CAMERA

There are many different kinds of cameras. We will restrict our discussion to still photography, not motion pictures or videos. Still cameras are available to fit various sizes of film. For our purposes we will deal exclusively with 35mm cameras, which are the most popular still-film format.

35mm cameras are manufactured in a variety of styles:

• one-time use - sometimes called "disposable"

• point and shoot

• fixed focus and autofocus

• fixed focal length lenses and zoom lenses

• single-lens reflex (SLR) with interchangeable lenses.

There are others, but these are the most widely used. Both good pictures and bad pictures can be made using any of these styles.

The most versatile camera is the 35mm SLR. With the SLR you are viewing the scene through the actual picture-taking lens rather than through a separate viewfinder. Also, these cameras allow you to use interchangeable lenses. You can use a normal focal-length lens, a wide-angle, a telephoto, a macro, or any of the special-use lenses available for these cameras. Most of these cameras offer through-the-lens (TTL) exposure meters.
The exposure is determined by the amount of light actually striking the film plane. If you place filters or accessories in front of the lens, exposure compensation is automatically achieved without your having to do any calculations. Shutter-speed synchronization with electronic flash is the only real drawback when using an SLR .