Latitude

Latitude is the degree by which you can over, or under expose an image, and still recover an acceptable level of quality from an exposure.

Typically negative film has a better ability to record a range of brightness than slide/transparency film or digital.

Digital should be considered to be the reverse of print film, with a good latitude in the shadow range, and a narrow one in the highlight area; in contrast to film's large highlight latitude, and narrow shadow latitude.

Slide/Transparency film has a narrow latitude in both highlight and shadow areas, requiring greater exposure accuracy.

Negative film's latitude increases somewhat with high ISO material, in contrast digital tends to narrow on latitude with high ISO settings.

A photograph of the Forth Rail Bridge
with an exposure time of 13 seconds
- the effect of a long exposure shot
on moving water is to make it
seem creamy and opalescent.