* The GXR interchangeable unit camera system has camera units with a fixed focal length lens and camera units with a zoom lens.

Action cameras, sometimes called Adventure cameras, are great for outdoor filming, or otherwise rough conditions. They’re often used for sports photography and videography. Weather and shockproof, these cameras are generally small and lightweight and the sensor is guarded with super durable glass. GoPros are common action cameras. Because of their small sensors, technically they’re not “for professional use” but I mostly disagree. You can get some pretty incredible shots and at the very least, inter-splice them with other footage from a DSLR or mirrorless. Again, it depends on the project and what overall aesthetic you’re trying to achieve. The video above shows the new GoPro and its footage.

Camera

There are a million different types of cameras on the market. Which one should you choose? Well aside from reading endless specs, one way to figure it out is to simply know the categories of cameras available to you. Do you want a mirrorless or a quick point and shoot? Is a DSLR better for your occasional impromptu video shoots? Knowing the different types of cameras will help you determine which is best for your projects. Let’s jump in.

Similar to action cameras, many 360-degree cameras are water resistant and mountable on a ton of surfaces. They can be put on drones, helmets, cars, you name it. The best thing about these guys is their ability to capture really interesting footage. 360-degree footage using back-to-back lenses. Great for adventure photography and videography, perfect for reality style video and not a bad purchase before your next vacation.

Alyssa Maio is a screenwriter from New Jersey, now living in Los Angeles. She works as a copywriter here at StudioBinder.

Your standard compact camera, often referred to as a point-and-shoot camera, does just that. They offer no real adjustable camera settings, but are incredibly affordable. They’re light-weight, easy to use, and you just point and shoot. They remind me of what family vacations are captured on - they belong in a 90s fanny pack, and are taken out when Mom wants a photo in front of a statue. Okay, I’m mostly kidding. Compact cameras are pretty awesome. And today, there are quite a few different kinds of these compact cameras that do allow you to get a little more involved in the photography process.

With a zoom lens, when you turn on macro mode and move as close as possible while still keeping the subject in focus, the minimum distance to the subject and the size of the subject in the frame will differ depending on whether the lens is at a wide-angle or telephoto zoom position. With a wide-angle setting you may be too close and with a telephoto setting you may be too far away so adjust the focal length to find the one that makes it easiest to take the shots you want.

Point and shoot

While still compact and light-weight, advanced compacts are not quite as affordable as the standard compact camera. They allow for manual exposure mode and enable much higher resolution pictures than before. Some include interchangeable lenses as well.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional, hobbyist, or novice, at least one of the camera types should fit your needs once you learn a little more about them.

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The camera body lacks a mirror that reflects light to the sensor, instead the light goes straight to the sensor. The very mechanics of the mirrorless automatically limit camera shake as compared to the DSLR. And with less moving parts, they're quieter than DSLRs. However, when it comes to lens options, it’s somewhat limited. Make sure to watch the video on the key differences between the two mainstays in professional photography and videography.

We’re in a golden age of TV writing and development. More and more people are flocking to the small screen to find daily entertainment. So how can you break put from the pack and get your idea onto the small screen? We’re here to help.

A conversion lens is attached to a lens to enable it to take photos with a wider angle or stronger telephoto magnification.

Mirrorlesscamera

Knowing the categories of cameras available to you will give you the confidence to decide between camera models later.  And there are countless. We’ll provide recommendations for each camera type, but first, what are the different types of cameras?

SLRcamera

Not nearly as common as the other cameras listed above, medium format is any camera format that makes use of the 120 film size or it uses a digital imaging sensor that matches that size. Medium format takes pictures that are just smaller than a large format size (102x127mm), but bigger than using 135mm or full-frame sensors.

Camerabrand

Zoom compact cameras simply have a better zoom lens installed than standard. They don’t have interchangeable lenses but the zoom range is 28-300mm. While they’re not considered suitable for professional use, they do have automatic exposure settings and manual options, including HD recording. Many models of zoom compacts offer at a minimum, 12 megapixels.

Attaching a 0.75x wide conversion lens to a 28 mm lens gives an angle of view equivalent to a 21 mm ultra wide-angle lens.

Mirrorless cameras are a lighter, more compact alternative to the DSLR, and provide incredible quality images, especially video. The comparison between DSLR and Mirrorless is worth examining before you make a decision. Many professionals are making the switch.

All of these camera categories can shoot video, but the next article is a dedicated buying guide to the best video cameras on the market. So if you know videography is your thing, and you need some guidance on what to spend the money on, look no further. From affordable to 10 grand, we’ve got them all.

Omnidirectionalcamera

Attaching a 1.88x teleconversion lens to a 72 mm lens gives an angle of view equivalent to a 135 mm medium telephoto lens.

DSLRs are the go-to cameras for most creatives. Whether you’re a professional photographer or aspiring videographer looking to get their YouTube channel off the ground, you’ll likely find this camera works for any project. They deliver exceptional, professional-level sharpness and even incredible background bokeh. Videos are in high resolution thanks to DSLRs advanced sensors, manual camera settings, and interchangeable lenses.

This is a lens used for close-up photography. A macro lens can shoot from a distance closer to the subject than a regular lens. The GXR interchangeable unit camera system has a camera unit with a 50 mm macro lens. Link to more information on GXR camera unit

Digital probably has way more advantages than traditional film. Well, not probably -- it does. Digital gives you the photos in real time and doesn’t involve developing or film costs. If you’re smart about backing up your photos, you’ll likely never lose them. But there is something about shooting with real film that no digital camera can touch. A nostalgic look and feel that still produces incredible res photos.

The distance from the center of the lens to the image focal point (=image sensor surface) is known as the focal length. It is expressed in millimeter (mm) units. A lens with a short focal length is a wide-angle lens and one with a long focal length is a telephoto lens.

Even if the focal lengths of the lenses of two digital cameras are the same, the angle of view can vary depending on the size of the image sensor used in each. To make it easier to understand angle of view, focal length is often expressed as "__ mm equivalent," which means it has been converted to the 35 mm film camera format that has been historically the most common. Here on this site also, we state focal lengths that are converted into 35 mm film camera format.

The angle indicating the width of the field included in the photo is called the "angle of view." A wide-angle lens has a wide angle of view and a telephoto lens has a narrow angle of view.