Camera Glossary

 
A rundown of the basic terminology associated with cameras

1080i: A high-definition video format that has 1080 lines of vertical resolution and uses interlacing.

1080p: A high-definition video format that has 1080 lines of vertical resolution and uses progressive scanning.

16×9: A widescreen aspect ratio that is 16 units wide by 9 units high.

4×3: The traditional television aspect ratio, 4 units wide and 3 units high. This aspect ratio is slowly being replaced by 16×9.

4×3 Safe: A method of shooting widescreen footage while still retaining a “safe area” that can be cropped and used for 4×3 aspect ratio

720p: A high-definition video format that has 720 lines of vertical resolution and uses progressive scanning.

Aperture: Literally means “opening”. The camera iris; the opening which lets light through the lens. By adjusting the size of the aperture, the amount of incoming light is controlled. 

Aspect Ratio: The ratio of width to height of an image. Can be expressed as a number, or a relationship between two numbers. For example, the standard television screen ratio is 4:3 (4 units wide by 3 units high) or 1.33 (the width is 1.33 times the height). The new “wide screen” television ratio is 16:9 (1.78), and many new video cameras have the option to record using this format. Theatrical film aspect ratios vary, but the most common is 18.5:10 (1.85).

Audio: Sound. Specifically, the range of frequencies which are perceptible by the human ear.

 Audio Dub: The process of adding audio to a video recording without disturbing the pictures. The original audio may be replaced, or kept and combined with the new audio.

Automatic functions: Functions which are performed by equipment with little or no input from the operator. Auto-functions can be very useful, but tend to have serious limitations.

Back Focus: The focus between the lens and the camera. Adjusted by a ring at the rear of the lens (the closest ring to the camera body). If the camera appears focused when zoomed in, but becomes out of focus when zoomed wide, the back focus needs adjusting.

Composition:  Composition refers to the layout of everything within a picture frame — what the subject is, where it is in the frame, which way it’s facing/looking, the background, the foreground, lighting, etc.When you “frame” a shot, you adjust the camera position and zoom lens until your shot has the desired composition.

Depth of Field: The zone between the nearest and furthest points at which the camera can obtain a sharp focus.

DV: Digital Video

 

DVCAM: Digital tape format from Sony.

 

DVCPRO: Professional digital tape format from Panasonic, introduced in the mid-1990s.

Exposure : The amount of light which is passed through the iris, and which the CCD or film is exposed to.

Focal Length: The distance from the centre of the lens to the camera CCD.

Focus: The process of adjusting the lens in order to obtain a sharp, clear picture.
FPS: Frames Per Second. The number of video or film frames which are displayed each second.

Frame:  One complete video, television or film picture. In video and television, each frame is divided into two interlaced fields. PAL and SECAM systems deliver 25 frames per second, with 625 horizontal scan lines. NTSC delivers 30 fps with 525 lines.

Frame Rate: The number of video or film frames displayed each second (frames per second; fps). PAL frame rate is 25 fps, NTSC is 30 fps, film is 24 fps.

Framing: The frame is the picture you see in the viewfinder (or on a monitor).

Gain: Electronically adjusting the brightness of the picture

 

Head : The component which records an electrical signal onto magnetic tape, or reads a signal from tape into an electrical signal.

HDV: High Definition Video, a compressed version of HD  a format for recording high definition video on DV tapes, comes in various formats such as 720p and 1080i

HDTV: High-Definition Television.

Interlace: The method of dividing a video frame into two fields; one made up of the odd-numbered horizontal lines, the other made up of even-numbered lines.

Iris: The circular opening (aperture) which controls the amount of light passing through to the camera’s sensing element or film.

Lens: A transparent structure made of glass or other material, with at least one curved surface, which causes the light rays passing through it to converge or diverge in a controlled fashion.

MiniDV: A consumer-level digital video format.

ND (Neutral Density) Filter: A filter which reduces the amount of light coming through the camera lens, without affecting it’s colour temperature.

NTSC: National Television Standards Commission. Video/broadcast standard used in the USA, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and other countries. Delivers 525 horizontal lines of resolution at 30 fps (frames per second).

Optical Zoom: A method of zooming which uses a telephoto lens, i.e. the zoom is provided by the optics rather than digital processing. Optical zoom is better than digital zoom

PAL: Phase Alternate Line. Video/broadcast standard developed in Germany, and used primarily in Europe and Australasia. Delivers 625 lines at 25 fps (frames per second).

RGB: Red, Green and Blue. The primary colours of video.

Rushes: Daily raw footage shot during a production.

Saturation: The level of colour in a vision signal or still image. A highly-saturated signal has very strong colours

Servo: Remote control of camera functions such as zoom and focus, by means of a motor. Servo controls can be mounted an the lens housing, on the tripod/pedestal handles, or on a remote-control unit.

Shot: All video is made up of shots. A shot is basically from when you press record to when you stop recording. Like the individual photos which make up an album, the shots get put together to make a video.

Tally Light: A small light on a video camera which turns on when recording is in progress.

Teleprompter: Device which scrolls text on a screen, to provide cues for a television/video presenter.

Timecode: An indexing system that assigns a time value to individual frames of a film or video, or sections of an audio file.

Tripod: A three-legged stand for mounting equipment such as a camera, etc.

Viewfinder: A component of video, television and film cameras. Available as EVF

(Electronic Viewfinder) or OVF (Optical Viewfinder). An EVF has a small CRT which displays the camera output (or tape output).

VITC: Vertical Interval Time Code. A type of timecode used in some video tape formats.

 White balance: A camera function which gives a reference to “true white”, in order for the camera to interpret all colours correctly.

Zebra Stripes: A feature of professional cameras, which places diagonal lines across any over-exposed parts of the picture in the viewfinder. These stripes will not show on the output/recorded picture, they are only there as a guide for the camera operator.

Zoom: Framing movement, in which the focal length of the zoom lens is altered to make the subject appear closer to, or further away from the camera.

Zoom Lens: A lens with a moveable element, which is able to “zoom” between various focal lengths. This has the effect of making the subject appear closer to, or further away from the camera.

Zoom Ratio: A number indicating the zoom range of a lens, arrived at by dividing the shortest focal length into the longest focal length. A 10 to 100 mm zoom has a zoom ratio of 10x. The number is sometimes stated as a ratio, e.g. 10:1.