Camera Types

Point and Shoot:

Also known as compact cameras. If you don't know what kind of camera you are looking for, or what kind you have, its probably one of these. They're the smallest style of camera, typically- at least in the last few years- trending toward a boxy, mostly featureless shape. the lens is none removable. The flash unit is built in. They have LCD screens on the back, not just for viewing photos, but to be used as a viewfinder as well. When you press the shutter button on a point and shoot, there is a slight delay before the photo is actually captured. Many new point and shoot cameras will take video, and some even manage to record in HD.





Bridge/Superzoom Cameras:

These cameras often look like DSLRs, but don't be fooled. They are just juiced up point and shoots. They will typically come with longer lens, and slighty more impressive specs than your average point and shoot, and will give you a bit more photographic flexibility to play with. Sadly, they suffer from the same picture-taking delay, or "shutter lag," as point and shoots. The problem with bridge cameras, especially now, is that in order to get a decent one you have to spend at least a few hundred dollars, at which point you may as well get a....





DSLRs:

This unwieldy acronym stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. Narrowly, this means the cameras has mirror mechanism which allows the photographer to see through the cameras lens while setting up a shot, and which flips up, exposing the image sensor ( the equivalent to film in a digital camera). Widely, this means the camera will have interchangeable lenses, a larger sensor than a point and shoot, and to an extent more image controls. When you press the button on a DSLR , it takes the photo instantly -no lag as would lag in a point and shoot. Many DSLRs at mid to high price points, shoot HD video; some manage 720p, some manage 1080p, but all turn out impressive results, if simply because of cameras' lenses. That said, they're not really ready to replace proper video cameras yet, because among other things, no DSLR to date has got the auto focus during video mastered.

These are the cameras that photographers, or people who call themselves photographers use. They're also the ones that are capable of taking the best photos. As a rule DSLRs, or more expensive than point and shoots. But they're getting cheaper. Much much cheaper. Olympus, Nikon, Pentax and Sony all have DSLRS that can be found under $500- and these are real cameras- rendering the entire category of bridge cameras kind of pointless.




Micro Four Thirds/Digital Rangefinder:

Micro Four Thirds are interchangeable lens cameras minus the straight-through-the lens viewfinder which defines the DSLR. In other words, they have larger sensors like DSLRs, have swappable glass like DSLRs, but use an LCD screen as a viewfinder like a point and shoot. This saves space inside the camera, meaning that at least this is the theory it can be more portable than an equivalent DSLR, well maintaining the same versatility and image quality. Most of them record video, too, and their pretty good at it: they don't have the complex viewfinder/mirror system of a DSLR, so its technically simpler to record video. Some of these cameras are styled like DSLRs, like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, while some are styled more like portable cameras, like the Olympus EP-1. This is a small category for now, and accordingly, prices are still high, starting at about $750 Panasonic and Olympus are basically the only game in town.



These are examples of the four types of cameras starting with point and shoot on the left, and ending with Micro Four Thirds on the right.