Task 3 - Camera Types

There are many different camera types. From digital to film, 35mm to large format. Every single one has its advantages and disadvantages, so it can be confusing finding the right camera for the job. Below I will talk a little bit about some of the important types of cameras. First, let's talk about a few of the formats available in photography before we discuss the types of cameras using these different formats.

ISO 400 Fuji 135 Colour Film (35mm)

35mm

35mm film is probably the most popular film used by people today. Each image on the film is 36x24mm and is commonly known as "full-frame" format. In 1934, Kodak introduced it under the term '135'. The full-frame format has now been adopted by many high-end Digital SLR Cameras.

Original 120 and 620, Modern 120 Film

120 Film

120 film was created by Kodak for use with their 'Brownie' No. 2 camera. Intended for amateur photographers, it was quickly overtaken by the 35mm '135' film. However, together with its relative '220' film, it remains the only Medium Format film widely available for professionals and amateurs.

Medium Format (left) and 35mm (right)

Medium Format

Medium Format is a term used to refer to a certain type of film and the cameras that use this film. It is used for film, and cameras that use film, that is larger than 36x24mm but smaller than 4x5 inches. Anything bigger is referred to as 'Large Format', which I will discuss too. The image on the right shows the size comparison between 'Medium Format' and 35mm.

Large Format

Large Format film

Large Format refers to film or the cameras that use film larger than 4x5 inches (102×127 mm). The advantage is that a Large Format image has an area 16 times the size of standard 35mm, thus containing 16 times the resolution of a standard 35mm. This means Large Format images are of a much higher resolution and often contain much more detail. They're often used for images that have to be enlarged to a high magnification while still requiring a high level of detail.


Now that we've discussed a few popular types of film, let's talk about some of the different cameras that use these types of film.

Single Lens Reflex (SLR)

The inner workings of a SLR camera

SLR cameras are often 35mm, but can also be Medium Format. They use a prism and mirror system that allows the user to see directly through the lens, meaning "what you see is what you get". Unlike viewfinder cameras, where the image captured can differ a lot from what the user saw through the viewfinder. SLR cameras are available with many different lenses and many different lenses can be bought. Some examples are removable lenses, fixed lenses, prime lenses (fixed focal length) and zoom lenses (range of focal lengths). Before the SLR cameras, all cameras with a viewfinder had two light paths. One directly through the lens onto the film. The other above (Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) cameras) or to the side (Rangefinder cameras). Because the two path were different, it meant the captured image could differ greatly from what the photographer had seen through the viewfinder.


Medium Format SLR

Medium Format SLR cameras are the same as normal SLR cameras, but use Medium Format film instead of the 35mm film. This means that there isn't a standard size to the prints. Instead, the image size is only restricted by the size of the film. Therefore, the images could be anything from 36x24mm to 4x5 inches.

Twin Lens Reflex (TLR)

Classic Rolleiflex TLR

TLR cameras are cameras, as the name suggests, with 2 lenses. Both lenses are of the same focal length. One lens is the photographic objective lens (the lens that takes the actual photograph), while the other is the lens connected to the viewfinder. The viewfinder is usually positioned on the top or the side and mirrors used to get the scene from the lens to the viewfinder. TLR cameras most often use the Medium Format '120' film, although there are a lot of examples of TLR cameras using different formats. There are no general purpose Digital TLR cameras, since the era of the TLR camera ended long before the Digital era began. The only exception is the rather expensive Rollei Mini-Digi, which was introduced in 2004 as more of a collector's camera.

Large Format Cameras

Most Large Format cameras are 'view cameras'. These cameras have a front and a back part which are called 'standards'. The front standard contains the 'lens pane' (which as the name suggests contains the lens) and the back standard contains the 'film pane' (which contains the film). The bellows is a flexible box, pleated like an accordion, that sits in between the two standards and makes it so the standards can be shifted and tilted. This shift and tilt movement was especially good for architectural and close-up photographers, because it gave them a better control of rendering perspective and increase apparent depth of field. It would help them solve otherwise impossible depth of field problems and they could create special effects that would be impossible to create with conventional fixed-plane fixed-lens cameras.


 Instant Cameras (Polaroid)

Instant cameras are cameras that use self-developing film and generate a developed film image. The most popular instant cameras were formerly made by Polaroid Corporation. 

Polaroid SX-70

The original idea, by Edwin Land, behind this type of camera was that they would be easy to use for everyone. In the early days, a photographer would take a picture and pull a large tab at the back of the camera, which would pull the negative over the positive. The image would then go through some rollers to spread the developing agent. After waiting the required time, the photographer would open a little hatch at the back of the camera and would peel the positive from the negative. He would then need to coat the black and white positive in a fixing agent, which would prevent fading. This was a messy procedure which led to the development of coater less instant pack film which didn't need this coat of fixing agent anymore. 

2 photographs taken on instant film

The later integral film cameras, such as the Polaroid SX-70 shown above, managed to really bring Edwin Land's idea to life. The photographer would simply take the photograph and the camera would do the rest. It would adjust exposure, take care of focus and simply eject the photograph which would then develop without needing any intervention from the photographer. In October 2009, Polaroid announced they would bring back their classic instant film cameras after they announced a year before that production was to be stopped.


Rangefinder Camera

A Rangfinder camera is essentially a camera with a rangefinder fitted to it. A rangefinder is a mechanism which allows the photographer to measure the distance to his subjects, allowing him to take photographs that are super sharp. Most rangefinder cameras display two of the same images of the subject. One of the images moves when a wheel on the camera is turned. When the two images merge into one, the correct distance can be read off the wheel. Older cameras then needed that value transferred to the focus ring, giving the correct focus.

1947 Foca Rangefinder Camera

Nowadays, digital cameras have a rangefinding mechanism that measures the distance using electroaccoustic or electronic means. And of course also focus automatically using the autofocus.

Pinhole Camera

A pinhole camera is really simply a box, entirely light-proof, with a tiny hole on one side. The light will pass through the hole and project an inverted image of the scene on the other side. In other words, the image will be upside down. Because pinhole cameras require lenghty exposures, the shutter would be operated manually by using light-proof material to uncover and cover the pinhole. To create a photograph, the scene could be projected on photographic film for example. Once the scene has been exposed on the photographic film, the photographer would simply develop the film as normal.

The principle of a pinhole camera

It can be a little tricky to find the right size required for the pinhole. The smaller the pinhole, the sharper the image, but the image becomes dimmer too. If the pinhole is too small, the sharpness worsens due to diffraction.

An example of a 20 minute exposure taken with a pinhole camera

 The Camera Obscura is a very well known example of the pinhole camera. Often, people would use a light-proof room with a little hole on the window side and project the scene on the walls of the room. It is often used for drawing or entertainment. In drawing, the scene would be projected onto paper, upside down, and traced for a perfect representation of the scene when turned around.

Image Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:135_fuji_film_macro.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Film_size_comparison.jpg

http://benneh.net/blog/tag/large-format

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/camera5.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/120_film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin-lens_reflex_camera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_camera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_camera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinhole_camera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangefinder_camera