Why is there a mirror inside an SLR?

All SLR cameras use a mirror and a penta prism model to reflect light through the camera body and the photographer can see the scene through the view finder. The below video demonstrates the light path through a SLR camera.

How SLR camera work

Since the light reflects of the mirror it gets the term Reflex. Combining the definitions based on how light enters and reflects its called a Single Lens Reflex or simply SLR.

How can I become a photographer?

This is a typical question asked by any one aspiring to be a photographer. However there is no shortcut or straight forward answer to this. It requires lot of passion and dedicated study of art and science. This will also require to identify the subject that interests one a lot. There are many professional courses that are concentrated on grooming aspiring professionals in to professional photographers by giving sufficient knowledge on the subject and also on other varied subjects required to be a successful photographer. As a colloquial saying goes “A mediocre photographer with strong business skills outperforms a great photographer with mediocre business skills”.

The below video depicts a typical path any photographer undergoes during the course of the time.

What is a DSLR and is it different from SLR or Film SLR?

 SLR and DSLR are very similar or we can even say same in functionality. The only major difference between them is the medium on which the light is captured. The film SLR uses films as the light sensitive medium and the digital SLRs or DSLRs have digital sensors to capture the light. Other differences include the massive menu systems and the screen provided to review the images on a DSLR. Film SLRS have very simple menu systems and mostly mechanical controls using knobs and dials. After digital revolution came to being lots of functions are being controlled using menu systems and some of them very typical to the digital photography which were not required for film camera.  But both these cameras work using the same philosophy.