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Photography Quiz
Think you know all about photography? Maybe you enjoy photography and just love doing quizes. Either way, have a go at this quiz and see how you do. E-mail your answers to us and we'll reply by sending you a link to the answers page. Whoever holds the current record will get a mention on our home page.
History of Photography
1. During the 17th century, Robert Boyle reported that Silver Chloride turned dark under exposure to what?
Answer: Air (sorry - a bit of a trick question to start with)
2. The term 'camera obscura' literally means what?
Answer: Dark Chamber
3. Name the English photography pioneer born in 1800, and developer of the calotype process of photography?
Answer: William Fox Talbot
4. Which company (still going today) was the first to produce a commercially successful 35mm format camera, and in which year?
Answer: Leica, in 1925
5. Which company, founded in 1888, used the slogan "You press the button and we do the rest"?
Answer: Kodak
6. Which Swedish manufacturer, most famous for their medium format cameras, was founded in 1841, however didn't introduce its first commercial camera until more than 100 years later?
Answer: Hasselblad
7. What photographic invention is generally credited to the American scientist Edwin Land, and what company did he set up to exploit it?
Answer: Self-developing film ; Polaroid
8. In 1973, Fairchild semiconductors produced the first large image-forming CCD chip - what was it's resolution?
Answer: 100x100 pixels (0.1 Megapixels)
9. Which company made the first mass produced autofocus camera, and in what year?
Answer: Konica in 1977 produced a point and shoot. First AF SLR by Polaroid in 1978. First 35mm SLR by Pentax in 1981 (the Pentax ME-F)
10. What film format was invented in 1982 by Kodak (officially discontinued in December 1999) - each film being circular, contained in a cartridge and having 15 exposures?
Answer: Disc film
Using Your Camera
11. What is the simplest thing you can change on your camera to vary the depth-of-field?
Answer: The aperture of the lens
12. Most cameras have four basic exposure modes: auto/program, aperture priority, manual. What is the fourth one?
Answer: Shutter Priority
13. What does '125' mean when you select this for the shutter speed?
a. 125 shots remaining before card full
b. shutter will be open for 1.25 seconds
c. 12.5 seconds self-timer
d. shutter will open for 1/125th second
e. shutter will open for 125 milliseconds (0.125s)
Answer: d
14. Which of these is best suited to low light photography
a. low ISO setting
b. fast shutter speeds
c. low f-number for the aperture
d. a polarising filter
e. long focal length lenses
Answer: c
15. You have a 50mm prime lens for your Canon APS-C DSLR (1.6x crop factor). What focal length lens would you use on the following cameras to get the same angle of view?
15.1. a 35mm film camera
15.2. a Nikon FX camera (e.g. the Nikon D3)
15.3. an Olympus DSLR (uses the four-thirds system)
Answer: 15.1: 80mm lens ; 15.2: 80mm lens ; 15.3: 40mm lens
16. You have a lens which has a maximum aperture opening of 28mm diameter. Which of these lenses could it be?
a. 28mm f/3.5 lens
b. 50mm f/1.8 lens
c. 100mm f/2.8 lens
d. 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens
Answer: b (50mm divided by 1.8 is approx 28mm)
17. Name two uses for the mirror lockup function in a DSLR
Answer: cleaning the sensor, reducing camera shake
18. Which of these are valid reasons to use the RAW format over the JPEG format
a. you can adjust the white balance later
b. it can more accurately describe the colour information in the image
c. RAW files are generally smaller than JPEG files
d. burnt out highlights can sometimes be recovered
e. RAW files generally use a lossless compression
f. RAW always has the potential to let you create better JPEGs than the camera
Answer: a, b, d, e, f (i.e. all but c are valid reasons)
19. If you are taking a picture of a bright snow scene and you are using one of the auto modes ('P' mode), what feature of your camera might you use to ensure the image comes out looking the same as your eye sees it.
Answer: Exposure compensation - you generally need to overexpose the image slightly to avoid the snow coming out too grey.
20. You have a DSLR such as the EOS 400/450D, Nikon D40/60/80 with an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. You want to take a head and shoulders portrait of your partner. What focal length should you use, and assuming you have plenty of light available, what aperture would you use to create a nice blurred background?
Answer: Portraits are best taken with the longer focal length on a kit lens - so 55mm would generally be the best, and an aperture of f/5.6 gives the shallowest depth of field at this focal length.
Classic Cameras
Misc. Questions
31. What type of photography commonly makes use of tilt-and-shift lenses?
Answer: Buildings or architecture
32. What does an extension tube do, and why might you use it? (no rude answers please)
Answer: Allows you to reduce the minimum focussing distance of a lens, although you lose the ability to focus to infinity. Used for macro photography - a cheap way to do it when you can't afford a dedicated macro lens.
33. What is the name commonly given to a lens with an ultra-wide angle of view of 180 degrees all around, and what is characteristic about the pictures produced?
Answer: fisheye - creates a circular image.
34. Why do modern SLRs and DSLRs use a half silvered reflex mirror which lets some of the light pass through it?
Answer: Some of the light passes through the mirror and is reflected by a second mirror onto the autofocus sensor which is usually in the base of the camera.
35. Where might you find a Bayer Filter?
Answer: Over the image sensor - it ensure each pixel only captures one of the primary colour as a sensor can only detect light intensity and not colour.
36. Nearly all digital cameras need to carry out a process called demosaicing after the picture has been taken. What does the demosaicing process do? Also, name a DSLR currently available that does not need to carry out this.
Answer: Demosaicing as the process of creating a full colour (red, green and blue value) pixel from the individual coloured pixels produced by the Bayer filter.
37. A manufacturer announces that they have just produced an image sensor for a compact camera with 200 megapixels without needing to make it any bigger than the current 10 megapixel compact camera sensors. Name a potential downside to such a sensor.
Answer: Noise. The individual pixels would be so tiny that they would have minimal light gathering ability. Therefore the noise levels would be horrendous.
38. If a 4 megapixel camera can give a 6x4" print at a certain quality, how many megapixels would be needed to generate a print twice the size (i.e. 12x8") at the same quality?
(a) 6MP (b) 8MP (c) 10MP (d) 12MP (e) 16MP
Answer: e
39. Which of these (might be more than one) are advantages of having a large aperture lens?
a. shallower depth-of-field is possible
b. allows faster shutter speeds in low light
c. improved autofocus performance
d. brighter image in the viewfinder
Answer: all four.
40. When comparing prime lenses and zoom lenses - which of the following are true:
a. primes are generally higher quality
b. primes generally have bigger apertures
c. primes are generally cheaper
d. primes are always quicker at autofocusing
e. primes are generally small in size
Answer: a,b (although some primes are cheap, many prime lenses are very large and very expensive ; long focal length prime lenses can be quite slow at focusing due to the weight of glass)
41. Photography forums often have questions like: "I've just bought a Canon 450D with an 18-55mm kit lens. I want to buy another lens - which is the best one to buy?" Why is this such a daft question?
Answer: what lens you would recommend would depend primarily on what sort of things the photographer wants to take pictures of, and what their budget is. They may take sports photographs but no point recommending a Canon 500mm 'L' lens unless they have a few thousand pounds / dollars to spare.
42. Where in a camera system might you find the use of ultrasonic sound waves?
Answer: in the autofocus motors in many lenses
43. What do the terms "Full Time Manual Focus" and "Internal Focus" mean?
Answer: Full Time Manual means you can turn the focus dial on a lens without having to disengage the autofocus first. Internal Focus means that the elements that move are inside the lens and not the front element - this means the front piece of glass does not rotate when the camera focuses (important when using a polarising filter).
44. What are the following:
a. Vignetting
b. Pincushion distortion
c. Chromatic abberation
Answer: (a) a darkening of the image near the corners and edges of an image ; (b) a bending inwards of lines that should be straight - a type of distortion more pronounced on cheaper lenses ; (c) colour distortion - usually shows up as coloured fringes around high contrast objects caused by different colours (wavelengths) of light not being brought to focus at the same point.
45. Which of the following might you find on high-end (professional) lenses?
a. aspherical lens elements
b. low dispersion glass
c. metal barrel construction
d. ground glass elements rather than moulded ones
e. constant diameter apertures throughout the zoom range
f. integrated UV filter
g. concave front lens element
h. full time manual focus
i. auto focus bracketing
j. flourite crystal elements
Answer: a, b, c, d, h, j
46. Where might you see barn doors and snoots?
Answer: in a studio lighting setup
47. Many of Canon's 'L' lenses are white in colour. Although we all know this is a marketing ploy to make Canon photographers stand out in a crowd, what is the 'official line' from Canon?
Answer: White absorbs less heat than black and the flourite crystal elements in the 'L' lenses are sensitive to heat (they could expand, altering their optical properties).
48. Why does it matter how many blades a lens aperture has?
Answer: It effects the quality of the bokeh (the out of focus region of an image)
49. The advantage of using the widest aperture is more light and lovely shallow depth of field. The advantage of using the smallest aperture are very large depth of field (ideal for landscapes). What is the advantage of using a mid aperture (say around f/8) with regard to image quality?
Answer: The produce the sharpest images - a lenses optimum aperture for sharpness is never the maximum or minimum aperture
50. The term bracketing is often used in association with other camera parameters. What does bracketing mean?
Answer: Taking more than one shot (usually 3 or 5) with the parameter changed to to take additional pictures either side of the automatically selected value. Usually applies to exposure can can be applied to focusing and white balance.
51. Which of these numbers is the odd one out?
110, 120, 126, 135, 160, 220, 645
Answer: 160 - the others are all types of camera film (I don't think there's ever been a 160 film.
52. Where on most cameras would you find a 1/4" screw socket?
Answer: on the bottom for the tripod
53. What word do many Americans use to mean any external flash (although especially a large standalone unit) - but which in the UK is often used to describe a pulsating light?
Answer: Strobe
54. Why would you use a step up ring?
Answer: to attach a large filter to a lens with a smaller filter diameter
55. Where would you normally see catchlights in a photograph?
Answer: In the eyes of a person or animal
56. Where might you find Silica Gel?
a. On the surface of light sensitive film
b. In coloured filters that go over the front of external flashguns
c. In little bags in your camera case
d. Inside the camera around the seals to make them waterproof
e. A coating on the sillicon chips inside the camera
Answer: c (used to absorb moisture and prevent condensation inside your camera)
57. What is 'second curtain sync'?
Answer: When the flash is fired just before the shutter closes rather than when the shutter is first opened. This often creates more natural images as the motion blur is behind a moving subject.
58. A reversing ring allows you to connect a lens onto your camera body backwards. Why would you want to do this?
Answer: It is a way to focus very closely on something and is therefore one method of doing macro photography.
59. Where might you come across modulation transfer functiolns?
Answer: on lens specifications. they are a numerical method of describing a lenses performance for contrast and sharpness
60. What is meant by the term 'high key' portrait?
Answer: a portrait usually against a white or very bright background with very little shadow.
Symbols
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61.
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62.
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63.
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64.
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65.
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66.
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67.
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68.
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69.
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70.
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Answers: 61. Exposure compensation ; 62. red-eye reduction ; 63. macro mode ;
64. Secure Digital (SD) memory card ; 65. Auto exposure bracketing ; 66. APS film ;
67. DPOF (Digital Print Order Form) ; 68. Four-Thirds standard for sensors and lenses ; 69. PictBridge (found on many printers) ; 70. USB connection
Abbreviations
71. DSLR
Answer: Digital Single Lens Reflex
72. DPI (as in "the image must be 300dpi")
Answer: Dots per inch
73. ISO
Answer: International Standards Organisation
74. AEB (a feature on many cameras)
Answer: Auto Exposure Bracketing
75. DPOF
Answer: Digital Print Order Form
76. GN (used in the description of external flash guns)
Answer: Guide Number
77. Grad ND (a type of filter)
Answer: Graduated Neutral Density
78. CCD (type of image sensor)
Answer: Charge Coupled Device
79. CMOS (another type of image sensor)
Answer: Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
80. AWB (a setting on the camera)
Answer: Auto White Balance
Name the Manufacturer
Name the manufacturer associated with these products or technologies
81. 'L' series lenses
Answer: Canon
82. M-series of rangefinder cameras
Answer: Leica
83. The image sensors inside Nikon's modern range of DSLR cameras
Answer: Sony
84. Speedlite flashguns
Answer: Canon
85. Super-CCD
Answer: Fujifilm
86. Lightroom (software)
Answer: Adobe
87. FP4 and HP5 black and white film
Answer: Ilford
88. Velvia and Provia film
Answer: Fujifilm
89. Inventor of instant film cameras in the late 1940s - ceased production of them in February 2008.
Answer: Polaroid
90. X3 image sensor
Answer: Foveon True or False
91. All SLR cameras take 35mm film FALSE
92. Opening the aperture by 2 stops lets in twice as much light FALSE
93. Polarising filters are ideal for removing unwanted reflections TRUE
94. A 20mm prime lens is an ideal portrait lens on a 35mm film camera FALSE
95. 1/125s at f/5.6 and 1/250s at f/4 are equivalent for a given ISO TRUE
96. If a lens is described as a 'fast' lens, it usually means it has ultrasonic motors to allow fast autofocusing FALSE
97. ISO was sometimes called ASA on early 35mm film cameras TRUE
98. On digital cameras, it is always preferable to use a digital zoom rather than optical zoom FALSE
99. Filters are used to clean the air entering the camera to prevent dust getting on the sensor FALSE
100. To make 10x8 prints, you must have at least 8 megapixel images FALSE
101. The smaller the image sensor, the less likely it is to generate noise in the image FALSE
102. The 'B' setting for shutter speed means 'bulb' - referring to the old squeezy bulbs that photographers used to use to take a picture remotely. TRUE
103. The first camera phone was released in 1995. FALSE
104. A lens designed specifically for a digital camera (e.g. Canon EF-S / Nikon DX lens) with an indicated focal length of 50mm will give the same angle of view as a 50mm non-digital (i.e. full frame / 35mm) lens on a full-frame / 35mm film camera FALSE
105. All modern digital SLRs have at least two mirrors TRUE
106. The White Balance setting on 35mm film cameras usually only has 2 options - tungsten and daylight FALSE
107. When shooting in RAW format, it does not matter if the white balance setting is wrong - you can fix it later TRUE
108. When shooting in RAW format, it does not matter if the ISO setting is wrong - you can fix it later FALSE
109. Hyperfocal distance is a name given to the closest point at which a lens can focus. FALSE
110. If a sensor is described as a 1/2.5" sensor, this means that the diagonal dimension of the image sensor is 0.4 inches. FALSE
The Digital Darkroom (i.e. manipulating images on the computer)
111. An unsharp mask is used for what?
a. softening an image that is too sharp
b. highlighting areas of an image that might need unsharpening
c. sharpening an image
d. rounding the edges of sharp corners in an image
Answer: c (despite the strange name, it is used for sharpening an image)
112. What is the more common name for the file format developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group?
Answer: JPEG
113. To get the best from your digital pictures you should use a device such as a ColorVision Spyder or a Pantone Huey. What do these do?
Answer: They are colour calibration devices for your monitor.
114. Which of these transformations can be done to a JPEG file without needing to have it re-encoded (and lose quality) - choose one or more?
a. rotation by a multiple of 90 degrees
b. adjust brightness and contrast
c. sharpen the image
d. change the DPI value
e. decrease or increase colour saturation
Answer: a and d only.
115. What does the phrase 'aspect ratio' mean?
Answer: A value that indicates the width of an image divided by the height. A square image has an aspect ratio of 1.0 - a 6x4 print has an aspect ratio of 1.5 (for landscape) or 0.667 (for portrait).
116. When referring to colour models, what do the following abbreviations mean?
1. RGB
2. CMYK
3. HSB
Answer: RGB = Red Green Blue ; CMYK = Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (Black) ;
HSB = Hue, Saturation, Brightness
117. Here is a rectangle made up of 3 coloured blocks (pure red, pure green and pure blue). If you were to convert this image to greyscale, what would it look like?
Answer: greyscale conversion takes account of the eye's different sensitivity to the 3 primary colours - therefore the green is the lightest and the blue the darkest.
118. What is the name of the adjustment tool which contains something like this...
... and what effect on the image will the above have?
Answer: The tool is called the 'Curves' tool. This particular curve will brighten the image slightly.
119. Match up the following descriptions to the file type extensions:
| 1. Supports a maximum of 256 colours, however limited transparency is supported as well as animated versions |
A. JPEG |
| 2. A format developed for Windows but very rarely used in photography due to big file sizes |
B. TIFF |
| 3. A format designed specifically for the internet, employs lossless data compression and can support transparency of full colour images via an alpha channel |
C. GIF |
| 4. A common format for photographs - limited to 24-bit colour or 8-bit greyscale, and utilising a lossy compression algorithm |
D. PNG |
| 5. A format specific developed by Adobe for their own photo applications, although some other packages can now read these files |
E. DNG |
| 6. A flexible file format supporting colour depths right up to 16-bits per channel. As well as RGB, the CMYK model is also supported |
F. BMP |
| 7. An attempt to create a universal raw file format for cameras. Never really took off. |
G. PSD |
Answer: 1C, 2F, 3D, 4A, 5G, 6B, 7E
120. If you want to e-mail a JPEG photograph to a friend and you want to keep the file size as small as possible - which if these things can you do to the image before saving a JPEG file for e-mailing (could be more than one).
a. resize the image so its only about 500 pixels on the longest side
b. change the DPI value in the file to a lower number
c. increase the compression level (i.e. decrease the quality)
d. use a greater level of chroma subsampling (if available in your software)
Answer: a, c, d (changing the dpi value does not change the data - it is just a number stored in the file)
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