Editing View camera (section)

{{Short description|Large-format camera}}
[[File:view camera 2.svg|frame|Basic view camera terminology]]

A '''view camera''' is a [[large format|large-format]] [[camera]] in which the [[large format lens|lens]] forms an [[erect image|inverted image]] on a [[ground glass|ground-glass]] screen directly at the [[film plane]]. The image is viewed, composed, and focused, then the glass screen is replaced with the [[photographic film|film]] to  [[exposure (photography)|expose]] exactly the same image seen on the screen.<ref name=Rosenblum>{{cite book |last=Rosenblum|first=Naomi |title=A World History of Photography |year=1997 |publisher=[[Abbeville Publishing Group|Abbeville Press]] |location=New York |isbn=0-7892-0028-7 |page=654 |edition=3rd |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/worldhistoryofph00rose/page/654}}</ref>

This type of camera was developed during the era of the [[daguerreotype]]<ref name="stroebel">Stroebel, L. D. (1986).  ''View Camera Technique'', 5th ed., p. 212.  Boston:  Focal Press. {{ISBN|0-240-51711-3}}</ref> (1840s–1850s) and is still in use, some using drive mechanisms for movement (rather than loosen-move-tighten), more scale markings, and/or more spirit levels.  It comprises a flexible [[bellows (photography)|bellows]] that forms a light-tight seal between two adjustable ''standards'', one of which holds a [[Photographic lens|lens]], and the other a ground glass or a photographic film holder or a digital back.<ref name="stroebel2">Stroebel (1986). p. 2.</ref> There are three general types: the rail camera, the [[field camera]], and those that don't fit into the other categories.

The bellows is a flexible, accordion-pleated box. It encloses the space between the lens and film, and flexes to accommodate the movements of the standards.<ref name="adams">Adams, A. (1980). ''The Camera''. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. {{ISBN|0-8212-1092-0}}</ref>{{rp|p. 34}} The ''front standard'' is a frame that holds the [[lensboard]], to which the lens (perhaps with [[Photographic shutter|shutter]]) is attached.

At the other end of the bellows, the ''rear standard'' is a frame that holds a ground glass plate, used for focusing and composing the image before exposure—and is replaced by a holder containing the light-sensitive film, [[Photographic plate|plate]], or [[image sensor]] for exposure. The front and rear standards can [[#Movements|move]] relative to each other, unlike most other camera types. Whereas most cameras control only the distance of the plane of focus from the camera, the view camera can also adjust the orientation of the plane of focus, and perspective control. The camera is normally used on a [[Tripod (photography)|tripod]] support.