Exposure latitude

Exposure latitude is the extent to which a light-sensitive material can be over or underexposed and still achieve an acceptable result. Since the acceptability of the result is dependent on both personal aesthetics and artistic intentions, the measurement of exposure latitude is by definition somewhat subjective. However, the relative values between different types of film are generally agreed upon: reversal film tends to have very little latitude, while color negative film has considerably more.

It is not to be confused with dynamic range, which is, in photographic context, the range of light intensities a medium can capture. A recording medium with greater dynamic range will be able to record more details in the dark and light areas of a picture. Latitude depends on dynamic range. If the same scene can be recorded using less than the full brightness range available to the medium, the exposure can be shifted along the range without clipping data values in the shadows or highlights. Greater exposure latitude allows one to compensate for errors in exposure while retaining quality.

In the advancement of digital cinematography, expanding the exposure latitude is a critical ingredient which has often been a central part of professional critiques of the new camera systems because digital systems have a much narrower latitude than film.

See also

• Contrast ratio
• Dynamic range

References

• Exposure Latitude
• Eastman Kodak Corporation. A Glossary of Photographic Terms: E.
• Eastman Kodak Corporation. Accurate Exposure with Your Meter.
• Discussion of misconceptions between dynamic range and exposure latitude