A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

M

Mac - Refers to the Macintosh type of computers

Macro - The ability of a lens to focus very close (less than 8") for taking pictures of small objects at a 1:1 ratio.

mAh - A rating used in the consumption of power of an electronic device such as an LCD or the storage capability of a device like an NiMH or Nicad rechargeable battery (i.e. 1600mAh cell). It stands for milliAmperehour.

Matrix metering - In most digicams there is a matrix metering option which uses 256 areas of the frame to calculate the best overall exposure value. see also: "Spot metering" and "Center-weighted"

MB - MegaByte, memory term meaning 1024 KiloBytes. Used to denote the size of a flash memory card such as 4MB, 8MB etc. (MB [megabyte] is often confused with Mb [megabit], there's 8 bits in a byte so 256Mb = 32MB.)

MD - MiniDisc - Digital recording media like a small floppy disc. This is common for audio data and has been used on several digicams sold in Japan and Europe but not in the U.S. yet.

Megapixel - CCD resolution of one million pixels. Digicams are commonly rated by Megapixels. You multiply the horizontal resolution by the vertical resolution to get the total pixel count:
1280 x 960 pixels = 1 Megapixel
1600 x 1200 pixels = 2 Megapixels
2048 x 1536 pixels = 3 Megapixels
2272 x 1704 pixels = 4 Megapixels
2560 x 1920 pixels = 5 Megapixels ... and so on

Memory Stick - A flash memory card standard from Sony. They resemble a stick of gum and currently (09/02) come in sizes from 4MB up to 128MB. also see: Flash Memory Cards/Readers

Memory Stick Pro - The year 2003 upgrade to Sony's Memory Stick flash cards. The new MS Pro cards are available in 256MB, 512MB and 1GB capacities and offer faster read/write times. All of Sony's digicams made in 2003 or after can use MS Pro cards.

Metering - Used to calculate the exposure from the existing light conditions. See: "Matrix Metering," "Spot metering" and "Center-weighted"

Microdrive - IBM's miniature hard disk drive for digital cameras and PDA devices. Packaged in a CompactFlash Type II housing and available in 170MB, 340MB, 512MB and 1GB capacities. See my Microdrive user review

miniCD - The small diameter (3-inch) CD discs. miniCD-R and miniCD-R/W discs are used in the Sony Mavica "CD" series (CD200, CD250, CD300, CD400 and CD1000) digicams. Their maximum capacity is ~165MBmm - millimeter, measurement to denote the focal length of a lens (i.e. 50mm)

MMC - MultiMedia Card, a flash memory card used in some digicams and MP3 players. It is identical in size and shape to the Secure Digital (SD) flash cards.

MMP - Steve's new anochronym for MultiMegaPixel meaning two or more mega(million)pixels in resolution.

Moirè - A visible pattern that occurs when one or more halftone screens are misregistered in a colour image. Often produces a coloured checkerboard or rainbow pattern.

MOV - Apple QuickTime MOVie file format. See "Movie clip"

Movie clip - A sequence of motion captured in AVI, MOV or MPEG format. Some digital cameras can capture short movie sequences, some can also record the sound.

Motion JPEG - A video sequence composed of a sequence of JPEG compressed images. Abbreviated to MPEG (see MEG below).

MP - Abbreviation for MegaPixel, i.e. 1.5MP or 1.5MPixel

MPEG - Motion JPEG movie file. See "Movie clip"
The digital video compression standard agreed upon by the Motion Picture Expert Group, from the motion picture-computer industry.

MPEG-EX - Motion JPEG movie file created by Sony cameras. This was the first motion video recording sequence mode that was limited in length only by the amount of available storage space.

MPEG-HQX - Motion JPEG movie file created by year 2002 Sony cameras that incorporates the MPEG-HQ (high quality, full-screen) and the unlimited recording capability of MPEG-EX in 320x240 resolution.

MPEG-VX - Motion JPEG movie file created by year 2003 Sony digicams. It is VGA resolution (640x480) at 16fps with audio and the length is limited only by available storage space.
Multi-Pattern Metering - Exposure is determined by reading many different zones in the frame. This yields a more optimum exposure than those cameras using only a central zone metering system.

Multi-Point Focusing - The autofocus systems uses SEVERAL different portions of the image to determine the proper focus.

Multi Zone Focusing - Many digital cameras now offer multi zone focusing. The camera will automatically determine which zone (center, left, right, upper, lower) to use to perform the auto focusing. You no longer have to make sure that your subject is dead-center to be properly focused.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z