Journey of Cameras

The journey of Cameras is quite fascinating & has lot of exciting moments some of the classification is as under:

 Standard Compact Cameras

Sometimes also called Point & Shoot probably the first camera for most of us. These cameras are quite cheap, handy, small, light & fool proof. One needs to point it in the general direction of the subject & press the button and the rest is taken care automatically. The main advantage is their low profile & you can carry it all the time with you. It also helps you to be discreet. Most people perceive you as tourist & not a professional photographer.  Whereas DSLR Camera attract attention.

The flip side is that sensor is quite small, means that low light capabilities & also the lens quality impact the image quality among other things.  It is difficult to use in bright day light  & less pleasant for a long hour shoot. The auto system is also very slow. Another problem is that most of the controls are hidden deep in the menus, making them impossible to modify, on the fly.

Now a days most of smart phone has better feature of compact camera built in …& easy to use.

 ZOOM Compact Cameras

Zoom Cameras are pretty similar to standard compact camera, but usually benefit from a more powerful Zoom Lens (which can be as high as 30X). These are more robust, & generally larger than the standard compact camera. Most of them have manual exposure option, as well as automatic & usually offer HD video recording. They also come with GPS for automatic geotagging, which is great when you are travelling. Fairly inexpensive & robust with a powerful zoom, easy to use but will not give option of making large print for professional use or use of interchangeable lenses.

Adventure Cameras

Cameras similar to compacts but are designed to withstand the elements, they are usually waterproof, shockproof and freeze proof. These come with limited manual exposure options, and a zoom closer to standard compact. These are tough built & ideal for use in extreme conditions for personal use… but they have limited zoom & exposure options, coupled with smaller sensor & photo quality.

Advanced Compact

These cameras are designed for more experienced photographers & those require versatility, quality & Creative features. These are quite small compact & lightweight & still relatively inexpensive. It gives Controls over the images with large sensors. Good choice for  Tourist & adventurist and frequent travellers

Smartphone Cameras

Smart phone has change the digital technology platform.  The convenience & readiness of smartphone use for photography is the new benchmark… these are light weight, compact & always by your side, ready to shoot. The challenge is the image quality & sizes not enough for high end or professional use. Also no interchange of lenses flexibility.

Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR)

DSLR is a serious camera of choice these days. Though it is costly, heavy in weight & bulky & much more uncompromising on everything that matters. It has flexibility of interchangeable lenses, which allows you to choose the best lens for a specific location/occasion. These Cameras has big enough sensors to allow shallow depth of field & good low light/dynamic range quality. There is an optical viewfinder, which allows framing in the worst light condition and is more responsive.

The DSLR is a better option than a compact in every respect. The DSLR are available at every price point from the entry level to full featured pro basis… The Cannon, Nikon & Sony are the market leaders

Mirrorless or EVIL

EVIL for (electronic view finder, interchangeable lenses) cameras is a new hybrid camera. It removes the bulky mirror & pent prism necessary for optical viewfinder of a DSLR but to keep the other capabilities, in particular large sensors and interchangeable lenses. This allows for a drastic reduction in size, putting them closer to compact than DSLR. These cameras are very fast changing field & it keeps adding lot of features.

The Big Stuff

It refers to bigger than 35mm cameras, which in the digital world means medium format backs. The resolution & image quality is hard to beat. These have little interest if you are not printing big, as the difference from high end DSLR will be hardly noticeable. These are used mainly by commercial photographers

The journey of Cameras have started with:

1. Large Format Cameras, the wooden box with bellows and a black cloth to hide the photographer
2. Flash Bulb Cameras
3. Range Finder Cameras
4. Polaroid cameras
5. Holgas/Lomas Cameras are easy to play with Plastic film bodies
6. Compact Cameras
7. SMART Phone Cameras
8. DSLR Cameras
9. Google Glasses Cameras
10. Commercial Use Cameras