SLR cameras

[essjayyell]

A Single Lens Reflex type camera allows the photographer to view a scene through the same lens that takes the picture. There is no separate viewfinder like there is with most point and shoot cameras. So can someone explain to me why something like a Panasonic DMC FZ20, which doesn't have a separate viewfinder isn't considered an SLR?

 

[DocFrankenstein]

IT doesn't satisfy the "Reflex" part of the SLR... there's no mirror in it.

 

[paul rond]

You are looking through a seperate viewfinder lens and not the lens taking the picture as in the Nikons adn more expensive DSLRs. So what you see isn't what you get, it's close to what you may get.

 

[LittleMan]

You are looking through a seperate viewfinder lens and not the lens taking the picture as in the Nikons adn more expensive DSLRs. So what you see isn't what you get, it's close to what you may get.

I don't think this is acurate...
The Panasonic Lumix FZ20 makes a digital representation of what it sees through the lens.... that digital representation is what you see, and what the photo is.
So, when you are looking through the FZ20's eye piece you are only seeing another LCD screen which is what the picture actually is. That LCD screen is the same as the larger one on the back only it uses less energy conserving the battery.
Even though the camera doesn't have a mirror that moves you are still seeing everything exactly how it is going to be taken. It does not have another lens that it views through.

I hope that clears that up. :thumbup:

 

[thebeginning]

^yep. i think they are called ZLRs. or something.

 

[ThatCameraThingy]

plus , most camera's with EVF (Electronic view finder ) has a slight lag in the viewfinder image. MAkes it difficilut to shoot action. what you see through SLR vievinder is 'realtime' . no capture , process , display required. even if the lag is only 100ms (i think it may be more) , that is still significant. add to that , the human response time , and slight(45ms) delay in takeing the pic, and you might just mis the shot.

Hanno

 

[lazarus219]

They are known as ZLR's but if you say it to most people they won't really know what you mean- it isnt very widely used

This argument has been done many times- an LCD can do a good job but optically looking striaght through the lense is always gonig to be better.
Another advantage is you can close the aperture down on an SLR to check DOF- you can't do that with a ZLR

 

[Unimaxium]

The panasonic isn't technically an SLR because the term single-lens reflex actually refers more to the mechanism used in the camera, rather than the effect that you get when you look through the viewfinder.