Tutorial SLR - DSLR What Exactly Does It Mean ?

CT

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SLR - DSLR What Exactly Does It Mean ? - SLR - DSLR What Exactly Does It Mean ?

This isn't meant to talk down to anyone- it's a simple (I hope) explanation of what an SLR actually is by someone who's seen them evolve into the wonderful photographic tools they are today. Hopefully it will explain some of the many advantages for people considering purchasing a first SLR and unsure what those actual advantages are.

SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex, but a good way to start to look at the advantages is to think about those old family snaps we've all got or seen - with the...
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Well I didn't want complicate the issue but that's true. :)

Top end cameras actually claim as much as 100% accuracy while mid range ones tend to be around 95%, so not really that important in most situations.
 
good intro CT

You should also add that it's an expensive beastie of a hobby to feed :eek:
 
excellen description (y)
 
Thankyou! I get it now, I think :thinking:

But has anyone else thought that sometimes cutting Aunty Gladys's head off might actually be a good thing? :D
 
Excellent description and makes it clearer how things work inside the body..:)
 
hypnotic said:
Unless you have shot a wedding and found that you had cut the top off the brides head off. :LOL:
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PMSL. :LOL: The 95% accurate viewfinders actually err on the side of caution - you get 5% more on the sensor than you see in the viewfinder. However as that 5% is spread evenly around the edge of the frame you can see it's a very tiny margin indeed and unlikely to worry you in most circumstances, but there's always the crop tool for when it does.
 
AdWright said:
Excellent explanation in my opinion.

However:

is not completely true, as some viewfinders do not show 100% of the image. eg, my 20D, I think, only shows 95% of the image - ie, it's cropped a tiny amount around all of the edges.
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No -the 95% accuracy errs on the side of safety - you get a little bit more around the edges, you don't actually lose anything.
 
Nice explanation CT. I'll try not to be too hurt that the darksider got all the credit ;) That camera now belongs to Grendel too :p
 
Jonnyreb said:
Nice explanation CT. I'll try not to be too hurt that the darksider got all the credit ;) That camera now belongs to Grendel too :p
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LOL duly edited to give due recognition to the light side.:D
 
:notworthy: :woot:

Cheers :)
 
CT,

As you say you were trying not to complicate matters because most SLR's and DSLR's use a pentaprism but some of the entry level SLR/DSLR's use a system of mirrors ("Pentamirror" = Canon EOS 350D XT, 300D, Nikon D50, D70s) to achieve the same thing as it is far cheaper than a conventional pentaprism. The mirror in these cases often swings sideways rather than upwards to to facilitate this system. The pentamirror system does not produce quite such a bright viewfinder as a pentaprism.

See:-

http://dpnow.com/archives/e-300-porro.jpg

Yours was a very good explanation for those new to SLR/DSLR's anyway. I just add the above for those who are interested, or who may be confused comparing their camera manual with your diagram if they have a Pentamirror system instead!

DaveW
 
Good point - some low end cameras do indeed use mirrors rather than a prism to achieve the same end. :)
 
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