Photography Glossary
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVZ
Fast Film
A film with high sensitivity to light, needing less light for proper exposure. Recommended for action and low-light light photography. Term normally applied to films with ISO 400 and higher.
Fast Lens
A lens with a maximum wide aperture (f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8) allowing it to gather more light than a "slow lens" which has a less wide maximum aperture (f/3.5, f/4 and smaller).
File Format
A program or data file type such as JPEG, PSD, TIFF, PDF, PICT, EPS
Film
Photosensitive material used in a camera to record an image. Made from a thin, transparent base coated with light sensitive chemicals.
Film/Frame
Advance Mode Found in cameras with a built-in motor drive. It is Single-frame when a single frame is advanced, one at the time, each time the shutter is released. It is Continuous-framing when the film/sensor frame continuously advances as long as the shutter button is depressed, taking pictures until the button is not any longer depressed or the film roll reaches its end or the digital camera buffer is full, or the memory card is full.
Fill-Flash
Flash that is used to supplement ambient light to fill shadow areas in a subject with light, thereby reducing contrast. Technique also known as “flash fill” and “fill-in flash.” To make it look natural, Nikon offers Automatic Balanced Fill-Flash, where ambient light and flash light are in complete balance.
Filter
Transparent lens attachment used to modify the light coming into a lens, to change the color, or other characteristics of an image. They are used both on the camera and in the darkroom.
Filter Adapter Ring
Used to accommodate larger diameter filters on a smaller diameter lens. Also known as step-up rings. Useful to reduce the number of filter sets needed when using different diameter lenses.
FireWire®
Fast data transfer bus developed by Apple, capable of transmitting data at 400Mbps, also known as IEEE 1394.
Fisheye Lens
Super wide angle lens. Angle of view can approach 180 degrees. Nearly infinite depth-of-field.
Fixed Focal Length
A camera with a non-removable, non-zoom lens with unchangeable focal length.
Flare
Reflected light; from lens elements, sun, metal, etc. Appears as non-uniform haze or bright spots on the film or digital frame, often taking the shape of the aperture, generally caused from shooting towards the light source. The use of uncoated filters makes a lens more prone to flare; often results in an overall reduction of image contrast. The always-on use of a lens shade is also recommended.
Flash
Artificial light source. Usually camera-mounted speedlights (like the SB-28, SB-80DX) but also larger studio models called strobes.
Flash Bracketing
Feature available in TTL Auto Flash shooting, allowing for bracketed exposures varying flash output without changing aperture nor shutter speed.
Flash Card
Memory device capable of holding data after the system is turned off.
Flash Compensation
A control on a speedlight and a method to reduce or augment the flash output from a flash to lighten or darken the flash effect.
Flash Duration
The duration of a flash burst from a speedlight, used to vary flash output, typically from 1/1000 to 1/20,000 of a second in contemporary units under auto flash modes.
Flash Range
The distance range within which a flash is capable of rendering well illuminated subjects for proper exposure. The range is a function of both the maximum and minimum flash output capability of the unit and the aperture selected, whether automatically or manually, in turn also affected by the ISO speed in use.
Flash Sync (Synchronization)
The shutter speed that corresponds to the proper timing of the flash. Any faster and the shutter won't be open for the duration of the flash. Any shorter and subject movement might cause blur.
Flexible Program
A function enabling the possible change of equivalent correct exposure values under Programmed Auto Exposure Mode, to either increase/decrease shutter speed or aperture.
Flood Lamp
Photo lamps used for wider areas. The industry standards are of a color temperature of around 3400K, and cooler lamps with a temperature around 3200K.
F Numbers
Numbers on the outside of the lens corresponding to the aperture opening. The larger the number (e.g., f/22 also expressed as F 22), the smaller the opening of the lens; the smaller the number (e.g., f/2.8) the larger the opening of the lens.
Focal Length
The distance between the back lens element and the focal plane. In 35mm format, lenses with a focal length of approximately 50mm are called normal (standard), lenses with approximately 35mm or less are called wide-angle, and lenses with a focal length of more than approximately 70mm are called telephoto lenses.
Focal Plane
The area of the camera where the lens focuses on the film or digital sensor.
Focal Plane Shutter
A shutter placed just off the surface of the focal plane. Typical shutter type for 35mm SLR cameras.
Focal Point
The point on the optical axis where light rays form a sharp image of a subject. An ideal lens would allow light rays to diverge from a subject parallel to the optical axis and converge to a point when they pass through the lens.
Focus
To move the lens, or film or digital sensor, in relation to the focal plane in order to record a sharp image on the film/sensor. (Can't forget Contax where the film actually moves for AF operation versus the lens.)
Focus Mode
Three basic types of focus modes exist for Nikon AF cameras: Single servo AF (S), Continuous servo AF (C) and Manual AF (M).
Focus Priority
A mode where the shutter cannot be released until the subject is in focus, as when using Single servo AF (S).
Focusing
Screen Refers to Ground Glass. Usually on large format cameras, a piece of frosted glass at the focal plane where the lens projects an image that can be used for focusing and composition.
Focusing Stage
A camera mount that allows it to slide along a rail for critical macro photography focusing. Like the Nikon PG-2. Use it on a solid tripod.
Focus Tracking
Advanced feature through which a camera's microprocessor (computer) analyzes a moving subject's speed, anticipates the position of the subject at the exact moment of exposure, and focuses the lens based on this information.
Foreground
The area before the subject, in between the camera and the subject.
Format
Can mean either the size of the camera or the size of the film or sensor. For camera, sizes there are APS, 35mm, medium and large format. For film format there is APS, 35mm, 645, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, 4x5, 5x7, 8x10, etc. In digital photography, DX, 35mm size, 645 and 6x6.
f-Number
A scale used to express the relative area of the aperture of a lens, simply the result of dividing the focal length of a lens by the effective aperture of the lens opening (the apparent size of the diaphragm seen from the front of the lens). The f-number increases by the multiple of the square root of 2, or 1.4142, from 1.0, 1.4, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11 and so on, allowing each to pass half the light of the aperture below and twice the light of the aperture above in the scale.
FP High Speed Sync
Feature allowing for flash photography at sync speeds higher than the maximum sync speed under normal flash use. Accomplished by multiple flash bursts with moderate output, but uniformly on the film or sensor frame as the shutter travels in front of the frame. Recommended for action photography where high shutter speeds are required or for fill-flash images outdoors at wide apertures.
Front Curtain Sync
Standard sync mode where the flash fires immediately after the shutter's front curtain begins its travel across the film/sensor plane. The opposite is Rear Curtain Sync.