Difference between revisions of "Camera types"

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== Camera Types ==
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== Distinguishing features ==
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=== View Camera ===
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There are many types of cameras. Almost all of them can be classified according to the following features:
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=== Rangefinder ===
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* the sensor: nature ([[Digital camera|digital]], [[35mm film]], [[120 film]], [[APS film]], other [[rollfilm]], cut film...) and size (24×36mm, 6×6cm...);
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* the [[viewing system]] (external finder, electronic finder, [[LCD|LCD screen]], [[single lens reflex]], [[twin lens reflex]]...);
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* the rigidity of the body (rigid, swivelling lens, telescopic tube, [[folding]], [[monorail camera|monorail]]...);
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* the [[focusing system]] (autofocus, [[rangefinder (device)|rangefinder focusing]], manual reflex focusing, [[guess focusing]], ground glass back...);
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* the [[lens]] attachment (interchangeable lens, non interchangeable zoom lens, fixed lens);
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* the metering system: [[light meter|metering]] photocell type, [[metering modes|location, and modes]] (programmed, speed-priority, aperture-priority, manual).
  
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Rangefinder cameras are those that focus using some sort of coincident-viewing distance-determination mechanism. The most common form, as used in cameras like the [[Leica]] and other classic small 35mm cameras, is to use a prism and mirror arrangement between two viewing windows. Small adjustments in the angles of the prisms will align two superimposed images -- when the images are aligned the distance can be determined accurately by a simple mechanical cam. Such rangefinders have been used in 35mm cameras for many years and also in larger-format cameras such as "folder" medium format cameras, "Texas Leicas" like the [[Mamiya 7]] and even some early polaroid cameras.
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The features that will most determine the aspect of the camera are the '''[[viewing system]]''' and the '''rigidity'''. Once they are known, the general shape of the body is usually quite predictable.
  
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Other styles of rangefinder do exist, such as the electronic variety found in the [[Contax G1-G2]] cameras. In general, "rangefinder" focusing is often used to describe any focusing mechanism that doesn't view directly through the taking lens (or an identical copy of that lens, as in Twin Lens Reflex cameras).
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The '''size of the sensor''' matters for the size of the camera and for the end result, while its '''nature''' has an incidence on the internal construction: a film camera usually needs place for the supply and take up spools, except for the cameras using cut film or plate film.
  
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=== Pocket and Point & Shoot cameras ===
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The '''[[focusing system]]''' and '''[[metering modes|metering system]]''' will mostly influence how you will use the camera, but has few impact on its shape.
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Unusual combinations of these features have existed, for example folding [[TLR]]s, [[subminiature]] [[SLR]]s and so on. However not every combination does make sense. For example an subminiature folding autofocus TLR is not theoretically impossible, but unlikely to ever exist.
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== Common camera types ==
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Below is a table with common camera types and the features that distinguish them.
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{| border="1" style="margin: 0.5em 2em; text-align: center; border-collapse: collapse;" align="center"
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|-
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| rowspan="2" | || colspan="2" | sensor || rowspan="2" | viewing system || rowspan="2" | rigidity || rowspan="2" | focusing system || rowspan="2" | lens || rowspan="2" | metering system || rowspan="2" | example
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|-
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| nature || size
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|-
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| style="text-align:left" | [[SLR]]
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| colspan="2" | any || reflex finder through the taking lens || usually rigid || manual reflex focusing or autofocus || usually interchangeable || any || [http://www.flickr.com/photos/martintaylor/45501196/in/pool-camerawiki http://static.flickr.com/33/45501196_7031279e86_t.jpg]
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|-
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| style="text-align:left" | [[TLR]]
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| analog || any || reflex finder through a second lens || usually rigid || manual reflex focusing || usually fixed || manual exposure or no meter at all || [http://www.flickr.com/photos/martintaylor/20742380/in/pool-camerawiki http://static.flickr.com/16/20742380_bffd24b768_t.jpg]
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|-
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| style="text-align:left" | [[point-and-shoot]]
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| any || up to 4.5×6cm || optical finder or LCD screen || rigid or swivelling || autofocus or fixed focusing || non interchangeable (fixed or zoom) || automatic exposure or no exposure control (single shutter speed) || [http://www.flickr.com/photos/martintaylor/22827039/in/pool-camerawiki http://static.flickr.com/19/22827039_941d3ed32b_t.jpg]
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|-
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| style="text-align:left" | [[rangefinder camera|rangefinder]]
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| colspan="2" | any || optical finder with superimposed or separate rangefinder || rigid or folding || manual [[rangefinder (device)|rangefinder focusing]] || fixed or interchangeable (no zoom) || any || [http://www.flickr.com/photos/martintaylor/44707155/in/pool-camerawiki http://static.flickr.com/33/44707155_4b06cde358_t.jpg]
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|-
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| style="text-align:left" | [[viewfinder camera|viewfinder]]
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| analog || any || in- or external finder or ground glass back || rigid or telescopic || distance symbols or no focusing aid || usually fixed || any || [http://www.flickr.com/photos/martintaylor/20759011/in/pool-camerawiki http://static.flickr.com/15/20759011_434e5266cd_t_d.jpg]
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|-
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| style="text-align:left" | [[box camera|box]]
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| analog || any || internal reflecting type finder or frame finder or telescopic optical finder or ground glass back || rigid || ground glass back made as sliding box, ground glass with focusable lens, or no focusing aid || fixed || none || [http://www.flickr.com/photos/captkodak/271771351/in/pool-camerawiki http://farm1.static.flickr.com/101/271771351_aee575cbf5_t_d.jpg]
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|-
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| style="text-align:left" | [[folding]]
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| analog || any || reflecting type finder or internal optical finder or ground glass back or frame finder || folding || [[rangefinder (device)|rangefinder]], ground glass back or no focusing aid || fixed or interchangeable (no zoom) || any || [http://www.flickr.com/photos/awcam/2346730226/in/pool-camerawiki http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2346730226_5f9b15c937_t.jpg]
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|-
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| style="text-align:left" | [[subminiature]]
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| any || smaller than 18×24mm || any || any || any || any || any || [http://www.flickr.com/photos/martintaylor/46709161/in/pool-camerawiki http://static.flickr.com/25/46709161_ada6eb2533_t_d.jpg]
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|-
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| style="text-align:left" | [[view camera]]
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| colspan="2" | any || ground glass back || bellows and rails || ground glass back || interchangeable || none ||
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[http://www.flickr.com/photos/cubicleman/308183510/in/pool-camerawiki http://farm1.static.flickr.com/100/308183510_efe317ec69_t.jpg]
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|-
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| style="text-align:left" | [[pinhole camera]]
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| colspan="2" | any || any || any || any || pinhole "lens" || none || [https://www.flickr.com/photos/perminna/4790318487/in/pool-camerawiki https://live.staticflickr.com/4136/4790318487_23ec342192_t.jpg]
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|}
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<!--Here is a table with the most common categories:
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Insert a table with the camera types listed above and the corresponding features. -->
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<!-- !!! The following should be moved to [[SLR]] !!!
  
 
=== Single Lens Reflex ===
 
=== Single Lens Reflex ===
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To take the image, this mirror is flipped out of the light path between lens and film plane, before the shutter opens.
 
To take the image, this mirror is flipped out of the light path between lens and film plane, before the shutter opens.
  
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The advantage of this system is, that there is no [[parallax]] error as in a [[Camera Types#Rangefinder|rangefinder]] or [[Camera Types#Twin Lens Reflex|twin lens reflex]] camera. You always see the image of the taking lens and do not need any additional viewfinders for different focal lengths. This makes the use very comfortable.
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The advantage of this system is, that there is no [[parallax]] error as in a [[Camera Types#Rangefinder|rangefinder]] or [[Camera Types#Twin Lens Reflex|twin lens reflex]] camera.  
  
 
The slap of the mirror is the main problem of the SLR design, because it causes vibrations and camera shake, which makes it difficult to hand-hold an SLR at slower shutter speeds.
 
The slap of the mirror is the main problem of the SLR design, because it causes vibrations and camera shake, which makes it difficult to hand-hold an SLR at slower shutter speeds.
  
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In many vintage SLRs (and few modern ones with interchangeable finders), the image on the ground glass is directly seen from above (waist-level finder) - it's upright, but reversed (left and right). In most modern SLRs, the ground-glass image is seen through a prism that resides on top of the ground glass screen. The view through the prism gives you an upright, unreversed viewfinder image (eye-level finder).
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-->
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=== Twin Lens Reflex ===
 
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Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) cameras are "two-eyed" cameras such as the classic [[Rolleiflex]]. They consist of a ground glass on the top and two lenses on the front.
 
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The scene viewed by the top lens (the viewing lens) is reflected by a mirror onto the ground glass. The image seen on the ground glass is back to front (left is right, right is left) which can take some getting used to.
 
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The bottom lens (the taking lens) exposes the film. This means that, unlike [[Camera Types#Single_Lens_Reflex|Single Lens Reflex]] cameras, the viewed image is not exactly the same as the image recorded on the film - the difference being the distance between the centre of the viewing lens and the centre of the taking lens. This discrepancy is known as [[parallax]] error, which can be corrected by lifting the camera until the taking lens is as high as the viewing lens was when the image was composed.
 
  
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Well-known TLR manufacturers are [[Rollei]], [[Yashica]] and [[Seagull]]. Popular and beautiful TLRs were also made by Japanese companies such as [[Minolta]] prior to the 1970's.
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[[Category: Camera architecture|*]]

Latest revision as of 11:58, 23 November 2019

Distinguishing features

There are many types of cameras. Almost all of them can be classified according to the following features:

The features that will most determine the aspect of the camera are the viewing system and the rigidity. Once they are known, the general shape of the body is usually quite predictable.

The size of the sensor matters for the size of the camera and for the end result, while its nature has an incidence on the internal construction: a film camera usually needs place for the supply and take up spools, except for the cameras using cut film or plate film.

The focusing system and metering system will mostly influence how you will use the camera, but has few impact on its shape.

Unusual combinations of these features have existed, for example folding TLRs, subminiature SLRs and so on. However not every combination does make sense. For example an subminiature folding autofocus TLR is not theoretically impossible, but unlikely to ever exist.

Common camera types

Below is a table with common camera types and the features that distinguish them.

sensor viewing system rigidity focusing system lens metering system example
nature size
SLR any reflex finder through the taking lens usually rigid manual reflex focusing or autofocus usually interchangeable any 45501196_7031279e86_t.jpg
TLR analog any reflex finder through a second lens usually rigid manual reflex focusing usually fixed manual exposure or no meter at all 20742380_bffd24b768_t.jpg
point-and-shoot any up to 4.5×6cm optical finder or LCD screen rigid or swivelling autofocus or fixed focusing non interchangeable (fixed or zoom) automatic exposure or no exposure control (single shutter speed) 22827039_941d3ed32b_t.jpg
rangefinder any optical finder with superimposed or separate rangefinder rigid or folding manual rangefinder focusing fixed or interchangeable (no zoom) any 44707155_4b06cde358_t.jpg
viewfinder analog any in- or external finder or ground glass back rigid or telescopic distance symbols or no focusing aid usually fixed any 20759011_434e5266cd_t_d.jpg
box analog any internal reflecting type finder or frame finder or telescopic optical finder or ground glass back rigid ground glass back made as sliding box, ground glass with focusable lens, or no focusing aid fixed none 271771351_aee575cbf5_t_d.jpg
folding analog any reflecting type finder or internal optical finder or ground glass back or frame finder folding rangefinder, ground glass back or no focusing aid fixed or interchangeable (no zoom) any 2346730226_5f9b15c937_t.jpg
subminiature any smaller than 18×24mm any any any any any 46709161_ada6eb2533_t_d.jpg
view camera any ground glass back bellows and rails ground glass back interchangeable none

308183510_efe317ec69_t.jpg

pinhole camera any any any any pinhole "lens" none 4790318487_23ec342192_t.jpg
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