Black and White Photography

2 Camera Types


There are many different types of cameras for you to choose from, ranging
from cheap generic models used by millions of snapshooters to costly specialized
models used by very few advanced amateurs and professionals. Most
modern cameras are quite sophisticated; they are controlled by small computerized
circuitry, and they offer more features than you will ever need or even
learn how to use. Such models are often linked to a camera system, an array of
lenses, flash units, and other accessories made by one manufacturer, designed to
work together with the camera for maximum effect and automation.
Good pictures are made by photographers, not cameras, so don’t worry if a
complicated camera doesn’t suit your budget or your creative goals. You don’t
need the most expensive model or fancy features; many wonderful pictures are
made with simple, even primitive equipment. Still, it helps to understand the
various types of available cameras, so you can evaluate your options and make
informed choices.
One way to categorize cameras is according to the size film they use: 35mm
cameras use 35mm film, for example, and medium-format cameras use size 120
(or 220) film. Another way is according to the viewing and focusing systems
they use, such as single-lens-reflex (SLR) or rangefinder. This chapter describes
the different categories of cameras and how to use them.
A single-lens-reflex (SLR) camera is so named because you view, compose,
focus, and take a picture through a single lens with the help of a reflex mirror.
You can’t see directly through the lens, because the film and shutter are in the
way; they have to be positioned right behind the lens to do their job. So the
SLR redirects the light from the lens to your eye with a reflex mirror, focusing
screen, pentaprism, and viewfinder (see the illustration on the following page).
Reflex mirror. The reflex mirror is located in the camera body right behind the
lens and in front of the film. It’s positioned at a 45-degree angle; when light
comes through the lens, the mirror reflects it upward. The mirror also is
hinged; when you press the shutter button, it flips up and out of the way as the

shutter opens, permitting light to expose the film. The mirror then quickly flips

back into position, so you can view the subject and take another picture. It’s

this flipping action that creates most of the noise you hear when you take a

picture with an SLR—and it also may cause the camera to vibrate somewhat.

The reflex mirror has another important function. All lenses naturally project

an image that is upside down and laterally reversed, so that the left side of

the picture is on the right and the right side is on the left; for example, words

read backwards and upside down (see the illustration on the following page).

The reflex mirror turns the image right side up to allow you to view your

subject more easily, but it doesn’t correct the lateral reversal. That comes later.

Focusing screen. Light reflected upward strikes a focusing screen, a textured sheet

of thin plastic or glass. This is where the right-side-up (but still laterally reversed)

image forms for you to view and focus. The screen is positioned at exactly the

same total distance from the lens as it is from the film. Thus, when you’ve

focused the image on the focusing screen, it also will be in focus on the film.

With most SLRs, the focusing screen is nonremovable, but in some advanced

cameras you can choose from a variety of screen types. There are screens that

are brighter than others for easier viewing and focusing; screens with a splitimage

circle or other features to help focus; screens with grid lines, used by

architectural photographers and others who want a guide for precise composition;

and various other types.

Pentaprism. The hump on the top of the camera body incorporates a pentaprism,
which is a prism or mirror system that reflects and directs the image
from the focusing screen to a viewfinder. It also allows you to hold your camera
at eye level for viewing. Without a pentaprism you would have to look down
at the focusing screen to view and focus. By reflecting and directing the image,
the pentaprism also corrects the image’s lateral reversal, so it matches the original
subject—the left side of the subject is now on the left and the right side is
on the right.
The pentaprism also is usually integrated with the camera’s through-the-lens
meter and exposure controls, and reflects the displays of f-stop, shutter speed,
and other meter settings and markers you see when looking through the
viewfinder.
SLRs are available for different film formats. Most models are 35mm, but there
also are many medium-format SLRs, as well as digital SLRs. One reason SLRs