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speed

speed

72 8.5
How much light a camera lens lets in
  • noun
  • /spiːd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : luminosidad
  • OK, now we're talking about how shutter speed affects your image.
  • lens speed

Examples

  • You will appreciate the speed because of the low shutter speeds with this method of photography.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Limited access to a high-speed Internet connection makes use of certain kinds of websites frustratingly slow.

    Academic text (2015)
  • A mill operator reported that a high-speed, high-production sawmill costs $30 to $50.

    Academic text (2017)
  • I use manual exposures with shutter speeds set to 1/250 to 1/45 of a second.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The photographer adjusted the speed of the camera's shutter to capture the action clearly.

  • To achieve a well-exposed image, you must understand the relationship between aperture and speed.

  • An increase in the shutter speed can help prevent blurriness when photographing fast-moving subjects.

Synonyms

focal ratio
vsspeed
  • Specialized
1 7.8

A number showing how bright an image is, found by dividing focal length by lens diameter

applies to camera lens light-gathering rather than all optics
f number
vsspeed
  • Specialized
7.5

A value that shows how wide a camera lens opens to let light in

shows light-gathering ability of the lens
stop number
vsspeed
  • Specialized
8.4

A number that shows how wide a camera lens opens to let light in

emphasizes lens light-gathering rather than exposure numbering

Idioms

full speed ahead
  • Informal
5 3.7

Go forward very quickly with strong effort

Compounds

100 3.2

Able to work or move much faster than normal

60 1.0

The fastest speed cars are allowed to drive on a road

speed of light
  • Specialized
43 3.8

A constant speed at which light travels in empty space, about 300,000 kilometres per second

20 3.7

How fast a vehicle or person can move

light speed
  • Specialized
8 5.0

The speed that light travels in empty space

7 2.5

A raised strip across a road that makes cars slow down

Very fast movement that happens almost instantly

speed bump
  • Informal
5 3.2

A problem that slows progress in a project

5 3.8

A place on a road where police hide to catch drivers going too fast

A phrase used to say something happens very fast

A sport where people race on ice skates around an oval track to get the fastest time

3 3.0

A person who races fast on ice around an oval track

super-speed
  • Literature
3 8.0

Ability to move much faster than a normal person

speed freak
  • Offensive
2 9.6

A person who often uses drugs that make you more active, like amphetamines

speed demon
  • Informal
2 6.9

A person who drives very fast, often breaking speed limits

Reading text much faster than usual while still understanding it

1 7.6

A baseball throw slower than a fastball that fools the batter

A device that shows how fast a car or other vehicle is moving

execution speed
  • Specialized
1 4.9

How fast a computer or processor runs instructions

high-speed steel
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A very hard metal used for cutting tools that stays hard when hot

1 4.2

A police officer who patrols roads to catch drivers going too fast

relative speed
  • Specialized
4.1

How fast one object moves compared to another, for example two cars

speed merchant
  • Informal
7.0

A person who drives very fast, often in cars

speed frame
  • Specialized
8.5

A machine that pulls and slightly twists fibers to make a loose rope for spinning

An ice skate with a long straight blade for fast racing on ice

How Fast

portrait lens
  • Specialized
1 5.4
speed
  • Specialized
72 8.5

Surface Forms

speed singular
speeds plural

Etymology

Speed in photography uses the idea of 'quickness' — photographers call a lens 'fast' when it lets the camera take pictures with a very short exposure. Because a 'fast' lens lets you work more quickly or in low light, speed here means how well a lens lets you shoot faster.