Black's Photo Glossary
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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F-STOP or F NUMBER
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The f-number or f/stop represents the width of a camera’s aperture and is expressed as a fraction of the camera lens’ focal length: f/2 equals 1/2 the focal length and f/16 is 1/16 the focal length. Therefore, the higher the f-number, the smaller the aperture. See also, STOP
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FILL FLASH
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The use of a flash to remove (or fill) shadows when there is otherwise enough light to take a picture, especially in strong sunlight.
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FILTER
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1) A glass or plastic disc with a metal or plastic ring that can be screwed onto the front of a lens to modify the contrast, lighting, or colour balance. 2) A component of an imaging application such as Photoshop that applies a specific special effect to a digital image.
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FILTER ADAPTER RING
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An adapter used to fit filters (which are designed for 35mm SLR lenses) to the lens of a compact digital camera.
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FIREWIRE
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A very fast external bus developed by Apple. Also called IEEE 1394. Some high-end digital cameras use FireWire to transfer images instead of USB.
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FLASH
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A device that fires a brief burst of light to provide illumination in low-light conditions. Usually built in to compact digital cameras. Many cameras can also accept an additional flash connected via a hotshoe.
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FLASH CARD
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Another way of saying MEMORY CARD.
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FLASH MEMORY
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The type of memory chip contained in a memory card. Flash memory is non-volatile. That mean it retains information even when the power is off. Because it contains no moving parts, flash memory uses very little power and is also very durable.
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FLATBED SCANNER
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An image capture device that is connected to a computer and works in the same way as a photocopier. A moving sensor passes under an image or document that is placed facedown on a glass plate and converts it into a digital file that can be stored on a computer.
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FOCAL LENGTH
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The distance from a lens to the focal point, that is, the point where the light rays converge inside the camera.
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FOCUS
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Adjusting a camera’s lens so that the subject/image is sharply defined. This can me accomplished manually by the photographer, or automatically by the camera.
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FOCUS LOCK
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Pressing the shutter button halfway on an automatic camera locks the focus on the subject in the centre of the viewfinder. To photograph a subject that is off to one side, centre the subject, press the shutter release button halfway, shift the subject back to the desired position, then press the shutter release button all the way.
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FORMATTING
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The process of preparing a memory card to be used with a specific digital camera, which also erases any data on the card. A new memory card must be formatted before it is used. Also, a card that is transferred from one digital camera to another may also need to be formatted (depending on the manufacturer and/or model) because file systems vary from camera to camera. Formatting is also the easiest way to erase the entire contents of a card and should be done occasionally to prevent corrupt files.
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