01 01-How-Digital-Camera-Works 1

How a Camera Works
What makes your DSLR tick
Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

Images and other multimedia content used with permission.
Introduction
Digital cameras can be confusing.
How do you think a camera works?

Similarity to Film
Cameras
Both digital and film cameras are basically just

boxes with a hole and something to capture the
image at the back of the box.
The main difference between film and digital

cameras is what captures the light.

Breaking it Down
In Greek, the word photograph can be broken

down into two parts:
photo = light
graph = to write
So basically, to photograph is to write using

light.

Whats in a Camera
There are hundreds of tiny electrical components

in a camera.
In this lesson, we are going to focus on the pieces

of a camera that are integral to the process of
light entering a camera and being recorded onto
a sensor.

Remember These Words
The following are some of the most important

items inside of a camera:
Pentaprism
Mirror
Sensor
Aspect Ratio
Shutter
Viewfinder

The Body
All of the items in the previous slide are inside of

a black box that we refer to as the camera
body.

The Parts of a Camera

Now that we
have covered
some of the
names, see if
you can guess
each part,
using
the image to
the right.

The Parts, Labeled
To the right
are the
parts
inside a
camera
and their
names.

The Pentaprism
Apentaprismis a five-sided mirrored box that

bounces light out of the camera through the
viewfinder.
The pentaprism is what allows a

person to see through a lens.

10
The
Pentaprism
THE MIRROR
If you look into a DSLR without a lens on, you will

see a mirror.
When you take a photo, the mirror flips up and

covers the pentaprism, allowing light to go past
the shutter and onto the sensor.

11
Sensors
A sensoris a device at the back of a camera that

captures light coming in through the lens.
It changes the light intoelectronic data and pixels,
and then stores it on a memory card.
It serves the same function as film in a film camera.

12
A Sensor, Visualized

13
Types of Sensors
There are multiple types of imagine sensors.
Today most digital-still cameras use either a CCD

(semiconductor charge-coupled device) image
sensor or a CMOS (complementary metal-oxidesemiconductor) sensor.
Both sensors have the same basic function, but
each has their own pros and cons.

14
Sensor Sizes
Sensors not only come in different shapes, but

they also come in different sizes.
The size and shape of a sensor determine the

aspect ratio of a photo.

15
Aspect Ratios
In the image below,

you can see how
different sensors (and
aspect ratios) result
in different photos.

16
Pixels
Every digital photograph is made

up of pixels.
Pixels are tiny dots of single colors.
Modern DSLRs produce

images that are composed
of millions of pixels.
Image provided by Will Milne, Denton ISD

17
Megapixels
Modern DSLRs are often ranked by how many

pixels their sensors can produce.
They do so with the term megapixels.
A megapixel is a million pixels.

Therefore, a 10 megapixel camera produces images
with 10 million pixels in them.

18
Millions of Pixels
The animation
to the right
illustrates how
a photo is
made up of
millions of tiny
pixels, each
made up of
one solid color.
Image provided by Will Milne, Denton ISD

19
What Happens Inside a

Camera
Now that we know about the inside parts of a

camera, lets talk about the process that
happens before and during the press of the
shutter button.

20
When not taking pictures
When not taking

pictures, light comes
into your camera
through the lens (1),
bounces off the
mirror (2) into the
pentaprism (6), and
then travels out
through the
viewfinder (5).
21
When taking
pictures
When taking
pictures, the mirror
flips up and covers
the pentaprism (2).
Light comes into
the camera
through the lens
(1), the shutter
opens (3), and
light hits the
imaging sensor (4).

22
More on Taking Pictures
When taking a photo, no light is reflected into

the viewfinder.
During this brief moment, the photographer is
unable to see what he is photographing.
This moment is referred to as viewfinder
blackout.

23
Summary
A camera has many interesting things inside:

Mirror, sensor, pentaprism, etc.
A sensor is what records an image.

One megapixel equals one million pixels.
When not taking a picture, the mirror reflects all
light into the pentaprism, which then reflects light
into the viewfinder.
When taking a photo, the mirror flips up, the
shutter opens, and light gets recorded onto the
imaging sensor.
24

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How a Camera Works

What makes your DSLR tick

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

Digital cameras can be confusing.

How do you think a camera works?

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

Both digital and film cameras are basically just

The main difference between film and digital

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

In Greek, the word photograph can be broken

So basically, to photograph is to write using

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

There are hundreds of tiny electrical components

In this lesson, we are going to focus on the pieces

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

Remember These Words

The following are some of the most important

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

All of the items in the previous slide are inside of

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

The Parts of a Camera

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

The Parts, Labeled

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

Apentaprismis a five-sided mirrored box that

The pentaprism is what allows a

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

If you look into a DSLR without a lens on, you will

When you take a photo, the mirror flips up and

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

A sensoris a device at the back of a camera that

and then stores it on a memory card.

It serves the same function as film in a film camera.

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

There are multiple types of imagine sensors.

Today most digital-still cameras use either a CCD

each has their own pros and cons.

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

Sensors not only come in different shapes, but

The size and shape of a sensor determine the

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

In the image below,

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

Every digital photograph is made

Pixels are tiny dots of single colors.

Modern DSLRs produce

Image provided by Will Milne, Denton ISD

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

Modern DSLRs are often ranked by how many

They do so with the term megapixels.

A megapixel is a million pixels.

with 10 million pixels in them.

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

What Happens Inside a

Now that we know about the inside parts of a

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

When not taking pictures

When not taking

Copyright Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.

More on Taking Pictures

When taking a photo, no light is reflected into