Nowadays, cameras come in many different forms. These camera types include your favorite compact digital cameras, DSLRs, action cameras, new and improved film cameras, and even the latest mirrorless cameras. It may be hard to choose which type of camera to go for, but it’s easy to figure out which one will work best for you once you find out more about each of them, what they’re best for, and what their pros and cons are.
Whether you’re a beginner, a hobbyist, or a professional, you’ll find a specific type of camera that will fit your lifestyle and photography needs from our list below.
Compact Digital/Point and Shoot Cameras
Compact digital cameras literally allow anyone to capture beautiful images by simply pointing the camera at the subject and clicking the shutter. Also known as a point-and-shoot camera, it is the most user-friendly of all camera types. It is smaller and lighter, and doesn’t require film or extra lenses. It also does all the hard work of automatically adjusting its settings to deliver well-exposed photos every time. You won’t have the freedom of adjusting the settings to your liking. However, with a good artistic eye and a knack for composition, you should have no problem producing great photos.
This walk-around digital camera is incredibly handy and surprisingly very durable, which is why you’ll probably still see people using their Canon and Sony digital compact cameras from over a decade ago. It fits right in your pocket or a small camera pouch, so it’s the perfect choice for photography enthusiasts who want to have the convenience of being able to take higher resolution snapshots (compared to most smartphone cameras) whenever, wherever.
Bridge Cameras
In general, a bridge camera is somewhere between a point and shoot and an interchangeable lens camera. It has a large zoom range, a viewfinder, and allows for some manual control of settings. It’s ideal for someone who has graduated from a point and shoot but isn’t ready yet to invest in an interchangeable lens camera (ILC) system or doesn’t want the inconvenience of carrying around and changing multiple lenses.
Bridge cameras typically have image sensors that are smaller than those found in interchangeable lens cameras but larger than in most point and shoots. Two of the more popular bridge cameras are the Sony RX10 IV and Panasonic LUMIX DC-FZ1000M2. Both offer incredible focal length range (24-600mm for the Sony and 25-400mm for the Panasonic) and fairly bright apertures. They also use a 1-inch sensor, which will produce much better-quality images than from a typical point and shoot camera sensor. The Sony is also weather sealed in case your photography adventures take you to harsh environments.
Bridge cameras often find themselves in the bags of travel photographers who want to capture a variety of subject matter while keeping equipment to a minimum. As long as you’re comfortable with the limitations of just one lens, smaller sensor size than most interchangeable lens cameras, and somewhat slower operational speed, a bridge camera such as the Sony or Panasonic are good options.
Digital SLR Cameras
DSLR (or digital single lens reflex) cameras take photos to the next level of image quality. This more serious type of camera is best known for delivering remarkably sharp and spectacular images. It produces beautiful background bokeh, and even high resolution videos with the help of their advanced sensors, manual settings, and wide range of interchangeable lenses.
Today, professional photographers and videographers from around the world mostly use DSLRs (now alternatively known as hybrid single reflex lens cameras or HDSLR) for commercial purposes. Many of Canon’s and Nikon’s DSLR cameras are being used for capturing hi-res images for magazines and billboards, and even full HD 1080p videos at up to 60fps for television shows and movies.
Mirrorless Cameras
Mirrorless cameras are the latest in professional cameras. They are basically more compact DSLRs without the internal mirror that reflects light onto the sensor.
What’s interesting about mirrorless cameras is that they are now capable of capturing incredible, high-resolution images with even faster shutter speeds and record ultra HD videos that only the most expensive, higher-end DSLRs can produce.
Overall, it’s a combination of two popular types of digital cameras—a point-and-shoot for its compact size and somewhat simpler controls, and a DSLR for its interchangeable lenses and impressive output.
Medium Format Cameras
This section will focus on the digital version of medium format cameras, which, in general, have sensor sizes that are smaller than film medium format. However, medium format sensor size is larger than a full frame sensor, which generally translates to higher quality images.
Medium format cameras also produce shallower depth of field, produce smaller equivalent focal length, and have more dynamic range when compared to a full frame camera. For example, on the Fuji GFX 100S medium format digital camera there is a crop or magnification factor of approximately 0.8. Therefore, a 100mm lens for that camera would be equivalent to 80mm on a full frame sensor. Similarly, if the aperture was set to f/4, the full frame equivalent would be about 3.2.
Action Cameras
We’ve definitely seen the abundance and rising popularity of action cameras in the past few years. Common action cameras like the GoPro can fit in the palm of your hand, but they’re some of the most durable and versatile types of digital cameras that offer very high-resolution output.
A wide range of accessories like waterproof housing and mounts allow the user to attach action cameras to helmets, bicycles, and even drones, which enable hands-free shooting in different types of situations. This opens up a whole new world of photographic possibilities. This type of camera allows you to capture impressive wide-angle photos and videos with sound from almost any angle and environment. Take them underwater or on top of a mountain.
360 Cameras
The 360-degree camera takes half dome to full-circle panoramic photos and videos using back-to-back lenses. Like action cameras, some of them are also water resistant and mountable on many surfaces, such as on top of cars, helmets, or drones. Above all, they take the most realistic pictures and videos with stunning panoramic views that you can truly immerse yourself in, virtual reality style.
It’s a very good camera choice for taking vacation photos that you can proudly show off to your loved ones and on social media. After all, we still can’t get enough of this new Google Streetview-style photography and videography. However, because of its non-traditional output, images cannot be printed unless they are cropped as a rectangular panoramic frame.
It can also be a challenge to produce perfect panoramic shots because a lot can go wrong with the image stitching and composition (especially since it’s hard to hide the camera director in the shots). But when it works, the results can be truly exceptional.
Film Cameras
Film cameras may seem outdated in our new digital world, but they are by no means obsolete.
There are many types of film cameras and they provide more artistic output than ever before. Much to the delight of film photography enthusiasts, there are still classic 35mm film cameras being sold today with improved bodies and enhanced capabilities.
The younger generation has learned to love film cameras, thanks to the birth of instant and lomography cameras, which produces (and sometimes prints out) vintage-style photos with vignettes and Instagram-style filters with every click of the shutter. Rangefinder cameras, which manually measure subject distance, have been improved while retaining the vintage body and analog settings.
Instant Cameras
In recent years, instant film has made a strong resurgence. There are a variety of reasons why you should consider purchasing an instant camera. The biggest benefit of an instant cameras is it allows you to give a physical copy (print) of the image to anyone right after taking the picture. This feature alone has changed the way many photographers approach their craft, such as event or wedding photography. Instant cameras also appeal to the casual photographer who might want to handout keepsakes at a family gathering or when out with friends.
With the recent concentration on social media privacy and growing mistrust for on-line digital distribution of images, an instant camera seems to have found a home with the younger generation of photographers who prefer to keep physical versions of the images over digital ones.
Smartphone Cameras
We all know the adage that the best camera is the one you have with you. This saying isn’t truer than for the smartphone cameras. Arguably, the most significant advances in digital photography in recent years have been in smartphone cameras. According to many online sources, images taken with smartphone cameras vastly outnumbers those taken by any other format.
Computational photography allows for sought after features such as simulated shallow depth field, automatic blending of files to produce noise free images, and easy removal of unwanted elements from photos. The latest generation of cameras on iPhones and Android devices allow for incredible zooming capabilities, RAW image capture, and 8K video, just to name a few features.
Digital Cinema Cameras
Digital cinema cameras are specialized cameras designed specifically for professional filmmaking and video production. Unlike consumer-grade cameras, digital cinema cameras are built with larger sensors, higher resolutions, and more advanced features to capture cinematic footage with exceptional quality.One of the main features of digital cinema cameras is their ability to capture video in high resolutions such as 4K or even 8K, which allows for greater detail and clarity in the final image.
Digital cinema cameras also offer advanced color grading options, which allow filmmakers to fine-tune the color and contrast of their footage to create a particular aesthetic. They often also support the RAW format, which provides the highest quality image and the most flexibility in post-production. Overall, digital cinema cameras are essential tools for professional filmmakers and video producers who demand the highest quality and performance from their equipment.
