The Camera: Working, Parts and Properties of a Camera, Other Important Equipment՚s in Photography

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Working of a Camera

A camera is a box which is black inside and allows the right amount of light to fall on the surface that is to record the photograph. In a film camera, the light falls on the film surface, where as in digital camera, the surface is an image sensor that registers light. If the amount of light is more than required then the picture will appear white and details will be missing due to over exposure and if the light is less than required then the photo will appear dark, again taking away the details from the picture. So, the main parts of a camera are supposed to control the entry of light. This is done by two components.

Parts of a Camera

Properties of a Lens

• Lens decides how a picture will look. Single Lens Reflex (SLR) Cameras mostly allow us to change and use lenses according to our need. The cameras with long lenses have a special purpose and they bring the far away subject closer to the camera. Such lenses are called telephoto lens. Wide angle lens would make the objects small, but it will accommodate a larger area on the picture frame. The narrower the angle of view, the closer a distant object comes. The wider the angle of view, more of the scene is included in the frame thus also making the subjects look small.
• Focal Length is the distance between the lens and the film or image sensor (in a digital camera) when the lens is focused at infinity (the farthest distance). It means that when the light rays coming from the farthest distance converge at a point, the distance between the lens and that point is the focal length of the lens. The wide-angle lens has a shorter focal length. When the focal length increases, the lens starts becoming telephoto and the lens itself is longer. Lenses that can change the angle of view and become telephoto as well as wide angle are called zoom lenses. A zoom lens is a lens with a variable focal length.

Other Important Equipment՚s in Photography

• Flash is a high intensity light which bursts out for that fraction of a second when the shutter is released. A flash makes it possible to take a photograph in complete darkness.
• The other important part of a photographer՚s equipment is called a tripod which as the name implies is a three-legged support for the camera. Sometimes one needs to fix the camera onto a stand because the lens that is being used is heavy. When a slow shutter speed is used, the camera must be mounted on a stand to avoid a hazy picture which may happen if the camera is hand held.