Film plane

Indicates the distance from the film plane to the subject, usually in both feet and meters. Some digital cameras can use lenses originally designed for analogue/film cameras, and in case of digital cameras with cropped sensors the owners should take the crop factor into account when using the focusing scale.

Camera movement usually found on large format cameras that allows the front lens panel to shift sideways parallel to the film plane.

The area behind the lens where light is gathered to form a sharply-focused image. It's here where the film or CCD is placed.

An extra feature found on only a few cameras that is used to lock the viewing mirror in the up position while the shutter is fired. The benefit is almost no vibration as well as the ability to keep up with an ultra-fast motor drive. This feature tends to be more common on medium format cameras because the mirror is larger and creates more vibration as it bounces out of the way of the film plane.

A control found mostly on large format cameras that allows the lens to be raised parallel to the film plane. Its used in architectural photography to ensure the verticals of buildings stay straight when shooting with wide angles from low viewpoints.

A medium or large format camera that uses a ground glass screen positioned at the film plane to view the image. Theyre also known as field cameras.