Camera types

Distinguishing features

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

• the sensor: nature (digital, 35mm film, 120 film, APS film, other rollfilm, cut film...) and size (24×36mm, 6×6cm...);
• the viewing system (external finder, electronic finder, LCD screen, single lens reflex, twin lens reflex...);
• the rigidity of the body (rigid, swivelling lens, telescopic tube, folding, monorail...);
• the focusing system (autofocus, rangefinder focusing, manual reflex focusing, guess focusing, ground glass back...);
• the lens attachment (interchangeable lens, non interchangeable zoom lens, fixed lens);
• the metering system: metering sensor and metering modes (programmed, speed-priority, aperture-priority, manual).

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
TLR	analog	any	reflex finder through a second lens	usually rigid	manual reflex focusing	usually fixed	manual exposure or no meter at all
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)
rangefinder	any		external optical finder	rigid or folding	manual rangefinder focusing	fixed or interchangeable (no zoom)	any
viewfinder	analog	any	external finder or ground glass back	rigid or telescopic	no focusing aid	usually fixed	any
folding	analog	any	external finder or ground glass back	folding	rangefinder, ground glass back or no focusing aid	fixed or interchangeable (no zoom)	any
subminiature	any	smaller than 18×24mm	any	any	any	any	any
view camera	any		ground glass back	bellows and rails	ground glass back	interchangeable	none
pinhole camera	any		any	any	any	pinhole lens	none