Aperture
The opening in a lens. A low f-number means a large opening: more light and, all else equal, less depth of field.
LICHTWERK STUDIO
Glossary
Photography speaks many languages. Let’s make it clear.
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Shutter speed
How long light is collected per exposure. 1/1000 s is short, 1 s long. Motion and camera shake become more visible at longer exposures.
ISO
A setting affecting exposure evaluation and output brightness. It creates no light; high values often accompany more visible noise.
Exposure stop / EV
One full stop doubles or halves exposure. The aperture sequence runs approximately 2 – 2.8 – 4 – 5.6 – 8.
Exposure compensation
An instruction to auto exposure to capture brighter or darker than its meter suggests. In M with fixed ISO it does not change exposure settings.
Depth of field
The region around the focus distance that looks acceptably sharp in the output. It depends on aperture, focal length, distance and viewing conditions.
Bokeh
The aesthetic character of out-of-focus areas, not simply the amount of blur.
Focal length
An optical measurement in millimetres. Together with sensor size it determines angle of view; camera position determines perspective.
Angle of view
How much of a scene fits in the photograph. On the same sensor, a shorter focal length includes more surroundings. Perspective changes when you move the camera.
Crop factor
An angle-of-view comparison with full frame, about 1.6× on the R50. Actual focal length and marked aperture do not change.
Sensor
The camera’s light-sensitive surface. APS-C and full frame describe sizes; megapixels describe pixel count.
Autofocus
The camera sets focus distance automatically. AF mode, AF area and subject detection are separate settings.
Focus point
The place in the frame where you want the camera to focus. Touch AF often lets you choose it directly. The focus point does not determine how far sharpness extends in front of and behind the subject.
One-Shot / AF-S
Single focus acquisition for still subjects; focus is normally held while the shutter remains half-pressed.
Servo / AF-C
Continuous focusing for moving subjects. It does not guarantee sharpness or replace an appropriate shutter time.
Manual focus
You set focus distance yourself. Magnified preview or focus peaking can help; peaking is not a precise sharpness measurement.
Focus peaking
Coloured outlines emphasize contrast edges during manual focus. Higher sensitivity shows more edges; noise can also be marked. Peaking does not confirm reliable focus and is not recorded in the photograph. On the R50 it disappears in magnified view.
Minimum focus distance
The closest focusable distance, measured from the sensor plane, not from the front of the lens.
White balance
Colour adjustment for the light source or creative intent. A higher selected Kelvin value renders the same scene warmer.
RAW
A format retaining sensor data and editing latitude. CR3 on the R50. It needs compatible software and cannot replace good capture.
JPEG / HEIF
Rendered image files. White balance, contrast and processing are more baked in than RAW. Check destination compatibility.
Histogram
Distribution of image brightness: dark on the left, bright on the right. No single shape is correct for every subject.
Dynamic range
The usable range between dark and bright signals. Clipped highlights may contain no recoverable detail.
Rolling shutter
Distortion from reading sensor rows at different times. Fast movement can appear slanted or bent.
Electronic first curtain
Exposure starts electronically and ends mechanically. On the R50 this is the shutter option that allows flash.
Image stabilisation / IS / IBIS
Compensation for camera movement in a lens or at the sensor. The R50 has no IBIS. Moving subjects are not frozen by it.
ND filter
Reduces light without an intended colour shift, enabling longer exposure or wider apertures in bright light.
Polarising filter
Can reduce certain reflections and alter the sky. The effect depends on angle; it cannot remove every reflection.
Flash sync speed
The fastest normal shutter time at which compatible flash can expose the whole sensor. R50: 1/250 s with electronic first curtain.
Buffer
Temporary storage before photographs are written to the card. A full buffer can slow burst shooting.
UHS / V rating
UHS describes a card interface; V a minimum sustained sequential write speed under defined conditions. Check camera requirements.
Frame rate
Number of video frames per second. Not the same as shutter time; for example 25 fps at 1/50 s.
Composition
Intentional arrangement of subject, background, lines, space and light. Rules are tools, not obligations.
Diffraction
Light bends around small openings. Stopping down heavily can reduce fine detail even as depth of field increases.
Macro
Close-up photography at high magnification; 1:1 means the subject’s image on the sensor is life-size.
Metering mode
Determines how image regions are weighted by the exposure meter. Evaluative uses the whole frame, centre-weighted favours the centre. Partial and spot measure a central area; spot is smaller. The metering area is not the focus target.
Lens hood
Shields the lens from stray side light. The correct shape avoids dark corners; it does not replace a lens cap.
Backup
An independent, verified copy. Synced deletions illustrate why cloud synchronisation alone is not sufficient backup.