| S |
|
| Safelight |
A
red or orange darkroom light that black and white photo papers
aren't sensitive to. |
| Saturation |
Relative
richness of colors in a color image. |
| SCSI |
Small
Computer System
Interface. A computer interface
used for digital imaging as it is both high speed and standard. |
| Selective
Focus |
Employing
wide apertures to produce shallow depth of field so that the subject
is isolated from its surroundings as they will not be in focus. |
| Selenium
Cell |
A
light sensitive electronic device that emits electricity in
proportion to the amount of light falling on it. Used for light
meters. |
| Self
Timer |
Mechanism
that delays the shutter action after being actioned. Useful both
to allow for the photographer to be included in the image and
as means to reduce camera shake from shutter button jerking.
|
| Separations |
Black
and white negatives that separate the continuous colors of an
image into two to four colors for offset printing. The most
common separations are for CMYK, or cyan, magenta, yellow and
black. |
| Sharpness |
The
amount of detail that can be perceived in an image. Definition
of an image in terms of focus and contrast. The combination of
resolution -typically measured in terms of the number of
distinguishable line pairs per millimeter- and acutance
-the power to resolve detail in the transition of edges.
|
| Sheet
Film |
Film
that is cut into individual sheets. Mostly comes in 4x5
or larger sheets. |
Sheimpflug
Principle
|
Geometric
rule which affects correct focus of view cameras with tilt-shift
movements. Three planes are of concern when focusing a view camera:
that of the image (at the film/sensor), the lens plane and the
subject plane. If these three planes are precisely parallel to
one another then a focused image will appear sharp across the
entire image area. Tilting one of these planes will result in
the area in focus changing. The image area will be in focus only
at the point where the three planes intersect. Although the French
builder of scientific instruments Jules Carpentier (1851-1921)
was the first to enunciate it, the rule is named after Austrian
army officer Theodor Scheimpflug (1865-1911). |
| Shutter |
The
mechanical device in a camera that controls the amount of time
light is allowed to reach the film or digital sensor. |
| Shutter
Priority |
A
camera exposure mode that allows the photographer to choose
a shutter speed while an electronic processor in the camera
sets a corresponding aperture for best exposure. |
| Single-Servo
AF |
When
the subject comes into focus, the focus operation stops and
stays locked as long as the shutter release button is lightly
pressed. Used when shooting stationary objects. |
| Silver
Halide |
The
light sensitive component in treated photosensitive surfaces. |
| Silver
Nitrate |
Chemical
found in photo developers and used in treated photosensitive surfaces. |
| Single
Lens Reflex (SLR) Camera |
A
camera that uses a mirror and prism to allow the photographer
to see through its single lens. |
| Skylight
Filter |
Filter
used to remove more UV light (and therefore excessive blue) than
a UV filter, adding a slight warming tone in two grades: 1A and
1B, where be is the warmer one. |
| Slave |
A
light sensitive trigger device used to synch strobes and flashes
without an electronic synch cord. |
| Slide |
A
transparency mounted in a square paper or plastic frame. (Not
just 35mm) |
| Slow
Sync |
Setting
allowing for slower shutter speeds while using flash, usually
for more illuminated backgrounds. |
| Snapshot |
A
quick casual image, typically taken handheld by an amateur with
a Point & Shoot camera. |
| Soft-Focus |
An
effect achieved by diffusing an image either in the camera or
printing stage. Can be done with special lenses or by placing
diffusion devices or materials between the light source and
the light-sensitive material. Mostly used for portraits but
not exclusively. |
| Soft
Lighting |
Low
contrast illumination, allowing for more pleasing portraits; without
harsh contrast. |
| Solarization |
Also
known as the Sabbatier effect. Usually achieved by exposing
a developing image to white
light during the development process. The effect is a partial
reversal of the image. |
| Spectrum |
The
visible separation of light into colored bands as white light
passes through a prism. |
| Speed |
In
photography, the sensitivity of a photosensitive material
or
a digital sensor. This was expressed as either an ASA or
DIN number, currently as an ISO number. |
| Spherical
Aberration |
A
lens fault which results in degraded image quality at the film
plane. It is caused by light rays passing through the lens from
a single point on the optical axis focused at different points
according to incident height. Spherical aberration can be reduced
by stopping down the lens. |
| Split
Image Rangefinder |
Two
prisms with faces angled in opposite directions and used to
aid in focusing. A subject will appear split, even with slightly
out-of-focus, allowing a photographer to adjust for accurate
focus. |
| Spot
Meter |
A
light meter, which takes it's reading at an angle of 1 to 8
degrees. Used for the zone system or to find the values of specific
elements in a scene. |
| Spotting |
Retouching
dust spots or other fine blemishes in a photographic image
with
a small brush. Usually only done on prints. In digital imaging,
retouching of a digital image file. |
| Standard
Lens |
Refer
to "Normal
Lens." Term usually applied to 50mm lenses in 35mm
film format photography. |
| Stereoscopy |
Photography
that uses two images taken from slightly different angles to
produce the illusion of three dimensions when seen through a
special viewing device. |
| Stopping
Down |
To
decrease the size of aperture in a lens, e.g., to stop down
from f/3.5 to f/16. Increases depth of field, requires longer
exposure (shutter speeds). |
| Swing |
A
view camera movement used to control depth-of-field and perspective.
Allows the angle relation of the film plane and lens to be changed
from side-to-side. |
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| T |
|
| Teleconverter |
An
optical device, used to increase the effective focal length
of a lens,
consisting of optical glass. It is mounted between the camera
and the lens and usually comes in three different sizes:
1.4X, 1.7X
and 2.0X. A 1.4X teleconverter increases focal length by 1.4
times, while a 2.0X increases focal length by 2.0 times.
The
aperture of the lens is also increased by the same amount as
the focal length is increased. For example, a 2.0X teleconverter
increases focal length of a 200mm lens to 400mm; however, the
aperture of f/2.8 is decreased to f/5.6. |
| Telephoto
Lens |
A
lens with a long focal length - longer than the diagonal of
the
film format used. In 35mm photography, under most conventions,
"Short" telephoto lenses are of 85mm, 90mm, 100mm, 105mm and
135mm focal lenghth;
"Medium" telephotos
are
180mm, 200mm
and
300mm; "Long" or "Super" telephotos are the 400mm, 500mm and
600mm; "Ultra" long denominated telephotos are 1,000mm focal
length lenses. |
| Thumbnail |
A small version of a digitized image. Image browsers and image
editors commonly display thumbnails of several photos at a time.
In Windows XP’s My Pictures, one can view thumbnails of photos
in both the Thumbnails and Filmstrip view modes. |
| TIFF |
Tagged
Image File Format. An uncompressed non loosy image format. |
| Tone |
In
photography, usually refers to the gray values in an image. |
| Transparency |
A
processed and stabilized positive film image created on a transparent
base using photochemical means; i.e., a slide is
a transparency. Also, it is the property of allowing transmission
of light through a material. In digital imaging it is used to
denominate overlay and translucency properties in PNG, GIF,
and TIFF files.
|
| TTL |
"Through
the Lens." Refers to flash or exposure metering which is
read
"through the lens," at the film or sensor plane. Nikon has
further refined it into i-TTL. |
| Tungsten |
A
metal filament used in most light bulbs. Makes a reddish/yellow
colored light. There are special films and filters for correcting
the color cast from this light. |
| Tungsten
Type Film |
A
color film that is color balanced to work under tungsten lighting.
To use a tungsten type film type under daylight or flash, a color
temperature conversion filter is needed. This film is also known
as Type B film. |
| Type
A Film |
Color
film that is color balanced for scenes illuminated by artificial
light sources at a color temperature of 3400K - typically flood
lamps. |
| Type
B Film |
Color
film that is color balanced for scenes illuminated by artificial
light sources at a color temperature of 3200K, typically tungsten
and household lamps. This is the more commonly used of the two
types: A and B. |
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| U |
|
| Under-Exposure |
Allowing
too little light to reach a photosensitive material. Results
in a "thin" or light image with negative material and a dark
or "dense" image with reversal material or a digital sensor. |
| USB |
Universal Serial Bus. A protocol for data transfer to and from
digital devices. Many digital cameras and memory card readers
connect to a computer via USB ports. USB card readers are typically
faster than cameras or readers that connect to a serial port,
but slower than those that connect via FireWire. |
| UXGA |
Ultra
Extended Graphics Array. 1600x1200pixels image resolution, most
appropriate for big enlargements. |
| UV
Filter |
Filter
used to reduce ultraviolet light exposure of film. Ultraviolet
light can cause an image to appear hazy. Most modern color
film and digital sensors are not sensitive to UV light. |
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| V |
|
| Variable
Focus Lens |
Or
Variable Focal Length Lens. A zoom lens. e.g., 28-100mm; meaning
a lens with a focal length capable of varying from 28mm all the
way to 100mm, from landscapes to portraits. |
| View
Camera |
A
camera, usually large format that has a ground glass back for
viewing the subject. |
| Viewfinder |
An
optical device for framing and focusing an image in a camera. |
| Vignetting |
The
effect from blocking the light at the edge of an image. Can
be caused accidentally by a combination of wide-angle lens and
filters, or on purpose as a deliberate effect. |
| VR
lenses |
Introduced
by Nikon in 2000. Have a Vibration Reduction gyroscopic system
allowing
for stabilized crisp images handheld at very slow shutter speeds,
minimizing blur caused by camera shake. The system even detects
panning. The first of these lenses was the 80-400mm f/4-5.6D
ED VR AF Nikkor. VR was first introduced by Nikon in a compact
P&S
camera body in 1994. |
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| W |
|
| Waist-Level
Viewfinder |
A
viewfinder allowing to view from the top of the camera body. Good
for candid shots at waist level, for photography at ground level
and for copy stand or microscope work; also used by photojournalists
to shoot from above. e.g. Nikon DW-30, DW-3 |
| White
Balance |
A function on digital camera to compensate for different colors
of light being emitted by different light sources. |
| Wide-Angle
Lens |
A
lens with a focal length less than the diagonal of the film
format it's being used for. For 35mm format usually wider (shorter
focal length) than 45mm. For medium format, wider than 75mm. |
| Working
Distance |
The
distance from the front of the lens to the subject. Usually
applied
to close-up and macro photography. Not to be confused with "Shooting
Distance" as this is that between the subject and the film
or sensor plane. |
| WYSIWYG |
"What
You See
Is What
You Get"
as applied to TTL (through the lens) Single Lens Reflex camera
systems. In terms of viewfinders, it is applied to those with
100% frame coverage, as in the film pro series bodies: F, F2,
F3, F4, F5 and F6. |
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| Z |
|
| Zeiss |
Founded
as a workshop for precision mechanics and optics in the German
city of Jena in 1846, Carl Zeiss is today a global leader in the
optical and opto-electronic industries. With offices in over 30
countries and represented in more than 100 countries, it has production
centers in Europe, North America, Central America and Asia. The
company’s headquarters are located in Oberkochen, Germany, in
northeastern Baden-Wuerttemberg. Carl Zeiss Jena optics have a
legendary high quality status, recently reminded with the introduction
of new photographic lenses with Nikon mount. |
| Zone
System |
Methodology
introduced by photographer Ansel Adams for determining optimal
exposure and appropriate development for an individual photograph. |
| Zoom
Flash |
A
flash with the capability to adjust the width of its light beam
to best fit the angle of view of the lens in use. |
| Zoom
Lens |
A
lens, which has a variable focal length e.g. 70-200mm, allowing
for a closer or farther view of a subject, without changing perspective,
only magnification. |
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