Types of Cameras

Pinhole camera

Using this process is very slow due to the lack of light hitting the light sensitive material, common exposures last seconds to minutes. However depending on the size of the camera obscurer and the distance between the light sensitive material and the hole, the size of the hole will vary. The quality and size of the hole will determine the aperture and the quality of the detail. They can be made out of everyday objects with a hollow inside; this means that they can be very cheap. Some photographers have adapted lenses and SLR’s so that they can use film. Therefore it can be B&W or colour.

Compact cameras

 These are very simple and most are set to automatic which is appropriate for general use. Some come with extra settings like sport, cloudy, holiday, nighttime etc. These can be very cheap and still have enough quality to use them online and personal. Colour is usually the only setting and most have built in flash

Large format

This is one of the oldest types of cameras and one of the largest because of the size of the area being exposed. They use the largest negatives so the quality is possibly the best; meaning that they can be expanded larger which might be useful for billboards etc. The camera itself is very expensive because they are so large and rare; not many people use them now. Development can be quite cheap if it’s done yourself. The use is fully manual allowing you to do anything with it.

35mm cameras

This is the most widely used film type camera due to the small portable size and large range of manufacturers. This means that cheap and very expensive brands/models are available. Unless film is self developed this could get quite expensive with excessive use. They come with lots of different setting types. Some are fully manual, have aperture or time priorities or fully auto. Attachments are available like flash. Depending on the film it shoots colour or black and white and this would also determine the ISO.

DSLR

This is the most widely used camera from enthusiasts to professionals. This is because many brands have made many models to suite different levels, type of use and experience level. This camera allows you to use it in any way you would like due to its manual setting and already programmed settings. They also have different quality lenses which effects the overall quality based on the sensor quality. Most have factory standard built in flash however a hot shoe is also designed in allowing professional flash and accessory attachment. Some models also offer in camera edits and effects.

Speed Cameras

These are designed to be very strong for outdoor use and the potential incident with cars and motorbikes. It has a very powerful built in flash which allows the shutter speed to be incredibly fast to capture a speeding car. The overall quality of the images is very good so that the numberplate of the car can be read easily to give them a fine. I can imagine that they are very expensive to produce because of the quality of the images needed and the size needed to withstand weather and collisions.

Bridge cameras

These are the middle ground between compact cameras and DSLR's. It offers the versatility of being able to manually change settings without the cost of buying new lenses or the size needed to carry them. Often the aperture is restricted to small or large and the shutter speed fast, normal, slow and bulb. The quality of the images can be on par with bottom range DSLR's depending on the lens attachment. Therefore bridge cameras can be quite cheap to the same price as basic DSLR's.

Polaroid

Also known as an instant camera, they have very limited setting changes but allows you to have the images in seconds which was extremely popular before digital cameras were mass produced. The small cartridges means that you are limited to how many shots could be taken and the cost of these cartridges has shot up since digital photography. Flash is built in with allows the user to take images in all situations. The bodies are also quite large making them a little impracticable compared to compact cameras.

Medium Format Cameras

These cameras use a larger type of film to 35mm cameras. This means that there is more quality being captured because the same image would be spread out on a larger surface. This also means that they can be enlarged a lot more before the quality starts to suffer. These cameras come in 3 basic forms. Twin lens which uses on lens to view through and the other to take the picture, the lens is fixed making it cheaper. Single lens reflex cameras which works mechanically the same way as a 35mm with mirrors; however the quality is incomparable meaning that it is very expensive. The last being toy cameras which has virtually no controls, simply relying on a sunny day, this makes them one of the cheapest reusable cameras. Medium format is available digitally however due to the cost not many people use it.

Disposable cameras

These can be bought for under £5 and use 35mm film. They need to be broken apart to retrieve the film and you need to pay to get it developed unless you do it yourself. Flash on/off is the only control on the camera for indoor and outdoor use. Sometimes they are bought in bulk and used at celebrations to record the happenings.

CCTV

Quality can vary massively depending on the amount spent on it and records video. Wall attachments are standard and often placed high away from the public so that it cant be tampered with. Auto setting changes will occur for consistent quality of the video and night vision is available for some models. Expensive models will have joystick control and zoom.

Phone cameras

Quality of these have increased hugely recently making them a big threat to compact cameras. Settings also work the same with preset programs will help you in some situations for both types. However most compact cameras provide optical zoom which is far superior than the digital zoom in phones which will decrease the focus. Some companies like Apple have also worked with camera brands like Canon to develop their camera. Meaning that mount converters have been made to let Apple phone users attach canon lenses to their phone. This makes them far better quality than compacts. Since as a phone and camera is one it has more uses than a compact camera, making it a more economical choice.

Camcorders

Primarily these are used to capture video and can be priced anywhere from £10 second hand to several thousands of pounds. The expensive models will allow for attachments to increase the quality of the sound etc. a large selection of them will have microphones, flash and zoom built in for ease of use at consumer prices.

Throughout the process of making my book I will use various forms of a selection of these cameras. Currently I am using 35mm and medium format, maybe I can also use other types of cameras and see if I can create some different effects on the image. This may change the perception of the image as well as how I use them.