They say that to master any skill, you must know as much about it as possible. You need to know its intricacies to be able to execute that skill to your best abilities. Photography is no different. Knowing the basic parts of a camera and its functions is essential so that you can use them to your advantage and help you maximize the camera’s potential. After all, a camera is only as good as its operator.

Knowing Your Camera Inside & Out

Taking gorgeous photos can be done with the press of a single button thanks to the technological advancements of cameras nowadays. Additionally, modern cameras have accurate auto-focus, low light processing, burst speed shutter settings, and more. Their automatic mode is also capable of taking beautiful shots without much fiddling with its settings.

While these features are suitable for beginners, knowing how the basic camera parts work and how you can utilize them well can help you improve your skills tenfold and become an expert photographer in the long run.

Parts of a Camera and Their Functions

Modern digital cameras all have the same basic parts. Here are some parts of a camera, how they work, and what they contribute to the photo making process:

Viewfinder: The viewfinder is one of the most important parts of a camera. It is a rectangular-shaped part at the back of your camera that lets you see and frame your subject. Some viewfinders are fully digital, which shows you various details like your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO before you take the shot.

Pentaprism: The pentaprism is a mirror placed at a 45-degree angle behind the camera lens. The mirror projects the light captured from the lens to the viewfinder. Before pentaprisms, photographers always had to look downwards when taking photos. This is not ideal for some subjects and would only allow you to take photos at hip-level. Pentaprisms got rid of this problem and now defines single-lens reflex or SLR cameras.

Built-in Flash: A built-in flash is the part of the camera’s anatomy that produces a burst of light (i.e., a flash of light) when triggered. It has a fixed position on the front or top of the camera to allow it to illuminate the subject. The built-in flash fires only when the camera takes a picture.

Flash Button: The flash button is present on cameras with a built-in pop-up flash. Its main functionality is to force the flash to open before triggered. At the same time, on some cameras, if you hold press the flash button, you can adjust the intensity of the flash by setting the flash exposure compensation.

Lens Mount: A lens mount is the mechanical fitting that allows the lens to attach to the camera. You can only use lenses that match your camera’s lens mounting system. Some camera manufacturers use proprietary lens mounting systems to ensure clients will use their lenses.

Lens Release Button: The lens release button unlocks the lens mount and allows you to detach the lens. Although you can attach the lens in one step, as a safety measure, you can only detach it by pressing the lens release button. You’ll find it on the front of the camera, near the lens mount.
Mode Dial: A mode dial is one of the most used parts of the camera. It is a small cogwheel situated on the top-right of the camera that switches between the camera’s modes (i.e., ways of operating). Additionally, a camera may have multiple modes, including manual, automatic, and semiautomatic settings, and scene-based.

Focusing Screen: A camera’s focusing screen is the glass surface on which the camera’s mirror projects the image. The focusing screen helps in achieving various focus effects such as sharp and high-contrast shots to blurs and bokeh.

Condenser Lens: A condenser lens has two matching convex lenses. This part uses a simple method for correcting color fringing or aberration that is a common problem encountered when using traditional camera lenses.

Digital Sensor: The digital sensor of a camera is one of its most delicate parts. This sensor captures the light coming from the lens to create an image. Modern cameras use either a charged-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imager for capturing images.

Grip: The grip is the right side of a camera, which has a special curved design to allow you to comfortably handhold the camera. It usually provides space to place your fingers and securely hold the camera. The grip usually has a different texture than the rest of the camera.

Shutter: The shutter is an opaque piece of metal or plastic that controls the amount of light that reaches the camera sensor. Additionally, the length of which your shutter stays open will determine how your exposure will look like. You can activate this using the shutter release button and adjust it accordingly using your camera’s shutter speed setting.

Display: The camera display shows the user helpful information about the photos and the camera. Here you will see the different camera settings you can tweak to alter your exposure, ISO, shutter speed, and more. You can also access other menus using this display to change the settings on your camera. Most camera displays nowadays let you see how your image will appear before you press the shutter release button. This feature revolutionized digital cameras as it helps photographers in creating consistent shots.

Electronics: Your camera’s electronic components are divided into three separate categories: photo capture components, camera controller, and user interface components. The controller elements control all the electronic components of the camera. Its photo capture elements are responsible for the recording of images. Meanwhile, the user interface elements are responsible for letting the user interact with and control the camera.

Remote Control Sensor: A remote control sensor is an electronic device (usually an infrared device) that allows you to connect the camera to remote controls. Once you make the connection, you can use the remote control to trigger the shutter from a distance or at a predetermined moment.

Shutter Button: The shutter button is one of the most iconic parts of a camera. The button tells the camera to release the shutter and take a picture. DSLR cameras assign a second functionality to the shutter button: the button triggers the camera’s autofocus system when it is half-pressed.

Autofocus System: One of the advantages that digital cameras have over traditional film cameras is their ability to focus on a particular subject quickly and automatically. This is possible thanks to the autofocus sensor, one of the parts of a lens that sends information to the computer inside the camera and commands the lens to adjust its focusing elements to render a sharp image.

Reflex and Relay Mirror: The reflex mirror is in any SLR or DSLR camera. Unlike rangefinder cameras, the lens of a DSLR is not on the same axis as the lens, which is why this type of camera needs a mirror. The reflex mirror is a mirror positioned at a 45-degree angle to reflect light from the lens to the viewfinder, enabling you to see what the lens sees.

Aperture: Aperture is one of the three pillars of determining the exposure of your photographs. Additionally, aperture is the opening in your lens through which light passes through. This part has small, thin blades that shrink or expand depending on how much light you want in your exposure. It also determines the depth of field of your camera, which is a vital factor in how much background blur you want.

Main Dial: The main dial is a cogwheel situated on the front part of the camera that allows you to adjust aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, and other parameters. On some cameras, the main dial can help you navigate through the images on the memory card.

Hot Shoe: The hot shoe, a U-shaped metal bracket situated on top of the camera, is among the basic parts of a camera. It is a mechanical fitting that allows you to connect an external flash unit and other accessories such as radio triggers, external microphones, and light meters.

Zoom Elements: If you just bought your first ever camera, chances are you got a zoom lens with it. Zoom lenses allow you to shift between focal lengths, from wide to telephoto, depending on your lens’ focal range, by turning the lens rings.

Batteries: Lastly, the battery is one of the most important parts of the camera. Most of its components will not work if not powered by one. Having a long-lasting battery lets you shoot more photos and shoot for extended periods, allowing you to find the perfect shot.

Understand How Your Camera Works

To master any art form, you need to know the tools that you will be using. As with cameras, knowing the parts of a camera and how your camera works lets you control your exposure and depth of field, letting you render beautiful shots and adapt to any situation and environment. If you are looking to become a master photographer, take the time to understand the parts of a camera and their functions.

Culled from www.adorama.com

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