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Macro Photography: A type of photography that captures extreme close-up details of small subjects.
Manual Focus: A focusing mode where the photographer adjusts the focus manually, rather than relying on the camera’s autofocus.
Manual Mode: A camera setting where the photographer controls exposure settings like shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
Matrix Metering: A camera metering system that evaluates light from across the frame for optimal exposure.
Matte Box: A camera accessory used in filmmaking to block out unwanted light and hold filters in place.
Megapixel: One million pixels, often used to describe the resolution of a camera sensor.
Metadata: Information embedded in a digital image file that includes details such as camera settings and date taken.
Metering: The process by which a camera measures the brightness of a scene.
Metering Mode: The method a camera uses to measure light in a scene to determine exposure. Common modes include spot, matrix, and center-weighted.
Micro Four Thirds: A mirrorless camera standard with a sensor size smaller than full-frame, offering compact camera bodies and lenses.
Midtones: The middle range of brightness in an image, between the highlights and shadows.
Mirrorless Camera: A type of digital camera that lacks the mirror system found in DSLRs, allowing for smaller and lighter designs.
Moiré: A pattern that appears in digital images when fine, repeating details interfere with the camera’s sensor, causing wavy or distorted lines.
Monochrome: An image rendered in shades of a single color, typically black and white.
Monopod: A single-legged support stand for stabilizing a camera, often used in sports or wildlife photography.
Motion Blur: The apparent streaking of rapidly moving objects in a photograph.
Motion Capture: A technique in videography where motion is recorded and then used to create digital animations.
Multi-Exposure: A technique that overlays multiple exposures into one image to create artistic effects.
Multiple Exposure: Combining two or more exposures into a single frame.
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Nano Crystal Coating: A type of lens coating developed by Nikon to reduce reflections and flare.
Nanocoating: A special coating applied to lenses to reduce reflections and improve clarity.
ND Filter (Neutral Density): A filter that reduces the amount of light entering the lens, allowing for longer exposures or wider apertures in bright conditions.
Negative Film: A type of film where the colors and tones are reversed from what is seen in reality, requiring a print process to create a positive image.
Negative Space: The empty or unoccupied areas around the subject of an image.
Neutral Color: A color that lacks strong chromatic content, such as white, gray, or black.
Neutral Density Filter: A filter that reduces the amount of light entering the lens, allowing for longer exposures in bright conditions.
Night Photography: Photography taken during low-light conditions, often requiring long exposures.
Night Vision Photography: Photography taken in very low light using special equipment or techniques to amplify the available light.
Nikon: A Japanese company that is known for its expertise in imaging, optics, and precision equipment. The company operates in various industries, but it is most famous for its cameras and photography-related products.
Nikon F-Mount: A lens mount standard used by Nikon for their DSLR cameras, providing compatibility with a wide range of lenses.
Nodal Point: The point inside a lens where light rays converge, important for panoramic photography to avoid parallax errors.
Noise: Random specks of color or brightness in an image, typically occurring in low-light conditions or at high ISO settings.
Noise Floor: The baseline level of visual noise present in an image sensor, even before any exposure is made.
Noise Reduction: A process used in digital photography to reduce the visual noise or grain that appears in low-light conditions or high ISO settings.
Non-Destructive Editing: Editing techniques that allow changes to an image without permanently altering the original file, often through the use of layers or adjustments in software.
Normal Lens: A lens with a focal length that is approximately the same as the diagonal of the camera’s sensor, creating a natural perspective.
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O
Off-Camera Flash: A lighting technique where the flash is positioned away from the camera to create more dynamic lighting.
Off-Center Composition: A composition technique that places the subject away from the center of the frame for a more dynamic image.
OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode): A type of display used in some camera viewfinders and screens, offering bright and clear images.
On-Camera Flash: A flash unit built into or mounted on top of the camera.
Open Shade: A lighting condition where the subject is in the shade but is still illuminated by soft, diffused light from the surrounding environment.
Optical Aberration: Imperfections in the lens that cause distortions in the image, such as chromatic aberration or spherical aberration.
Optical Axis: The straight line that passes through the center of the lens, perpendicular to the lens surface.
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS): A feature in lenses or cameras that compensates for camera shake by physically adjusting the optics to counteract movement.
Optical Viewfinder: A viewing system that allows the photographer to see directly through the lens using a series of mirrors and prisms, common in DSLRs.
Optical Zoom: A zoom effect created by adjusting the lens elements to change the focal length, maintaining image quality.
Out of Focus: An area in an image that appears blurry due to the subject not being within the camera’s focal plane.
Overexposure: A condition where too much light reaches the camera sensor, causing the image to be too bright and losing detail in the highlights.
Overhead Lighting: Lighting positioned above the subject, often creating harsh shadows and highlights.
Overlay: A semi-transparent layer or element added to an image during post-processing.
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Panasonic: Under its Lumix brand, Panasonic produces a wide range of cameras that cater to both professionals and enthusiasts. Panasonic cameras are known for their innovative features, such as 4K and 6K video recording, compact design, and advanced autofocus systems.
Panning: A technique where the camera follows a moving subject, resulting in a blurred background and sharp subject.
Panning Shot: A photographic technique where the camera follows a moving subject, keeping the subject sharp while blurring the background.
Panorama: A wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, often stitched together from multiple images.
Parallax: The difference in the position of an object when viewed from different angles, affecting composition in photography.
Parallax Error: A mismatch between what is seen through the viewfinder and what is captured by the lens, common in cameras without through-the-lens viewing.
Pentax: A Japanese brand known primarily for its cameras and optical equipment, with a strong heritage in photography and imaging. It operates under Ricoh Imaging Company, which acquired the Pentax brand in 2011. Pentax has a rich history in the camera industry, particularly in SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras and DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) cameras.
Perspective: The sense of depth or spatial relationships between objects in a photo.
Perspective Control: A feature or technique used to correct or adjust for distortion in architectural photography.
Photomontage: A composite image made from combining several photographs.
Pincushion Distortion: A lens distortion where straight lines bend inward toward the center of the image.
Pixel: The smallest unit of a digital image, often referred to as a “picture element.”
Pixel Peeping: The practice of closely examining an image at full resolution to inspect for flaws, sharpness, or noise.
Polaroid: An American company best known for its instant cameras and instant film, which allow users to capture and print photos instantly. Polaroid has evolved and expanded into various other product categories, but its core identity remains strongly linked to instant photography.
Polarizer: A filter that reduces reflections and glare while enhancing colors, especially in skies and water.
Polarizing Filter: A filter that reduces reflections and glare while enhancing colors.
Portrait Mode: A camera setting or technique optimized for photographing people, often using a narrow depth of field to isolate the subject.
Posterization: A visual effect where an image appears to have distinct bands of color rather than smooth gradations, often caused by excessive compression or poor quality.
Post-Processing: The editing and adjustment of a photo after it has been taken.
PPI (Pixels Per Inch): A measurement of the pixel density in an image, often used to describe the resolution of a screen or print.
Prime Lens: A lens with a fixed focal length, often known for better image quality and faster apertures compared to zoom lenses.
Push Processing: A film development technique that increases the effective ISO of the film by extending the development time.
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