Photo Glossary
Macro
A focusing mode on many cameras and lenses that allows close up pictures of subjects to be taken with a very close range.
Macro attachment
They are supplementary elements attached to the front of a normal lens to give an extreme close-up facility.
Macro lens
It is a lens specially designed to give optimum resolution at close subject distances.
Magnification
The size of an image relative to that of the subject as expressed in a ratio.
Manual camera
A camera without autofocus capability.
Marquee
An oval, rectangle or freehand selection tool found in most image editing programs that adds a dotted lines around the area you select.
Mask
An image editing device used to cover part of a digital image that can then be left untouched while you apply a filter or effect to the rest of the picture.
Masking frame
An adjustable frame used to hold printing paper under enlarger during exposure.
Matte
It is paper with non reflective, non textured surface.
Matte field
A textured surface that disperses light in order to form a clear image. Used in viewfinder optical systems.
Maximum aperture
This is the widest aperture that can be selected on the camera.
Megabyte
A measurement of data storage equal to 1024 kilobytes.
Megabyte (Mb)
A unit of computer memory thats equivalent to 1024 Kilobytes.
Megapixel
One million pixels.
Meniscus lens
It is a simple lens consisting of a single piece off glass, thicker at the center than at the edges. It has one concave and one convex face.
Metafiles
They are graphics that contain both raster and vector data.
Metal print
It is a photographic print made on a sensitized metal surface.
Micro lens
It is a lens for microscopic photography.
Micron
It is one millionth of a meter.
Microphotograph
It is a photograph produced to a very small size which can be viewed with a microfilm reader
Microprism
It is a grid type ring found in the center of a camera focusing screen, usually surrounding a split image screen.
Midtone
It is an area in a print or scene that contains average values.
Millimicron
It is one thousandth part of a micron.
Minimum aperture
This is the smallest aperture that can be selected on the camera.
Mired (Micro-reciprocal degree)
A scale of measurement of color temperature.
Mirror lens
It is a lens system which uses mirrors within its internal construction.
Mix photos
It is a composite picture made from several photographs.
Mode
Type of exposure method used by a camera. Manual mode (M), Aperture Priority mode (A), Shutter priority mode (B), etc.
Monochrome
A general description of black & white photography, but can also describe a single colour image.
Montage
It is a composite picture made from several photographs.
Motor drive
A battery powered mechanism that wind and rewind the film in a camera.
MTF
Modulation Transfer Function. One of the measurements of lens performance used in the manufacturing process.
Multipoint focus
A camera focusing system that uses several areas of the screen as focusing points.
