is pentax k100d super 999 on lcd panel factory

There are a lot of options when it comes to flash, you have to decide what you want and how much you want to spend. If you want one that can work in full auto it narrows it down a lot since you need one with p-TTL. The safe bets for fully automatic flashes would be the Pentax af200fg, af360fgz and af540fgz. Sigma and Metz also make p-TTL flashes.

Flash can get complicated, but when done right, it can be hard to tell that it was used at all, something you will not accomplish with a simple on camera flash.

Operation of the Pentax K100D digital SLR is fairly straightforward, with actually only a handful of control buttons on the camera body to fiddle with. The large Mode dial on top of the camera controls the main operating modes, with options for Auto Picture, Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports, Night Portrait, No Flash, Bulb, Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual, and Scene modes. Several of the Pentax K100D"s control buttons perform multiple functions, which saves space and time. The E-Dial for example, controls a variety of settings when turned in combination with a press of a button, and the arrow keys of the Four-Way Arrow pad access shortcuts to common camera settings as well. The Pentax K100D"s LCD menu system is straightforward as well, with four main menus accessible via a tabbed interface at the top of the screen. (All menus are available in all modes.) Considering the multi-functional controls and variety of menu options, it will probably take most users a little time with the operating manual to really get the gist of things, but operation becomes intuitive after that.

Like most digital SLRs, the Pentax K100D has no live preview on the LCD. Instead, the camera has an optical viewfinder, where you get something better: a true live view of what you"re about to shoot, with no electronic delay. 11 autofocus points are arrayed across the screen. You can pick which one you want to have the K100D use (in certain program and manual modes), or you can let the camera analyze the scene and pick what it deems best. Across the bottom of the screen, the K100D keeps you posted about its settings, including flash charge status, AF mode, Scene modes, ISO setting, Focus indicator, Shutter Speed, Aperture, EV compensation, Available images, and the AE AE Lock indicator.

The Pentax K100D"s monochrome LCD status display appears on the camera"s top deck just behind the shutter button. It displays the Shutter Speed, Aperture, Flash mode, Drive mode, AF point info, AE metering mode, Auto bracketing, White balance, Battery level, EV compensation, and the estimated number of images available.

LCD DisplayThe Pentax K100D"s LCD monitor is mainly for image review, though a Digital Preview option does let you verify your exposure settings before snapping a picture. Accessed by turning the Power dial to the aperture symbol, Digital Preview displays the framed image in the LCD monitor, allowing you to quickly check depth of field and approximate exposure based on the set variables. Otherwise, the K110D"s LCD monitor serves as an information display in most record modes, when the Info button has been pressed (or when the Mode dial is turned). The information display reports AF mode, Mode dial setting, AE metering, flash mode, drive mode, auto bracketing, ISO, tone, quality, resolution, color space, white balance, date & time, AF point, saturation, sharpness, contrast, focal length, scene mode, and Shake Reduction status. Once in this display, pressing the right arrow key pulls up an explanation of the current exposure mode. (Pressing the left arrow returns to the information display.)

Playback Mode DisplayIn Playback mode, the default image display shows the most recently captured image, with a modest information overlay present. Pressing the Info button once pulls up the Pentax K100D"sdetailed information display, which decreases the image to a thumbnail on the screen. All of the same information is reported here as in the detailed display in record mode, listed above. A second press of the Info button brings the image back fullscreen, with a small histogram at the bottom of the frame. Any overexposed areas in the frame also blink, if indicated in the Playback menu. You can press the up and down arrows in this mode to move the histogram up and down in the frame. Turning the E-Dial in this mode controls the index display and image enlargement options. The index display shows nine thumbnail images at a time on-screen, while the enlargement feature magnifies images as much as 12x.

Scene Modes: Marked on the Mode dial as "SCN," this mode offers a range of preset exposure modes for capturing images in specific situations. Eight Scene modes are available on the Pentax K100D, including Night Scene, Surf & Snow, Text, Sunset, Kids, Pet, Candlelight, and Museum. Night Scene uses longer shutter times to capture more available light in dark settings, and a tripod is recommended. Surf & Snow mode optimizes the camera for bright backgrounds, while maintaining color elsewhere. Text mode increases contrast for better capture of signs and documents. In Sunset mode, the camera employs a longer shutter speed while boosting color. The Kids and Pet modes both use faster shutter speeds for moving children and animals, while the Kids mode also boosts saturation for better skin tones. In Candlelight mode, the camera again uses a slightly slower shutter speed, and Museum mode is best for taking pictures in bright settings where flash photography is prohibited.

Program Mode: This mode is marked on the Mode dial with a "P." In this mode, the Pentax K100D selects shutter speed and aperture, while you control all other exposure variables.

Auto Picture Mode: Indicated on the Mode dial by "AUTO PICT," this mode puts the camera in control over the exposure, automatically selecting between Portrait, Landscape, Macro, and Moving Object preset modes depending on the subject. It also controls Flash, ISO, and other settings.

Playback Mode: Playback mode is entered by pressing the Playback button on the camera"s rear panel. In this mode, you can scroll through captured images, delete them, write-protect them, and set them up for printing on PictBridge-compatible printers. You can also apply digital filters for creative effects.

Closely based on the existing Pentax K100D model which was first launched back in May 2006, the K100D Super has two main changes from its predecessor - both of them inherited from the higher-spec Pentax K10D model. Most significantly, the new camera now supports Pentax"s SDM (or "Supersonic Drive Motor") lenses. SDM lenses offer two main advantages - they"re quieter, and they can potentially focus faster thanks to the higher torque, gearless motors they employ. (The system is similar to those from other manufacturers, such as Canon"s "Ultrasonic Motor" / USM, Nikon"s "Silent Wave Motor" / SWM, and Olympus" "Supersonic Wave Drive" / SWD, amongst others).

Pentax isn"t actually shipping any SDM lenses yet, but the first such models are fast approaching. The Pentax smc DA * 50-135mm F2.8 ED (IF) SDM and smc DA * 16-50mm F2.8 ED/AL (IF) SDM are both expected to ship later next month, with the smc DA * 200mm F2.8 ED (IF) SDM and smc DA * 300mm F4 ED (IF) SDM following from September. If all goes according to plan, Pentax will have a total of five SDM lenses on the market by December, when the smc DA * 60-250mm F4 ED (IF) SDM is expected to arrive at retail. Two other SDM lenses have been announced - the smc DA 35mm SDM and smc DA * 55mm F1.4 SDM - but no release dates have been announced for either model.

The other main change in the Pentax K100D Super is the addition of a dust removal function as seen in the Pentax K10D. As with that camera, the K100D Super uses its Shake Reduction mechanism as part of a two-pronged approach to fighting dust on the image sensor, shaking the sensor assembly at high frequency to free any dust that has stuck to the low-pass filter over the image sensor. An adhesive sheet captures the dust and prevents it returning to the sensor. The other portion of the dust removal function is a vapor-deposited fluorine compound applied to the surface of the low-pass filter, making dust less likely to adhere in the first place.

Other features of the Pentax K100D Super such as the camera body, image sensor, viewfinder, LCD display, storage, connectivity options and etc. are all essentially identical to the existing Pentax K100D model. The addition of SDM lens support and dust removal has added a scant 0.3 - 0.4 of an ounce to the weight of the newer K100D Super variant.

The new rounder, softer appearance to the K100D"s body is certainly more appealing and appears to have become the "family trademark" as it has been repeated with the recently announced K10D. The front of the camera carries some interesting curves, one of which crosses the face of the hand grip which interestingly isn"t just for looks, it matches the increasing width of your fingers in the grip. At the back we have a fairly familiar Pentax digital SLR layout, a simple thumb grip on the right side and a set of controls clustered around the 2.5" LCD. One addition here is obviously the Shake Reduction switch.

The K100D"s body is the now familiar re-enforced ABS plastic but under the skin there is a stainless steel chassis (image below), not that dissimilar to that of the K10D.

Below you can see the K100D beside some new competition, the six megapixel Nikon D40 . As you can see the two cameras are approximately the same height but the D40 is narrower yet maintains a reasonable grip size. As you can see from the table below despite its small dimensions the K100D is one of the more weighty digital SLR"s, this mostly it appears down to the Shake Reduction system (the K110D being 75g lighter).

The K100D has a decent sized hand grip which as mentioned above is shaped nicely to match the natural shape of your hand. The rear thumb grip provides a little extra support and all of the cameras main "shooting" controls are within reach of your thumb and forefinger. The grip itself has a soft rubber coating but this does not extend to the rear of the camera nor is it repeated on the left side.

The K100D features a bright and sharp 2.5" LCD monitor with 210,000 pixels and a wide viewing angle. It also has a wide range of brightness adjustment (-7 to +7) which affects the LCD backlight and gamma of image display. The LCD is covered by a plastic screen but doesn"t feature an anti-reflective coating.

On top of the camera is a large LCD panel which provides a wide range of information about the current camera settings and exposure. The frames remaining display also doubles up to display information such as the exposure compensation setting and "PC" or "Pb" when the camera is connected to a computer or printer (PictBridge). Unlike other digital SLR"s the K100D"s panel does not have a backlight.

We have always highly rated Pentax viewfinders, they tend to provide large bright views thanks to high magnification and frame view. This was primarily due to the use of a Penta-prism, however the K100D uses the cheaper Penta-mirror type where mirrors are used of a prism. That said it"s one of the better Penta-mirror implementations and while magnification is reduced to 0.85x the view (for an "APS size sensor" camera) is still relatively large and bright.

Looking through the eyepiece the first thing you will notice are the AF frame and the spot metering frame. Normally the AF areas are not visible, the image below is simulated to indicate the position of the AF points. You can choose from Auto AF-point selection, manual point selection or center point only.

The camera obscura described in 1676, but it took a long time for the design to succeed for photographic cameras. The first patent was granted in 1861, and the first cameras were produced in 1884, but while elegantly simple in concept, they were very complex in practice. One by one these complexities were overcome as optical and mechanical technology advanced, and in the 1960s the SLR camera became the preferred design for many high-end camera formats.

The advent of digital point-and-shoot cameras in the 1990s through the 2010s with LCD viewfinder displays reduced the appeal of the SLR for the low end of the market. The mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera is increasingly challenging the mid-price range market. But the SLR remains the camera design of choice for most professional and ambitious amateur photographers.

The photographic single-lens reflex camera (SLR) was invented in 1861 by Thomas Sutton, a photography author and camera inventor who ran a photography related company together with Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard on Jersey. Only a few of his SLRs were made.Monocular Duplex (USA, 1884). Other early SLR cameras were constructed, for example, by Louis van Neck (Belgium, 1889), Thomas Rudolphus Dallmeyer (England, 1894) and Max Steckelmann (Germany, 1896), and Graflex of the United States and Konishi in Japan produced SLR cameras as early as 1898 and 1907 respectively. These first SLRs were large format cameras.

As with camera technology in general, SLR cameras became available in smaller and smaller sizes. Medium format SLRs soon became common, at first larger box cameras and later "pocketable" models such as the Ihagee Vest-Pocket Exakta of 1933.

Early 35 mm SLR cameras had functionality that was similar to larger models, with a waist-level ground-glass viewfinder and a mirror that remained in the taking position and blacked out the viewfinder after an exposure, and then returned when the film was wound on. Innovations that transformed the SLR were the pentaprism eye-level viewfinder and the instant-return mirror—the mirror flipped briefly up during exposure, immediately returning to the viewfinding position. The half-silvered fixed pellicle mirror, without even the brief blackout of the instant-return mirror, was also innovative but did not become standard. Through-the-lens light metering was another important advance. As electronics advanced, new functionality, discussed below, became available.

The first 35mm format SLR in large scale production was the Ihagee Kine Exakta, produced in 1936 in Germany, which was fundamentally a scaled-down Vest-Pocket Exakta. This camera used a waist-level finder.

Various other models were produced, such as the Kine-Exakta, the Exakta II, the Exakta Varex (featuring an interchangeable pentaprism eye-level viewfinder and identified in the United States as the "Exakta V"), the Exakta Varex VX (identified in the United States as the "Exakta VX"), the Exakta VX IIa, the Exakta VX IIb, the Exakta VX500 and the Exakta VX1000. Ihagee also manufactured less expensive cameras under the "Exa" camera label, such as the Exa, the Exa Ia, the Exa II, the Exa IIa, the Exa IIb (which was generally not considered part of the "official" Exa line), and the Exa 500. The Exacta sold well and triggered other camera manufacturers to develop 35mm SLRs. Sales were particularly strong in the medical and scientific fields. A large range of lenses and accessories were made by a variety of manufacturers, turning the camera into one of the first system cameras, although motor drives and bulk loading backs were never produced by Ihagee.

Rectaflex was the name of an Italian camera maker from 1947 to 1958. It was also the name of their sole model. The Rectaflex was a 35 mm SLR camera with a focal plane shutter, interchangeable lenses, and a pentaprism eye-level finder. Rectaflex (followed by Contax S) was the first SLR camera introducing the modern pentaprism eye-level finder. The first prototype (Rectaflex 947) was presented in 1947, with a final presentation in April 1948 and start of series production (A 1000) in September the same year, thus hitting the market one year before the Contax S, presented in 1949. Both were preceded by Alpa-Reflex, first presented to a wider public in April 1944 at the Swiss Trade Fair in Basel (Schweizer Mustermesse). Alpa’s production was slow up to 1945, and it lacked a pentaprism, so the image was reversed left-to-right.

Zeiss had begun work on a 35mm SLR camera in 1936 or 1937fresnel lens inbetween the ground-glass screen and the pentaprism. This design principle became the conventional SLR design used today.

World War II intervened, and the Zeiss SLR did not emerge as a production camera until Zeiss, in the newly created factory in East Germany, introduced the Contax S in 1949, with production ending in 1951. The Italian Rectaflex, series 1000 went into series production the year before, in September 1948, thus being market-ready one year before the Contax. Both were historic progenitors of many later SLRs that adopted this arrangement.

In 1939, Kamerawerk Niedersedlitz Dresden presented the Praktiflex at the Leipzig spring fair. The camera was a waist type with an M40x1 screw mount and a horizontal cloth focal shutter. This camera is the pattern for most of the 35 mm SLR cameras and also for the Japanese and the digital SLR cameras today. After the war, Praktiflex was the most manufactured 35 mm SLR in Dresden, especially for the Russians as reparations. KW changed to the M42 screw mount invented at Zeiss for Contax S—later used by Pentax, Yashica and others to become a near universal mount. In 1949, it was redesigned with longer shutter speeds, and the name was changed to Praktica. In 1958, KW Niedersedlitz became a part of the VEB Kamer und Kinowerk (old Zeiss), later VEB Pentacon. Praktica was typically a consumer/amateur camera. Many developments were added. It was produced until 2000.

From 1952 to 1960 the KW factory/VEB Pentacon also produced the Praktina, a system SLR camera for professionals and advanced amateurs with a bayonet mount and focal shutter, but production was closed, partly for political reasons. Praktica was the camera that could be sold outside the DDR and bring foreign currency to the country.

Another German manufacturer, Edixa was a brand of camera manufactured by Wirgin Kamerawerk, based in Wiesbaden, West Germany. This company"s product line included 35mm SLR cameras such as the Edixa Reflex, which featured a Steinheil 55mm f/1.9 Quinon lens and an Isco Travegar 50mm f/2.8 lens, the Edixamat Reflex, the Edixa REX TTL, and the Edixa Electronica.

The earliest Japanese SLR for roll film was perhaps the Baby Super Flex (or Super Flex Baby), a 127 camera made by Umemoto and distributed by Kikōdō from 1938.rangefinder and twin-lens reflex cameras (as well as simpler viewfinder cameras), similar to those of the Western makers.

The Asahi Optical Company took a different manufacturing path, inspired by the German SLRs. Its first model, the Asahiflex I, existed in prototype form in 1951 and production in 1952, making it the first Japanese-built 35mm SLR. The Asahiflex IIB of 1954 was the first Japanese SLR with an instant-return mirror. Previously, the mirror would remain up and the viewfinder black until the user released the shutter button. In 1957, the Asahi Pentax became the first Japanese fixed-pentaprism SLR; its success led Asahi to eventually rename itself Pentax. This was the first SLR to use the right-hand single-stroke film advance lever of the Leica M3 of 1954 and Nikon S2 of 1955. Asahi (starting with the Asahi Pentax) and many other camera makers used the M42 lens mount from the Contax S, which came to be called the Pentax screw mount. Pentax is now part of Ricoh.

Orion"s (later name-changed to Miranda"s) Miranda SLR camera was sold in Japan from August 1955 with the launch of the Miranda T camera. The camera was narrowly the first Japanese-made pentaprism 35mm SLR. It featured a removable pentaprism for eye-level viewing that could be removed for use as a waist-level finder.

The Yashica Company introduced its own SLR in 1959, the Pentamatic, an advanced, modern 35mm SLR camera with a proprietary bayonet-mount. The Pentamatic featured an automatic stop-down diaphragm (offered only with the Auto Yashinon 50mm/1.8 lens), instant-return mirror, a fixed pentaprism, and a mechanical focal-plane shutter with speeds of 1-1/1000 second, along with additional interchangeable lenses.

The Zunow SLR, which went on sale in 1958 (in Japan only), was the first japanese 35mm SLR camera with an automatic diaphragm, which stopped down to the preselected aperture upon release of the shutter. (Although this invention had been anticipated by the 1948 Gamma Duflex and 1954 Praktina FX-A which could be used with a semi-automatic diaphragm, which stopped down automatically, but had to be opened manually after the exposure.Miranda T SLR cameras.

A "pre-set" diaphragm had two aperture rings next to each other: one could be set in advance to the aperture needed for the picture while the other ring controlled the diaphragm directly. Turning the second ring all the way clockwise gave full aperture; turn it all the way counterclockwise gave the preset shooting aperture, speeding up the process. Such lenses were commonly made into the 1960s.

A lens with an "automatic" diaphragm allows the photographer to forget about closing the diaphragm to shooting aperture; such diaphragms have been taken for granted for decades. Usually this means a pin or lever on the back of the lens is pushed or released by a part of the shutter release mechanism in the camera body; the external automatic diaphragms on lenses for Exakta and Miranda cameras were the exception to that. Some lenses had "semi-automatic" diaphragms that closed to shooting aperture like an automatic diaphragm but had to be re-opened manually with a flip of a ring on the lens.

When the shutter release is pressed the mirror flips up against the viewing screen, the diaphragm closes down (if automatic), the shutter opens and closes, the mirror returns to its 45-degree viewing position (on most or all 35 mm SLRs made since 1970) and the automatic diaphragm re-opens to full aperture.

In the following 30 years the vast majority of SLRs standardized the layout of the controls. The film was transported from left to right, so the rewind crank was on the left, followed in order by the pentaprism, shutter speed dial, shutter release, and the film advance lever, which in some cameras was ratcheted so that multiple strokes could be used to advance the film. Some cameras, such as Nikon"s Nikkormat FT cameras (marketed under the brand-name "Nikormat" in European countries and elsewhere) and some models of Olympus OM series, deviated from this layout by placing the shutter speed control as a ring around the lens mount.

Miranda produced early SLRs in the 1950s which were initially manufactured with external auto-diaphragms, then added a second mount with internal auto-diaphragm. To list some of Miranda"s cameras with external diaphragm, there was the Miranda Sensorex line. The internal auto-diaphragm Miranda cameras consisted of the Miranda "D", the popular Miranda "F", the "FV" and the "G" model, which had a larger than normal reflex mirror thereby eliminating viewfinder image vignetting when the camera was used with long telephoto lenses. Miranda cameras were known in some photographic discussions as "the poor man"s Nikon".

One unique brand of cameras was the Corfield Periflex made by K. G. Corfield Ltd in England. Three models were produced from 1957, all of which used a retractable periscope inserted into the light path for focussing through the single lens. Pressing the shutter release moved the spring-loaded periscope out of the film path before the focal-plane shutter operated

Minolta"s first SLR, the SR-2, was introduced to the export market in the same year (in fact, at the same Philadelphia show as the Canon and Nikon products) but had been on sale in Japan since August 1958. Lenses started with the designation "Rokkor". With the introduction of the SRT-101, the lenses added the designation of "MC" for "meter-coupled", and then later to "MD" when the Minolta XD-11 was introduced with full-program mode.

The revolutionary Nikon F, shown in black finish with standard, non-metering pentaprism and a 50mm f/1.4 7-element auto Nikkor lens attached. This and other auto Nikkor lenses standardized mostly on the 52mm front filter thread while some other large lenses used a large 72mm filter thread-size.

Nikon"s "F" model, introduced in April 1959 as the world"s first system camera (if the commercially unsuccessful Praktina is not considered), became enormously successful and was the camera design that demonstrated the superiority of the SLR and of the Japanese camera manufacturers.

It was a combination of design elements that made the Nikon F successful. It featured interchangeable prisms and focusing screens; the camera had a depth-of-field preview button; the mirror had lock-up capability; it featured a large bayonet mount and a large lens release button; a single-stroke ratcheted film advance lever; a titanium-foil focal plane shutter; various types of flash synchronization; a rapid rewind lever; and a fully removable back. it was a well-made, extremely durable camera, and adhered closely to the then current, successful design scheme of the Nikon rangefinder cameras.

Instead of the M42 screw mount used by Pentax and other camera manufacturers, Nikon had introduced the three-claw F-mount bayonet lens mount system, which is still current in a modified form today. The focal plane shutter, unlike other SLRs of the period which used a cloth material for the focal plane shutter design (NOTE: with this design, it was possible to burn a hole into the cloth of the shutter during mirror lock-up in bright sunlight) used titanium foil which was rated for 100,000 cycles of releases of the shutter (according to Nikon). The F was also a modular camera, in which various assemblies such as the pentaprisms, the focusing screens, the special 35mm roll film 250 exposure film back and the Speed Magny film backs (two models: one using the Polaroid 100 (now 600) type pack films; and another Speed Magny was designed for 4×5 film accessories, including Polaroid"s own 4×5 instant film back). These could be fitted and removed, allowing the camera to adapt to almost any particular task. It was the first 35 mm camera offered with a successful motor drive system.

Unlike most of the other manufacturers involved in 35mm camera production, the Nikon F was released with a full range of lenses from 21 mm to 1000 mm focal length. Nikon was also among the first to introduce what is commonly known today as "mirror lenses" – lenses with Catadioptric system designs, which allowed the light path to be folded and thus yielded lens designs that were more compact than the standard telephoto designs. Subsequent top-of-the-line Nikon models carried on the F series, which has as of 2005F6 (although this camera has a fixed pentaprism). With the introduction and continued improvements being made in digital photography, the Nikon F6 is likely to be the last of the flagship Nikon F-line film SLRs.

In May 1959, the Canonflex SLR was introduced. The camera featured a quick return mirror and an automatic diaphragm, and was introduced with an interchangeable black pentaprism housing. It also featured newly developed "R" series breech lock mount lenses.

In 1962, FL series lenses were introduced along with a new camera body, the Canon FX, which had a built-in CdS light meter positioned on the front left side of the camera, a design which appeared much like the Minolta SR-7.

The Olympus Pen F series was introduced and produced by Olympus of Japan between 1963 and 1966. The System consisted of the original Olympus Pen F, later the behind-the-lens metering Pen FT, 1966–1972; and the non-metered version of the FT, known as the Olympus Pen FV, which was manufactured from 1967 to 1970. The design considerations used were unusual. The camera produced a half-frame 35 mm negative; it used a Porro prism as a design-replacement for the conventional pentaprism thus producing the "flat top" appearance; and the view through the viewfinder was of "portrait" orientation" (unlike standard 35mm SLRs which had "landscape" orientation). These half-frame cameras were also exceptional in that all used a rotary shutter, rather than the traditional horizontally travelling focal-plane shutter commonly used in other SLR camera designs. The camera was produced with various interchangeable lenses. The smaller image format made the Pen F system one of the smallest SLR camera systems ever made. Only the Pentax Auto 110 was smaller, but the Pentax system was of much more limited range in terms of lenses and accessories.

Professional Photographers of the 1940s and 1950s time-period preferred to use hand-held meters such as the Weston or GE selenium cell light meters, and others which were common during these periods. These hand-held meters did not require any batteries and provided good analog readouts of shutter speeds, apertures, ASA (now referred to as "ISO") and EV (exposure value). Selenium cells, however, could easily be judged for their light sensitivity by simply looking at the size of the cell"s metering surface. A small surface meant it lacked low-light sensitivity. These would prove to be useless for in-camera light metering.

Built-in light metering with SLRs started with clip-on selenium cell meters. One such meter was made for the Nikon F which coupled to the shutter speed dial and the aperture ring. While the selenium cell area was big, the add-on made the camera look clumsy and unattractive. In order for built-in light metering to be successful in SLR cameras, the use of Cadmium Sulfide Cells (CdS) was imperative.

Some early SLRs featured a built-in CdS meter, usually on the front left side of the top plate, as in the Minolta SR-7. Other manufacturers, such as Miranda and Nikon introduced a CdS prism which fitted to their interchangeable prism SLR cameras. Nikon"s early Photomic finder utilized a cover in front of the cell which was raised and a reading was taken and the photographer would either turn the coupled shutter speed dial and/or the coupled aperture ring to center a galvanometer-based meter needle shown in the viewfinder. The disadvantage of this early Photomic prism finder was that the meter had no ON/OFF switch so the meter was constantly "ON", thus draining battery power. A later Photomic housing had an ON/OFF switch on the Pentaprism. CdS light meters proved more sensitive to light and thus metering in available light situations was becoming more prominent and useful. Further advances in CdS sensitivity, however, were needed as CdS cells suffered from a "memory effect". That is, if exposed to bright sunlight, the cell would require many minutes to return to normal operation and sensitivity.

Through-the-lens metering measures the light that comes through the camera lens, thus eliminating much of the potential for error inherent in separate light meters. It is of particular advantage with long telephoto lenses, macro photography, and photomicrography. The first SLRs with through-the-lens metering were introduced by Japanese manufacturers in the early to mid-1960s.

In 1972, the Nikon F2 was introduced. It had a more streamlined body, a better mirror-locking system, a top shutter speed of 1/2000 of a second and was introduced with its own proprietary, continually improving Photomic meter prism heads. This camera"s construction was mechanically superior to the F, with some models using titanium for the top and bottom cover plates, and featured slower shutter speeds via the self-timer mechanism. All Nikon F and F2 Photomic prism heads coupled to the shutter speed dial of the respective camera, and also to the aperture ring via a coupling prong on the diaphragm ring of the lens. This design feature was incorporated into most Auto Nikkor lenses of that time. Nikon technicians can still install a coupling prong on D type Auto Nikkor lenses so that these newer lenses will fully couple and operate with the older Nikon camera bodies. This is not possible with the G type Auto Nikkor lenses and lenses with the DX designation.

Pentax was the first manufacturer to show a prototype camera with a behind-the-lens spot metering CdS meter system in 1961, the Pentax Spotmatic. Production Spotmatics, however, didn"t appear until mid-to-late 1964, and these models were featured with an averaging meter system.

Tokyo Optical"s Topcon RE Super (Beseler Topcon Super D in the US), however, preceded Pentax into production in 1963. Topcon cameras used behind-the-lens CdS (Cadmium Sulfide Cells) light meters which were integrated into a partially silvered area of the mirror.

Japanese-made SLRs from the mid-1960s (1966) included the Minolta SRT-101, and later the SRT-202 and 303 models, which used Minolta"s own version of behind-the-lens metering which they referred to as CLC (contrast light compensation).

Other camera manufacturers followed with their own behind-the-lens meter camera designs in order to compete in the marketplace. 35mm SLR film cameras such as Miranda with their Miranda Sensomat, unlike most other systems used a behind-the-lens meter system built into the pentaprism itself. Other Miranda 35mm SLR cameras could be adapted to behind-the-lens capability through the use of a separate pentaprism which included coupled or non-coupled built-in CdS meters. Miranda had a second lens system, consisting of the Sensorex models which had an externally coupled auto diaphragm. Sensorex camera bodies had built-in meters and these evolved to include TTL and "EE" capability.

One of the most significant designs of the seventies for the 35mm SLR camera industry was the introduction of the Olympus OM-1 in 1973. After experiencing success with their small Olympus Pen half-frame cameras, particularly with their half-frame SLR-based Olympus Pen-F, Pen-Ft and Pen-FV cameras, Olympus set out with its chief designer Yoshihisa Maitani to later create a compact SLR—the M-1—with new compact lenses and a large bayonet mount that could accept almost any SLR design optic. Shortly after being launched the camera was renamed the OM-1 to avoid a trademark conflict with Leica. The mechanical, manual OM-1 was significantly smaller and lighter than contemporary SLRs, but no less functional. The camera was supported by one of the most comprehensive 35 mm SLR lens and accessory systems available. Maitani decreased the size and weight by totally redesigning the SLR from the ground up with unprecedented use of metallurgy, which included repositioning the shutter speed selector to the front of the lens mount, instead of a more conventional position on top of the body.

By metering light in real time off the film plane the OM-2 was able to adjust exposure if light levels changed during exposure. By eliminating flash metering via a built-in photocell on a flash unit the OTF system was able to meter more accurately, and also significantly simplify multi-flash shooting as it was no longer necessary to calculate and factor-in exposure for multiple light sources. This system was especially valuable in photomacrography (macrophotography) and photomicrography (microphotography).

The Olympus OM System was further enlarged; its Zuiko lenses gained a reputation as being among the sharpest lenses in the world, and in the 1980"s, Olympus added further improvements by replacing the OM-1 and OM-2 cameras with the OM-3, a mechanical manual SLR and the OM-4 automatic, both of which featured multi-spot metering capabilities. These cameras were further improved into the last of the OM SLRs, the titanium-bodied OM-3Ti and OM-4Ti, introducing at the same time, the world"s fastest electronic flash synchronization speeds, at 1/2000 second with their new Full-Synchro strobe-based flash technology.

By 1974, the autoexposure SLR brands had aligned into two camps (shutter-priority: Canon, Konica, Miranda, Petri, Ricoh and Topcon; aperture-priority: Asahi Pentax, Chinon, Cosina, Fujica, Minolta, Nikkormat and Yashica) supposedly based on the superiority of their chosen mode. (In reality, based on the limitations of the electronics of the time and the ease of adapting each brand"s older mechanical designs to automation.) These AE SLRs were only semi-automatic. With shutter-priority control, the camera would set the lens aperture after the photographer chose a shutter speed to freeze or blur motion. With aperture-priority control, the camera would set the shutter speed after the photographer chose a lens aperture f-stop to control depth of field (focus).

Perhaps the most significant milestone of the 1970s era of SLR computerization was the 1978 release of the Canon A-1, the first SLR with a "programmed" autoexposure mode. Although the Minolta XD11 was the first SLR to offer both aperture-priority and shutter-priority modes in 1977, it was not until the next year that the A-1 came out with a microprocessor computer powerful enough to offer both of those modes and add the ability to automatically set both the shutter speed and lens aperture in a compromise exposure from light meter input.

Programmed autoexposure, in many variations, became a standard camera feature by the mid-1980s. This is the order of first introduction of 35 mm SLRs, by brand, with a computer programmed autoexposure mode, before the rise of autofocus (see next section): 1978, Canon A-1 (plus AE-1 Program, 1981 and T50, 1983); 1980, Fujica AX-5; 1980, Leica R4; 1981, Mamiya ZE-X; 1982, Konica FP-1; 1982, Minolta X-700; 1982, Nikon FG (plus FA, 1983); 1983, Pentax Super Program (plus Program Plus, 1984 and A3000, 1985); 1983, Chinon CP-5 Twin Program (also first with two program modes); 1984, Ricoh XR-P (tied with Canon T70 as first with three program modes); 1985, Olympus OM-2S Program; 1985, Contax 159MM; 1985, Yashica FX-103. Of the brands active in the mid-1970s, Cosina, Miranda, Petri, Praktica, Rolleiflex, Topcon and Zenit never introduced programmed 35 mm SLRs; usually the inability to make the transition forced the company to quit the 35 mm SLR business altogether. Note that the Asahi Pentax Auto 110, Pentax Auto 110 Super (Pocket Instamatic 110 SLRs from 1978 and 1982) and Pentax 645 (a 645 format SLR from 1985) also had programmed autoexposure.

Autofocus compact cameras had been introduced in the late 1970s. The SLR market of the time was crowded, and autofocus seemed an excellent option to attract novice photographers.

The first 35 mm SLR (the SX-70 was not 35 mm) with autofocus capability was the Pentax ME F of 1981 (using a special autofocus lens with an integral motor).

In 1981 Canon introduced a self-contained autofocus lens, the 35–70 mm AF, which contained an optical triangulation system that would focus the lens on the subject in the exact center when a button on the side of the lens was pushed. It would work on any Canon FD camera body. Nikon"s F3AF was a highly specialized autofocus camera. It was a variant of the Nikon F3 that worked with the full range of Nikon manual focus lenses, but also featured two dedicated AF lenses (an 80 mm and a 200 mm) that coupled with a special AF viewfinder. F3AF lenses were only supported by the F3AF, the F501, and the F4. Nikon"s later AF cameras and lenses used an entirely different design.

The first true 35mm SLR autofocus camera that had a successful designMinolta Dynax/Maxxum 7000, introduced in 1985. This SLR featured a built-in motor drive and dedicated flash capability. Minolta also introduced a completely new bayonet mount lens system, the Maxxum AF lens system (currently known as the Sony A-Mount), which was incompatible with its previous MD-bayonet mount system, in which the lenses" focusing action was driven from a motor in the camera body. This reduced complexity in the camera body and the lens. Canon responded with the T80 and a range of three motor-equipped AC lenses, but this was regarded as a stopgap move. Nikon introduced the N2020 (known in Europe as the Nikon F-501), which was their first SLR with built-in autofocus motor, and redesigned autofocus Auto Nikkor lenses. Nikon"s AF lenses, however, remained compatible with older Nikon 35mm SLR cameras, and older manual focus Nikon lenses could be used with varying degrees of compatibility on the new AF cameras.

In 1987, Canon followed Minolta in introducing a new lens-mount system, which was incompatible with their previous mount-system: EOS, the Electro-Optical System. Unlike Minolta"s motor-in-body approach, this design located the motor within the lens. New, more compact motor designs meant that both focus and aperture could be driven electrically without motor bulges in the lens. The Canon EF lens mount has no mechanical linkages; all communication between body and lens is electronic.

Nikon and Pentax both chose to extend their existing lens mounts with autofocus capability, retaining the ability to use older manual-focus lenses with an autofocus body, and driving the lens focus mechanism with a motor inside the camera. Later, Nikon added Silent Wave Motor (SWM) mechanisms into its lenses, supporting both focusing schemes until the introductions of the entry-level Nikon D40 and Nikon D40X in 2006. Pentax introduced its Supersonic Drive Motor (SDM) in 2006 with Pentax K10D model and two lenses (DA*16-50/2.8 AL ED [IF] SDM and DA*50-135/2.8 ED [IF] SDM). Since then all Pentax DSLR support both SDM and the motor inside the body. Earlier SDM lenses support both systems as well. The first SDM lens that did not support the old focusing system was the DA 17-70/4 AL [IF] SDM (2008).

The major 35mm camera manufacturers, Canon, Minolta, Nikon, and Pentax were among the few companies to transition successfully to autofocus. Other camera manufacturers also introduced functionally successful autofocus SLRs but these cameras were not as successful. Some manufacturers eventually withdrew from the SLR market.

Nikon still markets its manual-focus SLR, the FM10. Olympus continued production of its OM system camera line until 2002. Pentax also continued to produce the manual-focus LX until 2001. Sigma and Fujifilm also managed to continue manufacturing cameras, although Kyocera ended production in 2005 of its (Contax) camera systems. The newly formed Konica Minolta sold its camera business to Sony two years later.

In the 2000s, film became supplanted by digital photography, which had a huge impact on all camera manufacturers, including the SLR market. Nikon, for instance, has ceased production of all film SLRs except for its flagship 35 mm SLR film camera, the F6; and the introductory-level Nikon FM10.

Replacing film with a similar-sized digital sensor is possible, but expensive because larger sensor areas imply a greater probability that a defect will render the sensor non-functional. Such "full frame" sensor digital SLRs (DSLRs) however gained early popularity with professional photographers who could both justify their initial high cost, and retain the use of their investment in expensive 35 mm film lenses. By 2008, full-frame models such the Canon EOS 1Ds and 5D, the Nikon D3 and D700, and the Sony Alpha A850 and Alpha A900, designed and priced for professionals, were available.

As of 2017, several manufacturers have introduced more affordable 35 mm sensor SLRs such as the Canon EOS 6D, the Nikon D610 and the new Pentax K-1. These cameras, while still positioned as premium products, all retail for less than 3000$; significantly, all but the K-1 are priced below the manufacturer"s top APS-C camera. In addition, the full-frame format is now found in Sony"s MILC cameras and high-end fixed prime lens compacts, as well as Leica"s M-mount digital rangefinders.

SLRs designed for amateurs and consumers generally use APS-C sensors, which are significantly smaller than 35 mm film frames and these require either their own specialist lenses or accepting a change in equivalent focal length and field-of-view angle when using lenses designed for the 35 mm format (wide-angle lenses become normal, normal become short telephoto, etc.).

While twin-lens reflex cameras have been more numerous in the medium format film category, many medium-format SLRs had been (and some still are) produced. Hasselblad of Sweden has one of the best-known camera systems utilizing 120 and 220 film to produce 6 cm × 6 cm (21⁄4" × 21⁄4") negatives. They also produce other film backs which produce a 6 cm × 4.5 cm image; a back which uses 70mm roll film, a Polaroid Back for instant "proofs" and even a 35mm film back.

Pentax produces two medium-format SLR systems, the Pentax 645, which produces a 6 cm × 4.5 cm image; and the Pentax 67 series, which system evolved from the late 1960s introduced Pentax 6 × 7 camera. These Pentax 6 × 7 series cameras resembled huge 35mm SLR camera in look and function.

Pentax Medium Format 6×7 SLR from the 1980s. Used 120/220 roll film and featured an electronically timed focal plane shutter and interchangeable lenses and prisms. Shown here with shift-lens

Bronica (which has discontinued camera production), Fuji, Kyocera (which has also ceased production of their Contax cameras), Mamiya, Rollei, Pentacon (former East Germany), and Kiev (former Soviet Union) have also produced Medium Format SLR systems for a considerable period of time. Mamiya produces what is termed a medium format digital SLR. Other medium-format SLRs, such as those from Hasselblad, accept digital backs in place of film rolls or cartridges, effectively converting their film designs to digital format use.

In the case of Polaroid Corporation with its instant film line, the introduction of the Polaroid SX-70 was one of the few SLRs produced that was a rare case of a folding SLR.

The vast majority of SLRs now sold are digital models, even though their size, form factor, and other design elements remain derived from their 35 mm film predecessors. Whether a dedicated digital design such as the Olympus Four-Thirds system, which permits equivalent performance with smaller and lighter cameras, will ultimately supersede the film-derived designs from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sony is as yet unclear. Additionally SLRs are facing a threat from the rapidly expanding mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera segment among all types of camera user.

Johann Sturm (Germany) described first known use of a reflex mirror in a camera obscura.Aristotle as an aid in observing solar eclipses, but its use as an artist"s aid was first expounded by Giambattista della Porta (Italy) in 1558.

Johann Zahn (Germany) developed a portable SLR camera obscura with focusable lens, adjustable aperture and translucent viewing screen. These are all the core elements in a modern SLR photographic camera – except for an image capture medium.Nicéphore Niépce (France) made the first permanent photograph using a bitumen photosensitized pewter plate in a non-SLR camera.

Thomas Sutton (UK) received first patent for SLR photographic camera. An unknown number made but very few; no known production model; no known surviving examples. The manually levered reflex mirror also served as the camera"s shutter. Used glass plates.

Calvin Rae Smith Monocular Duplex (USA): first known production SLR. Used glass plates (original model 3¼×4¼ inch, later 4×5 inch); many were adapted to use Eastman sheet film. Large-format glass plate or sheet film SLRs were the dominant SLR type until circa 1915. However, SLRs themselves were not commonplace until the 1930s.Marion Academy; UK]; not necessarily twin-lens reflex [TLR] camera, invented 1880 [one-of-a-kind Whipple-Beck camera; UK]) popular in the 1880s and 90s.

Bram Loman Reflex Camera (Netherlands): first focal-plane shutter SLR.leaf shutter was the ability to use a very narrow slit to offer up to an action-stopping 1/1000 second shutter speed at a time when leaf shutters topped out at 1/250 sec. – although the available contemporaneous ISO 1 to 3 equivalent speed emulsions limited the opportunities to use the high speeds.

Folmer & Schwing stereo camera, it had two imaging lenses. However, it had a reflex mirror and a typical for the era leather "chimney"-hooded waist level finder, albeit with dual eyepiece magnifiers. It took 5×7-inch glass dry plates.

Folmer & Schwing 116 roll film. Had folding waist level finder and focal-plane shutter. A sister SLR camera, the Graflex No. 3A, was released at about the same time. It took six 3¼×5½ inch "postcard" frames on 122 roll film.120 type) SLRs became the dominant SLR type in the 1930s. The various models of large and medium format Graflex SLRs made beginning in 1898, and culminating in the 4×5 inch sheet film Graflex Super D of 1948, are the best and most famous American-made SLRs, if only for the shortage of competition.

Ernemann (merged into Zeiss Ikon, 1926) Ermanox Reflex (Germany): first SLR with high speed lens (10.5 cm f/1.8 or 85mm f/1.8 Ernostarfocal-plane shutter. Used 4.5×6 cm glass plates or sheet film; adaptable to roll film.

Ihagee VP Exakta (Germany): first 127 roll film SLR. Preliminary designs were on paper by June 1932. Took eight exposures of 4×6.5 cm (1⅝×2½ inch) nominal frames (40×62 mm actual frames) on 127 "Vest Pocket" roll film,focal-plane shutter. The 1935 version was the first camera with a built-in flash synchronization socket (called Vacublitz)flashbulb (first marketed as Vacublitz in 1929

Eichapfel Noviflex (Germany): first 2¼ square format, medium format roll film SLR.120 roll film. Also had a fixed lens and focal-plane shutter. The 1937 version had interchangeable lenses.Reflex-Korelle (Germany) of 1935 that established the popularity of the 2¼ square format SLR.

Kodak (USA). Was (and is) 35 mm nominal width (1⅜ inch actual widthrangefinder cameras. Previously, bulk rolls of 35 mm motion picture film would need to be user cut and loaded, in complete darkness, into camera specific cartridges or magazines.Kodachrome (the first high speed [ISO 8 equivalent], realistic color film) in standardized 135 format (but not medium format roll film) spurred explosive growth in the popularity of all types of miniature format 35 mm cameras.Simplex (USA) camera of 1914 and popularized by the E. Leitz Leica A (Germany) of 1925.Globuscope [USA] of 1981

The Sport (camera) is the series production model of a prototype camera called Gelveta. The Gelveta was designed and built by A. O. Gelgar between 1934 and 1935. It is the earliest known 35mm SLR camera ever to be built, but fewer than 200 examples were made. It was manufactured by the Soviet camera factory Gosudarstvennyi Optiko-Mekhanicheskii Zavod, The State Optical-Mechanical Factory in Leningrad. GOMZ for short. The camera name is engraved in Cyrillic on the finder housing above the lens: „Спорт“. The manufacturer"s prism logo in gold on black with the factory initials ГОМЗ (GOMZ) is shown behind a circular magnifying window on the top left camera front. An estimated number of 16,000 cameras were made

E. Leitz PLOOT (Germany): first reflex housing for 35 mm rangefinder cameras. For use with a Leica IIIa RF and the Leitz 20 cm f/4.5 Telyt or 40 cm f/5 Telyt long focus lenses (all Germany).Visoflex III (West Germany; for Leica M4 series RFs), was discontinued in 1984.

Gamma Duflex (Hungary): first instant return mirror SLR,focal-plane shutter SLR, first internal semi-automatic lens diaphragm SLR. Also had a mirror "prism" viewfinder, an intermediate step to a solid pentaprism. Reflex mirrors coupled to the shutter release had been spring actuated to rise automatically since the 19th century, but the viewfinder would remain blacked-out until the mirror was manually cocked back down.

Rectaflex (Italy): first SLR camera equipped with a pentaprism for eye-level viewing. The first prototype of the Rectaflex was presented by Telemaco Corsi at the Milano Fair in April 1947. It was a wooden mock-up, with a mirror eye-level finder. This first prototype used a five-facet roof optic prism giving a left to right inverted image. For vertical pictures, the image was upside down, and that was a big drawback. This was corrected with a Goulier prism before the 1948 Milano Fair.

120 film. Had modular design accepting interchangeable lenses, film magazines and folding waist level finder. The 1/1600 second corrugated stainless steel focal-plane shutter was unreliable and was replaced by a slower but more reliable 1/1000 second focal-plane shutter in the Hasselblad 1000F (Sweden) of 1952.

Telemaco Corsi from Rome shows world"s first working Pentaprism SLR, Italian Rectaflex, at Milano Fair in April. Production of preseries Standard 947 model starts in June. Series production of model A 1000 starts in September. Alpa Prisma Reflex (Switzerland) had a pentaprism viewfinder in 1948, but its eyepiece was angled upward at 45°.

VEB Zeiss Ikon (Dresden) East Germany): second pentaprism eyelevel viewing 35 mm SLR.M42 screw mount camera. (The East German KW Praktica came out at about the same time.)

Ihagee Exakta Varex (East Germany; called Exakta V in USA): first interchangeable viewfinder, first interchangeable focusing screens, first viewfinder condenser lens SLR.digital SLRs.

Angénieux 35mm f/2.5 Retrofocus Type R 1 (France): first retrofocus wide angle lens for 35 mm SLRs (for Exaktas).Taylor-Hobson 35mm f/2 (1931, UK) developed to provide back-focus clearance for the beamsplitter prism used by the full-color via three negative Technicolor motion picture process.Nikkor 13mm f/5.6 (Japan) lens for Nikon 35 mm SLRs in 1975, but they are extremely large compared to non-SLR short focal length lenses because of their gigantic negative elements.

Asahiflex I (Japan): first Japanese 35 mm SLR. Had folding waist level finder and focal-plane shutter.Pentax and owned by Ricoh) manufactured cameras exclusively of SLR type

VEB Zeiss Ikon (Dresden) Contax E (East Germany): first built-in light meter SLR. Had an external selenium photoelectric cell mounted behind a door on the pentaprism housing, above the lens. The meter was uncoupled – the photographer would need to wait until the meter stabilized and manually set the shutter speed and lens aperture to match the indicated exposure reading.Contaflex (Germany) 35 mm twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera of 1935.

Zeiss Ikon Contaflex I (West Germany): first leaf shutter 35 mm SLR. Had Synchro-Compur leaf shutter and front cell focusing 45mm f/2.8 Tessar lens,focal-plane shutters were very expensive and SLRs equipped with Compur or Prontor leaf shutters were strong competitors.

Metz/Kilfitt Heinz Kilfitt, also designed the Robot (Germany) of 1934, the first 24×24 mm 35 mm (not 135 type) camera.Four-Thirds System digital format of 2002 is the latest attempt at a narrower, albeit not square, format.

Tokiwa Seiki Firstflex 35 (Japan): first interchangeable lens, leaf shutter 35 mm SLR. Otherwise a wholly forgettable camera; cheaply made to low specifications and of poor quality, with waist level finder.

Kilfitt 4 cm f/3.5 Makro-Kilar (West Germany/Liechtenstein): first close focusing "macro" lens for 35 mm SLRs (for Exaktas and others). Version D focused from infinity to 1:1 ratio (life-size) at two inches; version E, to 1:2 ratio (half life-size) at four inches.

Zeiss Ikon Contaflex III (West Germany): first high-quality, interchangeable lens attachments, leaf shutter 35 mm pentaprism SLR with built-in selenium exposure meter. Was improved Contaflex I (see above) with redesigned Carl Zeiss unit-focusing Tessar lens,

Hasselblad 500C (Sweden): replaced the Hasselblad 1600F/1000F"s (see above) problematic focal-plane shutter with reliable interlens Synchro-Compur leaf shutters and made the 2¼ medium format SLR the dominant professional studio camera by the late 1950s. Well-integrated, durable and reliable design without instant return mirror, but with excellent auto-diaphragm interchangeable lenses and large accessory system.

Zunow SLR (Japan): first japanese internal auto-diaphragm (Zunow-matic Diaphragm System) 35 mm SLR and lenses. Well-integrated focal-plane shutter, instant return mirror, pentaprism and auto-diaphragm design with excellent lenses and good accessory system.electromagnet. The financially weak Zunow company was unable to capitalize on its design; few examples of the camera (and much fewer of the wide and tele lenses for it) were produced before the company switched back to lenses for other companies" cameras. Zunow went bankrupt in 1961.Exakta VX (East Germany) 35 mm SLR introduced an external auto-diaphragm lens system using a spring-loaded shutter button plunger connection rod.

Voigtländer Bessamatic first leaf shutter 35mm SLR with a built-in light meter coupled to a viewfinder exposure control indicator – a galvanometer needle pointer.

Zeiss Ikon Paxette Reflex [West Germany] leaf shutter SLR had an external top mounted, coupled light meter needle system in 1958.rangefinder cameras, but almost exclusive to Contarex/Contaflex series among 35 mm SLRs. Although Contarex SLRs and their Zeiss lenses were of extremely high quality, they were also extremely expensive

Nikon SP 35 mm rangefinder camera had the first electric motor drive for any camera type in 1957.focal-plane shutter, instant return mirror, pentaprism and auto-diaphragm design with excellent interchangeable lenses and huge accessory system. Although the F was not technologically ground-breaking, it sold 862,600 unitsRF) by the early 1960s.twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera (typified by the Franke & Heidecke Rolleiflex/Rolleicord series [Germany, later West Germany]) by the early 1960s.

Konica F (Japan): first SLR with 1/2000 second and 1/125 second flash X-synchronization focal-plane shutter.Hi-Synchro shutterNikon FM2 (Japan) reached 1/4000 sec. (and 1/200 sec. flash X-sync)Nikon FE2 (Japan), with an improved version of this shutter, boosted X-sync speed to 1/250 sec. (3.3 ms curtain travel time) in 1983.Minolta Maxxum 9xi (Japan) in 1992.

Royer Savoyflex Automatique (France): first autoexposure SLR. Had an unreliable mechanical shutter-priority autoexposure system controlled by an external selenium light meter, Prontor leaf shutter and fixed 50mm f/2.8 Som-Berthiot lens.Super Kodak Six-20 (USA) of 1938 with a mechanical system controlling both aperture and shutter speed via trapped-needle method coupled to external selenium photoelectric cell.

Krasnogorsky Mekhanichesky Zavod (KMZ) Narciss camera (Soviet Union; subminiature SLR. Took 14×21 mm frames on unperforated, specially spooled 16 mm film. Compact design with interchangeable lenses and removable finder. Subminiature film format cameras (those using smaller than 135 film) require a very high degree of enlargement to make even small 3½×5 inch prints, magnifying image imperfections compared to larger formats; they are mostly used where the small camera size and weight are more important than image quality.

Nikkorex Zoom 35 (Japan): first 35 mm SLR with fixed zoom lens (Zoom-Nikkor Auto 43–86mm f/3.5). Had non-pentaprism, four mirror reflex viewfinder and leaf shutter.

Super D in USA; name became Super D worldwide in 1972Weston Universal 617 (USA) helped introduce light exposure metering by a handheld selenium photoelectric device to sense the ambient light in 1932,Mec 16SB (West Germany) non-SLR subminiature (10×14 mm frames on 16 mm film) camera in 1960.Nikon F (see above) with any success. However, Topcons never progressed and Tokyo Kogaku (or Tokyo Optical) quit the consumer camera business circa 1980.

Asahi (Honeywell in USA) focal-plane shutter, instant return mirror and pentaprism design with excellent non-auto-diaphragm interchangeable lenses.Minolta SRT101 [1966; open aperture, modified centerweighted]

Krasnogorsky Mekhanichesky Zavod (KMZ) Zenit 5 (Soviet Union; Зенит 5): first SLR with built-in electric motor drive. Had a Ni-Cd battery powered motor for automatic single-frame film advance with a backup film wind knob.Minolta SRM (Japan) was the first SLR with built-in electric sequential motor drive and first SLR with auto film-rewind. It was a modified Minolta SRT101 with a permanently bottom-mounted motor drive (eight AA [LR6] batteries) and detachable handgrip for continuous three frames per second sequence shooting, but no light meter.digital SLRs.

Kodak Retina Reflex IV (USA/West Germany): first SLR with standard ISO hot shoe atop the pentaprism housing for direct flash mounting and synchronization.Bell & Howell Foton [1948, USA] 35 mm rangefinderCanon FTb (Japan). They used ISO-style shoes with extra electrical contacts.de facto standardized in the 1950s, the International Organization for Standardization did not promulgate its ISO 518 hot shoe specification until 1977.

Praktica Electronic (East Germany) first SLR with an electronically controlled shutter. Used electronic circuitry to time its focal-plane shutter instead of spring /gear/lever clockwork mechanisms.

AutoReflex in USA): first (really second after Soviet russian Kiev 10 Automat of 1964) 35 mm SLR with successful shutter-priority automation (first with a focal-plane shutter). The camera also had the rare ability to allow selection between frame sizes (horizontal 24×36 mm or vertical 18×24 mm) between frames on the same roll of film. The camera used a mechanical "trap-needle" autoexposure system controlled by an external CdS meter that read light directly (not through-the-lens).

Zeiss Ikon Contaflex 126 (West Germany): first Kodapak Instamatic 126 cartridge film SLR. Was a Voigtländer focal-plane shutter design unrelated to 35 mm Contaflexes (see above), accepting fully interchangeable lenses.

OP Fisheye-Nikkor 10mm f/5.6 (Japan): first SLR lens with aspherical elements. Was a 180° orthographic projection fisheye lens for Nikon and Nikkormat 35 mm SLRs.50mm f/1.2 Noctilux (West Germany) in 1966; for Leica M-series 35 mm RFs.Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 AL (Japan) of 1971 was the first rectilinear aspheric SLR lens; for FD mount Canon SLRs,SMC Takumar 15mm f/3.5 (Japan/West Germany) of 1975 was the first rectilinear aspheric wide angle SLR lens; for M42 screw mount Asahi Pentax SLRs

Yashica TL Electro X (Japan): first SLR with all solid-state electronic light metering system. Had a stop-down aperture, full area averaging, CdS light meter linked via a four transistor circuit board to an extinguish-both-red-over-and-underexposure-lights exposure control system instead of a galvanometer meter needle. Also had another four transistor timing circuit to electronically control its metal-bladed Copal Square SE focal-plane shutter.

Asahi (Honeywell in USA) Pentax 67 in 1990120 film. The 67 format is called "perfect" or "ideal," because its aspect ratio enlarges to an 8×10 inch print without cropping. The Pentax 6×7 resembled a greatly scaled-up 35 mm SLR.

120 film. Also had "revolving" rotatable interchangeable film backs to easily take vertical photographs with the normally horizontal format and standard interchangeable waist level viewfinder.

Asahi SMC Takumar lenses (Japan): first all multicoated (Super-Multi-Coated) lenses for consumer cameras; for M42 screw mount Asahi Pentax SLRs.calcium fluoride to suppress flare producing surface reflections

Asahi Pentax Electro Spotmatic (Japan; name shortened to Asahi Pentax ES in 1972; called Honeywell Pentax ES in USACanon EF (1973; shutter priority),Minolta XE–7 (1975; aperture priority)Nikkormat EL (1972; aperture priority),

Praktica LLC (East Germany)(really December 1969): first interchangeable lens camera with electric contact lens mount, first camera with electromechanical lens diaphragm stopdown control.

Fujica ST801 (Japan): first SLR with viewfinder light emitting diodes.Fujica ST901 (Japan) of 1974, was the first SLR with a viewfinder LED digital data display.

E. Leitz APO-Telyt