How Does a DSLR Camera Work?

A DSLR camera works by use of a reflex mirror (or prism) that reflects light into the optical viewfinder, allowing the photographer to capture the image they’re seeing in front of them. Light passes through the lens and is reflected off a mirror or prism inside the camera body. The mirror moves when the shutter is released, opening up a path to the imaging sensor for the light, resulting in your photograph.

What Are the Benefits of Using a DSLR Camera?

While technology has now advanced even further beyond the DSLR, there are still many benefits to using this particular camera:

• Interchangeable lenses. Most digital cameras are fixed lens cameras that come with set focal lengths, which means less manual control. A DSLR utilizes a variety of different lenses, allowing more options available for your shots, like customizable depth of field, adjusting shutter speed, or wide-angles.

• Quick autofocus. DSLR cameras have advanced subject tracking, giving them blazing fast autofocus, which is essential for sports and events.

• Long battery life. The optical viewfinder requires less power than other cameras, so your battery lasts longer, which means more time spent taking photos.

• More storage. Unlike film cameras, when you take your photograph on a DSLR, it is stored on a memory card, which can hold many more photos. You don’t have to worry about using up expensive film while you try to get your perfect shot.

• No lag. Since the light is directed straight into the optical viewfinder, your exact scene can be seen without a delay like on some point and shoot cameras. This means less time spent focusing on your image, and more time capturing it.

• Large sensors. While megapixels play an important role in good resolution and high image quality, it’s the bigger sensors in the DSLR which increases the quality of your pictures. Unlike your smartphone, the sensor in a DSLR is large, which makes it ideal for low light situations. The bigger the sensor, the more light captured.

• Many accessories. A DSLR is versatile in its use of attachments and extra gadgets, like mounts, flashes, and triggers, making it a truly customizable experience, and giving you a wide breadth of ways to take your pictures.