Classification of digital cameras. Cameras: classification, structural components and consumer properties of cameras

Today in the century digital technology It is very difficult to imagine that someone does not have a camera. We meet them almost every minute in the hands of someone. The question is different. What can your gadget with a camera allow you to do, because they are divided according to their specific purpose and are classified into certain types of cameras.

In the previous article, we reviewed the existing ones and learned about the two main factors that divide cameras into certain types.

In this article, we invite you to understand and find out how cameras are divided into types, to find out their classification and division into categories.

Types of photo cameras, what is meant by this concept?

The term types of cameras includes such concepts as the classification and category of these devices.

In general, there are five main categories of digital cameras:

1. For beginners;
2. Compact;
3. Professional;
4. SLR cameras;
5. Other cameras;

Let's take a look at all these 5 camera categories according to their classification separately.

Camera classification

1. For beginners

If you speak about this category of cameras in simple terms, then it can be called “buy and shoot”.

In the photo: Amateur camera for beginners.

Cameras of this class have a fixed lens, a matrix not exceeding 2 megapixels, fixed memory without the possibility of expansion. On the market of photographic equipment, there are still some cameras of this category with additional functionality - the digital zoom function.

• They can't take pictures high level;
• Digital photo zoom, enlarges the picture inside the camera along with the pixels of the picture;

In conclusion about this category, we can say that they are quite suitable for solving everyday artistic ideas.

2. Compact cameras

This is due to the fact that compact cameras in their equipment have a matrix of up to 5 megapixels, a more accurate optical system that allows you to take better pictures. These cameras are small enough to be easily carried around.

• Lack of a viewfinder (the installed LCD display is often illuminated by the sun);
• Slow response to filmed events;
• Sufficiently slow self-tuning of the camera;

In conclusion about compact cameras we can say that these are the cameras of every day.

These cameras are not only used by amateurs, quite often professionals use them in their arsenal to create a certain group of preliminary shots.

3. Professional cameras

Professional cameras are a category of more serious SLR format cameras that already have a mirror in their optical system. in plain language these cameras are called "DSLRs".

The main disadvantages of these cameras:

• These cameras are limited in their capabilities to just one lens;

In conclusion about this category of professional cameras, it can be said that they are an excellent option for a beginner professional and a good addition to a professional photographer's camera set.

4. SLR cameras

SLR cameras are probably by far the highest classification of camera types.

• entry-level SLR cameras;
• SLR Pro cameras;

These cameras are equipped with a matrix with a resolution of 14 megapixels, have rapid shooting, and allow the use of affordable interchangeable lenses. These two groups of SLR cameras differ from each other in the number of "gadgets" of their internal equipment. But, despite the fact that the category of these cameras is divided into two groups, the entry-level SLR camera group is widely used by professional photographers and is popular for its relatively cheap price compared to SLR Pro cameras.

5. Other cameras

This class of cameras includes digital video cameras with the possibility of digital photography.

Hello again, dear readers of my blog.

How many times have you heard talk of supposedly “professionals” about what cameras are, how they differ from each other? Such stories most often do not shine with knowledge of the topic, you are convinced of this when such an expert tells you: “yes, I have a semi-professional camera”, shows, you look - an ordinary hybrid.

So that you make fewer such mistakes in conversation, I will try to compile for you an approximate classification of the modern series digital cameras. At the beginning, I will simply write the names of the groups, then I will describe their main features in more detail.

I will make a reservation, my classification does not claim to be absolute accuracy, and I will not consider some types of digital cameras at all (my blog is intended for amateurs, but why does an amateur need a modular medium format camera Hasselblad for 700+ thousand rubles).

So, let's start with the hierarchy of cameras, starting with the most expensive (180-300 thousand rubles for carcass - body).

1). Digital SLR cameras

A). Professional

1.Studio

2. Reportage

b).Amateur

1. Semi-professional

2. Amateur

2).Digital mirrorless cameras

A). Creative digital mirrorless cameras

1. Hybrid cameras

2. Creative cameras

3. Pseudo-SLR cameras

b). Low Price Digital Mirrorless Cameras

Now that rough plan Further narrative has been compiled, we will dwell on each type of camera in more detail (note - I will name the approximate price for SLR cameras, based on the cost of only the camera itself, without a lens).

Digital SLR cameras

In everyday life - digital SLRs. The main feature of this category of cameras is the presence of this very mirror. The mirror in a digital SLR camera is used to precisely frame the image, transferring it [image] directly from the lens to viewfinder. After pressing the shutter button, the mirror is removed for a time equal to the specified exposure time, revealing the hidden behind it. The mirror and the analog (non-digital) viewfinder are technically different SLR cameras, other differences include:

• Ability to shoot in RAW format (in some professional cameras also in TIFF)
• Availability of professional shooting modes P, S, A, M (for all SLR cameras)
• Opportunity manual setting shutter speed, aperture, ISO and white balance

Professional

Professional cameras, oddly enough, are used by professional photographers, you will not believe in their professional activities.

Speaking seriously, these are non-modular cameras of the highest price category, allowing their owners to use the most modern achievements in the photo industry. For devices of this class, the most characteristic are:

• the ability to record images in 12 and 14-bit color formats
• Magnesium alloy body, heavier but more durable
• most powerful and fastest image processors
• a large number of hot control buttons
• pentaprism viewfinder
• obligatory presence screwdrivers(autofocus motor)
• two (sometimes more than two) slots for memory cards

Now let's take a closer look at the subgroups I have identified in this segment - studio And reportage cameras.

Studio cameras:

To this category of cameras, I attributed those professional cameras that are mainly used for studio shooting, but can also be used for reportage. These are expensive cameras (from 120 to 350 thousand rubles), the distinctive features of which are:

• built-in battery grip(feeding handle)
• digital selection of shooting modes
• one or more monochrome displays for displaying the EXIF ​​data of the image
• more than two steering wheels, including the one(s) mounted on the feed handle
• more than one release button, including the one(s) on the feed handle
• no built-in flash

In general, these cameras are purely professional, they are used mainly for staged studio shooting, when the photographer directly interacts with the model, holding the camera in his hands, and not on a tripod. These cameras have a large number hot buttons (often duplicated), a large FX-matrix (full-format), informative, with a low noise level.

Reportage cameras:

These cameras are designed for photographers and travelers who are professional or amateur photographers. On average, the price of such cameras ranges from 55 to 100 thousand rubles. Unlike studio cameras, they have a much smaller size and weight, a built-in flash, they are not equipped with a built-in power handle (although they have the ability to install a removable battery handle). The main features of these cameras are:

• high speed continuous shooting (from 7 to 9 frames per second)
• durable magnesium alloy body
• built-in flash
• a large number of pre-configured modes
• as many hot buttons as possible
• use of matrices in both FX-format and DX-format (half-format matrices)
• using a single monochrome display to display the EXIF ​​data of a picture

These cameras are suitable not only for a professional photojournalist, but also for an "advanced" amateur photographer. They are extremely convenient (although not easy) to use, even if the price is lower - and in general a dream.

amateur

This category of digital SLR cameras differs from the previous one in a lower price (from 14-15 to 45-55 thousand rubles) and the absence of a sufficiently large number of functions necessary for a professional. It is also worth noting the presence in amateur cameras of a large number of preset shooting modes, including fully automatic, except for P, S, M, A modes, as well as the ability to process pictures directly in the camera within certain limits. Such cameras always have a very limited number of hot buttons on the body - many settings have to be done from the menu.

semi-professional cameras:

This category of digital SLR cameras combines both features professional cameras, and amateur. These cameras are in the price range from 30 to 45 thousand rubles. From professional cameras they got:

• one monochrome display for displaying EXIF ​​data
• more than one steering wheel
• pentaprism viewfinder
• the presence of a screwdriver
• magnesium body
• the possibility of installing a removable battery handle

At the same time, cameras of this category contain character traits amateur SLR cameras that do not allow them to be fully attributed to the professional segment:

• the presence of a large number of preset shooting modes
• the possibility of limited processing of photos on the camera itself
• accessibility of most settings only from the menu
• using only DX matrices

amateur cameras:

To the category of "true" amateur digital SLR cameras, I classified SLR cameras of the lowest price category (from 14 to 26-27 thousand rubles), which have the following main features:

• no screwdriver
• lack of a monochrome display for displaying EXIF ​​data
• only one steering wheel
• few or no hot buttons at all
• a large number of settings available only from the camera menu
• the possibility of limited post-processing of images in the camera itself
• plastic case
• pentamirror viewfinder

What can I say here: the main advantage of cameras of this type is relatively low price. In terms of all characteristics, these cameras lose to professional and semi-professional counterparts, although they significantly outperform most mirrorless cameras in terms of shooting quality.

Digital mirrorless cameras

Digital mirrorless cameras (in everyday life - digital soap dishes) are a type of digital cameras that lack a mirror, and therefore an analog viewfinder directly connected to the lens. The image is cropped using an LCD display that receives information directly from the matrix. If there is a viewfinder in the digital soap dish, it is either just a very small LCD disguised as a viewfinder (as, for example, in pseudo-reflex cameras), or a simple slit with glass inserted into it, in most cases useless. Cameras in this segment have extremely different technical characteristics (and, accordingly, different prices - from 2-3 to 50 thousand rubles).

Creative digital mirrorless cameras

This segment includes mirrorless cameras of the highest price category (from 15 to 50 thousand rubles), which in most cases do not lag behind the characteristics of amateur SLR cameras, and sometimes even surpass them (the only characteristic in which they always lose is the physical size matrices).

I will divide this section into 3 subsections: hybrid, creative And pseudo-mirror cameras.

hybrid cameras:

The main difference between hybrid cameras and other digital cameras is the ability to change lenses. Also, cameras of this segment most often have the ability to shoot in RAW format and shooting modes P, S, A, M. But, as you can understand from the classification, there is no mirror in these cameras, as well as an analog viewfinder. What do you get in return? The tiny size and weight of the camera relative to SLR cameras. If you have never held a SLR camera weighing from 700 grams to 1.5 kilograms in your hands for a long time, you will not understand what bliss it is to walk all day with a camera weighing 200-300 grams. On the other hand, cameras of this category are quite expensive and often exceed the price of amateur (and even semi-professional SLR cameras), but they also have fewer problems with setting up and using them. So it's up to you to decide what to give your money for.

Creative cameras:

In this category, I include digital mirrorless cameras equipped with a fixed lens and having the ability to flexible settings shooting parameters, such as aperture, shutter speed, etc. The prices of these cameras fluctuate in the same range as that of hybrid cameras. Often such cameras are purchased by professional photographers as an additional camera for insurance (or if you are too lazy to drag a DSLR to a non-priority event). They are also characterized by good build quality and optics (i.e. lens).

Pseudo-mirror cameras:

Pseudo-reflex cameras (in everyday life - pseudo-reflex cameras) are a type of camera that resembles SLR cameras in form factor, but does not have a mirror, prism and other features characteristic of SLR cameras. Despite this, the lens of cameras in this segment often has some kind of exceptional property (ultra wide angle, super zoom, exceptionally small depth of field V tele-position, high definition, etc.) or several at once. Some cameras of this type have the ability to flexibly adjust the shooting parameters (although more limited than that of creative soap dishes). The price of these devices fluctuates in the same range as that of hybrid cameras, but they often cost a little less with similar characteristics.

Low Price Digital Mirrorless Cameras

So we got to the most extensive and diverse category digital cameras. Here are cameras costing from 2 to 10-20 thousand rubles. The most affordable and easy to use, they quickly gained popularity among various audiences: amateur photographers use them for cheap and easy “safety nets”, people far from photography use them to create memorable pictures without effort, just as a beautiful camera today performs in the role of a fashion accessory. The presence of a large number of functions (often having nothing to do with photography), touch screens, Wi-Fi, etc. make them very popular with a wide range of people. The shapes and sizes of such cameras vary greatly - from very small cameras, in which even the lens does not extend out of the body when turned on, to cameras that repeat the size and appearance of pseudo-reflex cameras (something like "pseudo-pseudo-mirror" cameras). What can be said about the characteristics of these cameras is that, compared to all the above categories of cameras, they are exceptionally low. A small non-informative matrix, a microscopic aperture, a small shutter speed range, a weak photo processor, a small zoom ratio, not the highest quality optics. Well, you get what you paid for. Although, it is worth noting that a considerable part of the masterpiece photographs was taken on soap dishes.

Liked this.

In this article, we will consider the classes and types of photographic equipment available for sale. Let's figure out what cameras are. How they are classified, and what are the distinguishing features of each particular class of camera.

Now I am preparing to publish an article on the topic “ which camera is better?“. Before touching on a particular camera, I thought it would be nice to understand the theory of the issue. As they say, to ask the right question, you need to know half the answer. Just to understand this very issue, you need to understand some fundamental differences between one type of camera and another. Only in this way you can choose the equipment to your liking, and not demand from it the impossible during operation.

Analog cameras

An analog camera, as the name implies, captures images without the use of digital processing. You need to understand that an analog camera is a classic camera in the truest sense of the word.

Phototechnics itself owes its appearance to the discovery of the effect of a photochemical reaction in some chemical compounds. Nothing has changed in principle after this discovery. The principle of photo printing, based on a chemical reaction, turned out to be the most effective and relatively cheap way to make photography a mass phenomenon.

By the way, cinematography played a big role in the development of civilian photography, thanks to which 35mm film was constantly improved.

For the sake of fairness, we note that in addition to photochemical image fixation, there were prototypes of cameras that fix images on a semiconductor matrix. The image was transmitted via a television signal and could be recorded on a magnetic medium. However, due to the bulkiness and high cost of execution, such devices have not received further development.

Digital cameras

The first digital camera can be considered a development from Kodak in 1975 - Eastman. She weighed 3.6 kg. The camera used a digital way of processing and storing information. The images were captured on a digital semiconductor matrix, and they were stored on a conventional tape.

IN this moment the development of digital technology has advanced greatly, displacing all analog (film) cameras from the consumer market.

Receiving, processing and storing information in a digital camera is carried out using modern microelectronic components that are constantly being improved.


The image through the optical system of such a camera falls on a semiconductor matrix, is processed by a microprocessor in accordance with a special algorithm and recorded in memory on a semiconductor storage medium (flash memory).

In the future, we will focus exclusively on digital cameras.

What is camera optics?

Without going into details, the optics of all modern cameras can be divided into the following categories:

• built-in
• Removable

Integrated optical system

The camera's built-in optical system cannot be replaced with other types of optics. The algorithm of the camera was initially “sharpened” for use with specific lens parameters.

Thanks to this, built-in lenses are made by manufacturers as versatile as possible, with a large range of focal lengths.

It is possible to change the optics only in a special service workshop for an absolutely similar one.

Removable optical system

Modern system and SLR cameras allow you to use a large number of lenses for each specific case. The photographer can use the same camera to shoot in macro mode, panoramic shooting, portraiture and shooting objects from a long distance (when using a telephoto lens), periodically changing lenses.


Removable optics are produced for each specific type of mount (each manufacturer has its own mount, called a “bayonet”). In addition, there are differences between lenses that were developed for full-frame cameras or for cameras with .

The incompatibility of lenses between manufacturers can be compensated for by using special adapters. So, for example, I successfully use Helios 44M lenses (from the Zenith camera) and Takumar-A (Pentax) lenses on the Sony Alpha A37.

But! Adapters do not provide full compatibility. For example, the fully automatic lens of one camera may be completely uncontrollable by another. Although there are adapters with "conversion" of control signals, it is extremely difficult to find such an adapter, and the price for it can vary within the cost of the lens itself for your camera.

Compact cameras (soap dishes)

Distinctive feature compact cameras, i.e. "soap dishes" in the people, has always been user friendly. Camera control has always been as simple as possible. The flash works in automatic mode, all shooting parameters are set automatically. The user of this technique can only catch the subject in the lens and press the button. All.

Depending on the manufacturer and price, the image quality of such soap dishes varies greatly. However, pictures from such cameras can always be characterized as follows:

• Small maximum light sensitivity (ISO) of the matrix, due to its small size. As a result, in low light, the pictures are very noisy.
• Slow autofocus. Due to this, dynamic scenes always turn out to be blurry.
• The flash is located very close to the lens. Due to this, the light reflected from the retina of the eye enters the lens, causing the effect of “red eyes”.
• The minimum number of settings. Almost everything is automated. Even manual mode is not completely manual, in the usual sense of the word.
• Small lens aperture. Comparable to the luminosity of a door peephole. So that.

The advantages of soap dishes include the following properties:

• Light weight.
• Small size.
• Relatively low price.

The soap dish is convenient when traveling, on vacation, when you need to take an unusual random shot. Although now many smartphones can easily replace many existing soap dishes in terms of their properties. Technology doesn't stand still.

By the way, there is one good logical continuation of soap dishes - the so-called cameras "ultrasound". In fact, these are soap dishes with improved technical specifications optical system, matrix, autofocus, etc. Some models of such cameras are an order of magnitude more expensive than their younger counterparts, and the pictures are many times better than budget SLR cameras.

Mirrorless cameras (system cameras)

The system camera got its name from its modular design. Those. it's a photosystem. Like DSLRs, system cameras have an impressive range of interchangeable lenses, flashes and other modules that allow you to take very high-quality professional-level photographs.

In some cases, the viewfinder of the system camera is located separately, and is not part of the optical system of the camera. Those. the photographer sees only the outline of the frame, unlike a DSLR, where the viewfinder is part of the camera's optical system, and the photographer can fully control the adjustable parameters.

IN currently many system cameras have an electronic viewfinder that uses the camera's sensor as the primary source. As a result, the shooting process is no different from a DSLR. The photographer also sees the frame as it will be taken, as if he took a picture through a SLR camera.

System mirrorless cameras are smaller and lighter, but comparable in quality to SLR cameras. Therefore, now in the photo community, mirrorless system cameras have great amount fans.

By the way, SLR cameras are also system cameras (since this is a photo system too), but this description has never been applied to them.

SLR Cameras

SLR cameras are considered the de facto standard in the world of professional photography. The main advantage of SLR cameras is considered unlimited opportunity the use of interchangeable lenses of any focal length, although this possibility now exists for system mirrorless cameras.

The viewfinder of a SLR camera is completely free from parallax (a change in the apparent position of an object relative to a distant background depending on the position of the observer, which is a disease of an individual viewfinder, as in system mirrorless cameras, for example), allows you to directly assess the depth of field and the effects of using various filters and attachments.

To date, the mirror scheme is most suitable for using phase-type autofocus, which is much more efficient than contrast autofocus. At the same time, the mirror-raising mechanism complicates the camera, as well as causing it to shake during shooting and increased noise. Due to the presence of a mirror, the shutter lag in single-lens reflex cameras is significantly longer than in all other types. This is especially noticeable in models with a central shutter. Another feature of a SLR camera is that the viewfinder is covered by a mirror at the time of shooting.

In support of Sony I will say that they used the technology of a translucent fixed mirror, thereby bypassing this drawback of DSLRs. However, not everything is so rosy. A translucent mirror affects the sensitivity of the photosystem, since at the time of shooting the matrix receives much less light than in the classic scheme with a jumping mirror.

SLR cameras are much more expensive than their counterparts. They have more expensive lenses. For example, the most top-end lenses are designed specifically for DSLRs. They have many different accessories. I'm not talking about the possibility of radio synchronization of flashes, etc.

Instead of a conclusion

You can double-check all the facts described in this article, for example, in the Russian-language Wikipedia. It makes no sense to place links in the text, because the size of the article would have doubled at least.

The main purpose of this article is to show the reader that in principle there is no absolute scale for the “coolness” of cameras. Where at the bottom of the pedestal are soap dishes at the top are expensive DSLRs. No. For each type of shooting, for each specific case, its own camera is suitable. It happens that a good report from the scene of an event can be spanked by a middle hand with a soap dish, and some kind of sporting event can be filmed good quality compact ultrazoom. And at the same time, the photos will be of decent quality.

Cameras can be classified according to the type of viewfinder; by the method of measuring the brightness of an object, by the design of the lens, by the level of consumer properties and other features.

By type of viewfinder cameras are divided into compact (portable), pseudo-mirror and reflex cameras.

Compact cameras got their name due to their compact size and low weight. They are equipped with miniature lenses with a large depth of field to compensate for possible errors in the autofocus system. Compact digital cameras are equipped with a liquid crystal display and (or) a telescopic viewfinder to control the composition of the frame.

Pseudo-reflex cameras are equipped with an electron-optical viewfinder and, in terms of size and weight, occupy an intermediate position between compact and SLR cameras. This type of viewfinder can be used in bright sunlight when it becomes difficult to use the conventional LCD screen.

SLR cameras got their name from the reflex viewfinder used in them. They are large in size, equipped with appropriate lenses.

The optical system of a SLR camera allows you to visually control the composition of the frame and focus through the viewfinder eyepiece.

By lens design Cameras are classified into cameras equipped with a fixed focal length lens and cameras with a variable focal length (Zoom lens). In turn, cameras equipped with a Zoom lens, depending on its magnification, are divided into cameras equipped with a compact, standard and powerful Zoom lens.

How to measure brightness cameras are divided into cameras of external measurement and cameras of internal measurement according to the TTL system.

In cameras with external brightness measurement, exposure is measured by a photodetector located on the front panel next to the lens. This exposure metering system is equipped with cameras of simple and middle classes. The photodetector measures the integral (total) brightness of various objects within its coverage area.

In cameras of the TTL system (from English, through the lens - through the lens), exposure is measured by a photodetector located inside the camera behind the lens. High-end SLR cameras are equipped with this exposure metering system. This location of the photodetector provides more high precision measurement of exposure parameters.

According to the level of consumer properties cameras can be divided into simple, medium and high class cameras.

To cameras simple class includes compact automatic multi-program cameras weighing up to 200 g, equipped with a miniature wide-angle Zoom lens (usually up to 3 x), CCD light-sensitive matrix, 1/2.7”, 1/2.5” or 1/2.3” and saving a photographic image with JPEG compression. The maximum light sensitivity of the matrix is ​​usually limited to 1600 ISO units. They allow you to get a photographic image of satisfactory quality.

Middle-class cameras include compact automatic multi-program cameras weighing from 200 g to 500 g, equipped with a Zoom lens (at least 3 x), including pseudo-reflex cameras with interchangeable lenses, photosensitive matrix, ranging in size from 1 / 1.8 "to 2/3", and preserving the photographic image in JPEG formats, TIFF or RAW. The maximum sensitivity of the matrix, as a rule, is limited to 3200 ISO units. They allow you to shoot a variety of scenes and get good quality pictures.

High-class cameras include reflex automatic multi-program cameras weighing 500 g or more, with point and multi-zone autofocus and exposure metering systems. They allow the use of interchangeable lenses, electronic flash lamps, necessary cases turn off camera automation and switch to manual focusing and setting exposure parameters. High-end cameras are equipped with a photosensitive CMOS matrix, ranging in size from 20 x 13 mm to 49 x 37 mm, and save photographic images mainly on Compact flash and SD (SDHC) memory cards, in RAW, JPEG, TIFF format. They have a wide range of matrix light sensitivity (up to 6400 ISO units and higher), shutter speeds (up to 1/8000 s) and allow you to quickly shoot a wide variety of scenes and get high quality pictures.

In multi-program automatic cameras, shutter speed and aperture are set automatically in one of the programs (“Full Auto”, “Portrait”, “Landscape”, “Sports”, “Night Portrait”, “ night landscape”, “Macro”) selected according to the shooting scene. Medium and high-end cameras additionally have creative shooting modes: “Programmed AE”, “Shutter-Priority AE”, “Aperture-Priority AE”, “Manual Exposure”, “Auto Depth of Field”.

Rays of light passing through the lens are reflected by the mirror, which at the moment of focusing is at an angle of 45 degrees to the optical axis of the lens. Reflected from the mirror, the rays of light are directed upwards, where they build optical image photographed objects on a horizontally placed frosted glass.

By means of a special mechanism, the mirror folds up at the moment of shooting, covers the frosted glass and frees up the access of light to the rear wall of the chamber, where the film, plate or matrix is ​​located. At this point, the shutter is released and the picture is taken.

The advantages of SLR cameras are as follows:

1. When observing the image on the frosted glass from above, the photographer sees it, which significantly facilitates the solution of compositional problems and, to a certain extent, facilitates focusing.

2. Observation of the image of photographed objects can be carried out immediately before the moment of shooting.

The mirrors used in these devices are optical (amalgam on the outside) and strictly flat.

A variety of reflex cameras are two-lens reflex cameras, in which the main lens is intended only for shooting, and for sighting and focusing, a second lens is used, located above the first and functioning synchronously with it.

The main advantage of two-lens reflex cameras over single-lens reflex cameras is that the sighting lens does not stop, which facilitates focusing and sighting. The image of photographed objects in two-lens reflex cameras can be seen at the moment of shooting.

The disadvantage of two-lens reflex cameras is the discrepancy between the frame obtained in the picture and the frame visible in the viewfinder. This is explained by the fact that the optical axes of the lenses of the device and the viewfinder are at a considerable distance from each other.

Another type of SLR cameras are devices with a reversing optical system. They are distinguished by a roof-shaped five-sided prism (pentaprism) placed over frosted glass, which flips the image from a horizontal plane to a vertical one and from left to right. The image is straight in all directions and can be viewed not from above, but from behind, which allows you to keep the camera at eye level during shooting.

stereoscopic cameras

They are intended for obtaining stereo photographs, which, when viewed through a stereoscope, give a visual sensation of the spatial depth of the image and the volume of the photographed objects.

Distinctive design specifics - two identical lenses, located at a distance of 65 mm from one another (the distance between the centers of human eyes), two synchronously operating shutters.

panoramic cameras

Designed for wide coverage of the photographed view and obtaining panoramic photographs.

The main feature is the location of the film not in one plane, but along a circular line (arc), while the lens rotates around a vertical axis during shooting. A visual representation of the operation of the apparatus is given by the diagram.

The lens (1) is located in a light-tight cylindrical chamber (2). Light falls on it through the shutter slot (3), and then exits through a narrow socket (4). Before photographing, the lens is in its original position, in which it is shown in the diagram. When the shutter release button is pressed, the shutter slit opens. At the same time, the lens, under the action of the mainspring, rotates in the direction of the arrow around the vertical axis (5), exposing the film (6) from one end to the other. Thus, only a narrow strip of film is exposed at any given moment. For each subsequent shot, the film is rewound from the feed cassette (7) to the take-up cassette (8).

Thanks to this system, an equally sharp and bright image is obtained on the entire surface of the film. None of the widely used wide-angle lenses has such a coverage angle.

pavilion cameras

Designed mainly for shooting portraits in photo pavilions, from which they also received the name stationary portrait.

They differ in large formats (13 x 18; 18 x 24 cm) and are designed for the use of photographic plates and flat format films.

Technically equipped poorly. They have neither shutters, nor viewfinders, nor other special components and mechanisms. The design difference is the presence of fur with significant stretching, which allows the use of long-focus lenses in them, which are required for portrait photography.

These same features make pavilion cameras suitable for reproduction work, and especially when reproducing small originals in full size and with enlargement.

Cameras for taking quick pictures

They are distinguished by the presence of a special device that allows processing photographic materials using the method of a single-stage photographic process.

Pocket cameras

Particularly miniature devices for purely amateur photography that fit easily in your pocket. Not suitable for serious photography. Some of them have excellent optics and produce high-sharp negatives that can withstand 10x magnification with satisfactorily sharp images.