35mm Camera Parts

The Pentax K-1000 “Student Special”. The classic 35mm SLR.

SLR• The single-lens reflex

(SLR) is a type of camera that uses a movable mirror placed between the lens and the film to project the image seen through the lens to a focusing screen.

• Most SLRs use a roof pentaprism to observe the image via an eyepiece.

1. Lens

2. Mirror (“reflexive”)

3. Shutter

4. Film (focal plane)

5, 6, 7. Pentaprism

8. Viewfinder

Parts: What they do

1. Rewind release: Small button that allows the film to

rewind without breaking camera or ruining film… Think

clutch.

2. Tripod mount: Universal threaded hole to attach a tripod

3. Battery cover: Self explanatory

4. Rewinder: Turn clockwise to return film to canister after

shooting

5. Camera back release: Pull upward to open back of

camera

6. Hot shoe: Electrical connection for a separate flash unit

7. Shutter speed dial: Timer which sets shutter duration

The Rest…8. ISO indicator: Sets the film speed (or ISO)

9. Shutter release button: Releases the shutter. (takes the picture)

10. F-Stop ring: AKA aperture ring. Turns to change the aperture

from big to small

11. Film advance lever: Moves the film to the next frame so

pictures don’t overlap

12. Viewfinder: Shows you what you are taking a picture of

13. Focusing ring: Moves lens elements back and forth depending

on your lens to subject distance (makes picture sharp)

14. Self timer: Set shutter to release after a brief delay

15. Lens:Series of shaped, polished glass elements that form image

on film

Up Close: The Lens

• The Aperture ring consists of F numbers or F-Stops. These numbers represent the different aperture sizes.

• The bigger the number, the smaller the opening.

Depth of Field • Your aperture size controls D.O.F.

• This is defined as the amount of a picture that is in focus.

Picture made with small apertureGreat depth of field. (F22)

Picture made with large apertureShallow depth of field. (F2)

Up Close: Shutter Speed Dial

• The shutter speed dial is a timer divided into fractions of a second.

• On a typical manual camera these numbers go from 1 (one second) to 2000 (1/2000th of a second)

• B or “Bulb” keeps the shutter open as long as the shutter release is depressed.

2000 1000 500 250 125 60 30 15 8 4 2 1 B The numbers above show the shutter speeds in order from fastest to slowest

Shutter Speed

Picture made with slow shutter speed 1/4th second

Pictures made with fast shutter speeds 1/2000th second

Shutter Speed controls Motion.

A fast shutter speed (1/1000th) freezes motion.

A slow shutter speed (1/15th) blurs motion.

Shutter Speed Continued

• The slowest shutter speed you can hand hold is 1/60th.

• Anything slower (1/30, 1/15, 1/8…) must be shot with the camera on a tripod.

Example of “camera shake”caused by a slow shutter speed.

Loading Film1. Pull upward on the Rewinder to pop the camera

back open.2. After inserting the canister into the camera, stick

the film leader into one of the slots.3. Release the shutter and advance the film once.4. When the film wraps around the spool, close the

camera back and shoot two more frames.

Using a Light Meter•The light meter shows you, with three lights, when you are overexposed, underexposed or properly exposed. Changing the aperture and/ or shutter speed will change your exposure.

•To activate a light meter, press lightly on the shutter release button

Red “plus” light =

Overexposure

Red “plus” & Green light= slight

Overexposure

Green light =

Correct exposure

Red “minus” & Green light= slight

Underexposure

Red “minus” light =

Underexposure

Nikon N55 Parts

Nikon N55 Operation

Half Stops with a Manual Camera

• With manual cameras you can set your F-stop in between two numbers.

• For instance, halfway in between F16 and F22 is called F16 1/2.

• You can not do this with shutter speeds.

Half Stops with a Modern SLR

• Newer cameras have half-stops built right in.• Because they have a digital screen, they represent

half stops with numbers. • Below are the F-Stops AND Shutter speeds and

the numerical half stops.

F: 22 19 16 13 11 9.5 8 6.7 5.6 4.8 4 3.5 2.8 2.4 2 1.8

1000 750 500 350 250 180 125 90 60 45 30

Understanding Stops

• The lenses shown on the left are set to different aperture sizes called F-stops.

• An F-stop is a number representing a particular aperture.

• When you change from one F-stop to the next, you double the amount of light or cut it in half.

• If our starting aperture is F8, F5.6 lets in twice the light and F11 lets in exactly half.

Understanding Stops 2• Some of the common shutter

speeds are listed (from fastest to slowest) on the left.

• Just like F-stops, changing the speed by one number either doubles or halves the amount of light admitted.

• For instance, if the starting point is 1/125th, 1/60th lets in twice the light and 1/250th lets in half the light.

1/2000

1/1000

1/500

1/250

1/125

1/60

1/30

1/15

1/8

1/4

1/2

Understanding Stops 3• Here’s the rub: doubling the amount of light exposing the film is

referred to as increasing by a “stop” whether you are using the aperture or shutter.

• Therefore, a “stop” simply refers to a unit of light. Increasing by 1 stop can mean 1 shutter speed slower or 1 F-stop larger.

• The beauty in this system is that apertures and shutter speeds work in conjunction with one another.

• If you have a correct exposure, you can increase the shutter speed by a stop and open the aperture by a stop (or vice versa) and the amount of light remains the same!

Cable Release

• A cable release screws into the shutter release button on some cameras.

• This device reduces vibration when taking photographs with long exposures.

• When a cable release is used, the camera is almost always placed on a tripod for stability.

The End