| H |
|
| Haze |
Atmospheric
condition characterized by fine particles of dust, smoke
or moisture in the air, causing loss of contrast in an
image because of light scattering. |
| High
Eye point |
Applied
to a viewfinder that allows a user to see the entire frame
in the viewfinder from a close distance from the eyepiece,
for eyeglass-wearing photographers. |
| High
Key |
High
contrast with mostly highlights and little shadow detail. |
| Highlights |
The
bright to white parts of an image. |
| Histogram |
A
representation of a frequency distribution by means of
rectangles whose widths represent class intervals and
whose areas are proportional to the corresponding frequencies.
A graph defining the contrast and dynamic range of an
image. |
| Hot
Shoe |
Accessory
holder usually built on top of the camera to mount
a flash and other accessories.
It has the necessary electric contacts to communicate
with a dedicated speedlight. |
| Hue |
Color.
Gradation of color. Also, the attribute of colors that
permits them to be classed as red, yellow, green, blue,
or an intermediate between any contiguous pair of these
colors. |
| Hyperfocal
Distance |
The
closest point at which a camera can be focused where
the depth of field includes infinity, starting at half
the hyperfocal
distance. |
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| I |
|
| IF
(Internal Focusing) System |
A
system used where the internal elements in the lens
are the only parts that move during focusing, i.e. This
prevents the physical length of the lens from changing,
or the lens barrel rotating; allows for faster focus,
reduces aberrations, and facilitates use of filters
that require specific alignment such as polarizers and
graduated neutral density.
|
| Image |
A
two-dimensional representation of a scene. |
| Image
Editor |
A computer program that enables adjustments to a photo
to improve its appearance. With image editing software,
it is possible to darken or lighten a photo, rotate it,
adjust its contrast, colors hue and saturation, crop out
extraneous detail, remove red-eye and more. Adobe®
Photoshop®,
is the professional image-editing standard. |
| Image
Plane |
The
area at which a lens forms an image, i.e. the film plane
if, and when focused correctly. |
| Image
Resolution |
The number of pixels in a digital photo is commonly referred
to as its image resolution. |
| Incident
Light |
Light
as measured as it falls on a surface, rather than light
reflected from a surface. |
| Infinity |
In
relation to camera focus: the horizon. |
| Infrared |
Light
not visible with the human eye. Measured at the red
end of the spectrum. Can be photographed with special
film. |
| Infrared
Compensation Index |
An
index on a camera lens used to compensate focusing using
infrared film. With most lenses, the plane of sharpness
for infrared film is slightly farther away than for
normal visible-light photography. |
| Inkjet |
A printer that places ink on paper by spraying droplets
through tiny nozzles. |
| Inverse
Square Law |
A
proven statement in physics, repeatable through experimentation.
A given physical quantity (as illumination) varies with
the distance from the source inversely as the square of
the distance. As applicable to flash photography, doubling
the flash-to-subject distance reduces the light falling
on the subject to one-quarter. |
| IR
Setting |
Mark
on lenses for focusing infrared film. |
| ISO |
The
International Organization for Standardization (ISO),
based in Geneva, is a worldwide federation of national
standards bodies from over 150 countries, one from
each
country. ISO is a non-governmental organization established
in 1946. The mission of ISO is to promote the development
of standardization and related activities in the
world
with a view to facilitating the international exchange
of goods and services, and to developing cooperation
in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological
and economic activity. ISO's work results in international
agreements, which are published as International
Standards. "ISO" is not an acronym, it
is a word, derived from the Greek isos, meaning "equal",
which is the etymological root of the prefix "iso-"
that occurs in a host of terms, such as "isometric"
(of equal measure or dimensions) and "isonomy"
(equality of laws, or of people before the law). As
applied to photographic film or digital sensors, it
refers to its speed or sensitivity in conjunction
with a number, like ISO 100,
twice as "fast" as ISO 50. |
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| J |
|
| Jaggies |
Slang
term for the star-like appearance of angled or curved
lines in digital imaging. |
| JCII |
Japan
Camera and optical instruments Inspection
and testing Institute, founded in 1954. Formed
to inspect all cameras and lenses exported from Japan
in order to maintain quality standards. |
| JPEG |
Acronym
for Joint Photographic Experts Group
that describes a digital image file format standard in
which the size of the file is reduced by compression.
A JPEG image file name carries the extension "jpg".
JPEG compression is "loosy", meaning it looses
some image information as opposed to other formats like
TIFF. A "high quality" JPEG file looses less
than a "low quality" JPEG file. |
| Juxtapose |
The
placement of two objects close together or side by side
for comparison or contrast. At times to illustrate the
scale in an image, or to contrast old and new, old and
young, tall and short, etc.
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| K |
|
| K
(Kelvin) |
Thermodynamic
temperature scale measurement. In
1933, the International Committee of Weights and Measures
adopted the temperature at which water, ice, and water
vapor coexist in equilibrium as a fixed point, the "triple
point of water"; its value was set as 273.16. The
unit of temperature on this scale is called the Kelvin,
after William Thompson Lord Kelvin, and its symbol is
K (no degree symbol used). In
photography it is used to measure the color temperature
of light at different wavelengths. |
| Key
Light |
When
lighting a photographic subject, the main light source. |
| Keystoning |
Distortion
of a projected image when the projector is not directed
perpendicular to the screen. Also applied to the convergence
of vertical lines in tall buildings when not photographed
with a Perspective Control (PC) lens. |
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| L |
|
| Latent
Image |
The
exposed but undeveloped image on a photosensitive surface. |
| Latitude |
How
much variation an emulsion allows while still delivering
acceptable exposures, i.e. how "forgiving" a
film is to exposure error or deliberate under and
over exposure. Also applied to the range of brightness,
including shadow detail, that a film can record in
a
single image before the highlights are washed out or
the shadows become muddy. |
| LCD |
Liquid
Crystal Display. An information display method. Usually
used for external Displays on cameras, speedlights or
other electronic devices like flat screen computer monitors. |
| Leaf
Shutter |
Camera
shutter located in the lens. Utilizes a spring with
the aperture control device to control the exposure
time. Useful because it can be synched with a flash
at any speed. |
| LED |
Light
Emitting Diode. An information display method. Usually
used for viewfinder displays
since it can be seen in the dark. |
| Lens |
An
optical device used to control and focus light. |
| Lens
Coatings |
Thin
anti-reflective materials applied to the surface of
a lens in one or multiple layers, to help reduce light
reflection and increase amount of transmitted light.
Nikon Integrated Coating (NIC) has been improved to
Nikon Super Integrated Coating (NSIC) to further enhance
the performance of its optical lens elements. This new
multi-layer lens coating helps to reduce ghosting and
flare to a negligible level, minimizes reflection in
the wider wavelength range and achieves superior color
balance and reproduction. Especially effective for lenses
with a large number of elements, like our Zoom-Nikkors. |
| Lens
Drive Systems |
There
are two different types of AF lens drive systems offered:
One system utilizes a motor located inside the camera,
which autofocuses the lens via a drive shaft. The other
system, utilizes a motor inside the lens. |
| Lens
Hood/Shade |
A
lens addition, ring or tube in front of the lens used
to minimize lens "flare" or unwanted light from
reaching the lens. |
| Lens
Speed |
Refers
to the maximum aperture of a lens. One with a wide aperture
is called "fast". e.g. a f/1.4 lens, transmitting
more light than a "slow" lens, e.g. a f/5.6
lens. |
| (Visible)
Light |
Radiated
energy which forms that portion of the spectrum visible
to the human eye, from 400 nanometers in the ultraviolet
frontier to 700 in the infra-red boundary. |
| Light
Box |
A
device for viewing film. Constructed of a light source
(usually sunlight balanced fluorescent) behind a glass
or plastic surface on which the film is placed for viewing. |
| Light
Meter |
A
light sensitive device used for evaluating the amount
of light in a scene for exposure. There
are four types: Incidental meter, reflective meter,
flash meter and spot meter |
| Loupe |
A
small magnifying glass for viewing slides, negatives and
contact sheets. Commonly 8X to 10X. |
| Low
Key |
As
applied to an image, it refers to one with overall dark
tones. A good low key image nevertheless shows detail
and contrast. |
| Luminance |
The
brightness of a surface determined by the amount of light
it emits or reflects. |
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