IDEA: How About A Reference Section?

[PicSniper]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the POTN site and new to D-SLR photography. I've used many Canon P&S cameras over the years, but have always wondered what I had been missing with regards to SLR's, until now. I also had the good fortune to come across the POTN site three weeks ago, which has helped me tremendously in this new hobby. Anyways, I've been reading up a storm here and soaking up every little bit of information that I possibly can, but I'm always coming across certain words or acronyms that I don't quite understand, until I search for their meaning (sometimes, to no avail). I was wondering, for the sake of myself and any other newbie photographer that might be experiencing the same problem, if a moderator and/or administrator would consider putting up a dedicated reference section? This section could be set up in alphabetical order and could include a basic explanation for the listed words or acronyms. This way, if a person on the site were to encounter a word or acronym that he/she did not understand the meaning of, they could click on the reference section and, hopefully, find the definition of this word or acronym. Also, if a certain word happens to not be on the list, members could give the administrators and/or moderators a heads-up by posting the suggested word or acronym to a reference thread for approval.

Here are some suggestions that could be considered:

PP
Nifty
Thrifty
CC
OOF
WA
FF
IQ
MF
RAW
ISO
EXIF
E-TTL
L
ES
ES-F
JPG
USM
IS
Aperture
Exposure
Step
Filter
Crop Factor
f-Number
DOF
Vignette
Bokeh
Macro
HDR
Bigma
D-SLR
P&S

I hope I'm not the only one that thinks this is a good idea. If so, I'm going to feel like one really lonely newbie! :oops:

Either way, whatever happens with this, I just want to say that I love the POTN website and thank you for listening!

PicSniper

[Hermeto]

That’s a good idea IMHO!
Comprehensive list of most used acronyms and phrases would make a nice Stickey..
We had something like that in Lens section, nicknames for lenses, I don’t know if that thread is still arround..

[::John::]

There is this one:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=261117

[::John::]

There is also this one:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=276701

[PicSniper]

Ahhhh!!! Thank you, John!!! I know where I'll be spending some more time now... ;)

[Big WIll]

Good Idea.. It should be shown to new members upon registration as well! Like a welcome page... :)

[DAMphyne]

One is missing from your list.
RT_M
read about it here:http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=274706

[PicSniper]

One is missing from your list.
RT_M
read about it here:http://.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=274706

There's an extra "." in the link that prevents it from working. Once there, though, I saw what you were referring to. LOL!

In case you're wondering, I have read through the manual...twice. In my opinion, it's important to read the manual and experiment with the camera at the same time that you're covering the specific material in the manual. The forum adds another dimension to the manual, one of "been there and done that", which is why I love the forum so much. Additionally, the forum also adds many terms that are not covered in the manual.

Thanks for sharing!

[DAMphyne]

PicSniper,
I didn't intend to say that you should read the manual. I figure you've done that or you wouldn't have questions about the terminology refered to in the post.
It's just one of the things we all hear from time to time on this site and I thought it may find a spot on your list. Personally, I think the manual falls short of getting to the basics of taking pictures. I suppose that's because, like most manuals, its intent is not to explain why it works the way it does, just how to make it do it. Does that make sense?
Really, it was JaJ.
BTW I fixed the dot, thanks.
David

[PicSniper]

PicSniper,
I didn't intend to say that you should read the manual. I figure you've done that or you wouldn't have questions about the terminology refered to in the post.
It's just one of the things we all hear from time to time on this site and I thought it may find a spot on your list. Personally, I think the manual falls short of getting to the basics of taking pictures. I suppose that's because, like most manuals, its intent is not to explain why it works the way it does, just how to make it do it. Does that make sense?
Really, it was JaJ.
BTW I fixed the dot, thanks.
David

LOL! No, I didn't take it that way! I completely agree with you. At this point, I'm still going to take a third round at reading it again, just to let some of what's in there stick in my head some more. I'm still a little fuzzy with regards to how the basic functions relate to each other (i.e. aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc.), but I'll eventually get it (I hope! :oops:). Practice, practice, practice!!!

[DAMphyne]

I'm still a little fuzzy with regards to how the basic functions relate to each other (i.e. aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc.), but I'll eventually get it (I hope! ). Practice, practice, practice!!!
You've got that right. When I started photography, my mentor informed me, You can't learn to take pictures without running film through your camera. Thank goodness we have digital now and the film cost is gone.
Tuff part is, once you learn the basics of exposure,then they want to introduce all this other stuff, like DOF, panning, stop action, lighting technique, ect. ect.
Not to mention, the terminology sometimes seems Bass Ackwards:confused: . The smaller #, the bigger the hole. The the higher the number, the less time. And what's the deal with ASA and ISO, who makes these changes anyway?
In my opinion, learning to use the camera, besides the physics, is a physical thing.
Leard to hold the camera, Learn how to stand still, and squeeze the shutter, not trip it.
Good luck in this journey.:)
David