DSLR Cameras

World's first DSLR - the Nikon D1 

DSLR cameras (aka digital single lens reflex camera) are very popular with both amateur and professional photogrpahers. DSLRs were first introduced by Nikon in 1999. As technology began to improve DSLRs improved, they can now perform a whole range of functions, not just taking photographs, including recording HD video and basic editing of photographs. They use a prism and mirror based system which allows the photographer to see exactly what they are photographing and a huge benefit to DSLRs is that they can use different lenses to capture different photographs.
They work by letting light travel through the lens onto the mirror inside the camera body which reflects the light upwards into the viewfinder. When the shutter is fully depressed by the photographer the mirror raises upwards allowing the light to hit the sensor. The sensor will only be exposed by the shutter according to the shutter speed set by the photographer, so a very long shutter speed allows the sensor to be exposed to the light for a long period of time. The light signals are then converted into digital signals by the camera's processing chip. The processing speed depends on the quality of the processing chip. The digital signal is then buffered onto a memory card and stored as a jpeg or a RAW image file.

The path light takes through a DSLR

The ability to store photographs digitally is what makes DSLR cameras so popular and useful. Thousands of the same subject can be taken and viewed instantaneously allowing the photographer to fix any errors immediately without having to wait for photographs to be developed. Also, it is much easier to store photographs digitally as they can be easily filed and editied using a variety of editing programmes.

I use a DSLR and love it! The ability to view an image immediately means I can easily retake the photograph to ammend any errors or change the camera settings to produce different images. Furthermore, the ability to change the lens means all kinds of photographs can easily be taken by one camera so it is very versatile too allowing me to experiment easily. Also, the ability to store images digitally makes it very easy to edit photographs and share them with friends and family.

I came across this video while researching DSLRs and found it very helpful as it demonstrates how DSLRs work as well as explaining through important concepts:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmjeCchGRQo

Bibliography: https://dslrforbeginners.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/brief-history-on-dslrs/
http://www.robertmackin.com/tutorials/photography/what-is-a-dslr-and-how-does-it-work/