35 mm cameras vary based on internal construction
Starting in 2003, digital cameras have outsold cameras that use photographic film. However, many photography enthusiasts continue to use film cameras, including cameras that use 35 mm film, both for sentimental reasons and for the clarity of the image they produce. These 35mm cameras come in various types, most of which differ based on how the light travels through the camera and onto the photographic negative.
Single Lens Reflex
According to "Bystander: A History of Street Photography" by Colin Westerbeck and Joel Meyerowitz, the single lens reflex, or SLR, was a favorite among postwar American "street" photographers because it was durable and easy to use. One of the chief advantages of the SLR was that, unlike point-and-shoot cameras, photographers were able to see the precise image they were shooting before they took the picture. On SLRs, a mirror behind the lens sends the image up to the viewfinder and into the photographer's eye. When the photographer clicks the shutter, the mirror flips up out of place just long enough to expose the photographic negative to light before dropping down again.
Twin Lens Reflex
Twin lens reflex cameras, also known as double lens reflex cameras or TLRs, use two lenses, one mounted on top of the other. Although most TLRs take medium-format photographs, a few commercial models take 35 mm film. In TLRs, the viewfinder is mounted on the top of camera, meaning photographers must look down on the camera to see what image they are taking. The top lens sends the image to the viewfinder, while the lens below it sends the image to the photographic negative. While the TLR has an advantage over the SLR in that the viewfinder does not blink closed when the photo is being snapped, it has a severe downside in that the image that appears in the viewfinder is not the exact image that appears on the film. This is known as a "parallax" error.
View Camera
With a basic design dating back to the days of the Daguerreotype, the view camera uses a single lens that sends the image directly to the back of camera, which is mounted with a glass plate. The photographer, often covered by a black shroud to keep out ambient light, will examine the image, set the aperture and shutter speed, and then clicked the shutter, briefly moving the film in front of the lens, causing the image to imprint. Although primarily designed for large formats, at least one commercially made 35 mm view camera was produced.
Viewfinder
Viewfinder cameras, also known as point-and-click cameras, have a single lens and a separate viewfinder through which the viewer can get a rough idea of what the image on the negative will look. In viewfinder cameras, the viewfinder is simply an inverted telescope. Although inexpensive, viewfinders suffer the drawback of severe parallax distortion.
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