Type Of Camera
Point-and-shoot Cameras
Point-and-shoot cameras are the most widely used of the three types of cameras.
Most people treat these cameras as they are named in the industry. They pick up
the camera, compose a shot and shoot. They‟re not too concerned about advance
features (e.g. White Balance and ISO controls, for instance) and control over manual
exposure. They shoot largely in Automatic mode, which means the camera sets the
exposure settings for them.
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of point-and-shoot cameras.
Advantages
Relatively inexpensive, ranging from $200-$400.
Convenient, lightweight and small enough to carry in your pocket or bag.
The lens of a point-and-shoot usually has a range of focal lengths, from wide
to medium long.
Automatic features that help users take photos.
Disadvantages
Can‟t change lenses and sometimes can‟t use other accessories like external
flash.
Often slow in operation, which means you might get blurry shots, or you might
miss shots all together.
May be limited in exposure features, such wide range of aperture or high ISO
speeds.
Small LCD screen for reviewing images.
Point-and-shoot cameras are your best buy if you‟re not looking to make digital
photography a serious hobby or profession. If your budget for a camera is limited,
point-and-shoot cameras are good option.
If all you can afford is a point-and-shoot camera, don‟t think you can‟t get make
great photos, because you can. These cameras are great for everyday family and
vacation photos. If you own a DSLR camera, a point-and-shoot makes for a great
backup and secondary camera that you can keep in your car or travel bag. Take a
look at this Flickr Point and Shoot group to see the possibilities of what point-andshoot
cameras can do.
Compact Cameras
Compact cameras are very similar to point-and-shoots. Some stores and websites
use the two terms interchangeably. But in my view, I see compact cameras as a little
larger than point-and-shoots, with maybe a higher zoom and exposure range, and a
larger LCD screen. Examples of compact cameras are the Canon Powershot G11,
the Coolpix P100, and the Fujifilm FinePix S2500HD
Advantages
Relatively cheaper than bottom-line DSLR cameras.
Camera controls are often easier to access because they are not buried
inside the camera‟s menu.
Physically larger than point-and-shoot cameras, providing better grip on the
body of the camera.
The lens of a compact camera usually has a range of focal lengths, from
wide to medium long.
May include additional features not included in point-and-shoots, e.g. swivel
LCD screen and video capture.
Disadvantages
Pretty much the same disadvantages for point-and-shoot cameras.
Can be heavier and more inconvenient to carry around as compared to a
point-and-shoot camera.
DSLR Cameras
The biggest difference with DSLR cameras is that you can exchange lenses, and
they are way faster than point-and-shoot and compact cameras. Examples of DSLRs
are the Canon 50D (which is the main camera I shoot with these days) and the
Nikon D90.
Advantages
With DSLR cameras you have the ability to use a wide variety of lenses, from
extremely wide and to very long zoom lenses.
The camera operation of DSLR cameras is a lot faster. There‟s little or no
exposure lag between shots. My Canon 50D for example can fire up to 6.3
frames per second in high speed shooting.
An external flash/strobe can be attached to these cameras, making for
better camera lighting than the built-in camera flash.
Higher exposure ranges, e.g. high ISO ranges, additional spot metering
modes, Flash compensation feature.
Larger size DSLRs make for a better grip and more steady shots.
Disadvantages
DSLRs are more expensive, starting at around $800, upwards to $3,000 and
more.
These cameras are of course not compact and sometimes you have to carry
an extra lens or two in your camera bag in order to shoot in various lens
ranges.
Twin-Lens Reflex Cameras
A medium-format camera--one that uses film larger than 35mm--the twin-lens reflex was immensely popular after World War II. It is fitted with two lenses of identical focal length, one mounted atop the other. The lower, or taking, lens focuses its image directly on the film, while the image produced by the upper viewing lens is reflected through 90 degrees by a mirror, and brought to focus on a horizontal ground-glass focusing screen. The light paths to the film plane and the focusing screen are equal, so that if the photographer brings the scene on the focusing screen to sharp focus, the image on the film plane will be equally sharp.
View Cameras and Technical Cameras
Cameras in this category are used almost exclusively by professional photographers. The most common film formats are 4 x 5 or 8 x 10 inches, the latter often used in the very large cameras found in portrait studios. Film for these cameras is loaded in the darkroom into two-sided holders, which are inserted at the back of the camera. Both the camera's back and front can be tilted in various positions, to permit the photographer to make certain types of corrections in the image. By raising the lens in relation to the film plane, when photographing a tall building, for example, the tendency for parallel lines to look as if they converge is eliminated.
Instant Cameras
An instant camera will produce a finished print in from 20 seconds to about 4 minutes. The film, after exposure, is passed between two stainless steel rollers inside the camera. These rupture a chemical pod on the film and spread developing agent evenly over the film's surface. In the original Polaroid system it was necessary for the user to peel the finished print from the base material. Professional Polaroid films, both color and black and white, are still developed in this manner. Beginning in 1972 with the all new model, the SX-70, Polaroid Instant Cameras eject the developing picture from the camera, and the film reaches its final development in full daylight. The process is completed in about 4 minutes. The Spectra, introduced in 1986, employs this type of technology and a more advanced type of electronic exposure control and automatic focusing system. Like the later SX-70 models, it employs an ultra-high-frequency sound emitter. An electronic circuit in the camera measures the time required for the sound to be reflected back from the object photographed. This time measurement is converted into a measurement of distance, and an electrical mechanism coupled to the focusing circuit sets the lens for the proper exposure.
Disc Cameras
Since its introduction in the 1880s, flexible film has usually been rolled onto a spool or loaded into a cassette. In 1980 the Eastman Kodak Company introduced a new format for mass-market cameras. Fifteen images, each 5/16 x 3/8 inches, can be photographed on a piece of circular film about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, which is housed in a thin, light-tight film disc. Disc cameras are exceptionally compact, and most are fitted with an electronic flash and a motor that advances the disc after each exposure.
Electronic Imaging
The world's first electronic still camera, the Japanese Canon, uses a cluster of light-sensitive electronic CHARGE-COUPLED DEVICES (CCDS), instead of film, at the focal plane. Each light sensor on a CCD is called a pixel. The pixel converts light into an electronic signal, which is recorded on a magnetic disc in the camera. The more dense the grouping of pixels, the sharper the resulting picture, which is recorded in full color. Once recorded, the image can be "played" on a television set by inserting the magnetic disc in a still video recorder, or a paper print can be made using a new 3-color electrostatic process. The quality of the image, while not as fine as that on the photographic film, is still very good and certainly will be improved during the coming years. At the present time the system will be used primarily by photojournalists, who will be able to transmit the information on the magnetic disc over ordinary telephone lines by using a Canon analog transceiver. A picture taken in Los Angeles can be viewed in full color a few minutes later in New York City. Massive research efforts and increased production can be expected eventually to lower cost of all-electronic still systems. Traditional film, however, will dominate the market for the foreseeable future.
Refferences : Keith will design. Scholl of curriculum in phtography. Camera Types.
http://scphoto.com/html/types.html
E- Book make.useoff.com. The essential guide to digital photography by vakari cavanu
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