Different Types of Digital Camera

There are four types of digital camera:

Compact Cameras

These range from the basic click and shoot cameras, to more advanced compact cameras which offer different ISOs, more program modes, manual mode, RAW capture.  These cameras have fixed lenses, in that you cannot change the physical lens, but many of these cameras do feature zoom lenses, which would sometimes cover many of the lenses you might need especially as some cameras feature up to 10x zooms.

My first digital camera was a compact camera, a Fujifilm Finepix 1400 Zoom.

This camera is between the point and click and the more advanced cameras.

Bridge Cameras

The next type of camera is the bridge camera.  These cameras are called bridge cameras because they bridge the gap between compact cameras and SLR (single lens reflex) cameras.

These cameras also feature fixed lenses, but offer higher zoom ranges, up to 30x, and offer more features and allow the photographer to be more creative.

Above is the Fujifilm Finepix S7000 bridge camera, like the one that I own, that I moved on to after the Finepix 1400 zoom.

This camera offered RAW capture using Fujifilm's RAF format, as well as a larger zoom range and far more control over the final photograph with metered manual mode.

Single Lens Reflex (SLR) Cameras

These cameras offer total control with more manual control, interchangeable lenses and a wide range of accessories.

  

The Pentax K10D shown above has the battery grip, which not only holds a second battery but also includes a second shutter button and front and rear e-dials for changing the shutter speed and aperture, whilst the camera is held to the photographer's eye.  This accessory is very handy as not only does it provide these features but can also store a second SD memory card (not directly accessible from the camera), and a Pentax remote control, but makes portraits and portrait style photographs easier because it provides a more natural way of holding the camera as opposed to simply rotating the camera and twisting the hands in order to access the camera controls.

The ability to change the camera lens makes these cameras more versatile than any other type of camera.

A newer form of interchangeable lens camera, similar to SLRs but sometimes referred to as micro systems.  One example of these is the Olympus Pen camera, shown above.

Medium Format Cameras

These are the larger cameras, offering resolutions of 40 megapixel for more professional photographers, and are very expensive.