Different Camera types and its behavior
Understanding Camera behavior
Buying an amazing camera is a dream for many. A DSLR camera is not just a matter of pride to showcase among your friends but a passionate photographer’s instrument of love. Understanding camera behavior is necessary since different types of camera comes with a package of its own complexity and functionality. Without proper camera care, a lot of malfunctioning could happen which makes your photography look not as great as before or your camera may become unable to click a picture. This article will help you in-depth understanding of different types of camera and its behavior along with tips for camera care.
Types of camera
There are different types of camera made to suit the requirements of its user. The user itself could come into different categories like an Instagram ambassador, a YouTuber, a filmmaker, wildlife photographer, sports photographer and so on. Each of this category of users require different types of lens. Say, a sports photographer who needs to click underwater shots of swimmers can’t go with an equipment that is not waterproof. Likewise, the evolving technology has contributed to the innovations of greater designs and varieties in camera behavior and function. Let’s look into a few different types of camera.
1. DSLR Cameras
Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera is a combination of a digital imaging sensor with a single-lens reflex camera. All professionals use this type and amateurs who are into the field of photography and learning the art own a personal DSLR camera. The lens of this camera comes in a detachable format which you can interchange depending on the type of photography you are involved in. For example, you can mount a wide-angle lens while doing landscape photography or for wildlife photography, a telephoto lens.
Types of lens
Now it’s natural to ask what’s the difference between wide-angle, telephoto and zoom lens.
The difference is in the frame of the photograph required and the focal length between the subject and the camera. With smaller focal length (shorter than 35mm) wide-angle lens gives full-frame images. For subjects that are far away, a Telephoto lens or zoom lens could be used.
A telephoto (focal length of 60mm or longer) is primarily used in wildlife or sports photography. A zoom lens helps one go from wide-angle to telephoto zoom without even changing the lens. A prime lens is one that doesn’t give this versatility and sticks to one focal length. Depending on the purpose of use each of this lens comes to use.
2. Mirror-less Cameras
This is basically a DSLR camera without the viewfinder on it. It is lightweight and hence easier to carry around. It too comes with a detachable lens options, though the variety is limited as it’s new to the market. Sony A7RIII is debated to be the current best full-frame mirrorless camera body. Nikon do have variants of mirrorless camera bodies.
3. Bridge Camera type
As the name itself suggests, it’s a combination of shoot cameras and DSLR cameras. It has a fixed lens that almost covers the telephoto focal range. Shoot cameras are those you carry around to click your vacation pictures. It ain’t for a professional photographer. Bridge camera is an excellent option to get pictures of professional touch without burning a hole in your pockets.
4. Medium Format Cameras
Always a go-to for fashion photographers medium format cameras produces extremely high-quality images with a high noise performance. They are quite bulky due to the presence of a large camera sensor. Hasselblad, Fuji and Pentax are the best brands in the market today that release this type of camera.
5. Instant Camera/ Polaroid Camera types
Polaroid Corporation who introduced the technique of printing images immediately after it’s clicked. The instant delivery of the picture was a huge hit, especially among the youth. Kodak and Fujifilm are leading manufactures of instant cameras. They come in a variety of different models too.
6. Action Cameras / Go Pro Cameras
With various mounting options, thanks to its miniature size, one can capture images, record videos and do time-lapse photography with GoPro camera.
7. Rugged Camera types
All-weather and all-terrain cameras targeted towards reckless adventurers who requires Shockproof and Waterproof functionality. A few well known Rugged cameras includes Olympus Tough TG-6, Ricoh WG-6, and Fujifilm FinePix XP140.
8. Digital Cine Camera types
Few different models of Digital cine cameras that are used by film professionals are Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro 4.6K, Canon EOS C100 Mark II and Sony PXW-Z150 4k XDCAM. Its mainly used for filming movies or documentaries. Option for interchangeable lens and ability to support resolution of more than 4K makes it an apt video recording camera.
9. Film Camera types
Camera manufacturers have numbed the production of film cameras as there is no demand. Since the initial days of photography made use of rolls where the light sensitivity of the image couldn’t be adjusted manually but today camera sensor and memory cards have taken over film these days. Yet film cameras are a part of the heritage and aesthetic value.
10. 360-degree Cameras
Last but not the least, 360- degree cameras are the type of camera that allows one to take 360-degree photos with its panorama feature in a single click. Its demand is slowly rising in the market these days. Nikon Keymission360, Samsung Gear 360, Rylo and some varieties of smartphones do support this 360-degree photography.
The exposure triangle
The basic of using any camera comes with the well-to-do knowledge of understanding the exposure triangle. Camera behaviour is not just about its ability to coordinate well with its different parts but how well the photographer understands the nature of the image to be clicked.
Exposure is the major element in photography. It basically means the brightness of light in the picture. A camera lets you adjust the exposure triangle to produce a well balanced proper lit image. The three elements that constitute the exposure triangle are aperture, shutter speed and ISO.
Aperture controls the amount of light entering the lens. It’s more like the pupil of the eye for the camera.
Shutter speed is the speed at which the shutter closes. If the shutter speed is slower, more light enter and if it’s faster, the amount of light entering is less giving shaky or blurry images. With practice one can make use of the shutter speed to capture more than what an eye visualize. Playing with shutter speed one could create light painting, images that direct motion, and visually pleasing images.
ISO is the sensitivity of the film or digital sensor which is responsible for the noise/ graininess of the image.
One can master the art of photography by experimentally with the exposure triangle itself.
Camera care and protection
The camera lens may grow fungus in them spoiling the quality of pictures if proper care is not taken. Appearance of black dot on images clicked owes to the growth of fungus on the lens. The best way to avoid this situation is to keep your camera and lenses cleaned and in airtight containers with bags of silica gel, which absorbs moisture.
Buckle up the camera to the shoulder strap if you don’t want to drop your camera accidentally. Keep the lens caped when not in use and in this way one could avoid dust particles from entering the camera body. Keep the sensor well protected. Use a lens tissue, microfiber cloth, a speciality brush made for cleaning lenses, or an air blower to clean the lens surface and avoid using random fabric or one’s own t-shirt.
Conclusion
Different types of camera have different types of behavior as we discussed above. Few are waterproof, adaptable to different lens, enables us to manage the exposure triangle manually and few don’t. A good understanding of types of camera and its behavior come with amble of practice and patience. It’s quite cumbersome to care and protect the camera and its parts but for the long run and better performance one should take good care of his/her camera.
