DSLR Lens Terms and Abbreviations

A cheat sheet to decipher arcane terms and abbreviations used to describe Pentax lenses

By Inexorable in Articles and Tips on Aug 30, 2014

In an earlier article titled - Photography Terms Cheat Sheet - we explained common terms and abbreviations used when discussing photography and cameras. In this follow-up article- a guide for newcomers and a recap cheat sheet for Pentax users- we explain common terms and abbreviations used to describe Pentax lenses. We start with generic lens terminology and then move onto Pentax specific terms.

Photography Terms Cheat Sheet

Widely used photography and camera terms

By Inexorable in Articles and Tips on Jun 30, 2014

Being nearly two centuries old, photography is understandably replete with terms that span the archaic (ISO) to the contemporary (IS) and the arcane (EV) to the pedestrian (LV) . The problem is compounded by the well-known penchant of marketing whizkids to pitch new products using newly minted catchy abbreviations as props.

For a newcomer striving to get to speed in photography, it can be exasperating to be repeatedly confronted with terms such as PDAF and DOF while reading articles and following discussions.

At Pentax Forums, we feel your pain and wish to mitigate it with a compilation of widely used photography terms.

Read on for a glossary of photo terms which you can bookmark and/or print for reference!  A follow-up article will dwell on terms associated with lenses and other photographic gear.

Photographing Family and Friends: A Cheat Sheet

Capturing portraits of family and friends is fun but challenging.

By Inexorable in Articles and Tips on Jun 25, 2014

Visualize yourself at a bash together with friends and family, showing photographs from your recent travel.

"Oh! That's a fine portrait! Why, you are a fine photographer!" goes a friend.

"Thank you!" you reply, thrilled at the compliment.

Eyeing the camera bag lying next to you, the friend continues, "Why don't you take pictures at this event. We are meeting after so long and no one is clicking with a professional camera. I would love to pose for some portraits."

Just as you are recalling your best line to turn down the invite because you are not prepared for it, the friend adds, "Please!"

Uh! Oh! The 'Please,' and the earlier appreciation leave you with no choice, do they? But you have no time to study the guests and pick suitable poses for them from among the few hundred in the Poses directory of your desktop, which isn't with you in any case! You have no studio lights, you have no assistant.

But you do have the camera and a few lenses that would do the job? Your honor is at stake!

You aren't sure you are upto the challenge; your trepidation is mounting! 

There is no help around the corner, but there is help in your pocket! A printout of the cheat sheet below! All you need to do is pull it out, recap the points, and click away.

It's easy to guess what happens thereafter. As soon as you take a photo, people breathe down your neck to see the camera LCD, and then collectively say - Wow!

The cheat sheet below is a compilation of practical tips to help photographers take good pictures at a gathering of family and friends.

Breaking Rules of Photography - Artfully

Rules can be broken when they become limiting

By Inexorable in Articles and Tips on Jun 10, 2014

Photography is replete with science-based rules and guidelines that help you take good pictures, but being an artform it is not bound by them.

Rule-defying compositions and out-of-focus, blurred, or partially-visible subjects create tension in a viewer's mind and should normally be avoided, but sometimes they can have the opposite effect, making for a beautiful picture!

The two essential ingredients of a good picture are subject and drama. Their impact on the viewer depends on your treatment and it is subjective, regardless of whether or not you follow the rules!