Understanding the Basics of Using a Vivitar 35mm Film SLR Camera
Pressing the shutter button on an SLR camera raises a mirror allowing the photographer to see directly through the lens. Ever since Vivitar released its first camera after having built the company producing aftermarket lenses for other brands, many photographers have used these cameras made in Japan. There may be many different types of film SLR cameras available.
What are common parts found on a Vivitar 35mm camera?There are many different parts to 35mm cameras, including:
- Viewfinder: This camera part is what the photographer looks through to take a photo.
- F-stop control: This part controls how wide the camera's aperture opens.
- Film speed control: This part needs to be set to match the film speed on the roll inserted into the camera.
- Film compartment: This is where the 35mm roll goes within the camera's body.
- Flash: Often hidden inside a protective compartment, this part can provide extra light when taking a picture.
- Hot shoe mount: These electrical contacts allow the photographer to attach an additional flash to the camera.
- Lens ring mount: This part is where the lens attaches to the camera's body.
Film speed describes how fast the camera and lens can capture an image when there is minimal light. Most 35mm cameras require you to select this speed by turning a ring located on the top of the camera's body. The speed is usually measured on a scale ranging from 1 to 32,000. Using different speeds allows photographers to take different types of photos. Options include:
- Slow speed: Options with an International Organization for Standard (ISO) rating of less than 800 are considered slow. These choices usually have small grain, offer a shallow depth of field, and are designed to be used with a slow shutter speed and a wide aperture.
- Fast speed: Options with an ISO rating greater than 400 but less than 800 are considered fast. These options usually have larger grain and stop motion and offer great depth of field.-
- High speed: Options with an ISO rating greater 800 are considered high speed. They are designed to be used in low light conditions where the photographer wants the action to be stopped, and they usually have highly visible grain.
Setting the aperture on a camera determines how much light enters the camera's body. The wider open you set the aperture, the more light will enter the camera. Setting the aperture also determines how much of the image is in focus. Choosing a large aperture means that less of the image will be in focus. The aperture is set through choosing the f-stop. The larger the f-stop number, the smaller the aperture will open.