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Types of cameras – their classification and controls
§
Film cameras
Ø Film cameras
§ View camera
§
Rangefinder/viewfinder
camera
§
Point and
shoot or compact cameras
§
Single lens
reflex camera (SLR)
§ Twin lens reflex camera (TLR)
Ø
Digital
cameras
§ Digital Single lens reflex camera (DSLR)
§ Point and shoot or compact cameras
§ Mirror less Cameras
Built like an accordion, with a lens in the
front, a viewing screen in the back, and flexible bellows in between.
▪
Large film
size (4x5, 5,7, 8x10)
▪
Sharp detail
▪
What you see
in the viewfinder is exactly what you will get on the negative.
▪
You can change
the position of the film and lens relative to each other to correct distortion.
Ø DISADVANTAGES
▪
Bulky and
heavy
▪
Must use a
tripod.
▪
Image on the
viewing screen is not bright so you have put a focusing cloth over your head
and the back of the camera.
▪
The image
appears reversed and upside down on the viewing screen.
▪
Rapid shooting
is difficult.
Ø
Used for:
▪
Commercial
studio photography
▪
Landscapes
▪
Architectural photography
§ Viewfinder cameras include inexpensive point‐and‐shoot cameras
§ Rangefinders have a coupled rangefinder that
allows manual focus.
▪
Compact,
lightweight, and fast handling.
▪
Quieter than
an SLR
▪
Bright
viewfinder image allows easy focusing.
DISADVANTAGES
▪
Parallax error
‐ because the viewfinder is in a different
position than the lens, you cannot see exactly what the lens sees. The closer
the subject the more evident the parallax.
§ An SLR has a mirror and pentaprism that allow
you to use the lens for viewing and focusing.
§
Most are 35mm,
but some are medium format.
ADVANTAGES
▪
Eliminates
parallax ‐ what you see is what you will get.
▪
Easy to focus.
▪
Usually has a
built‐in light meter.
DISADVANTAGES
▪
Heavier and
larger than a rangefinder.
▪
Relatively
complex with many parts that may need repair.
▪
The mirror
movement makes the camera loud and causes vibration.
▪
Momentary
black‐out at the time of exposure.
§ A TLR has a fixed mirror that reflects the
scene upward onto a viewing screen.
There is one lens to expose the film and
another to view the image.
▪
Fixed mirror
allows quiet operation.
▪
Simple, rugged
construction.
▪
The viewing
screen placement on top allows you to easily photograph from the ground or
other awkward angles.
▪
Medium‐format film.
DISAVANTAGES
▪
Parallax
▪
It is
difficult to follow moving objects because the image on the screen is reversed
left to right.
▪
It is a larger
camera that can be somewhat cumbersome.
▪
Difficult to
use at eye level.
 |
(Digital
Single Lens Reflex Cameras or DSLR cameras): Digital SLR cameras are the most
versatile and advanced type cameras available on the consumer market.
The first thing you will notice about a Digital Single Lens Reflex camera is
that it is larger than any compact consumer camera and putting one in your
pocket is out of the question..
When using a Digital SLR camera you can set the camera to the automatic mode
and just start taking pictures. However, you also have the option of taking
pictures in the full manual mode, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or
program modes.
The most important thing to remember about using a Digital Single Lens Reflex
camera is that you have more control over the way the picture will be taken as
far as exposure settings.
Another important feature of Digital SLR cameras is that you can change the
camera lens to fit different situations. For instance you can use a fixed focal
length 28mm lens for wide angle scenes. You will also have the choice
remove that lens and put on a 200mm fixed focal length telephoto lens to pull
the scene in closer. Digital SLR cameras also allow you to use a
variety of zoom lenses with different zoom ranges.
The lenses for Digital SLR cameras will generally be of a better quality than
those found on compact cameras, which will result in better image quality. Read
the tutorial, Camera
Lens Types for
more details about the importance of the camera lens.
Another important difference between Digital SLR cameras and compact
cameras is the image sensor size. Digital SLR cameras have larger image sensors,
which will generally produce better quality images.
Compact
Digital Cameras:
 |
Digital
compact cameras, which are also known as Point and Shoot cameras, vary in
features, price, and styles. Their smaller size and ease of use is the main
appeal of these types of digital cameras.
Most basic compact cameras will fit in a pocket or small purse. All of the
current compact cameras have a minimum three time (3X) zoom lens and at least
12 megapixels. With that many megapixels, great looking, quality images can be
enlarged to 16 X 20 inch print size.
Today's digital compact cameras are equipped with a fully automatic mode which
is great for beginners or those who just want to "point and shoot"
when taking pictures.
In addition to the automatic mode, digital compact cameras come equipped with a
number of scene modes such as landscape, portrait, sports and fireworks among
others. Those scene modes make it easy for the photographer to adapt to
different types of picture taking situations without having to worry about changing
the camera's exposure settings.
Manual adjustments to camera settings like the shutter speed or lens aperture
setting can't be done on a basic digital compact camera. Those functions are
set automatically when you take the picture. So once again, compact cameras are
made for ease of use rather than giving the photographer full control over
every camera setting.
However, the average casual photographer can get great pictures from a basic
compact digital camera and there usually won't be a need for manual
adjustments.
Compact System Cameras/Mirrorless
Interchangeable Lens Cameras:
 |
These
types of digital cameras are very similar to Digital SLR cameras. Mirrorless
Interchangeable Lens cameras allow the photographer to use the camera in full
manual, automatic, or semi-automatic modes the same way Digital SLR cameras can
be operated.
You have probably figured out, by the name interchangeable lens, that the lens
can be changed just like on a Digital SLR camera. The biggest difference
between the two types of cameras is that Mirrorless cameras are much smaller
than Digital Slr cameras.
Their camera body size is closer to the size of compact cameras. The reason the
body size is so much smaller is because they do not have optical viewfinders
like the Digital Slr cameras.
Optical viewfinders that are found on
Digital SLR cameras use a system of mirrors and pentaprism to allow you to view
the scene that will be photographed. Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras do
not have a mirror system.
They are equipped with an LCD screen and/or Electronic Viewfinder for
previewing the scene that is about to be photographed. The mirrors in a Digital
Slr camera take up a lot of space in the body of the camera, so the elimination
of the mirrors allows for a smaller body to be used for the compact
system camera. (similar to the Sony Alpha a6000 shown above)
As was previously mentioned, the lens on the mirrorless camera can be changed.
However, they use smaller lens sizes than Digital Slr cameras. (some Digital
Slr lenses can be used on the mirrorless camera if an adapter is used.)
Mirrorless cameras also have larger image sensors than compact cameras which
will result in image quality similar to that of the some of the Digital Slr
cameras. However, the image sensor on most Compact System Cameras is slightly
smaller than the image sensors found in Digital SLR cameras.
1. Body ‐Made of high grade plastic or metal; holds
all parts together;provides protection to the delicate internal parts of the
camera.
2. Lens ‐Lens Assembly is several layers of lenses of
varying propertiesproviding zoom, focusing, and distortion correction. The most
important part of the camera
3. Shutter Release Button ‐This is the "trigger" of the
camera.
4. Mode Dial ‐Contains several symbols (differs by model),
allows you toselect a shooting mode, automatic or manual or one of the pre‐defined settings.
5. Viewfinder – Small window that shows the image the
camera'simaging sensor sees.
6. Aperture Ring – Found on older SLR cameras; it is used to
select anaperture opening. In modern lenses, the aperture is controlled
electronically through the body.
7. Focusing Ring ‐found around the lens of SLR and DSLR
cameras; turnto manually focus the lens.
8. LCD Display ‐In some compact cameras this acts as the
viewfinder;small at the back of the camera used for framing or reviewing
pictures
9. Flash ‐Built‐in on the body
of most compact and some DSLR cameras;can be fixed or flip type; provides an
instantaneous burst of bright light to illuminate a poorly lit scene.
10. Control Buttons ‐Usually includes a set of directional keys
and a fewother buttons to activate certain functions and menus, this is used to
let users interact with the camera's computer system.
11. Power Switch – Turns the camera on or off.
12. Zoom Control ‐Usually marked with W and T, which stands for
"Wide" and"Tele”; used to control the camera's lenses to zoom‐in or zoom‐out. For DSLR
cameras, the zoom is usually controlled by a zoom ring in the lens.
13. Battery Compartment ‐Holds the batteries; vary in size and shape
by camera-type/brand
14. Memory Card Slot ‐where memory cards are inserted
15. Flash Mount (Hot‐Shoe) ‐Standard
holder with contact plates for optionalflash accessory.
16. Diopter ‐varies the focal length of the lens in the
viewfinder to allow peoplewearing eyeglasses to see clearly through it even
without the eyeglasses.