Apple Aperture Digital Photography Fundamentals - Manual (Page 8)

8 Chapter 1 How Digital Cameras Capture Images
Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR)
This camera is named for the reflexing mirror that allows you to frame the image
through the lens prior to capturing the image. As light passes through the DSLR
camera’s lens, it falls onto a reflexing mirror and then passes through a prism to the
viewfinder. The viewfinder image corresponds to the actual image area. When the
picture is taken, the mirror reflexes, or moves up and out of the way, allowing the open
shutter to expose the digital image sensor, which captures the image. Most features on
a DSLR are adjustable, allowing for greater control over the captured image. Most DSLR
cameras also allow the use of interchangeable lenses, meaning you can swap lenses of
different focal lengths on the same camera body.
Lens
Processor
Mirror
Viewfinder
(shows the actual
image frame) Prism
Digital image sensor
Reflexing mirror
(swung open)