What does "IQ" mean in photography?
Asked 3/16/2013
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I often see people use the abbreviation “IQ” in photography discussions, especially in questions about lenses and cameras. For example: “How do front-element scratches affect IQ?” or “Is there an IQ gain from one lens to another?” What does “IQ” mean in this context, and what kinds of things does it usually refer to?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
15
IQ or Image Quality encompasses all aspects of how a camera and lens capture a scene.
There are a great number of aspect which comprise image quality and they may be attributed to different parts of the camera or lens:
- Image noise
- Dynamic-Range
- Color-Depth
- Color-Accuracy
- Sharpness
- Resolution
- Distortion
- Vignetting
- Aberrations
- Flare
- Etc.
They apply differently to different cameras and some such as color-accuracy only apply to an image processed in-camera rather than a RAW file.
Image quality is a property of the camera and lens at a certain setting. Using a different ISO, shutter-speed, image-parameters (JPEG), aperture or focal-length can result in different image quality from the same camera and lens combination.
Just note that many people confuse the quality of an image with its success. A low quality image can be very successful and vice-versa. Success has much more to do with the photographer's skill, subject and moment than it does with the camera and lens.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
In photography, “IQ” usually means image quality.
It’s shorthand for the technical quality of the final image, and can refer to different things depending on whether people are discussing a lens, camera, or processing.
Common aspects of image quality include:
- sharpness / resolution
- noise
- dynamic range
- color accuracy / color rendition
- distortion
- vignetting
- chromatic aberration and other aberrations
- flare
When talking about lenses, IQ often means things like sharpness, distortion, vignetting, flare, and aberrations. When talking about cameras/sensors, it often means noise, resolution, dynamic range, and color performance. In post-processing, it can refer to how well the captured data is rendered into the final image.
Also, IQ is usually about technical image quality, not whether a photo is artistically good. A photograph can have excellent technical IQ and still be uninteresting, or be compelling despite lower technical quality.
Finally, IQ can vary with settings such as aperture, focal length, ISO, and in-camera JPEG processing.
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