105
Appendix
Glossary
Digital zoom: Unlike optical zoom, digital zoom does not increase the amount of visible detail. Instead, details vis-
ible using optical zoom are simply enlarged, producing a slightly “grainy” image.
EV (Exposure Value): The exposure value is determined by the sensitivity of the image sensor and the amount
of light that enters the camera while the image sensor is exposed. Each time the amount of light doubles, EV
increases by one; each time the amount of light is halved, EV decreases by one. The amount of light entering the
camera can be controlled by adjusting aperture and shutter speed.
Exif Print: A standard that allows information stored with pictures to be used for optimal color reproduction dur-
ing printing.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group): A compressed le format for color images. The higher the compression
rate, the greater the loss of information and more noticeable drop in quality when the picture is displayed.
Motion JPEG: An AVI (Audio Video Interleave) format that stores images and sound in a single le, with the images
recorded in JPEG format. Motion JPEG les can be played in QuickTime 3.0 or later.
Smear: A phenomenon speci c to CCDs which causes white streaks to appear when very bright light sources, such
as the sun or re ected sunlight, appear in the frame.
White balance: The human brain automatically adapts to changes in the color of light, with the result that objects
that appear white under one light source still appear white when the color of the light source changes. Digital
cameras can mimic this adjustment by processing images according to the color of the light source. This process
is known as “white balance.”