APS-sized film sensors - Short for Advanced Photo System, APS film comes in a cassette that automatically advances to the first frame when you close the back of the camera. At the end of the roll, the camera rewinds the film back into the cassette and closes the film cover. Most digital SLRs use image sensors that are the size of a frame of APS film, rather than 35mm film. Higher-end SLRs use full 35mm-sized sensors.

Bitmap Graphics - Graphics that are constructed of individual pixels.

Bubble Jet - A Canon ink jet printing technology that creates bubbles in the ink supply and propels the ink through small nozzles onto the print media.

Burst mode - A special mode for shooting a sequence of images in rapid succession. Also known as continuous.

Hi-Fi Color - An alternative printing process that extends the capabilities of printing presses. This system uses stochastic screening, 6-color printing, and other techniques to expand the possible color gamut well beyond that of traditional 4-color processes.

Resolution - The particular pixel density of an image, or the number of dots per inch a device is capable of recognizing or producing. See "DPI" and "PPI."

Shadow - Detail or information contained in dark areas of an image.

APS-sized film sensors - Short for Advanced Photo System, APS film comes in a cassette that automatically advances to the first frame when you close the back of the camera. At the end of the roll, the camera rewinds the film back into the cassette and closes the film cover. Most digital SLRs use image sensors that are the size of a frame of APS film, rather than 35mm film. Higher-end SLRs use full 35mm-sized sensors.

Chroma - The hue or color information associated with an image.

Colorimeter - A device for measuring color values.

Depth of field - A measure of the area of an image that is in focus, measured as the depth from the focal point of the image.

Ghosting - The effect of changing an object's level of opacity

JPEG - An acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group, a JPEG is the most commonly used type of digital image format. By eliminating very subtle color distinctions that the human eye usually cannot detect, JPEG images are compressed so that they can save faster and use less space. Because JPEG format actually alters an image, it's compression is said to be "lossy," meaning that a certain amount of data is lost every time a JPEG is edited, saved, and compressed again.

MPEG (Motion Pictures Expert Group) - A motion picture compression system.

SLR Camera - The most expensive of all digital cameras, digital SLRs offer complete manual control, higher resolution, advanced exposure control, and the benefits of detachable lenses. Due to the lens design, digital SLR's are not capable of shooting video.

Smooth - A process that softens, blurs or makes an image, color or pattern to appear out of focus.