Science for the Curious Photographer, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 3 The Camera—An Introduction

 

 

 

No photographer is as good as the simplest camera.

—EDWARD STEICHEN

The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.

—DOROTHEA LANGE

3.1 Introduction

Much of this book is concerned with the components of photographic cameras and the way they operate. This chapter outlines the major features of cameras as an introduction to the important topics that will be treated in more detail in later chapters. Also, I will take this opportunity to define the parameters that characterize lenses, films, and sensors. In later chapters I consider the resolving power of lenses, the sensitivity of sensors, the effects of diffraction, etc. An important goal of this part of our study ...