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Television Production & Broadcast Journalism
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
DSLR Cameras
DSLR (digital single-lens refl ex) cameras have exploded onto the mar-
ket in recent years due to their ability to produce stunning HD video in
addition to taking high-resolution photographs (Figure 3-8). Because of
this, many photographers and photojournalists have been tasked with pro-
ducing video in addition to taking stills. These assignments would have
previously been assigned to two different people. DSLRs are also the go-to
camera for independent fi lmmakers due to the interchangeability of lenses
and for their ability to produce fi lm-like images with a small depth of fi eld
(Depth of fi eld is discussed in Chapter 4, Video Camera Operations).
DSLR camera: A digital
camera that combines the
interchangeable optics and
mechanisms of a single-lens
reflex camera with a digital
imaging sensor, as opposed
to using photographic film.
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 3-8. DSLR
cameras are often
paired with an external
microphone and magnified
viewfinder.
The Parts of the Camera
The camera, Figure 3-9, is comprised of three major parts:
• Camera head
• Viewfi nder
• Camera lens
Camera Head
The camera head is the actual camera portion of the equipment,
Figure 3-9. It contains all the electronics needed to convert the refl ection of
light from the subject into an electronic signal. The incoming light is split,
usually by a prism, into individual red, green, and blue beams (Figure 3-10).
Each beam hits the photosensitive surface, or the
target, of the corresponding
camera head: The portion
of the video camera that
contains all the electronics
needed to convert the
reflection of light from the
subject into an electronic
signal.
target: Photosensitive
surface of a charge coupled
device (CCD).