Single Lens Reflex Camera

The single-lens reflex camera uses an automatic moving mirror system which allows the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film, as opposed to non-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly different from what was captured on film. SLR cameras let direct viewing through the lens, using a pentaprism situated above the lens optical path. So, the image the camera lens sees is reflected by the automatic moving mirror, which in turn projects the image upward to the pentaprism; finally, the pentaprism further reflects this image which we see through the camera eyepiece.

The first Single Lense Reflex camera was the Ihagee Exakta which was introduced in 1933. It was a compact SLR which used 127 rollfilm. Although world's first true 35mm SLR was Soviet Sport camera from 1935, the first Western SLR to use 35mm film was the German Kine Exakta that came to the market in 1936. After World War II, as 35mm SLR design gained popularity, there was an explosion of new models and innovative features.

The first major post-war SLR innovation was the eye-level viewfinder, which first appeared on the Hungarian Duflex in 1947. This was refined in East Germany in 1949 with the Contax S, which was the first camera to use a pentaprism and also introduced the 42mm screw lens mount that would meet great success. Prior to this, all SLRs were equipped with waist-level focusing screens. The Duflex was also the first SLR with an instant-return mirror, which prevented the viewfinder from being blacked out after each exposure. This same time period also saw the introduction of the Hasselblad 1600F, which set the standard for medium format SLRs for decades.

In 1952 the Asahi Optical Company, which later became well-known for its Pentax cameras, introduced the first Japanese SLR using 35mm film, the Asahiflex. Several other Japanese camera makers also entered the SLR market in the 1950s, including Canon, Yashica, and Nikon. Nikon's entry, the Nikon F, had a full line of interchangeable components and accessories and is generally regarded as the first system camera.

Single Lens Reflex Camera