Deciphering a camera’s specifications can be confusing, with all the acronyms and fancy names. I’ve compiled a list below to help you figure it all out… at least for Nikon and Canon.
I talk about a few of the terms in this video…
DSLR Nomenclature
| Nikon | Canon | What is this? |
| FX | Full Frame | Full-Frame Sensor |
| DX (1.5x) | APS-C (1.6x) | Cropped Sensor |
| n/a | APS-H (1.3x) | Cropped Sensor |
| A | Av | Aperture Priority |
| S | Tv | Shutter Priority |
| M | M | Manual |
| P | P | Program |
| Continuous Servo Autofocus | AI Servo Autofocus | Continuous Focusing – the camera continues to focus after the shutter release is half-pressed |
| Single Servo Autofocus | One Shot Autofocus | Non-Continuous Focusing – the camera stops autofocusing once the shutter release is half-pressed |
| Continuous | Continuous Shooting | Continuous Shooting – as long as you hold the shutter release button, the camera will keep taking photos |
| Single | Single Shooting | Single Shot Shooting – one press of the shutter release button equals one photo |
| i-TTL (Intelligent Through the Lens) | E-TTL (Evaluative Through the Lens) | Flash metering pattern that weighs all parts equally |
| Active D-Lighting | Auto Lighting Optimizer | In high contrast lighting conditions, it effectively lightens the dark areas, while holding the bright areas |
| Interval Timer | Self-Timer Continuous | Photos taken at set intervals |
Lens Nomenclature
| Nikon | Canon | What is this? |
| AF-S | USM | Silent Autofocus- near-silent focusing |
| AF | n/a | No autofocus motor in lens; to use autofocus, the camera body must have a focus motor |
| Micro | Macro | Macro- allows the lens to focus when close to the subject |
| n/a | EF | Designed for full-frame DSLRs & APS-H DSLRs (though a crop factor of 1.3x is applied) |
| DX | EF-S | Designed for cropped-sensor DSLRs; on Canon, will not work on full frame DSLRs in cropped mode |
| D | n/a | Aperture ring on lens |
| G | EF & EF-S | No aperture ring on lens |
| IF | Internal Focus System | Internal Focus- no moving focus ring on outside of lens |
| n/a | Front Group Rotating | Non-Internal Focus- moving focus ring on outside of lens |
| VR (Vibration Reduction) | IS (Image Stabilization) | Image Stabilization- prevents motion blur; especially helpful if shooting handheld at longer focal lengths |
I pulled out my two Alien Bees B800 strobes and my tan backdrop and set out to get different looks by moving around the lights and adjusting the camera and light power settings. A few images from my shoot are below but VIPs, log in for an exclusive video explaining the details and a gallery of the images from the shoot!
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I explain the basics of exposure. See the other videos from this series here!
Selective lighting is one of my favorite ways to shoot. For this shoot, I got into the studio and turned up the shadows!
VIPs, log in for a gallery of images and an exclusive video talking about how I achieved this look with the studio equipment I already have. 🙂
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I added an index to my site so it will be a bit easier to navigate. I broke all the posts up into categories. This is definitely a work in progress but it’s a start!
To see the new index, click here!
I explain the basics of exposure. See the other videos from this series here!
I’ve seen a lot of gritty-looking portraits and I like them. However, a lot of them are… well… a little on the ugly side. I mean, that’s usually the point. 🙂 A lot of times, the subject is staring into the camera with a sad or a mean expression. I wanted to experiment with something different – instead of gritty-ugly, I wanted gritty-pretty!
VIPs, log in for a gallery of images and a making-of video where I talk about how I set up the shoot, how I edited the photos to get that gritty look, and the challenges I came across!
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