Camera type help?

[StreetShark]

I need some help with types of cameras; Whats a rangefinder? Whats a Medium format? Whats a large format? Why are medium formats so good? Are they all digital? Are large formats better? How do SLR's and Digital SLR's compare? And any other info on these cameras will help.

 

[Flash Harry]

Dont have the time to go through all of this though there's plenty info on all formats online, try a google, digital slr's and fim slr's (35mm) produce comparable quality images nowadays, some say digital is better, personally, from the prints, I prefer a print from film, and no, I dont mean an inkjet print.H

 

[Steph]

Here are some elements to answer your many questions:

• Medium format film cameras use 120 film. The film is roughly 6cm wide and the length of the negative will depend on the camera (4.5x6cm, 6x6cm, 6x7cm, 6x8cm, 6x9cm, 6x12cm and up to 6x17cm).
• Large format cameras use sheet film (from 4x5in and above).
• Usually the larger, the better. That is why large format film is better than medium format, which in turn is better than 35mm (in terms of image quality). With a larger negative you can basically record more details.
• There are medium format digital cameras but they are really expensive. So are scanning digital backs for large format.
• In a SLR you see the picture you are taking through the lens via a combination of a mirror and usually a prism. In a rangefinder you see the scene through a separate window (not through the lens), so there is nothing (apart from the shutter) between the lens and the film (no mirror to flip up when taking a picture).
• I cannot really comment on the SLR vs dSLR question as I only shoot film. Search this forum as this quality issue is often discussed here.

As Flash Harry suggested, Google might be a good place to start to find some answers. You can then ask more specific questions on this forum.

 

[usayit]

You could write an entire book and fill entire forums with those topics. As suggested google is a good place to start but I found this search/reference site much more productive when it comes to specifics on camera equipment and photography terms:

http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Main_Page