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Medium format cameras are used mainly for portrait photography in professional studios. They can be rather expensive, and are not readily available in most camera stores.
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A Single Lens Reflex camera (SLR) uses a single lens for both composing and capturing the picture. This is accomplished by a prism and a series of mirrors inside the body of the camera. To compose a shot, the photographer looks through the viewfinder which in turn looks through the lens by way of the mirrors. When the shutter release button is pressed, the main mirror moves out of the way and the shutter opens, exposing the film.
SLRs are usually seen as the professional photographer's choice of camera, as they typically provide more options and flexibility than a snapshot camera.
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These are the simplest of cameras. Point-and-Shoot cameras, commonly called "P&S" cameras, come in a wide variety of forms. Most have a fixed focus and a fixed exposure time. Since they are so easy to use, many beginning photographers find this the camera of their choice.
Other Point-and-Shoot cameras have a zoom capability. This zoom capability can range from a 2x zoom to 10x zoom. Zoom cameras are more common than fixed focus, fixed exposure P&S cameras, but because of the capability of the zoom they tend to be more expensive.
The different types of film that these cameras use are: 35mm, APS (Advanced Photo System), and 110mm. 110mm film is no longer widely in use.
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The rangefinder is a 35mm format camera that allows the subject to be seen through a separate viewfinder rather than the lens. Rangefinders usually have the highest quality lenses.
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The newest generation of photographic media. Digital refers to the method used to record a photographic image. Instead of film, a digital sensor is placed behind the shutter of the camera. Just as with a camera that exposes film, the digital sensor inside a digital camera captures the light that passes through the the open shutter at the moment of exposure. This sensor converts the information received from the light into electronic data. Most digital cameras store this data on removable memory cards, while other, more professional cameras, store this data internally until connected to a computer for download.
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