Camera glossary

By James Jones, founder of Granary Digital · Updated 5 November 2026

Aperture

The opening in the lens that lets light through, given as an f-number. A lower f-number lets in more light and gives a shallower depth of field at the same framing.

Bit depth

The number of tonal steps each colour channel can record. A higher bit depth leaves more room to grade the picture without banding.

Circled take

A take the director has marked as the one to use, usually circled on the camera report and in the script supervisor's notes.

Codec

The method used to compress and store video. It sets the file size, the quality and how much a computer needs to play the footage. The data rate and storage calculator works through the choices.

Colour temperature

The warmth or coolness of a light, measured in kelvin. Tungsten lights sit at a low kelvin value and daylight at a high one, and LED lights vary by product.

Crop factor

The ratio between a 35mm full-frame sensor and the sensor in the camera, used to compare the field of view of a lens across formats. The lens and sensor crop cheat sheet gives the arithmetic.

Depth of field

The zone of the picture that looks sharp, in front of and behind the point of focus. It depends on the aperture, the focal length, the distance to the subject and the sensor size.

Exposure

The total light reaching the sensor, set by the aperture, the shutter and the gain together.

Field of view

How much of the scene a lens takes in, set by the focal length and the sensor size. The field of view calculator shows the figures for a range of sensors.

Focal length

The lens property, measured in millimetres, that sets how wide or tight the view is.

Frame rate

The number of frames recorded each second, such as 24, 25 or 50. The choice affects the look of motion and whether flicker shows under mains lighting. The frame rates and shutter page covers the detail.

Gain

The amplification of the sensor signal, measured in decibels or as an ISO equivalent. It makes the picture brighter in low light, but it also adds noise.

Image circle

The circle of light a lens projects. The sensor has to sit inside it, or the corners of the picture go dark.

Log profile

A recording curve that keeps more detail at both the bright and dark ends of the picture, so the image looks flat until it is graded.

LUT

A look-up table that maps one set of colours to another. It is used to preview a log image or to apply a look.

ND filter

A neutral density filter, which reduces the light evenly without changing the colour. It lets you use a wider aperture or a slower shutter in bright light.

Resolution

The number of pixels across and down the frame. UHD, often called 4K, is 3840 by 2160 pixels.

Sensor

The chip that turns light into the image. Its size changes the field of view and the depth of field of a given lens.

Shutter angle

How much of each frame's time the shutter is open, measured in degrees. A shutter angle of 180 degrees exposes for half of the frame time.

Slate

The board or the spoken line that identifies the scene, shot, take and roll at the start of each take. The camera report has to match it.

Timecode

A numbered address on each frame, in hours, minutes, seconds and frames. It is used to sync sound and picture and to find clips quickly.

White balance

The setting that makes white look white under a given light, set in kelvin or as a preset. It is checked again when the light changes.

Related guides

• Field of view and focal length calculator, by sensor
• Depth of field calculator, with a worked example
• Data rate and storage calculator for camera files
• Frame rates and shutter: the 180 degree rule and flicker-free shutters for UK 50Hz
• Lens and sensor crop cheat sheet
• All guides and tools

The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.