CamerasBoth film and digital cameras include:
And on some models, you'll find a Mode Selector Control, a Built in flash, Video and USB port, Optical Viewfinder, Flash Control, Metering Controls, and a LCD screen/viewfinder. An additional feature might be a Hot Shoe for attaching a flash and an LCD Status Screen. What camera types are there? This is my favorite. I like looking though the View Finder and the Lens itself by means of the Mirror that flips up out of the way of the FIlm as you release the Shutter and the Pentaprism so I can see what I’m going to get on the film. The twin-lens reflex is like a single lens reflex but it uses two lenses coupled mechanically and the mirror is fixed. You view the Composition through the top lens and the film sees the composition through the bottom lens. You may not get the same image on film as you see through the viewfinder; this disadvantage is called a Parallax error. As the name implies, the scene you’re going to photograph is viewed though a small viewfinder equipped with a simple lens system that displays most of the image but not quite all of it. A unique feature of a viewfinder camera is its rangefinder, which uses the same lens as the viewfinder. These two devices allow you to compose your image and bring it into sharp focus. Most rangefinder models I’ve seen use 35mm film. They are lightweight, fast and easy to handle. They are also very quite to operate, making it an excellent choice for wildlife photographers. This is one of the oldest forms of cameras I can think of. It is simple in its design and very versatile to use. It has a Film Holder and a piece of Ground Glass on the back of an accordion-looking device called the Bellows in the middle and a lens on the front. That’s it, other then a few knobs. It is very simple in design with few moving parts, but it can do some amazing things! Here’s the short version of how it works. Light comes directly from your subject though the lens and is projected on the ground glass at the back of the camera, but the image is upside down and reversed. You can focus by either moving the front, or back of the camera or the whole thing. Each choice gives you a different way to focus your subject. Because the image displayed on the ground glass is large, you can use a magnifying glass or Loupe to see if the whole image is in sharp focus. The next step is closing the Diaphragm or Aperture on the lens and placing a sheet of film that’s held in a film holder at the back of the camera. You then Meter the subject, set your f-stop and Shutter Speedand make an Exposure. Because you expose one sheet of film at a time you can develop it individually and differently from the other film. The advantage here is that the larger sheet of film gives you a much sharper, detailed image. It can be enlarged many times larger then smaller sized film and maintain a sharp image. Because you can control both the front Lens Planeand back Film Planeyou can correct or control any problems of focus or distortion and there isn’t any chance of Convergence of vertical lines, or parallax error. You have the ability to control the Focal Plane since you can bring the whole image into sharp focus or selectively soften an area of the image using the Scheimpflug Principle. The film sizes are 4x5, 5x7, 8x10, 11x14 and rarely you’ll find a camera in 16x20. Let's go over the disadvantages. It is heavy, and needs a Tripod, although there are some old handheld models, and a Focusing Cloth, and you can’t shoot a lot of film quickly. A Digital back can be used in place of the film holder to go straight to a digital format. There is a Polaroid back that I find indispensable in the studio. It saves me time and money and guarantees what I’m going to see in the final image. By shooting a few Polaroid’s, I can check to see if the lighting, composition and exposure are what I want. Use the Contact Form to share your questions and comments with me. Want to know more? Continue the Photo Technique Mini Course and learn about Lenses. Or return to Photography or HOME.
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