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→Types of cameras
==Types of cameras==
==Types of cameras==
When first manufactured in the 1830's, the original Daguerrotype camera was a large, heavy unit suitable for professionals only; the size of the glass or tin plates carried with the early photographers ensured very few pictures were taken on a given day. The Brownie allowed the concept of convenience with its smaller, lighter size. Since then the most sophisticated cameras can now fit in a handbag or shirt pocket, able to take thousands of photos that would fit on a space as small as a fingernail. Despite this, all cameras fit within three major groups: fixed-focus or "point-and-shoot"; manual-focus; and motion picture/video cameras.
When first manufactured in the 1830's, the oraiginal Daguerrotype camera was a large, heavy unit suitable for professionals only; the size of the glass or tin plates carried with the early photographers ensured very few pictures were taken on a given day. The Brownie allowed the concept of convenience with its smaller, lighter size. Since then the most sophisticated cameras can now fit in a handbag or shirt pocket, able to take thousands of photos that would fit on a space as small as a fingernail. Despite this, all cameras fit within three major groups: fixed-focus or "point-and-shoot"; manual-focus; and motion picture/video cameras.
===Fixed-focus===
===Fixed-focus===
[[Image:Hello kitty camera.jpg||right|200px|thumb|"Hello Kitty" camera, an example of a fixed-focus camera.]]
[[Image:Hello kitty camera.jpg||right|200px|thumb|"Hello Kitty" camera, an example of a fixed-focus camera.]]
Fixed-focus cameras consist of a single element lens that is "fixed"; i.e. the focus is set during manufacture. In addition the camera has pre-set controls and shutter speed, allowing the user to take a perfectly-focused image merely by peering through the viewfinder, pointing the camera at the subject and pressing the shutter button. The simplicity of action led to the name "point-and-shoot" as a common description for these cameras.
Fixed-focus cameras consist of a single element lens that is "fixed"; i.e. the focus is set during manufacture. In addition the camera has pre-set controls and shutter speed, allowing the user to take a perfectly-focused image merely by peering through the viewfinder, pointing the camera at the subject and pressing the shutter button. This simplicity of action led to the name "point-and-shoot" as a common description for these cameras.
The best-selling camera of any type, fixed-focus cameras have been made to shoot celluloid roll film of differing sizes, the disk film of the late 1970's to 1980's, and instant film. The size of the cameras allowed them to easily slip into pockets when not in use, and the added convenience of digital format beginning in the late 1990's allowed the user to upload finished images to a computer, dispensing with the development process of celluloid film.
The best-selling camera of any type, fixed-focus cameras have been made to shoot celluloid roll film of differing sizes, the disk film of the late 1970's to 1980's, and instant film. The size of the cameras allowed them to easily slip into pockets when not in use, and the added convenience of digital format beginning in the late 1990's allowed the user to upload finished images to a computer, dispensing with the development process of celluloid film.
Fixed-focus cameras have seen a sales decline from 52 to 44 percent in recent years,<ref>http://gigaom.com/2011/12/22/smartphones-killing-point-and-shoots-now-take-almost-13-of-photos/</ref> ironically from another, more convenient device with a point-and-shoot camera built in: the cell phone. Like the fixed-focus camera, the cell phone camera can be aimed at the subject and a picture taken at the touch of a button; however, the screen of the cell phone is the viewfinder, allowing the user to hold the phone comfortably away from him while aligning the phone for a good image. And since it is a cell phone, the image (or video, as cell phones have that capability) can be immediately sent to anyone worldwide, an advantage that fixed-focus cameras lack.
Fixed-focus cameras have seen a sales decline from 52 to 44 percent in recent years,<ref>http://gigaom.com/2011/12/22/smartphones-killing-point-and-shoots-now-take-almost-13-of-photos/</ref> ironically from another, more convenient device with a point-and-shoot camera built in: the cell phone. Like the fixed-focus camera, the cell phone camera can be aimed at the subject and a picture taken at the touch of a button; however, the screen of the cell phone is the viewfinder, allowing the user to hold the phone comfortably away from him while aligning the phone for a good image. And since it is a cell phone, the image (or video, as cell phones have that capability) can be immediately sent to anyone worldwide, an advantage that fixed-focus cameras lack.
===Manual-focus===
This type of camera is exactly as the name implies: the photographer must make a physical adjustment to the lens or other part of the camera to get the subject into focus. The oldest film cameras, such as daguerreotypes, and their view camera descendants had a large portion of the camera sliding forward or back (such as on a rail) to adjust the focus. Later models appearing around the turn of the 20th century, such as monorail and field cameras, adjusted the focus by sliding the lens on a rail. In practice, view cameras are large and cumbersome, with tripod mounts a mandatory accessory, but the end result is a highly-detailed, very crisp photograph, in part due to the medium and large format film used. One of these cameras, a very portable, medium-format camera nicknamed the "press camera" due to those who used it for newspapers and publications, enjoyed widespread use and popularity throughout much of the 20th century until supplanted by SLRs; photographic enthusiasts still use them for their superior image quality.
== See also ==
== See also ==