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[[File:3163632143 3bacf2ef04 o.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Example of a single-lens-reflex camera]]
A '''camera''' is a device used to capture still or moving images focused by a lens and preserving those images on light-sensitive film, video tape, or in digital format.
A '''camera''' is a device used to capture still or moving images focused by a lens and preserving those images on light-sensitive film, video tape, or in digital format.
==History==
==History==
[[Image:Giroux camera 1839.jpg|right||200px|thumb|Alphonse Giroux's Dagerrotype camera, 1839.]]
[[Image:Giroux camera 1839.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Alphonse Giroux's Dagerrotype camera, 1839.]]
[[File:Kodak Brownie cameras.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Eastman Kodak Company (Rochester, New York) Brownie cameras, (''l-r'') Model 2, 1901, Model 3, 1908]]
Arguably the first camera of any kind is the ''camera obscura'', a Latin term meaning "dark chamber". In its original form the ''camera obscura'' was either a room or a box; a pin hole on one side allowed light to enter, and the laws of optics would transmit the image of whatever was outside to the interior, where it would be projected in true color on the opposite wall, albeit upside-down. About 400 B.C. a Chinese philosopher named Mo-Ti made the first mention of the ''camera obscura'' in history.<ref>http://www.obscurajournal.com/history.php</ref> This was followed by unrelated experiments done by [[Aristotle]] (Greece, 384-322 BC) and Abu Ali al-Hasan Ibn al-Haitham (Egypt, c.965 - 1039), who both recognized the optical qualities of the device; by 1544 Dutch scientist Reinerus Gemma-Frisius safely used it to observe a solar eclipse.<ref>http://brightbytes.com/cosite/what.html</ref> A convex lens was first placed on the opening about 1644, at which point it became a drawing aid for artists and an astronomical device, in addition to its attraction as a public curiosity which lasted to the end of the 19th century.
Arguably the first camera of any kind is the ''camera obscura'', a Latin term meaning "dark chamber". In its original form the ''camera obscura'' was either a room or a box; a pin hole on one side allowed light to enter, and the laws of optics would transmit the image of whatever was outside to the interior, where it would be projected in true color on the opposite wall, albeit upside-down. About 400 B.C. a Chinese philosopher named Mo-Ti made the first mention of the ''camera obscura'' in history.<ref>http://www.obscurajournal.com/history.php</ref> This was followed by unrelated experiments done by [[Aristotle]] (Greece, 384-322 BC) and Abu Ali al-Hasan Ibn al-Haitham (Egypt, c.965 - 1039), who both recognized the optical qualities of the device; by 1544 Dutch scientist Reinerus Gemma-Frisius safely used it to observe a solar eclipse.<ref>http://brightbytes.com/cosite/what.html</ref> A convex lens was first placed on the opening about 1644, at which point it became a drawing aid for artists and an astronomical device, in addition to its attraction as a public curiosity which lasted to the end of the 19th century.
Compact, medium format and large format cameras usually have a central, or leaf, shutter with resilient curved slats that open radially for the duration of the exposure. The central shutter can be located in the camera body or inside the lens between the front and rear lens groups. In film-based cameras such as SLRs the focal plane shutter is located in the camera immediately in front of the film plane in the housing. For exposure, it opens similar to a double-curtain in some models or creates a slot in others; both have variable width which is determined by the exposure time. The longer the exposure time, the wider the slot. Some single-lens medium-format SLRs with central shutter lenses also have an additional focal plane shutter which is not meant for image exposure, but only as an aid or auxiliary closure to protect the film from light when focusing or changing a lens.
Compact, medium format and large format cameras usually have a central, or leaf, shutter with resilient curved slats that open radially for the duration of the exposure. The central shutter can be located in the camera body or inside the lens between the front and rear lens groups. In film-based cameras such as SLRs the focal plane shutter is located in the camera immediately in front of the film plane in the housing. For exposure, it opens similar to a double-curtain in some models or creates a slot in others; both have variable width which is determined by the exposure time. The longer the exposure time, the wider the slot. Some single-lens medium-format SLRs with central shutter lenses also have an additional focal plane shutter which is not meant for image exposure, but only as an aid or auxiliary closure to protect the film from light when focusing or changing a lens.
In the early days of photography exposure times of several minutes, but at least several seconds were required, with the "shutter" simply being the lens cap removed and replaced by the photographer during the exposure time. Prior to the advent of digital cameras, film SLRs have mechanically controlled shutter speeds up to 1/1000 second for focal plane shutters, and up to 1/500 second for the central shutter. The shortest purely mechanical shutter speed is 1/4000 second for the Nikon FM2 of 1982-2001. Longer shutter speeds in the low second range can be found in older cameras with the self-timer mechanism. With electronic shutter control by means of electromagnets and control electronics, modern 35 mm cameras achieve the shortest shutter speeds of 1/12,000 second (Minolta Dynax 9xi and Dynax 9) and system cameras (Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II) even of 1/32000, but also automatically controlled times up to 30 seconds and longer are feasible.
In the early days of photography exposure times of several seconds to several minutes were required, with the "shutter" simply being the lens cap removed and replaced by the photographer during the exposure time. Prior to the advent of digital cameras, film SLRs have mechanically controlled shutter speeds up to 1/1000 second for focal plane shutters, and up to 1/500 second for the central shutter. The shortest purely mechanical shutter speed is 1/4000 second for the Nikon FM2 of 1982-2001. Longer shutter speeds in the low second range can be found in older cameras with the self-timer mechanism. With electronic shutter control by means of electromagnets and control electronics, modern 35mm cameras achieve the shortest shutter speeds of 1/12,000 second (Minolta Dynax 9xi and Dynax 9) and system cameras up to 1/32000 second (Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II), but also automatically controlled times up to 30 seconds and longer are feasible.
===Viewfinder===
===Viewfinder===
===Manual-focus===
===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.
[[File:Graflex cameras.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Graflex, Inc. (Rochester, New York) medium-format "press" cameras; (''l-r'') 1947 Crown Graphic, 1949 Century Graphic.]]
[[File:Rolleiflex camera.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Franke & Heidecke Company (Germany) 1960 Rolleiflex 3.5 F Model 3]]
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.
London Stereoscopic Company of London produced the first model of a "twin-lens reflex" camera for commercial distribution in 1885. What this meant for photographers was a more convenient way to take photographs: two lenses were pointed at the subject; one lens on a direct path from the subject to the film; the other acting as a viewfinder, and the photographer operating a single dial to bring both into focus prior to the shutter being snapped. Despite some flaws, such as a mechanical mirror which flipped out of the way when the shutter was released, causing blurs onto some pictures, this type of camera was considered a revolution in photography, leading to smaller sizes to rival the Brownie and one of the best cameras ever marketed: 1929's Rolleiflex, by the Franke & Heidecke Company of Germany.
TLR cameras have both advantages and disadvantages over competing designs. They used type 120 or 220 roll film and expose negatives in 6 × 6 format, with some smaller models using 127 roll film and with an image format of 4 cm × 4 cm. The fixed mirror is simpler and cheaper than elaborate oscillating mirror designs of single-lens reflex cameras and still allows, in contrast to point-and-shoot cameras, the assessment of the focal plane. Due to the lack of mirror mechanics, these cameras are very quiet in operation and work largely vibration-free. In addition, the viewfinder image remains visible during the recording, so that the photographer has full control of what is happening at all times, such as when the photographer blinks when taking a picture. The viewfinder itself is large enough to be viewed with both eyes, which simplifies the picture composition; its placement on top of the camera forces the photographer to look downwards into it, seemingly away from the subject being taken, adding the benefit of going virtually unnoticed. The design of the camera was compact and lightweight, making it ideal for travel photography.
Lack of interchangeable lenses, filter use, reversed-image when viewing, and most notably viewfinder parallax are seen as the disadvantages of the TLR, which enjoyed great popularity in the first half of the 20th century, and resulted in other manufacturers making equally good copies of the original Rolleiflex.
== See also ==
== See also ==
*[[World Famous Pictures]]
*[[Subminiature camera]]
*[[Press camera]]
==References==
==References==