20 Fun Questions to Test Your Photo Knowledge

Answers at the bottom.

Warning! The images do not necessarily have anything to do with the questions.

1. What was Photoshop called during development by the brothers who birthed it?
A. Paint
B. Sir-Loin
C. Display
D. Pixel Mixer

2. From the standpoint of exposure, which lens transmits the most light?
A. 50mm f/1.4
B. 24mm f/1.4
C. 135mm f/1.4
D. All three are equal in terms of exposure.

3. What camera style is known as a TLR?
A. Turbo Leica Rolleiflex
B. Tiny Little Reflex
C. Twin Lens Reflex
D. There is no such thing in the world of photography

4. Which of these Kodak films had the highest ASA (ISO to you kids)?
A. Tri-X
B. Panatomic-X
C. Plus-X
D. Max 200

5. First 5-megapixel camera (not including Kodak joint venture projects).
A. Sony F-707
B. Minolta DiMAGE 7
C. Canon 1Ds
D. Nikon Coolpix 1000

6. When was the first 5-megapixel camera officially announced to the press?
A. April 2, 1998
B. November 11, 1999
C. May 23, 2001
D. January 15, 2005

7. APS refers to what, exactly?
A. The Advanced Photo System
B. Ansco Photo System
C. American Photographic Society
D. Astro Photography Series

8. What camera was used by John Glenn in orbit around the Earth?
A. Bell & Howell Messenger (actually a rebadged Canon QL-17)
B. Hasselblad 500C/EL (with EL motor drive prototype)
C. Nikon D100 (developed specifically for the mission)
D. Ansco Autoset (actually a rebadged Minolta Hi-Matic)

9. Leica’s first 35mm film SLR.
A. Leicaflex
B. Leicaflex SL
C. Leica A
D. Leica Summicron

10. RGB stands for what?
A. Rolleiflex-Graphlex Back
B. Retro Grade Bi-Lumens
C. Dye used in manufacture of color slide film
D. Red Green Blue

11. Official name of the first Nikon F 35mm SLR.
A. Nikkormat (known in Japan as Nikomat)
B. Nikkorex
C. Nikon F
D. Nikon Photomic FTn

12. First practical use for CR39 resin (material used to make eyeglass lenses and some Cokin photographic filters).
A. Body of mechanical pencil
B. Fuel tank lining of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber
C. Steering wheel for 1958 Ford Edsel
D. Animal prosthetics

13. On a camera lens, what does the ∞ symbol represent?
A. Infinity focus setting
B. Macro focus setting
C. Depth of Field
D. Passed JCII (Japan Camera Inspection Institute) inspection

14. First sequence or burst of photos taken to analyze a moving object.
A. Birds in Flight, John James Audubon in 1899
B. Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Anton Hulman Jr. in 1946
C. The Horse in Motion, Eadweard Muybridge in 1878
D. The Pit and the Pendulum, Edgar Allen Poe in 1842

15. What does SLR stand for?
A. Single Lens Rollfilm
B. Single Lens Reflex
C. Retired model name once used by Pentax
D. Straight Line Reflex

16. Which is the real name of a current or legacy photo product?
A. Blurz (camera that recorded intentionally out-of-focus images)
B. HPD (Hiram’s Practical [Film] Developer)
C. Alpa (camera made in Switzerland)
D. SSC (Stevens Stereo Camera)

17. What movie star played the lead in the TV show Man with a Camera?
A. Alec Guinness
B. Charles Bronson
C. Caesar Romero
D. John Wayne

18. First American President to be photographed while still in office.
A. James K. Polk, 1849
B. John Quincy Adams, circa 1843
C. Abraham Lincoln, 1864
D. William Henry Harrison, 1841

19. Popular TV comedy show that featured a professional studio photographer.
A. Love that Bob
B. Shutter Sleuth
C. Flash Foster
D. Blow-up

20. The Minox camera series were popularly called what?
A. Point & shoots
B. Rangefinders
C. Spy cameras
D. Children’s toys

Answers
1. C
2. D
3. C
4. A
5. B
6. C
7. A
8. D
9. A
10. D
11. C
12. B
13. A
14. C
15. B
16. C
17. B
18. D
19. A
20. C

—Jon Sienkiewicz