Man has always been drawn to the beautiful, the beauty he saw, the man tried to give shape. In poetry, it was a form of words, in music, beauty had a harmonic sound basis, in painting, the forms of beauty were conveyed by colors and colors. The only thing a person could not do was capture the moment. For example, to catch a breaking drop of water or lightning that cuts through a stormy sky. With the advent of the camera and the development of photography, this became possible. The history of photography knows multiple attempts to invent the photographic process before the creation of the first photograph and dates back to the distant past, when mathematicians studying the optics of light refraction discovered that the image turns upside down if it is passed into a dark room through a small hole.

In 1604, the German astronomer Johannes Kepler established the mathematical laws of light reflection in mirrors, which later formed the basis of the theory of lenses, according to which another Italian physicist Galileo Galilei created the first telescope for observing celestial bodies. The principle of refraction of rays was established, it only remained to learn how to somehow preserve the resulting images on prints by a chemical method that had not yet been discovered.

In the 1820s, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce discovered a way to preserve the resulting image by treating the incident light with asphalt varnish (analogous to bitumen) on a glass surface in the so-called camera obscura. With the help of asphalt varnish, the image took shape and became visible. For the first time in the history of mankind, a picture was painted not by an artist, but by falling rays of light in refraction.

In 1835, the English physicist William Talbot, studying the possibilities of Niépce's camera obscura, was able to achieve an improvement in the quality of photographic images using the print of a photograph invented by him - a negative. Thanks to this new opportunity pictures can now be copied. In his first photograph, Talbot captured his own window, which clearly shows the window bars. In the future, he wrote a report where he called artistic photography the world of beauty, thus laying in the history of photography the future principle of printing photographs. In 1861, English photographer T. Setton invented the first camera with a single reflex lens. The scheme of operation of the first camera was as follows, a large box with a lid on top was fixed on a tripod, through which light did not penetrate, but through which it was possible to observe. The lens caught focus on the glass, where the image was formed with the help of mirrors.

In 1889, the name of George Eastman Kodak is fixed in the history of photography, who patented the first film in the form of a roll, and then the Kodak camera, designed specifically for film. Subsequently, the name "Kodak" became the brand of the future big company. Interestingly, the name does not have a strong semantic load, in this case, Eastman decided to come up with a word that begins and ends with the same letter.

In 1904, the Lumiere brothers, under the trademark "Lumiere", began to produce plates for color photography, which became the founders of the future of color photography. .

In 1923, the first camera appears, which uses 35 mm film, taken from the cinema. Now it was possible to get small negatives, then looking through them to choose the most suitable for printing large photographs. After 2 years, Leica cameras are launched into mass production.

In 1935, Leica 2 cameras were equipped with a separate viewfinder, a powerful focusing system that combined two pictures into one. A little later, in the new Leica 3 cameras, it becomes possible to use the shutter speed control. For many years, Leica cameras have been an indispensable tool in the field of photography in the world.

In 1935, the Kodak company mass-produced Kodakchrom color photographic films. But for a long time, when printing, they had to be sent for revision after development, where color components were already superimposed during development.

In 1942, Kodak launched Kodakcolor color film, which for the next half century became one of the most popular films for professional and amateur cameras.

In 1963, the idea of fast printing photos are flipped by "Polaroid" cameras, where the photo is printed instantly after the received picture with one click. It was enough just to wait a few minutes for the contours of the images to begin to be drawn on the blank print, and then to show through completely. color photography good quality. For another 30 years, versatile Polaroid cameras will occupy the leading places in the history of photography in popularity, to give way to an era digital photography.

In the 1970s cameras were equipped with a built-in exposure meter, autofocus, automatic modes shooting, amateur 35 mm cameras had a built-in flash. A little later, by the 80s, cameras began to be equipped with LCD panels that showed the user the software settings and camera modes. The era of digital technology was just beginning.

In 1974, the first digital photograph of the starry sky was obtained using an electronic astronomical telescope.

In 1980, Sony prepares to launch the Mavica digital video camera on the market. The captured video was saved on a floppy disk, which could be erased indefinitely for a new recording.

In 1988, Fujifilm officially launched the first Fuji DS1P digital camera, where photographs were stored digitally on electronic media. The camera had 16Mb of internal memory.

In 1991, Kodak released the Kodak DCS10 digital SLR camera, which has 1.3 mp resolution and a set of ready-made functions for professional digital shooting.

In 1994, Canon introduced optical image stabilization to some of its cameras.

In 1995, Kodak, following Canon, ceased production of its branded film cameras, which have been popular for the last half century.

2000s Rapidly developing on the basis digital technologies corporations Sony, Samsung absorb most of the digital camera market. New amateur digital cameras quickly overcame the 3-megapixel technological frontier and easily compete with professional photographic equipment in size from 7 to 12 megapixels in terms of matrix size. Despite fast development technologies in digital technology, such as face detection in the frame, skin tone correction, red-eye removal, 28x zoom, automatic shooting scenes and even triggering the camera at the moment of a smile in the frame, the average price in the digital camera market continues to fall, especially since in the amateur segment, cameras have begun to resist Cell phones with built-in digital zoom cameras. Demand for film cameras has plummeted and now there is another upward trend in the price of analog photography, which is becoming a rarity.

Film camera device

The principle of operation of an analog camera: light passes through the aperture of the lens and, reacting with the chemical elements of the film, is stored on the film. Depending on the lens optics setting, the use of special lenses, the illumination and the angle of the directed light, the opening time of the aperture, you can get a different look of the image in the photo. From this and many other factors, the artistic style of photography is formed. Of course, the main criterion for evaluating a photo is the look and artistic taste of the photographer.

Frame.
The body of the camera does not transmit light, has mounts for the lens and flash, a convenient grip shape and a place for attaching to a tripod. A photographic film is placed inside the case, which is securely closed with a light-tight cover.

Film channel.
In it, the film is rewound, stopping at the frame you need to shoot. The counter is mechanically linked to the film channel, which, when scrolled, indicates the number of shots taken. There are motor-driven cameras that allow you to shoot through a sequentially set period of time, as well as to shoot at high speed up to several frames per second.

Viewfinder.
An optical lens through which the photographer sees the future frame in the frame. It often has additional marks to determine the position of the object and some scales for adjusting the light and contrast.

Lens.
A lens is a powerful optical device consisting of several lenses that allows you to take images at different distances with a change in focus. Lenses for professional photography, in addition to lenses, also consist of mirrors. A standard lens has a focus distance rounded equal to the diagonal of the frame, an angle of 45 degrees. The focal length of a wide-angle lens smaller than the diagonal of the frame is used for shooting in a small space, an angle of up to 100 degrees. for distant and panoramic objects, a telescopic lens is used whose focal length is much larger than the diagonal of the frame.

Diaphragm.

A device that regulates the brightness of an optical image of a photographed object in relation to its brightness. The most widespread is the iris diaphragm, in which the light hole is formed by several crescent-shaped petals in the form of arcs; when shooting, the petals converge or diverge, reducing or increasing the diameter of the light hole.

Gate

The camera shutter opens the shutters to allow light to hit the film, then the light begins to act on the film, entering into a chemical reaction. The exposure of the frame depends on the duration of the shutter opening. So for night shooting a slower shutter speed is set for shooting in the sun or high-speed shooting as short as possible.

Rangefinder.

The device by which the photographer determines the distance to the subject. often the rangefinder is combined for convenience with the viewfinder.

Release button.

Starts the process of taking pictures, lasting no more than a second. In an instant, the shutter is released, the aperture blades open, light hits the chemical composition of the film, and the frame is captured. In older film cameras, the shutter button is based on a mechanical drive, in more modern cameras, the shutter button, like the rest of the moving elements of the camera, is electrically driven.

Film reel
The reel on which the film is attached inside the camera body. At the end of the frames on the film in mechanical models, the user rewound the film in the opposite direction manually; in more modern cameras, the film was rewound at the end using an electromotor drive powered by AA batteries.

Photo flash.
Poor lighting of photographic subjects leads to the use of flash. IN professional photography this has to be resorted to only in urgent cases when there are no other devices for illuminating screens, lamps. The flashlight consists of a gas-discharge lamp in the form of a glass tube containing xenon gas. When energy is accumulated, the flash is charged, the gas in the glass tube is ionized, then instantly discharged, creating a bright flash with a light intensity of over a hundred thousand candles. During flash operation, the effect of "red eyes" in people and animals is often noted. This is because when the room where the photograph is taken is insufficiently lit, the person's eyes expand and when the flash fires, the pupils do not have time to narrow, reflecting too much light from the eyeball. To eliminate the red-eye effect, one of the methods is used to pre-direct the light flux to the person's eyes before the flash fires, which causes a narrowing of the pupil and less reflection of the flash light from it.

Device digital camera

The principle of operation of a digital camera at the stage of light passing through the objective lens is the same as that of a film camera. The image is refracted through the optics system, but is not stored on chemical element photographic film in an analog way, but is converted into digital information on a matrix, the resolution of which will determine the quality of the image. The recoded image is then digitally stored on a removable storage medium. Information in the form of an image can be edited, overwritten and sent to other storage media.

Frame.

The body of a digital camera looks similar to a film camera, but due to the lack of a film channel and a place for a film reel, the body of a modern digital camera is much thinner than a conventional film camera and has room for an LCD screen built into the body or a retractable one, and slots for memory cards.

Viewfinder. Menu. Settings (LCD) .

The liquid crystal screen is an integral part of a digital camera. It has a combined viewfinder function in which you can zoom in on the subject, see the result of autofocus, set the exposure to the edges, and also use it as a menu screen with settings and options for a set of shooting functions.

Lens.

In professional digital cameras, the lens is practically no different from analog cameras. It also consists of lenses and a set of mirrors and has the same mechanical functions. In amateur cameras, the lens has become much smaller and, in addition to the optical zoom (approaching an object), has a built-in digital zoom, which is capable of repeatedly bringing a distant object closer.

Matrix sensor.

The main element of a digital camera is a small plate with conductors that forms the image quality, the clarity of which depends on the resolution of the matrix.

Microprocessor.

Responsible for all functions of the digital camera. All camera control levers lead to the processor in which the software shell (firmware) is sewn, which is responsible for the camera's actions: viewfinder operation, autofocus, program shooting scenes, settings and functions, electric retractable lens drive, flash operation.

Image stabilizer.

If you shake the camera while pressing the shutter shutter, or when shooting from a moving surface such as a boat bobbing in the waves, the image may be blurred. The optical stabilizer practically does not degrade the quality of the resulting image due to additional optics that compensate for image deviations during swaying, leaving the image motionless in front of the matrix. The scheme of operation of the digital image stabilizer of the camera when the image is shaking consists in conditional corrections made when calculating the image by the processor, using an additional third of the pixels on the matrix that are involved only in image correction.

Information carriers.

The resulting image is stored in the camera's memory as information on the internal or external memory. The cameras have slots for SD, MMC, CF, XD-Picture, etc. memory cards, as well as slots for connecting to other sources of information storage, a computer, HDD, removable media, etc.

Digital photography has greatly changed the idea in the history of photography about what an artistic photo should be. If in the old days the photographer had to go to various tricks to get an interesting color or an unusual focus to define the genre of photography, now there is a whole set of gadgets included in software digital camera, image size correction, color change, creating a frame around the photo. Also, any captured digital photo can be edited in well-known photo editors on a computer and easily installed in a digital photo frame, which, following the step-by-step advance of digital technologies, are becoming more and more popular for decorating the interior with something new and unusual.

Every moment of this life is priceless, whether sad or happy. Because that's what life is. And you need to enjoy these very moments. The only problem is that we do not know our brain enough to fit all the memories in it. But man and the perpetual motion machine of progress - laziness, made such a miracle thing as a camera. And what is it. In my understanding, this is a kind of device that allows you to select and fix on any carrier the selected image, terrain plan, projection of space - whatever you want to call it.

So, there are different media, and depending on its type, the first division occurs in the classification of cameras.
So this film And digital(maybe there are others)

In film cameras, the carrier of information is the film. Film- this is a piece of plastic (polyester, nitrate or cellulose acetate) and a photographic emulsion applied to it. Photo emulsion is a chemical compound that is photosensitive. That is, depending on the degree of illumination (that is, on the magnitude of the flow of an electromagnetic wave), it changes its properties, forming a latent image. It is then converted to explicit. The photographic emulsion consists of silver halides in a protective colloid solution.

In digital cameras, the image falls on the matrix. Matrix is an integrated circuit with photodiodes. Photodiodes convert light into a digital signal.

One of the main components of the camera is the viewfinder. The viewfinder allows you to "aim" at your subject. Camera viewfinder type conditionally are divided into mirror, pseudo-mirror and "soap dishes". For soap dishes, a small screen on the back side acts as a viewfinder. Pseudo-mirror - the same soap dishes, but with an expanded number of functions, appearance, resembling a DSLR and a hole above the screen - an eye for aiming (by the way, there is also a screen in the eye). Unlike mirrors, they do not have a mirror and a prism proper, the control is mainly electronic, the matrix size is small, so there is more noise. But compared to soap dishes, they have good optics and allow you to manually adjust the shooting parameters.

SLR camera device

So, the main elements of a digital SLR camera (hereinafter CZK) are shown in the following figure:

Ingredients:

1. Lens. That which catches and passes the image through the lens system.
2. Actually a mirror. Here it is shown in the position of the so-called. sightings, i.e. when we catch an object.
3. Shutter. What closes the matrix
4. Matrix. photosensitive material
5. Mirror (one more). Here it is in photographing position
6. Viewfinder lens.
7. Pentaprism.
8. Viewfinder eyepiece

The dotted line shows how the image moves in the viewing position. First, light passes through the lens system of the objective. Getting into the camera body, it is reflected from the mirror (2), and goes through the frosted lens into the pentaprism (7). The pentaprism(7) flips the image to its natural (for us) position. If it were not for the pentaprism, then in the eyepiece of the viewfinder we would see the image upside down.
When we aim at the object and press the shooting button, the following happens: The mirror (2) is removed, the shutter (3) rises (folds, teleports - underline as necessary) for the exposure time and the light goes straight to the matrix, which is irradiated with light during the exposure time and forms an image.

During its existence, photography has penetrated literally into all areas of human activity. For some people it is a profession, for others it is just entertainment, for others it is a faithful assistant in work. Photography has had a huge impact on the development of modern culture, science and technology. At present, photography is one of the rapidly developing modern information technologies.

Photo products include cameras, photosensitive materials, photo accessories.

A modern camera is an electronic optical-mechanical device for creating an optical (light) image of an object on the surface of a photosensitive material (photographic film or image converter).

The main structural components of the camera are the body, lens, diaphragm, shutter, viewfinder, focusing and exposure meter, electronic flash lamp, indicator device, frame counter.

Photographic film is used to record and store a light image in film cameras. In digital cameras, an image intensifier is used to register an image (a matrix consisting of a large number of light-sensitive elements, pixels), and flash memory (a non-volatile storage device for digitized images) is used to store image information.

A pixel is the smallest element of a digital image. A million pixels is called a megapixel. Pixels react to light and create an electric charge, the magnitude of which is proportional to the amount of light that enters. To form signals about a color image, microscopic elements (pixels) of the photosensitive matrix are covered with microfilters of red, green and blue colors and combined into groups, which makes it possible to obtain an electronic copy of a color image.

Electrical signals are read from the pixels, converted in an analog-to-digital converter into binary digital data, and written to flash memory. Image intensifier tube (IOC) is characterized by resolution (in megapixels) and diagonal size (in inches). Resolution is determined by the product of the number of pixels horizontally and vertically. For example, the designation 2048 x 1536 pixels corresponds to a resolution of 3.2 megapixels. The most common matrices with a diagonal of 1/2; 1/3; 1/4 in.

The housing is the supporting part of the camera, in which all components and mechanisms of the camera are mounted and photosensitive material is placed.

There is a lens on the front of the case. The lens can be fixed to the body rigidly or be removable. In the latter case, the lens mount can be threaded or bayonet. Behind the lens of a film camera, on the side of the rear panel of the case, there is a frame frame, the gap in which is called the frame window. The frame window defines the dimensions of the image field (frame format) on the photosensitive material.

The lens is a system of optical lenses enclosed in a common frame and designed to form a light image of the subject and project it onto the surface of a photosensitive material. The quality of the resulting image largely depends on the properties of the lens, as well as the photosensitive material. Aperture, focusing mechanisms and changes are introduced into the lens barrel focal length.

Aperture (Fig.) is designed to change the size of the light aperture of the lens.

Rice. The device and principle of operation of the diaphragm

With the help of the diaphragm, the illumination of the photosensitive material is adjusted and the depth of field of the imaged space is changed. The aperture opening is formed by several crescent-shaped petals (lamellae) arranged symmetrically around the optical axis of the lens.

In cameras, manual and automatic iris control can be used.

Manual aperture control is carried out by a ring located on the outer surface of the lens barrel, on which a scale of aperture numbers is applied. A number of diaphragm values ​​are normalized by numbers: 1; 1.4; 2; 2.8; 4; 5.6; 8; eleven; 16; 22. The transition from one aperture value to the next changes the amount of light passing through the lens by half - in proportion to the change in the area of ​​the light hole.

Automatic control Aperture is determined by the exposure meter of the camera, depending on the shooting conditions (brightness of the object being shot, film speed) and shutter speed.

The focusing device of the lens is designed to match the optical image created by the lens with the plane of the photosensitive material at different distances to the subject.

Focusing the lens (focusing) is carried out by moving the lens or any part of it along its optical axis. In modern cameras, lens focusing is possible from photographic infinity to a certain minimum distance, called the near focus limit. The near focus limit depends on the amount of maximum extension of the lens.

Cameras can use manual and automated focusing systems. In some of the simplest compact cameras lenses do not have a focusing mechanism. These lenses, called fixed-focus lenses, have a large depth of field and are focused at some constant distance.

The mechanism for changing the focal length of the lens allows you to change the angle of the lens field of view and the image scale on the photosensitive material by changing the focal length of the lens. The mechanism for changing the focal length is equipped with lenses of expensive cameras of medium and high class.

The shutter is a camera mechanism that automatically transmits light rays to photosensitive material for a specified period of time (exposure) when the shutter button is pressed. A number of numerical values ​​of shutter speeds automatically set by the shutter are normalized by the following numbers (in seconds): 1/4000; 1/2000; 1/1000; 1/500; 1/250; 1/125; 1/60; 1/30; 1/15; 1/8; 1/4; 1/2; 1; 2; 3; 4. There are models of cameras with constant, manual and automatic exposure settings. According to the principle of operation, the shutters used in modern cameras are divided into electronic-mechanical, electronic and electro-optical.

The electronic-mechanical shutter consists of light shutters that block the light flux, an electronic time relay that fulfills the set exposure time, and an electromagnetic drive that ensures the movement of the light shutters. Electromechanical shutters include central and slotted shutters. In the central shutters, light shutters in the form of thin metal petals open the light aperture of the lens from the center (from the optical axis) to the edges, and close it in the opposite direction, like a diaphragm (Fig.

Rice. Scheme of the device and the action of the central shutter

Central shutters are located, as a rule, between the lenses of the objective or directly behind the lens and are used in compact film and digital cameras with a rigidly built-in non-removable lens.

A special group of central shutters are diaphragm shutters, in which the functions of the shutter and diaphragm are combined in one mechanism with the regulation of the size and duration of the opening of the light hole. They are capable of working out shutter speeds up to 1/500 s.

Slotted shutters (Fig.) pass the light flux to the photosensitive material through a slot formed by two light shutters in the form of fabric curtains or metal lamellas. When the shutter is fired, the curtains (or two groups of slats) move one after the other, with a certain time interval, along or across the frame window. One of the light shutters opens the frame window, and the other closes it.

The shutter speed depends on the width of the slit. Slit shutters are capable of working out faster shutter speeds (1/1000 s and shorter) and are used in cameras with a removable lens.

Rice. Diagram of slotted shutter device

The electronic shutter is used in digital cameras. It is an electronic switch that turns on (or off) the image intensifier tube at a certain point in time while reading the recorded electronic information. The electronic shutter is capable of working out shutter speeds of 1/4000 and even 1/8000 s. The electronic shutter operates silently and vibration-free.

In some digital cameras, along with an electronic one, an electronic-mechanical or electro-optical shutter is used.

An electro-optical (liquid crystal) shutter is a liquid crystal located between two parallel glass polarized plates, through which light passes to an electron-optical converter (IOC). When voltage is applied through a thin transparent electrically conductive coating to the inner surface of the glass plates, an electric field arises that changes the plane of polarization of the liquid crystal by 90° and, accordingly, ensures its maximum opacity. Thus, by applying voltage, the liquid crystal shutter closes, and when there is no voltage (turned off), it opens. The electronic shutter is simple and reliable because there are no mechanical components.

The viewfinder is used to visually compose the frame. For the correct determination of the frame boundaries, it is necessary that the angular field of view of the viewfinder correspond to the angular field of view of the shooting lens, and the optical axis of the viewfinder coincides with the optical axis of the shooting lens.

If the optical axis of the viewfinder does not coincide with the optical axis of the shooting lens, the boundaries of the image observed in the viewfinder do not coincide with the frame boundaries on the photosensitive material (parallax phenomenon). When photographing distant objects, parallax is not noticeable, but increases as the shooting distance decreases.

Modern cameras may have a telescopic, reflex (periscopic) viewfinder or liquid crystal panel.

Compact cameras are equipped with a telescopic viewfinder, which is located in the camera body next to the lens.

An identification feature of cameras with a telescopic viewfinder is the presence of a viewfinder window on the front panel of the camera body.

In reflex viewfinders (Fig.), the shooting lens is also the viewfinder lens. This viewfinder design provides parallax-free sighting. The optical image of the subject, seen in the eyepiece of the viewfinder and obtained on the photosensitive material, are identical to each other.

Rice. Scheme of the device of a camera with a mirror viewfinder: a - with a retractable mirror; b - with a prism-divider

Cameras with a reflex viewfinder are called SLR (Single Lens Reflex). The identification feature of a single-lens reflex camera (viewfinder) is the absence of a viewfinder window on the front panel of the camera body and the prismatic shape of the top panel of the body.

The exposure meter in modern cameras provides automatic or semi-automatic determination and setting of exposure parameters - shutter speed and aperture value, depending on the film speed and illumination (brightness) of the subject.

The exposure meter consists of a light receiver, an electronic control system, an indicator, and executive bodies, which control the operation of the shutter, the aperture of the lens and coordinate the operation of the shutter and the flash lamp. As a light receiver in most modern cameras silicon photodiodes are used. In compact cameras, the light receiver of the exposure meter is located on the front of the body, next to the lens.

IN SLR cameras a high-class light receiver is placed inside the camera body, behind the lens, which allows you to automatically take into account the real light transmission of the lens (the real illumination of the photosensitive material). Cameras with light metering inside the body behind the shooting lens have the international designation TTL or TEE.

The film transport mechanism is used to move the film one frame, accurately place it in front of the lens, and rewind the film into the cassette after exposure. The film transport mechanism is linked to a frame counter that counts exposed or unexposed frames.

The flash is intended for short-term illumination of the subject when photographing in conditions of insufficient natural light, shooting the subject against the light, as well as highlighting the shadow areas of the subject in bright sunlight.

The indicator device is used to indicate the shooting modes and control the operation of the camera. As indicator devices in cameras, liquid crystal displays (LCD - indicators), light-emitting diodes and arrow indicators are used.

The history of the development of photographic equipment has led to the development of certain standards for the interface between the photographer and the photographic equipment he uses. As a result, digital cameras in most of their external features and controls repeat the most advanced models of film technology. The fundamental difference is in the “stuffing” of the device, in the technologies of fixation and subsequent image processing.

Basic elements of a digital camera

• Matrix
• Lens
• Gate
• Viewfinders
• CPU
• Display
• Flash

SLR camera device

A reflex digital camera is a camera in which the viewfinder lens and the lens for capturing an image are the same, and the camera uses a digital matrix to record an image. In a non-reflex camera, an image enters the viewfinder from a separate small lens, most often located above the main one. There is also a difference from the usual camera device (soap dish), where an image is displayed on the screen that falls directly on the matrix.

In a conventional SLR digital camera, light passes through the lens (1). It then reaches the aperture that regulates its amount (2), then the light reaches the mirror in the SLR digital camera unit, is reflected and passed through the prism (4) to be redirected to the viewfinder (5). Information screen adds to the image Additional information information about the frame and exposure (depending on camera model). At the moment when photographing takes place, the mirror of the camera device (6) rises, the camera shutter (7) opens. At this moment, the light falls directly on the camera matrix and the frame is exposed - photographing. Then the shutter closes, the mirror is lowered back, and the camera is ready for the next shot. It must be understood that this whole complex process inside takes place in a fraction of a second.

Since the creation of the first camera device, the basic scheme of its operation has not changed much. Light passes through the hole, is scaled, and hits a photosensitive element inside the camera assembly. Be it a film camera or a digital SLR. Consider the main differences between a SLR camera and a non-reflex camera. As you might guess, the main difference is the presence of a special mirror. This mirror allows the photographer to see in the viewfinder exactly the same picture that falls on the film or matrix.

The mechanism of operation of a digital camera is rather complicated for an unprepared reader, but nevertheless we will briefly describe it: before pressing the shutter button in SLR cameras, a mirror is located between the lens and the matrix, reflected from which the light enters the viewfinder. In non-reflex cameras and SLR cameras in Live mode View light from the lens falls on the matrix, while the image formed on the matrix is ​​displayed on the LCD screen. In some cameras, this may cause automatic focusing. When the shutter key is pressed halfway (if such a mode is provided), all automatically selected shooting parameters are selected (focusing, determining exposure pair, photographic material sensitivity (ISO), etc.). When fully pressed, a frame is taken and information is read from the matrix into the built-in memory of the camera (buffer). Next, the received data is processed by the processor, taking into account the set parameters for exposure compensation, ISO, white balance, etc., after which the data is compressed into JPEG format and saved to a flash card. When shooting in RAW format, the data is saved to a flash card without processing by the processor (correction of dead pixels and compression by a lossless algorithm is possible). Since it takes quite a long time to write an image to a flash card, many cameras allow you to shoot the next frame before the previous one is written to the flash card, if there is free space in the buffer.

What is the difference between a SLR digital camera and a film SLR camera?

1. The first difference is obvious: a DSLR uses electronics to record an image on a memory card, while a film SLR unit captures the image on film.

2. The second difference between digital and film reflex cameras is that most digital reflex cameras record the image on the surface of the sensor, which is smaller in area than the frame in a film reflex camera.

3. The device of a digital camera allows the photographer to see the image immediately after shooting.

4. Older film cameras do not require electrical power. They are entirely mechanical. And digital SLR cameras need batteries or rechargeable batteries.

5. When shooting on film, it is better to slightly overexpose the frame, but for a digital camera, it is better to slightly underexpose the frame.

6. Regardless of whether a digital camera or a film camera, both types of photo cameras have great opportunities for changing lenses, remote controls remote control, flashes, batteries and other accessories.

Digital camera device

The history of the development of photographic equipment has led to the fact that certain standards have been developed for the interface between the photographer and the photographic equipment he uses. As a result, digital cameras (digital camera, DPC) in most of their external features and controls repeat the models of film photography. The fundamental difference is in the “stuffing” of the device, in the technologies of fixation and subsequent image processing.

Basic elements of a digital camera

Matrix

The main element of any digital photo or video camera is a matrix, from which the largest [ neutrality?] degree depends on the quality of the resulting image.

A matrix (sometimes called a sensor) is a semiconductor wafer containing a large number of photosensitive elements, in the vast majority of cases grouped in rows and columns.

In modern DSCs, two types of matrices are most widely used: CCD (charge-coupled device, in English CCD - Charge-Coupled Device) and CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor, in English CMOS - Complementary-symmetry / Metal-Oxide Semiconductor ).

CMOS sensors for consumer cameras are relatively cheap, as they are manufactured using standard semiconductor technologies, but the noise of such sensors is usually much higher than that of CCDs. Therefore, at present, most DPC models (with the exception of a number of professional and semi-professional "SLRs" by Canon, Nikon and Sony and others with special noise suppression circuits) are equipped with CCD matrices. The name CCD - charge-coupled device, reflects the method of reading the electric charge by shifting from one matrix element to another, gradually filling the buffer register. Further, the voltage is amplified and fed to the ADC (analogue-to-digital converter), after which it enters in digital form for further processing in the camera's processor.

Lens

Gate

Digital consumer cameras are equipped with an electronic equivalent of a shutter that is built into the sensor and performs the same job as a mechanical one. In more expensive cameras, two shutters are mounted, and the mechanical one serves to prevent light from reaching the sensor after the exposure time has elapsed, which avoids the appearance of halo artifacts, partial blooming and smearing.

In some digital cameras, pressing the shutter button halfway activates the automation systems. Autofocus and exposure detection system fix the shooting parameters and wait for a full press. By fully pressing the release button

• in non-mirror digital devices:
  • the mechanical shutter (if present) opens,
  • there is a discharge of the charge in the cells of the matrix,
  • the mechanical shutter opens for the duration of the exposure,
  • the mechanical shutter closes,
  • a frame is read from the matrix,
  • the mechanical shutter opens,
  • the matrix goes into Live View mode;

• in a digital reflex camera (without or with Live View turned off):
  • the mirror rises and the "jumping" diaphragm is activated,
  • the previously disabled matrix is ​​​​turned on,
  • the mechanical shutter opens for the duration of the exposure,
  • the mechanical shutter closes
  • the mirror is lowered and the aperture is opened,
  • the frame is read and processed from the matrix.

Viewfinders

View in the viewfinder screen of a rangefinder camera.

The viewfinder is an element of the camera that shows the boundaries of the future image and, in some cases, the sharpness and shooting parameters. On consumer digital cameras, LCD screens are used as a viewfinder (on SLRs in LiveView mode and on compact cameras) And different kinds electronic and optical viewfinders.

CPU

Processors in digital cameras perform the following functions:

• shutter control;
• lens control in auto and manual modes filming;
• selection of white balance, measurement of the illumination of an object, determination of exposure pair, selection of color temperature, etc.;
• flash control;
• bracketing control - the possibility of continuous shooting (usually in series of 3 or 10 frames) with different camera settings;
• management of special effects from the existing set (sepia, black and white, red-eye removal, etc.);
• formation and display of information about the selected shooting modes, settings, the image itself, etc.

Memory card

Flash cards.

A memory card is a storage medium that provides long-term storage large amounts of data, including images taken with a digital camera.

In early models of digital cameras, other storage media were also used, including miniature hard drives, floppy disks, recordable optical and magneto-optical disks, etc., up to audio cassettes (in the very first sample of the Kodak electronic camera, which used analog processing methods and saving images).

Connectors and interfaces

An external interface for connecting to a general-purpose computer is available in almost all digital cameras. Today () the most common of them is USB. Special types of connectors are also used for connecting to a TV or printer. The first models of cameras with wireless interfaces appeared.

Governing bodies

Choice of operating modes

Camera mode dial - camera mode selector. Usually located on the top panel of the camera on the left or right. Less often, mainly on compact cameras, on the panel facing the photographer. Some digital cameras do not have a mode dial, and the shooting mode is selected using buttons and menus.

Shutter button (Shutter key)

A photo capture control that initiates a capture sequence. It is carried out in the form of a button either on the upper end of the device (compact cameras), or in front and on the side of the handle in SLR cameras. When pressed, the camera shoots and processes the frame. Many models have a 2-step press (when pressed halfway, autofocus and exposure compensation technologies are triggered, when fully pressed, a picture is taken.)

Menu control

Most digital cameras use a menu interface to configure settings.

Many compact cameras have two menus: the main menu and the quick menu. The main menu occupies the entire screen and is intended for setting both shooting parameters directly and the system parameters of the device (date, time, etc.). The "quick" menu is displayed over the image in shooting mode and allows you to directly change the shooting parameters, for example, ISO, white balance, exposure compensation, etc.

In digital SLR cameras, when the Live View mode is off, only the shooting parameters are displayed on the screen (if it is on). The same interface is present in some compact cameras, for example, in the Canon PowerShot G11 in the "Quick Shot" mode (in this mode, zooming is only possible using the optical viewfinder).

Other

Digital camera operation

Before pressing the shutter button in SLR cameras, a mirror is located between the lens and the matrix, reflecting from which the light enters the viewfinder. In non-mirror cameras and SLR cameras in Live View mode, the light from the lens falls on the matrix, while the image formed on the matrix is ​​displayed on the LCD screen. In some cameras, this may cause automatic focusing.

When the shutter key is pressed halfway (if such a mode is provided), all automatically selected shooting parameters are selected (focusing, determining exposure pair, photographic material sensitivity (ISO), etc.).

When fully pressed, the information is read from the matrix into the built-in memory of the camera (buffer). Next, the received data is processed by the processor, taking into account the set parameters for exposure compensation, ISO, white balance, etc., after which the data is compressed into JPEG format and saved to a flash card. When shooting in RAW format, the data is saved to a flash card without processing by the processor (correction of dead pixels and compression by a lossless algorithm is possible). Since it takes quite a long time to write an image to a flash card, many cameras allow you to shoot the next frame before the previous one is written to the flash card, if there is free space in the buffer.

see also

• red-eye effect

Notes

Literature

• Nikon's guide to digital photography with the D50 digital camera. - M.: "Nikon Corporation", 2007. - 137 p.