Glossary

EV (Exposure Value)

All the combinations of the camera’s shutter speed and lens aperture that result in the same exposure.

EV Compensation

This feature allows you to quickly adjust the exposure value measured by the camera, in limited increments, to improve the exposure of your photos. Set the EV compensation to -1.0 EV to adjust the value one step darker and 1.0 EV to one step brighter.

Exif (Exchangeable Image File Format)

A specification to define an image file format for digital cameras created by the Japan Electronic Industries Development Association (JEIDA).

Exposure

The amount of light allowed to reach the camera’s sensor. Exposure is controlled by a combination of the shutter speed, the aperture value, and ISO sensitivity.

Flash

A speed light that helps to create adequate exposure in low-light conditions.

Focal length

The distance from the middle of the lens to its focal point

(in millimeters). Longer focal lengths result in narrower angles of view and the subject is magnified. Shorter focal lengths result in wider angles of view.

H.264/MPEG-4

A high-compression video format established by international standard organizations ISO-IEC and ITU-T. This codec is capable of providing good video quality at low bit rates developed by the Joint Video Team (JVT).

Image sensor

The physical part of a digital camera that contains a photosite for each pixel in the image. Each photosite records the brightness of the light that strikes it during an exposure. Common sensor types are CCD (Charge-coupled Device) and CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor).

ISO sensitivity

The sensitivity of the camera to light, based on the equivalent film speed used in a film camera. At higher ISO sensitivity settings, the camera uses a higher shutter speed, which can reduce blur caused by camera shake and low light. However, images with high sensitivity are more susceptible to noise.

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