technology to minimize image blurring by camera movement during exposure. See also AS, OS, OIS, OSS, SR, SS, SSI, SSS, VR as brand-specific terms. |
| ISO | A system for quantifying the sensitivity ("speed Film speed Film speed is the measure of a photographic film's sensitivity to light, determined by sensitometry and measured on various numerical scales, the most recent being the ISO system.... ") of a photographic emulsion, or a solid-state digital-camera's image sensor Image sensor An image sensor is a device that converts an optical image into an electronic signal. It is used mostly in digital cameras and other imaging devices... , to visible light. Normally followed by a numerical value, e.g.: ISO 100 or ISO 64/19°. Developed from the ASA and the DIN systems by the International Organization for Standardization International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial... . |
| JPEG | A format designed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group Joint Photographic Experts Group The Joint Photographic Experts Group is the joint committee between ISO/IEC JTC1 and ITU-T that created the JPEG, JPEG 2000, and JPEG XR standards. It is one of two sub-groups of ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1, Subcommittee 29, Working Group 1 - titled as Coding of still pictures... , that allows files of coloured images to be compressed to a smaller digital file than if the full range of colours were to be saved. Also .JPG as a computer file extension. |
| LBA | Lens Buying Addiction. Usually used in a jocular sense on camera forums, about a wish to add to an already extensive collection of interchangeable lenses. |
| LCA | An ambiguous abbreviation that should be avoided. Some writers use it to mean Lateral (transverse) chromatic aberration Chromatic aberration In optics, chromatic aberration is a type of distortion in which there is a failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same convergence point. It occurs because lenses have a different refractive index for different wavelengths of light... , TCA, while others use it to mean Longitudial (axial) chromatic aberration, LoCA. |
| LCD | Liquid crystal display Liquid crystal display A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly.... . A technology often used in the monitor screens of digital cameras, etc. |
| LED | Light-emitting diode Light-emitting diode A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting... . Semiconductor technology to convert electrical energy into light efficiently. Quasi-white and a range of colours, as well as infrared are possible. |
| LoCA | Longitudinal (axial) chromatic aberration Chromatic aberration In optics, chromatic aberration is a type of distortion in which there is a failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same convergence point. It occurs because lenses have a different refractive index for different wavelengths of light... . |
| LR | Lightroom, a popular software application for processing images from digital cameras. Developed by Adobe. |
| MC | Multi-coating Anti-reflective coating An antireflective or anti-reflection coating is a type of optical coating applied to the surface of lenses and other optical devices to reduce reflection. This improves the efficiency of the system since less light is lost. In complex systems such as a telescope, the reduction in reflections also... or multi-coated. Anti-reflection coating of lenses to reduce transmission losses. May also stand for meter coupling or meter-coupled lenses. Whilst being a generic term, the designation in the latter meaning is mostly used to describe a generation of Minolta SR-mount lenses implementing this feature. |
| MF | Manual focus Manual focus In the field of photography, a manual focus camera is one in which the operator has to adjust the focus of the lens by hand. Before the advent of autofocus, all cameras had manually adjusted focusing; thus, the term is a retronym.... . The photographer adjusts the lens to obtain the image sharpness required, as opposed to AF. Alternative meaning: Medium Format. A size of film or image sensor Image sensor An image sensor is a device that converts an optical image into an electronic signal. It is used mostly in digital cameras and other imaging devices... somewhat larger than the 35mm film standard of 36 x 24 mm. |
| MILC | Mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera. Similar to a digital single-lens reflex camera Digital single-lens reflex camera Most digital single-lens reflex cameras are digital cameras that use a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera.... , but having an electronic Electronic viewfinder An electronic viewfinder or EVF is a viewfinder where the image captured by the lens is projected electronically onto a miniature display. The image on this display is used to assist in aiming the camera at the scene to be photographed.-Operation:... or rangefinder type of viewfinder in place of the mirror and pentaprism, to allow a more compact design. See also EVIL camera. |
| MTF | Modulation transfer function Optical transfer function The optical transfer function of an imaging system is the true measure of resolution that the system is capable of... . A technical measure of the ability of a lens to create a finely detailed image. Several types of specialized apparatus are available to get the basic data on a lens and to analyse it. The calculated performance may be presented in various ways. |
| ND | Neutral density Neutral density filter In photography and optics, a neutral density filter or ND filter can be a colorless or grey filter. An ideal neutral density filter reduces and/or modifies intensity of all wavelengths or colors of light equally, giving no changes in hue of color rendition.The purpose of standard photographic... . A neutral-grey pre-lens filter to reduce overall brightness without altering colour balance. |
| NR | Noise reduction. Digital noise reduction through firmware Firmware In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices... processing or editing the digitized image. |
| OOF or OoF | Out of focus Defocus aberration In optics, defocus is the aberration in which an image is simply out of focus. This aberration is familiar to anyone who has used a camera, videocamera, microscope, telescope, or binoculars. Optically, defocus refers to a translation along the optical axis away from the plane or surface of best... . |
| OVF | Optical viewfinder. The picture is framed on the focusing screen of an through-the-lens optical viewfinder, as found on [D]SLR cameras, or in a look-through-viewfinder, as found on rangefinder cameras. |
| PC | Prontor-Compur Prontor-Compur A Prontor-Compur connection is a standard 3.5 mm electrical connector used in photography to synchronize the shutter to the flash.... . A 3.5 mm coaxial camera jack named PC terminal, to synchronize external non-dedicated flashes Flash (photography) A flash is a device used in photography producing a flash of artificial light at a color temperature of about 5500 K to help illuminate a scene. A major purpose of a flash is to illuminate a dark scene. Other uses are capturing quickly moving objects or changing the quality of light... (f.e. studio flashes), found on many more advanced camera models. May also stand for Personal Computer Personal computer A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator... in conjunction with digital photography. |
| PF | Purple fringing Purple fringing In photography, and particularly in digital photography, purple fringing is the term for an out-of-focus purple or magenta "ghost" image on a photograph... . A form of chromatic aberration in which a purple-violet haze degrades high contrast edges or over-saturated highlights. Some models of lens are widely criticised for this fault, though there are suggestions that it might also be due to properties of digital sensors Image sensor An image sensor is a device that converts an optical image into an electronic signal. It is used mostly in digital cameras and other imaging devices... . |
| PNG | Portable Network Graphics. A computer file format for compressed coloured images useful for small file-size. |
| P&S | Point-and-shoot camera. Photographers' slang for a small or compact camera that is easy to use because the essential functions are automated. Popular, but with limitations compared with more advanced cameras such as DSLR cameras with larger image sensor Image sensor An image sensor is a device that converts an optical image into an electronic signal. It is used mostly in digital cameras and other imaging devices... s. |
| PS, PSE | Photoshop Adobe Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop... , Photoshop Elements Adobe Photoshop Elements Adobe Photoshop Elements is the consumer version of the Adobe Photoshop raster image editing product, targeted at hobbyist users and hence sold at a fraction of the cost of the professional product. It contains most of the features of the professional version but with fewer and simpler options... . Commercial computer applications developed by Adobe to facilitate the editing of digital images. |
| RGB | RGB color space RGB color space An RGB color space is any additive color space based on the RGB color model. A particular RGB color space is defined by the three chromaticities of the red, green, and blue additive primaries, and can produce any chromaticity that is the triangle defined by those primary colors... . An additive colour space that uses the primary colours of red, green and blue to create any colour. There are several variants: sRGB, ISO RGB and some proprietary standards. Used mainly in colour displays: computer monitors, digital cameras, etc. |
| RP | Resolving power Angular resolution Angular resolution, or spatial resolution, describes the ability of any image-forming device such as an optical or radio telescope, a microscope, a camera, or an eye, to distinguish small details of an object... . Usual meaning is the reciprocal of the distance between two just-distinguishable subject details. |
| SLR | Single lens reflex camera Single-lens reflex camera A single-lens reflex camera is a camera that typically uses a semi-automatic moving mirror system that permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to pre-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly... . A camera where the same lens is used to view the scene and to focus its image onto a film emulsion or solid-state photosensor. Usually combined with the facility to fit one of a range of lenses, and often more versatile than viewfinder/rangefinder cameras. |
| Sv | Sensitivity value APEX system APEX stands for Additive system of Photographic EXposure, whichwas proposed in the 1960 ASA standardfor monochrome film speed, ASA PH2.5-1960,as a means of simplifying exposure computation.-Exposure equation:... . Sensitivity priority Sensitivity priority Sensitivity priority, often abbreviated Sv on a camera dial, and colloquially called "ISO priority", is a setting on Pentax cameras that allows the user to choose a specific Sensitivity value while the camera selects a shutter speed and aperture to match. The camera will ensure proper exposure... automatic exposure mode, where the photographer sets the ISO sensitivity and the AE firmware Firmware In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices... sets the aperture or shutter speed. |
| TCA | Transverse (lateral) chromatic aberration Chromatic aberration In optics, chromatic aberration is a type of distortion in which there is a failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same convergence point. It occurs because lenses have a different refractive index for different wavelengths of light... or Lateral colour. Colour fringes that worsen the further the image point is from the optical axis. |
| TIFF | Tagged Image File Format Tagged Image File Format TIFF is a file format for storing images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and both amateur and professional photographers in general. As of 2009, it is under the control of Adobe Systems... . A high fidelity computer file format for handling digital images that does not sacrifice colour and form detail in the way that 'lossy' compression formats such as GIF, JPEG and PNG do. |
| TLR | Twin-lens reflex Twin-lens reflex camera A twin-lens reflex camera is a type of camera with two objective lenses of the same focal length. One of the lenses is the photographic objective or "taking lens" , while the other is used for the viewfinder system, which is usually viewed from above at waist level... . A camera with two lenses, one for taking pictures and one for viewing the scene. The two lenses are typically linked to ensure that they remain focused at the same distance. |
| TTL | Through the lens. Through the lens metering measures the luminance after it has passed through the camera lens, thus providing readings or settings that allow for aperture and focus changes, filters, etc. |
| Tv | Time value Shutter speed In photography, shutter speed is a common term used to discuss exposure time, the effective length of time a camera's shutter is open.... . Shutter priority Shutter priority Shutter priority refers to a setting on some cameras that allows the user to choose a specific shutter speed while the camera adjusts the aperture to ensure correct exposure... automatic exposure mode, where the photographer sets a shutter speed, and the AE firmware Firmware In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices... automatically sets the appropriate lens aperture F-number In optics, the f-number of an optical system expresses the diameter of the entrance pupil in terms of the focal length of the lens; in simpler terms, the f-number is the focal length divided by the "effective" aperture diameter... . |
| UV | Ultraviolet Ultraviolet Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV... . The electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than about 400 nm and not visible to the human eye. |
Initialisms that are used mainly by specific brands
| A | Aperture priority Aperture priority Aperture priority, often abbreviated A or Av on a camera mode dial, is a setting on some cameras that allows the user to choose a specific aperture value while the camera selects a shutter speed to match. The camera will ensure proper exposure... mode (Nikon, Minolta, Konica Minolta, Sony, Olympus, Sigma brands), same as Av mode. |
| ADI | Advanced Distance Integration (Minolta, Konica Minolta, Sony brands). A technology to take distance information into account in combination with TTL flash metering. |
| AS | AntiShake (Minolta, Konica Minolta brands). See IS Image stabilization Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical... in general usage. |
| BBAR | Broad Band Anti Reflection (Tamron brand). Anti-reflection multi-coating of lenses to reduce transmission losses. |
| DC | Digitally corrected (Konica Minolta, Sony, Sigma brands). A lens designation to indicate lenses which feature improved lens-coating but cover the APS-C APS-C Advanced Photo System type-C is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the Advanced Photo System "classic" size negatives... image circle only. Also used for Defocus control (Nikon brand). |
| DNG | Digital Negative Digital Negative (file format) Digital Negative is an open raw image format owned by Adobe used for digital photography. It was launched on September 27, 2004. The launch was accompanied by the first version of the DNG specification, plus various products including a free of charge DNG Converter utility... , an open Open format An open file format is a published specification for storing digital data, usually maintained by a standards organization, which can therefore be used and implemented by anyone. For example, an open format can be implementable by both proprietary and free and open source software, using the typical... raw image format RAW image format A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor... promoted by Adobe and used by some camera manufacturers (f.e. Leica, Samsung, Ricoh and Pentax). Developed from the TIFF/EP Tag Image File Format / Electronic Photography "Tag Image File Format / Electronic Photography" is a digital image file format standard – ISO 12234-2, titled "Electronic still-picture imaging – Removable memory – Part 2: TIFF/EP image data format"... digital image file format. |
| DX | DX (Nikon brand). A designation for APS-C APS-C Advanced Photo System type-C is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the Advanced Photo System "classic" size negatives... sized image sensors. |
| EMD | Electromagnetic Diaphragm (Canon brand). A more accurate and faster method of actuating a lens diaphragm. |
| FX | FX (Nikon brand). A designation for full-frame sized image sensors. See FF for general usage. |
| G | Gold. A lens designation suffix applied to top grade Minolta AF Minolta AF The Minolta Alpha camera system was a collection of photographic equipment from Minolta. The system used a lens mount called A-mount, with a flange focal distance 44.50 mm. The new mount was larger than the older SR-mount making old manual lenses incompatible with the new system... and Sony Alpha lenses. |
| HSM | Hypersonic Motor Ultrasonic motor An ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation... . An autofocus motor (Sigma brand lenses). |
| IS | Image Stabilizer Image stabilization Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical... (Canon brand). See general usage. |
| L | Luxury. A lens designation suffix applied to top grade Canon lenses Canon EF lens mount Introduced in 1987, the EF lens mount is the standard lens mount on the Canon EOS family of SLR film and digital cameras. EF stands for "Electro-Focus": automatic focusing on EF lenses is handled by a dedicated electric motor built into the lens... , usually incorporating aspheric Aspheric lens An aspheric lens or asphere is a lens whose surface profiles are not portions of a sphere or cylinder. In photography, a lens assembly that includes an aspheric element is often called an aspherical lens.... and low dispersion Low dispersion glass Low dispersion glass is a type of glass with low dispersion. Crown glass is an example of a relatively inexpensive low-dispersion glass.... elements. |
| OIS | Optical Image Stabilization (Panasonic brand). See IS Image stabilization Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical... in general usage. |
| OS | Optical Stabilizer (Sigma brand). See IS Image stabilization Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical... in general usage. |
| OSS | Optical SteadyShot (Sony brand). See IS Image stabilization Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical... in general usage. |
| PZD | Piezo Drive (Tamron brand). Autofocus mechanism that employs a piezo-electric Piezoelectricity Piezoelectricity is the charge which accumulates in certain solid materials in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure... motor. |
| S | Shutter priority Shutter priority Shutter priority refers to a setting on some cameras that allows the user to choose a specific shutter speed while the camera adjusts the aperture to ensure correct exposure... mode (Nikon, Minolta, Konica Minolta, Sony, Olympus, Sigma brands), same as Tv mode. |
| SAM | Smooth Autofocus Motor (Sony brand). Autofocus mechanism that employs a piezo-electric Piezoelectricity Piezoelectricity is the charge which accumulates in certain solid materials in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure... motor or micro-motor. |
| SDM | Silent Drive Motor Ultrasonic motor An ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation... . An autofocus mechanism (Pentax brand). |
| SLT | Single-Lens Translucent Single-lens translucent camera Single-Lens Translucent cameras stand in-between digital single-lens reflex cameras cameras and mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras .... (Sony brand). A variation of DSLR, but with fixed semi-transparent mirror. |
| SMC | Super Multi Coated (Pentax brand). Anti-reflection coating of lenses to reduce transmission losses. |
| SR | Shake Reduction (Pentax brand). See IS Image stabilization Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical... in general usage. |
| SS | SteadyShot (Sony brand). See IS Image stabilization Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical... in general usage. |
| SSI | SteadyShot INSIDE (Sony brand). See IS Image stabilization Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical... in general usage. |
| SSS | Super SteadyShot (Sony brand). See IS Image stabilization Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical... in general usage. |
| SSM | Supersonic-Wave Motor Ultrasonic motor An ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation... . An autofocus mechanism (Minolta, Konica Minolta, Sony brand lenses). |
| STF | Smooth Trans Focus. A special purpose lens for pleasant Bokeh Bokeh In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."... utilizing an apodization Apodization Apodization literally means "removing the foot". It is the technical term for changing the shape of a mathematical function, an electrical signal, an optical transmission or a mechanical structure.- Apodization in signal processing :... filter, or an autobracketing function to achieve the same effect (Minolta, Sony brand lens). |
| SWM | Silent Wave Motor Ultrasonic motor An ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation... . An autofocus mechanism (Nikon brand lenses). |
| T* | T* (Carl Zeiss and Sony brands). Anti-reflection coating of lenses to reduce transmission losses. |
| USD | Ultrasonic Silent Drive Ultrasonic motor An ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation... . An autofocus mechanism (Tamron brand lenses). |
| USM | Ultrasonic Motor Ultrasonic motor An ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation... . An autofocus motor (Canon brand lenses). |
| VR | Vibration Reduction (Nikon brand), see IS Image stabilization Image stabilization is a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Specifically, it compensates for pan and tilt of a camera or other imaging device. It is used in image-stabilized binoculars, still and video cameras, and astronomical... in general usage |
| WR | Weather Resistant (mainly Pentax brand). Cameras and lenses with waterproof seals. |
External links
- List of acronyms etc from several manufacturers, compiled by Chieh Cheng. On the Camera Hacker website. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- Extensive list of acronyms from Nikon and other manufacturers, on the Nikon Cafe website. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
- Canon Camera Museum Technology Hall. Some official explanations of Canon technical terms. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- Acronyms etc associated with the Canon brand. Listed on the Bob Atkins website. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- Official glossary of the abbreviations used with Nikon digital cameras. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- Glossary, issued by Nikon, explaining the Nikkor lens codes. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- Pentax camera and Tamron lens acronyms maintained by Stefan van Hulst on the Pentax User forum. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- Glossary of Digital Photography Terminology Retrieved 2011-06-28.