The lenses: the basics

FOCAL LENGTH

IS AN OPTICAL PROPERTY OF THE LENS, AS THE DISTANCE FROM THE OPTICAL CENTER OF THE LENS TO THE FOCAL PLANE OF THE VIDEO CAMERA WHEN THE LENS IS FOCUSED AT INFINITY.

PRIME LENSES

_ HAVE A FIXED LENS FOCAL LENGTH, MAKING THEM FASTER AND SHARPER. _ ARE LESS FLEXIBLE DUE TO THE FIXED FOCAL LENGTH.

ZOOM LENSES

_ USE A SERIES OF LENSES TO ALLOW DIFFERENT FOCAL LENGTHS FROM A SINGLE LENS, MAKING THEM MORE FLEXIBLE BUT NOT AS FAST.

ANGLE OF VIEW

IS DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH LENS FOCAL LENGTH. IT DESCRIBES HOW MUCH OF THE SCENE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA WILL BE CAPTURED BY THE CAMERA'S SENSOR

COMPRESSING DISTANCE

A LONG FOCAL LENGTH LENS COUPLED WITH GREAT CAMERA-TO SUBJECT DISTANCE APPEARS TO REDUCE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN OBJECTS IN FRONT OF THE LENS

CHANGES APPARENT SPEED

CHANGES IN CAMERA-TO-SUBJECT DISTANCE COUPLED WITH COMPENSATING CHANGES IN LENS FOCAL LENGTH INFLUENCE THE APPARENT SPEED OF OBJECTS MOVING TOWARD OR AWAY FROM THE CAMERA

PERSPECTIVE CHANGES

THE USE OF A WIDE-ANGLE LENS COMBINED WITH A LIMITED CAMERA-TO-SUBJECT DISTANCE CREATES A TYPE OF PERSPECTIVE DISTORTION.

ZOOM

YOU OPTICALLY ENLARGE SMALLER AND SMALLER PARTS OF THE PICTURE TO FILL THE SCREEN

DOLLY

A CAMERA YOU PHYSICALLY MOVE THE ENTIRE CAMERA TOWARD OR AWAY FROM SUBJECT MATTER.

F-STOPS

THE "F" STANDS FOR FACTOR. AN _ IS THE RATIO BETWEEN THE LENS OPENING AND THE LENS FOCAL LENGTH.

APERTURE

THE LENS DIAPHRAGM OPENING INSIDE PHOTOGRAPHIC LENS IS REFERRED TO AS _

EXPOSURE

IT IS THE TOTAL DENSITY OF THE LIGHT ALLOWED TO FALL ON THE FILM OR THE SENSOR IN A CAMERA

SHUTTER SPEED

IT IS A TERM USED FOR THE TIME INTERVAL FOR WHICH “SHUTTER” OF THE CAMERA IS OPEN. IT IS EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE: IT’S THE SPEED AT WHICH THE SHUTTER OF THE CAMERA CLOSES

ISO

IS YOUR CAMERA'S SENSITIVITY TO LIGHT AS IT PERTAINS TO EITHER FILM OR A DIGITAL SENSOR. A LOWER ISO VALUE MEANS LESS SENSITIVITY TO LIGHT, WHILE A HIGHER ISO MEANS MORE SENSITIVITY.

WHITE BALANCE

IT IS THE PROCESS OF REMOVING THE UNREALISTIC COLOR CAST WHICH, SO THAT THE OBJECTS WHICH APPEAR WHITE TO THE HUMAN EYE AND RENDERED WHITE IN THE PHOTOGRAPH TOO