Cameras, Formats & Systems — 60 Terms Defined

Flange Focal Distance Cameras, Formats & Systems mm The distance from a camera's lens mounting flange to the sensor or film plane.

Focal-plane Shutter Cameras, Formats & Systems seconds A shutter made of two curtains that travel across the sensor just in front of it, exposing the frame as a moving slit at high speeds.

Full Frame Cameras, Formats & Systems mm A sensor the same size as a 35 mm film negative, 36 by 24 millimetres, treated as the reference format for focal length and depth of field. Crop factor = 1.0

Gimbal Head Cameras, Formats & Systems kg (load rating) A tripod head that supports a long lens at its centre of gravity, letting it swing weightlessly in two axes.

Global Shutter Cameras, Formats & Systems seconds An electronic shutter that starts and stops the exposure for every photosite at exactly the same instant.

Half-frame Format Cameras, Formats & Systems mm A 35 mm format using an 18 by 24 millimetre vertical frame, doubling the number of exposures on a roll.

Hot Shoe Cameras, Formats & Systems The standardised bracket on top of a camera that both holds an accessory and provides electrical contacts to trigger it.

Hybrid Viewfinder Cameras, Formats & Systems A finder that can switch between an optical view and an electronic one, or overlay electronic information on the optical image.

Instant Camera Cameras, Formats & Systems A camera that exposes and develops a self-contained print within a minute of the shutter firing.

L-bracket Cameras, Formats & Systems An L-shaped plate that lets a camera be mounted on a tripod head in either horizontal or vertical orientation without tilting the head.

Large Format Cameras, Formats & Systems inches Sheet-film photography at 4×5 inches and above, using individually loaded sheets and a camera with full movements.

Leaf Shutter Cameras, Formats & Systems seconds A shutter built into the lens from overlapping blades that open from the centre outward and close the same way.

Lens Adapter Cameras, Formats & Systems mm A ring or unit that lets a lens designed for one mount be fitted to a body with a different one.

Lens Mount Cameras, Formats & Systems The mechanical and electronic interface that couples a lens to a camera body.

Live View Cameras, Formats & Systems A mode that shows a continuous sensor feed on the rear screen instead of, or as well as, the viewfinder.

Medium Format Cameras, Formats & Systems mm Any format larger than 35 mm but smaller than 4×5 inches, covering film frames from 6×4.5 to 6×17 cm and digital sensors around 44×33 mm.

Micro Four Thirds Cameras, Formats & Systems mm An open sensor and mount standard using a 17.3 by 13 millimetre sensor with a 4:3 aspect ratio and a 2× crop factor. Crop factor = 2.0

Mirror Lock-up Cameras, Formats & Systems A function that raises an SLR's mirror in a separate step before the shutter fires, so its vibration has time to settle.

Mirrorless Camera Cameras, Formats & Systems An interchangeable-lens camera with no reflex mirror, where the sensor feeds an electronic viewfinder or rear screen directly.

Monopod Cameras, Formats & Systems kg (load rating) A single-legged support that removes vertical camera shake while leaving the photographer free to move and pan.

One-inch Type Sensor Cameras, Formats & Systems mm A sensor measuring about 13.2 by 8.8 millimetres, with a crop factor near 2.7×, common in premium compacts and drones. Crop factor ≈ 2.7

Optical Viewfinder Cameras, Formats & Systems A finder that shows the scene by direct optical path rather than on a screen.

Pentamirror Cameras, Formats & Systems A lighter, cheaper alternative to the pentaprism using a hollow arrangement of mirrors to perform the same image correction.

Pentaprism Cameras, Formats & Systems A solid five-sided glass prism above an SLR's focusing screen that corrects the image left-to-right and presents it at eye level.