Camera types

While every type of camera has its own strengths and weaknesses, most can be classified according to a few basic categories: DSLR/SLR, compact digital. Micro Four Thirds (digital), toy, zone focus, and instant (Polaroid). This is riot a definitive list, but it does include all the camera types covered in this book.

DSLR/SLR

DSLR (digital single lens reflex) and SLR (single lens reflex) cameras are essentially the same, the only difference being that DSLRs use a digital sensor to record an image where SLRs use film. SLRs allow you to look through the lens that takes the picture. This ensures that the picture you see through the view finder will be exactly the same as the picture you take. SLRs allow complete creative freedom, and with modern SLRs you can control as much or as little as you want because you can simply leave everything on Automatic. SLRs use interchangeable lenses, which means they can be used for almost any photographic task, and they don't suffer from shutter lag-the delay between the shutter button being pressed and the photo being taken. This makes them ideal for action photography, depending on how your focusing is set up. The one big drawback with SLRs is that they can be very bulky, depending on what lens you have attached Unless you area super-dedicated photographer, you probably won't carry your SLR with you all the time, which means you might miss some shots. SLRs are wonderful for learning about photography because you can experiment with the settings and get to understand what is happening with the camera. Once you have this knowledge, you will have an easier time figuring out how other types of camera work.

Compact cameras

The compact digital camera is probably the most popular type of camera today because of its ease of use; most "holiday snappers" want to press the button and have a picture taken, without having to worry about what happens in between. When it comes to getting a digital compact, make sure that it offers some control over the aperture and shutter speed so that you have some creative freedom. It is also a good idea to find out how well it performs in low light without a flash: images taken with a high ISO in low light can be incredibly noisy because of the tiny sensors compact cameras use. I have never used a digital compact that didn't suffer from some degree of shutter lag, and while this lag has been reduced over the years, it is still quite difficult to capture a precise moment of action with them. The main advantage of digital compacts is that they can fit into your pocket, so you won't miss any photo opportunities. During the late 1990s, before the rise of the digital compact, film compacts were enjoying a golden age-camera companies were competing against each other in trying to make the best. Some of these cameras were very expensive, but they can now be found at reasonable prices. Classic, super-sharp film compacts worth looking out for are: Olympus μ-Il, Yashica T4, Contax T2 and T3, and Nikon 35Ti.

Micro Four Thirds and hybrid

The Micro Four Thirds camera system has been about since 2008. At the time of writing, only Olympus and Panasonic make them, but other manufacturers are on board. Samsung have made a hybrid camera-the NX10-which is a similar size. Micro Four Thirds and hybrid cameras both have interchangeable lenses. These cameras don't have an optical viewfinder, which eliminates the need for a mirror box, and the digital sensor in them is smaller than those in DSLRs. These differences allow them to have a very small body, yet retain all the functionality of SLRs. Having no viewfinder isn't a huge problem as you can use video view finders that slide into the flash hot shoe. In fact, these give you an advantage-you can angle them upward so that you can look down into the camera. This makes taking shots at awkward angles a lot easier. The biggest advantage of this type of camera is that you have all the control of an SLR and all the choices of lens in a camera you can fit into your pocket (depending on the lens attached). My prediction is that Micro Four Thirds and hybrid cameras will become the tool of choice for hobbyist photographers.

Toy

"Toy cameras" is a collective term for a number of camera types. It is hard to pin down what a toy camera is in technical terms. For the most part, toy cameras are cheap-and-cheerful film cameras meant for a bit of fun rather than for capturing a technically perfect photo. They rebel against the super-slick digital cameras that always push for higher resolution and greater clarity, but somehow end up losing character along the way. Most toy camera bodies are made of plastic and sometimes their lenses are plastic too, which helps keep them incredibly cheap. Despite their simple construction, some toy cameras take amazing photos-once you get to know their limitations and quirks. Toy cameras used in this book include the SuperSampler, Kalimar Action Shot 16. Holga, Lomo LC-A, and Fisheye. One of the drawbacks with toy cameras is that when a particular model becomes popular, prices can quickly jump, so if you discover the next "Holga," best keep it to yourself.

Zone focus

Zone focus refers to the focusing system used by these cameras. They have a number of fixed settings rather than a continuous focusing system. For instance, my Lomo LC-A has 0.8m (c. 21/2ft), 1.5m (c. 5ft), 3m (c. 10ft), and infinity zones of focus. You can't tell if your subject is in focus by looking through the viewfinder; you have to select the appropriate zone and just hope you have judged the distance to your subject correctly. As most zone-focus cameras were designed in an era when the electronics and mechanics required for autofocus were prohibitively expensive, they tend to have basic electronics and only one metering mode. The zone-focus cameras I use are the Lomo LC-A. Lomo LC-A+, Cosina CX-2, and Olympus XA-2.

Instant (Polaroid)

Before the advent of digital photography, the quickest way to view your image after taking a photo was to use instant cameras. With these, two minutes after you take a shot, you will have a photo in your hand. Unlike other forms of photography, with which you can reproduce an unlimited number of prints from a digital file or negative, a Polaroid image is a one-off. This makes it a very precious medium to work with. If you give someone a Polaroid it means something! It is also comparatively expensive, so it should make you really think about what you are shooting. In 2008, the production of Polaroid film ceased for a short while and it looked as though the world's Polaroid cameras would become useless, but The Impossible Project has worked hard to bring it back into production.