Sensor Size

What Is Sensor Size and What Does It Mean When Talking About Photography? In photography sensor size describes the physical dimensions of a sensor. Sensor size can be measured in mm or inches. For example a ‘full frame’ sensor measures 36 x 24mm and a ‘micro four thirds’ or ‘4/3’ sensor measures 17 x 13mm. Sensor size relates to the physical dimensions of the sensor itself, not its imaging area. Sensor size can dramatically effect the overall quality of the sensor’s output. If we compare a full frame 20mp sensor with a 1″ 20mp sensor. The smaller dimensions of the 1″ …

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Shutter

What Do We Mean by a Shutter and How Is It Used in Photography? In a camera the shutter is the mechanism which controls the length of time the camera sensor or film is exposed to the light entering through the lens. When the shutter button is pressed by the photographer the shutter opens for the amount of time set in the cameras exposure settings. When the shutter is open the camera sensor or film are exposed to light which is captured to produce an image. Open the shutter for too long and the image will be over exposed, open …

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Shutter Lag

What Does Shutter Lag Mean When Talking About Photography? The term shutter lag refers to the delay between pressing the shutter button and a photograph actually being recorded by the camera and is measured in milliseconds (ms). Knowing the shutter lag of your camera is extremely important when attempting to capture fast moving subjects such as those encountered in wildlife or sports photography; If you depress the shutter release button at the instant of the event you wish to capture you may find that, due to shutter lag, you have missed that crucial moment in time. Knowing your camera’s shutter …

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Shutter Priority

What Is Shutter Priority Mode and How Is It Used in Photography? In photography ‘shutter priority’ refers to a metering mode where the photographer fixes the camera to a specific shutter speed and then allows the camera to choose the correct aperture to produce a good exposure of a scene. Shutter priority mode is usually accessed via the camera’s mode dial and is denoted by an ‘S’ or ‘Tv’. Shutter priority mode is often used in situations where fast-moving subjects need to be frozen in motion, the photographer can choose a shutter speed at which they know the subject will …

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Shutter Speed

What Is Shutter speed? Light passes through the camera’s lens, but is only allowed to reach the film or sensor when a mechanical curtain, called the shutter, is opened by pressing the shutter button.  The length of time that the shutter is open is called the shutter speed, and it is expressed as a fraction of a second. A fast shutter speed, like 1/2000 of a second, will stop motion in an image.  A long shutter speed of several seconds could be used to reveal the motion of a flowing river, or other dynamic subjects.  Shutter speed is one of …

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T (Time)

What Is T (Time) Mode and How Is It Used in Photography? T (Time) mode, if available on a camera allows a photographer to expose images for long periods of time by pressing the shutter button once to open the shutter, and again to close the shutter. T (Time) is an alternative to Bulb mode in which the shutter button must remain depressed for exposure to continue. T (Time) mode is extremely useful for capturing images in low light conditions, for example in Astrophotography where extremely long exposures are required to capture the light from far away stars. T (Time) …

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TFT

What Is a TFT LCD Screen and What Is It Used for in Photography? when talking about cameras TFT refers to a ‘Thin-Film-Transistor’ liquid-crystal display. TFT display technology allows for the construction of high-resolution LCD display screens with excellent contrast performance. TFT displayed are favoured by camera manufacturers because they allow a cameras LCD display to show high resolution, color accurate reproductions of captured images. This allows photographers to make accurate judgements of their work on the fly, without having to upload images to a device with a higher quality display. TFT displays aren’t just limited to cameras, they are …

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Trail Camera

What Is a Trail Camera? A trail camera is a small automated camera in a weatherproof housing that can be left outdoors for extended periods of time to capture passing wildlife on video, or with a still photo. These kinds of cameras are typically used by researchers to monitor wildlife populations, or by hunters looking to see what kinds of animals frequent a specific spot. Photographers can also make use of this same technique though, and we have previously written an article about using a trail camera to research possible wildlife photography locations. Trail cameras use infra-red sensors to detect …

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Tran Reflective

What Does the Term Tran Reflective Mean When Talking About Cameras and Photography? When talking about cameras and photography the term ‘Tran Reflective’ refers to a type of LCD display which uses both ambient light and back lighting to illuminate it’s pixels. The use of a tran reflective LCD on a device allows for much easier viewing of information in high contrast situations, such as working in direct sunlight. Tran reflective screens can be found on many digital cameras and are popular because of the ease of reviewing images in bright conditions. Another form of LCD often found on cameras …

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