ABSTRACT
What Is a Camera? A traditional camera, from a room-size camera obscura to the latest hand-held automatic, is essentially a lighttight box. A hole (aperture) is made at one end to admit light and light-sensitive material (fi lm, paper, or sensor) is placed inside the box opposite the hole. The camera’s purpose is to enable the light to form an image on the light-sensitive material. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, but most modern cameras have the same basic components (see Box 9.1 ).
