The role of the camera
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The camera is the primary tool most photographers use to formulate an image. The selection of camera and lens can determine the image characteristics such as sharpness, tonal range, field of view, and graininess of the final print. Because of this, it is often possible to identify the type of camera used in the creation of a particular image. Consequently, the type of camera chosen should support the photographer’s way of seeing and working, since it plays an integral role in determining the final outcome of the image.
Throughout the history of photography, the changing needs of the photographer, as well as the expanding applications of the medium, have led to the development of many specialized camera designs. This can be seen in the designs from the past, such as Etienne Jules Marley’s photographic gun (capable of capturing a sequence of images on a single round photographic plate), to those of the present, as in today’s spy camera hidden inside a working digital watch.
The camera’s design is a basic part of the photographer’s visual language. It is up to the individual photographer to understand and apply a camera’s capabilities, to learn it’s strengths and limitations, and to know when to use different cameras to achieve the desired results. A 35mm camera with motor drive can make energetic images full of dynamism, where a 8×10 inch view camera can make steady, carefully composed photographs.
I will assume that, since you are on this website, you have a fundamental knowledge of the basic cameras currently in widespread use, including the single lens reflex (SLR), the rangefinder, the twin lens reflex (TLR), and the view camera. If not, please read this very brief summary of these cameras:
Single Lens Reflex (SLR)
This camera uses a mirror to allow the photographer to see through its single lens, which then moves to allow the lens to expose the film. SLRs often have prism that corrects the upside-down and reversed image to match our natural vision, but this does not an SLR make. Some common SLR camera manufacturers: Nikon, Canon, Hasselblad, Pentax, and Minolta.
Rangefinder
This camera featues a viewfinder separate from the picture-taking lens, and is thus different from a SLR. They usually have a built-in adjustable optical device for focusing a camera that indicates the correct focus (as when two parts of a split image are brought together). There is no mirror bouncing around inside the camera, and rangefinders can be amazingly quiet. The most famous name in rangefinder camera is Leica, through other manufacturers have made them as well.
Twin Lens Reflex (TLR)
A TLR camera has two lenses of the same focal length; one is used for viewing and focusing, the other for exposing the film. A mirror behind the viewing lens reflects the image to the viewfinder, giving an approximiate idea of what the exposing lens sees. As they are not in the exact same position, a slight shift in composition occurs, know as parallax error. As with rangefinders, the mirror doesn’t move, and exposures can be nearly silent. Though having a loyal following, TLRs are rare now, though models from Rollei, Mamiya, and Yashica can still be found.
View Camera
Though mechanically simple (the “body” itself is little more than a light-tight box) comapred to modern SLRs and digital cameras, the view camera can make stunningly beautiful images in the right hands. The modern view camera is usually large format; exposing sheets of film 4×5 inches to as large as 20×24 inches, though earlier camera were sometimes smaller. The view camera has a ground glass back onto which the lens projects the scene and allows the photographer to compose the image. Because of the size, weight, and inherent slowness, the view camera lend itself to careful, measured image making.