Types of Cameras
Cameras have become a staple of life. Thanks to the evolution of the many camera technologies out there today, preserving memories is now more convenient than ever. Today's cameras have made recording the events of life a given. In fact, for many a camera is almost an extension of their lives. Being able tomorrow to look back on today is a great gift, and cameras are the reason. But just how many types of cameras are out there today? If you're looking to purchase a new one, the many different cameras on the market can make your head spin. Here are some basics on the different types of cameras that are available today.
History
A camera is an optical device used to record images. These images can either be directly stored inside the camera, transmitted to a separate location, or both. The images can be moving images, such as films or videos, or they can be still images, such as photographs. The word 'camera' is actually derived from the Latin word 'camera' or the Greek word 'kamera.' Both of these terms mean 'dark or vaulted chamber.' Today's cameras, believe it or not, actually can be traced back as far as as the 5th century BC! At this time, Chinese philosopher Mo Ti observed that when light rays of an illuminated object reflected and processed through a dark area, what transpired was an inverted identical copy. This was the first recorded awareness of camera technology. The modern camera evolved from something called the 'camera obscura,' which was a device that consisted of a box with a hole on one side where light from an external scene would pass through and strike the inside surface. This was reproduced and rotated upside-down, still preserving the color and perspective. The image could then be projected onto paper and traced to produce an accurate (enough) representation. This gadget was a breakthrough in photography and led to the birth of the first camera for sale in 1888 by George Eastman, which he named 'Kodak.' It was a simple box camera that used a single-shutter speed and a fixed-focus lens that came pre-loaded with film and had to be sent back to the factory for processing and reloading. These cameras were highly effective because they produced fairly accurate photos but came with a low price. Earlier camera technologies evolved into today's varied types that produce remarkable cameras that produce highly precise images. Many of today's cameras are computerized, using circuit boards that hold the camera's electronic components such as semiconductors that conduct electricity under some conditions but not others, as well as capacitors and resistors that hold or manage electrical current.
Single-lens reflex
Developed in the 1950s, also known as 'SLR,' is aptly named because it has a single lens, using the same lens to take the photo as it does to allow users to see, focus, and compose the image. The image can be seen through the lens and then hits a mirror at a 45-degree angle. It then goes through the focusing screen, bounces around inside a pentaprism (a 5-sided prism that deviates light from any direction). The pentaprism corrects the image from right to left and to right-side-up, where it is view through a viewfinder. When the shutter is depressed, the mirror momentarily flips up and the image goes straight. The shutter curtain then opens and closes, exposing the film. The major advantage here is that you can see the same image that will be recorded. Digital SLR technology, known as 'DSLR,' is the same except there is no shutter curtain or film. Instead, a CCD (charge-coupled device) operates to capture images digitally when a mirror flips up. These encode images and videos digitally and store them, which allows for more ease of use as they can be uploaded to computers.
Point and shoot
This type of camera, also known as 'P&S,' started with George Eastman and his 'Box Brownie,' which was a very popular and inexpensive camera series in 1900. It was basically a box with a shutter. Its 'you push the button, we do the rest' technology was simple and convenient because it came with the film already in it. The user took the pictures and then sent the camera back to the factory for processing. Today's P&S cameras are more precise than earlier versions because they are mostly digital, otherwise known as 'compact digital cameras.' There are still, however, some P&S film cameras, mostly in the form of disposable cameras that are used once, processed at a film lab, and then discarded.
Twin-lens reflex
These cameras, also called 'TLR,' contain two objective lenses of the same focal length (a measure of how strongly its system diverges or converges light). In this type of camera, there is one lens over the other on the front of the camera. With the camera typically held around waist level, users look down from above into the viewfinder. The bottom lens is the one that takes the photo. The major disadvantage of TLR cameras is that there are no digital TLRs because the technology is expensive.
History
A camera is an optical device used to record images. These images can either be directly stored inside the camera, transmitted to a separate location, or both. The images can be moving images, such as films or videos, or they can be still images, such as photographs. The word 'camera' is actually derived from the Latin word 'camera' or the Greek word 'kamera.' Both of these terms mean 'dark or vaulted chamber.' Today's cameras, believe it or not, actually can be traced back as far as as the 5th century BC! At this time, Chinese philosopher Mo Ti observed that when light rays of an illuminated object reflected and processed through a dark area, what transpired was an inverted identical copy. This was the first recorded awareness of camera technology. The modern camera evolved from something called the 'camera obscura,' which was a device that consisted of a box with a hole on one side where light from an external scene would pass through and strike the inside surface. This was reproduced and rotated upside-down, still preserving the color and perspective. The image could then be projected onto paper and traced to produce an accurate (enough) representation. This gadget was a breakthrough in photography and led to the birth of the first camera for sale in 1888 by George Eastman, which he named 'Kodak.' It was a simple box camera that used a single-shutter speed and a fixed-focus lens that came pre-loaded with film and had to be sent back to the factory for processing and reloading. These cameras were highly effective because they produced fairly accurate photos but came with a low price. Earlier camera technologies evolved into today's varied types that produce remarkable cameras that produce highly precise images. Many of today's cameras are computerized, using circuit boards that hold the camera's electronic components such as semiconductors that conduct electricity under some conditions but not others, as well as capacitors and resistors that hold or manage electrical current.
Single-lens reflex
Developed in the 1950s, also known as 'SLR,' is aptly named because it has a single lens, using the same lens to take the photo as it does to allow users to see, focus, and compose the image. The image can be seen through the lens and then hits a mirror at a 45-degree angle. It then goes through the focusing screen, bounces around inside a pentaprism (a 5-sided prism that deviates light from any direction). The pentaprism corrects the image from right to left and to right-side-up, where it is view through a viewfinder. When the shutter is depressed, the mirror momentarily flips up and the image goes straight. The shutter curtain then opens and closes, exposing the film. The major advantage here is that you can see the same image that will be recorded. Digital SLR technology, known as 'DSLR,' is the same except there is no shutter curtain or film. Instead, a CCD (charge-coupled device) operates to capture images digitally when a mirror flips up. These encode images and videos digitally and store them, which allows for more ease of use as they can be uploaded to computers.
Point and shoot
This type of camera, also known as 'P&S,' started with George Eastman and his 'Box Brownie,' which was a very popular and inexpensive camera series in 1900. It was basically a box with a shutter. Its 'you push the button, we do the rest' technology was simple and convenient because it came with the film already in it. The user took the pictures and then sent the camera back to the factory for processing. Today's P&S cameras are more precise than earlier versions because they are mostly digital, otherwise known as 'compact digital cameras.' There are still, however, some P&S film cameras, mostly in the form of disposable cameras that are used once, processed at a film lab, and then discarded.
Twin-lens reflex
These cameras, also called 'TLR,' contain two objective lenses of the same focal length (a measure of how strongly its system diverges or converges light). In this type of camera, there is one lens over the other on the front of the camera. With the camera typically held around waist level, users look down from above into the viewfinder. The bottom lens is the one that takes the photo. The major disadvantage of TLR cameras is that there are no digital TLRs because the technology is expensive.