Camera jargon, explained

0–9

32-bit float audio

An audio recording format with enormous headroom, so levels that were too loud or quiet can usually be fixed afterwards. Some wireless mics record it internally.

4K

Video around 4,000 pixels wide. UHD 4K is 3840 x 2160; DCI 4K is 4096 x 2160. See also: Frame rate.

A

Aperture

The opening in a lens that lets light in, written as an f-number such as f/2.8. A lower number means a wider opening, more light and more background blur. See also: Depth of field.

APS-C

A sensor size of roughly 23 x 15 mm (exact sizes vary by maker). It's smaller than full frame, so lenses frame more tightly — a crop factor of about 1.5x, or 1.6x on Canon. See also: Crop factor, Full frame.

B

Bitrate

How much data a video format records each second, usually in megabits per second (Mbps). Higher bitrates keep more detail but need faster memory cards and more storage. See also: Codec, V30 / V60 / V90.

C

CFexpress

A fast memory card format used by many higher-end cameras for high-bitrate and RAW video. Type B is the larger size; check which type your camera takes. See also: UHS-I / UHS-II.

CIPA

The Camera & Imaging Products Association, a Japanese industry body whose test standards makers use when quoting battery life and stabilisation in stops. See also: Stops of stabilisation.

Codec

The method used to compress video, such as H.264 (AVC) or H.265 (HEVC). H.265 makes smaller files at similar quality but needs more computer power to edit. See also: Bitrate.

Crop factor

How much narrower a smaller sensor's view is than full frame with the same lens. Multiply a lens's focal length by the crop factor to get its full-frame equivalent. See also: Equivalent focal length.

Cropped 4K

A video mode that uses only part of the sensor, making the picture look more zoomed in than the same lens in stills. See also: Crop factor.

D

Depth of field

How much of the scene, from near to far, looks sharp. Wide apertures, longer focal lengths and bigger sensors give shallower depth of field (more background blur). See also: Aperture.

DSLR

Digital single-lens reflex: a camera with a mirror that sends the image to an optical viewfinder. The mirror flips up to take the picture. See also: Mirrorless, Optical viewfinder.

Dual Pixel AF

Canon's name for its on-sensor phase-detection autofocus, where pixels are split to measure focus. See also: Phase-detection AF.

E

Electronic stabilisation

Steadying video in software by cropping the frame slightly and shifting it to cancel shake. Common on action cameras and some vlogging cameras. See also: IBIS, Gimbal.

Equivalent focal length

A lens's field of view expressed as the focal length that would give the same view on full frame — e.g. 24–100 mm equivalent. See also: Crop factor.

EVF

Electronic viewfinder: a small high-resolution screen you hold to your eye, showing a live preview of the picture. Resolution is quoted in dots. See also: Optical viewfinder.

F

Frame rate

How many images per second a video records: 24/25p for a filmic look, 50/60p for smoother motion, 100/120p or more for slow motion. See also: 4K.

Full frame

A sensor about the size of a 35 mm film frame (around 36 x 24 mm). The reference point for crop factors. See also: APS-C, Medium format.

G

Gimbal

A motorised stabiliser that holds the camera level and smooth on two or three axes. Pocket gimbal cameras have one built in. See also: Electronic stabilisation.

H

Hot shoe

The mount on top of a camera for a flash, microphone or light.

I

IBIS

In-body image stabilisation: the sensor moves to cancel camera shake, so every lens is stabilised. Also called sensor-shift stabilisation. See also: Stops of stabilisation, OIS.

K

Kit lens

The zoom lens sold with a camera body as a bundle — usually a wide-to-short-telephoto zoom that's a sensible starting point. See also: Prime lens.

L

Lens mount

The fitting that connects lenses to a camera body. Each system has its own (Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E, Fujifilm X, L-Mount, Micro Four Thirds…).

Log profile

A flat-looking video recording mode (such as Canon Log, N-Log, S-Log or V-Log) that keeps more highlight and shadow information for colour grading later.

M

Medium format

Sensors larger than full frame, such as the 43.8 x 32.9 mm sensor in the Fujifilm GFX100S II. See also: Full frame.

Micro Four Thirds

A sensor and lens mount standard with a 17.3 x 13.0 mm sensor (crop factor about 2), used by Panasonic and OM System. See also: Crop factor.

Mirrorless

An interchangeable-lens camera with no mirror box: the sensor feeds an electronic viewfinder or the rear screen directly. See also: DSLR, EVF.

O

OIS

Optical image stabilisation in the lens (Canon calls it IS, Nikon VR, Sony OSS). Important on bodies without IBIS. See also: IBIS.

Optical viewfinder

A viewfinder that shows the real scene through glass — via a mirror and pentaprism or pentamirror in DSLRs, or a separate window in some compacts. See also: EVF, DSLR.

P

Phase-detection AF

A fast autofocus method that measures which way and how far to move the lens. Most modern cameras build it into the image sensor. See also: Subject detection.

Plug-in power

A small voltage supplied by a camera's 3.5 mm mic socket to power simple microphones that don't have their own battery.

Prime lens

A lens with one fixed focal length. Often smaller and brighter (lower f-number) than a zoom. See also: Kit lens.

R

RAW

Unprocessed sensor data saved as a stills file (or, on some cameras, as RAW video). It needs editing but gives the most flexibility.

Rolling shutter

Distortion (leaning verticals, wobbling) when fast movement is recorded by a sensor that reads out line by line. Faster readout reduces it.

S

Stops of stabilisation

How much slower a shutter speed you can handhold with stabilisation on. Each stop doubles the time. Makers measure it to a CIPA standard, often with a specific lens. See also: IBIS, CIPA.

Subject detection

Autofocus that recognises people, eyes, animals, birds and vehicles and tracks them automatically. See also: Phase-detection AF.

T

Tilting screen

A rear screen that tilts up and down (some also sideways). Useful for high and low angles, but most can't face forward. See also: Vari-angle screen.

U

UHS-I / UHS-II

Bus interfaces for SD cards. UHS-II cards have an extra row of contacts and are faster in cameras with UHS-II slots; they still work in UHS-I slots at UHS-I speeds. See also: CFexpress, V30 / V60 / V90.

UVC webcam

USB Video Class: lets a camera work as a webcam over USB without extra software, on supported cameras.

V

V30 / V60 / V90

Video Speed Class ratings on SD cards: a guaranteed minimum sustained write speed of 30, 60 or 90 MB/s. Check which class your camera's video modes need. See also: Bitrate, UHS-I / UHS-II.

Vari-angle screen

A rear screen hinged at the side that can swing out and rotate — including round to face you, which is ideal for vlogging. See also: Tilting screen.