dynamic range

The dynamic range of a CCD or a CMOS-camera system is a widely used term to characterize the ability of a camera system to measure or image light / dark differences. In the field of photography, the dynamic range is analogous to the contrast range. However, each manufacturer defines dynamic range differently. A distinction must be made between the “dynamic range of a image sensor”, “dynamic range of an analog-to-digital-conversion” and “usable dynamic range”.  The dynamic range is usually described in F-stops.