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- Saturation
- Technically, the degree to which a color is undiluted by white light. On an everyday basis, the degree of color intensity.
- SCSI
- Small Computer System Interface. A computer connection once commonly used and often preferred for digital imaging because of its high speed interface.
- SD Card
- Secure digital, a type of card used in digital cameras to store images. Available in a range of storage capacities, the cards can be erased (when the images have been transferred or are no longer needed) and reused many times.
- SDHC Card
- The secure digital high capacity card is a newer SD format that allows capacities of four to eight gigabytes. Note: SDHC cards only work in SDHC compatible devices; standard SD cards work in both SD and SDHC devices.
- Self-Timer
- A camera mechanism that delays the release of the shutter by several seconds; in most cameras, ten seconds is common.
- Sensitivity
- See ISO.
- Serial
- A method for connecting an external device such as a printer, scanner or camera to a computer. It has been all but replaced by USB and FireWire in modern computers.
- Shadow
- The dark area—as opposed to the highlight—of a subject or scene.
- Sharpness
- The quality of an image appearing to be in focus; commonly, the clarity of detail in a photo.
- Shutter Priority
- An auto-exposure method in which a lens aperture is automatically set by the camera to match your manually selected shutter speed. Useful for stopping action at high shutter speeds or creating motion effects at low shutter speeds.
- Shutter Release
- The button that is fully depressed to release the shutter. With the latest cameras, lightly pressing the shutter button activates the exposure meter and starts the autofocus operation.
- Shutter Speed
- The measurement of how long a camera's shutter remains open as the picture is taken.
- Shutter
- A device that opens and closes in a camera to allow light to pass through the camera body to the imaging sensor or film.
- Side Lighting
- Lighting that falls on the subject from the side. It's ideal for revealing detail and texture in the lit side of the subject.
- Single Servo AF
- An autofocus mode in which autofocus operation stops when the subject comes into focus. Useful for shooting stationary subjects.
- Skylight Filter
- Removes a portion of the blue light in a scene.
- Slide Film
- See Reversal Film.
- Slow Glass
- Slang term for a slow lens.
- Slow Lens
- A lens that has a relatively small maximum aperture, usually in the range of f/3 to f/4. Because such a lens allows in less light, slower shutter speeds may be called for in order to get an optimum exposure.
- Slow Sync
- A technique for using flash with slow shutter speeds. The flash exposure is the same regardless of the synchronized speed chosen, but the choice of shutter speed will effect the ambient exposure.
- SLR
- A single lens reflex camera.
- SmartMedia
- A wafer-thin, matchbook-size memory card. It is also a flash-memory based storage medium.
- Soft Focus Filter
- Provides a soft-focus effect by diffusing light. Imparts a slight flare to the image. Ideal for portrait photography.
- Soft Focus
- An effect resulting from diffusing light around a sharply focused image.
- Soft Lighting
- Generally refers to a light source that has been diffused, filtered or weakened in intensity to make it less direct or harsh and more flattering to the subject.
- Spherical Aberration
- A phenomenon in which light rays passing through a lens from a single point on the optical axis focus at different points according to their incident height (the distance of incident light from the optical axis).
- Split-Image Rangefinder
- A focusing screen focus aid, comprising two prisms with their faces angled in opposite directions. Even a slightly out-of-focus image will appear split, enabling you to adjust for accurate focus.
- Spot Fill-Flash
- An effect similar to that achieved with center-weighted fill-flash. though the narrower angle spot meter enables more selective ambient light exposure control.
- Spot Metering
- A metering method in which meter sensitivity is concentrated within a small circle in the center of the viewfinder. Recommended for very precise metering; requires extensive knowledge of lighting for really effective use.
- Standard TTL Flash
- A type of TTL auto flash that does not apply any automatic flash exposure compensation to the flash output.
- Stop-Down Metering
- A metering method that measures light with the aperture stopped down.
- Stopped Down
- Refers to stopped down metering, a method of metering in which the light is measured by the camera through the lens with the aperture set for the f/stop at which the photo will be taken.
- Sunny 16
- Often called the sunny 16 rule, it's a quick guideline for exposure on a bright sunny day: Set the aperture at f/16 and the shutter speed to the fraction closest to the film's speed (for example, 1/125 second for ISO 100 film).