Nikon® Creative Lighting System: Digital Field Guide, Second Edition

Glossary

Active D-Lighting

A camera setting that preserves highlight and shadow details in a high-contrast scene with a wide dynamic range.

AE (autoexposure)

A general-purpose shooting mode where the camera selects the aperture and/or shutter speed according to the camera's built-in light meter. See also Shutter Priority and Aperture Priority.

AF-assist illuminator

An LED that emits light in low-light or low-contrast situations. The AF-assist illuminator provides enough light for the camera's AF to work in low light.

ambient lighting

Lighting that naturally exists in a scene.

angle of view

The area of a scene that a lens can capture, which is determined by the focal length of the lens. Lenses with a shorter focal length have a wider angle of view than lenses with a longer focal length. The angle of view of a specific focal length will change depending on the image format, DX or FX. See also DX and FX.

aperture

The physical opening of the lens similar to the iris of any eye. The designation for each step in the aperture is called the f-stop. The smaller the f-stop (or f/number), the larger the actual opening of the aperture, and the higher-numbered f-stops designate smaller apertures, letting in less light. The f/number is the ratio of the focal length to the aperture diameter.

Aperture Priority

A camera setting where you choose the aperture and the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed according to the camera's metered readings. Aperture Priority is often used by a photographer to control ...