Various Camera Types - Still and Motion Cameras

Box Cameras The box camera has a single piece of glass for a lense and has a very simple shutter. Practically all box cameras are equipped to handle roll film. Pictures cannto be taken successfully in low light conditions due to small diaphram openings. The box camera also generally can't be focused on objects nearer than 6 to 8 feet from the lens.

Collapsible Cameras The name says it all (also called a folding camera). Using a collapsible bellows, this camera can be focused by changing the distance from the lens to the back of the camera. The lens slides along a track. Usually a scale is mounted to the camera to indicate the distance at which the camera is focused. These cameras can use roll film, film packs, or film plates.

Reflex Cameras This camera uses an internal mirror to reflect the image that's being photographed onto a sheet of ground glass. This glass is viewed to see if the image is in focus. The lever for the shutter mechanism also moves the mirror. As the picture is taken, the mirror is moved out of the way by the lever and the image is captured on the film.

Compact Cameras Compact cameras (a.k.a. miniature cameras) are the most common cameras seen today. They are the personal cameras that families generally use to take their family snapshots. Usually 35mm film cartridges are used. These cameras are great for unposed, action shots as well as outdoor pictures. They relatively inexpensive, easy to use, and very reliable.

Self Developing Cameras These cameras were made popular by Polaroid. They produce positive pictures from a film pack usually in about a minute from the exposure. They can usually take low light pictures fairly well and have fast shutter speeds.

Stereo Cameras These cameras take two pictures at once from two lenses set apart approximately the distance between a person's eyes. When these developed pictures are viewed simultaneously, they give the impression of a 3-dimensional picture. Stereo cameras use mostly 35mm film. They were made popular with the introduction of the Viewmaster Viewer.

Motion Cameras Motion cameras use a motor to advance the film at a constant speed originally producing about 16 pictures per second. They can use a 16mm or 8mm sized roll film or cartridge film. These cameras have seen tremendous advances in technology making them affordable and compact enough for the general public to own. It has become much more common to carry a motion camera on vacations, holidays, family events, etc. They've been nicknamed Camcorder, Handy Cam, and Video Camera, as well as others.

Digital Cameras The newest technology to take the photographic world by storm is the digital camera. There is no need for film of any kind. The camera creates a computer file from the image it obtains when the shutter is opened. This image file can be loaded into virtually any computer and be viewed on the computer screen, save for posterity, or printed using a computer printer. Advances in photo printers can make these images appear as though they have been printed on standard film. Modern computer technology also allows the photo files to be touched-up or altered which has many uses in advertising and business or even just for fun.

Various Types of Cameras, Past and Present, and Basic Descriptions