exploit these characteristics for aesthetic ends. Im-
ages generated by pinhole cameras are fuzzy and
lack detail. Optics, and, finally, complex lenses
began to be used in place of the hole in a pinhole
camera, allowing an image to be focused on the
image plane.
The simple camera
A simple camera consists of three basic parts: a
light-tight container, or body, a lens, and an image
plane, that is, a place for film or other light sensitive
material to be placed to receive the projected image.
Modern cameras also include viewfinders to aim
and compose the image, a shutter and aperture to
control the light reaching the film, and a light meter
to determine the amount of light needed to create
the image. Modern photography often integrates
these systems so that the user is often not aware of
the inner workings of the camera.
Camera types can be divided into several cate-
gories, most notably by their viewing/lens systems.
View Cameras
The earliest lens camera type, the view camera, is
still used today. The view camera body consists of
two standards (front and rear) that provide a sup-
port system for a flexible length of bellows. The
bellows are an accordion-folded length of stiff,
light-tight material that extends between the stan-
dards. The front standard of a view camera holds
the lens board, which contains a view camera lens.
A view camera lens contains all of the exposure
controls for the camera, including the aperture
and shutter speed. View cameras do not have light
meters. The rear standard houses the ground glass,
the image plane of the view camera. The image is
focused on the ground glass with the help of a dark
cloth draped over the back of the camera and the
photographer. The film is then inserted in front of
the ground glass before taking the photograph.
Older view cameras used glass or metal plates
coated with photographic emulsions as their light-
sensitive material. Many early photographic pro-
cesses, including Daguerrotypes and Tintypes were
done with view cameras. Modern view cameras use
sheet film, squares of film cut to fit the size format
of the camera. The most popular view camera size
today is 45, that is, utilizing film that is 4 5
inches, though cameras utilizing 810 inch film are
still used. Film sheets are loaded in complete dark-
ness in sheet film holders specially designed to be
light tight. Once inserted into the view camera, the
dark slide protecting the film is removed so that the
film can be exposed in the camera. Each film holder
contains two sheets of film when loaded. View cam-
eras can also use instant film, such as Polaroid, with
a special film holder.
Sheet film presents with the advantages of excel-
lent clarity and resolution, but also is slow to load
and inconvenient to shoot quickly. As technologi-
cal advances in photographic materials allowed for
shorter exposure times and flexible films, many
photographers wished for cameras that could be
used more quickly as well. Roll-film cameras were
developed to support burgeoning fields such as
photojournalism, allowing photographers to cap-
ture images seconds apart. Film was made into
long strips, or rolls, to allow for more speed and
spontaneity in photography.Rangefinder Cameras
The dilemma with view cameras is that the viewing
system and the image capture system are one and
the same. The rangefinder camera attempts to solve
that problem by providing a separate ‘‘composi-
tion’’ finder, either mounted on top or inside the
camera, to allow the photographer to more spon-
taneously choose and frame their subject.
Many of the first consumer-level cameras were
rangefinder cameras developed by George East-
man of Eastman Kodak Company. The Kodak
‘‘Brownie,’’ a box camera with roll film already
loaded, had a viewfinder in the top corner of the
box. No more than a channel blocked off by clear
glass, the viewfinder nonetheless allowed users to
‘‘point and shoot.’’
The rangefinder viewing system remains popular
today. The advantage of rangefinder cameras is
that they are among the quietest and smoothest
systems available, with no mirror to jar the image
upon exposure. Rangefinder cameras are what are
commonly referred to as today’s ‘‘point and
shoot’’ cameras.
Rangefinder cameras are made for both 35-mm
roll film and medium format roll films.Twin Lens Reflex
The term ‘‘reflex’’ in both twin lens reflex and
single lens reflex cameras refers to the use of a
mirror to reflect the composed image to the view-
finder. The mirror in a twin lens reflex sits directly
behind the upper viewing lens, while the lower lens
of the camera is responsible for transmitting the
image to film.CAMERA: AN OVERVIEW