View Camera

The view camera is a type of camera, typically large format (it uses sheet film or large digital sensors). It is characterised by a modular structure composed of two mobile supports called standards (a front one that holds the lens and a rear one that holds the focal plane/film), connected by a light-tight bellows, all mounted on a rail or base (monorail or flatbed).

What is it used for / Why is it important

The fundamental characteristic of the view camera are the camera movements: the standards can be tilted (vertical tilting), swung sideways (horizontal tilting), raised/lowered (vertical rise/fall) and shifted sideways (horizontal shift). This flexibility offers unparalleled control over two crucial aspects:

• Perspective control: It allows for the correction of perspective distortions, such as converging vertical lines when photographing a building from below.

• Plane of focus control: It allows for the extension or modification of the depth of field according to the Scheimpflug principle, bringing non-parallel planes into focus (useful, for example, in still life or landscape photography). It is important because it allows for technically perfect and extremely high-quality images, which are impossible to achieve with conventional cameras without the aid of specialist optics (such as tilt-shift lenses).

When is it used / In what context is it useful

The view camera is the instrument of choice for photographic genres that require maximum precision, control and image quality:

• Architectural photography: To keep vertical lines perfectly parallel.

• Still life and product photography: To control the depth of field creatively and precisely on nearby objects.

• Landscape photography: To achieve extended sharpness from the foreground to infinity and for perspective corrections.

• Advertising and industrial photography: Where technical quality and control are priorities.

• Fine art portraiture: For creative depth of field effects and for the high resolution of large format.

Its use is slow, methodical and requires a solid technical understanding.

Practical example

To photograph a skyscraper from street level without it appearing to "fall backwards", a photographer with a view camera would keep the rear standard (film/sensor plane) perfectly vertical and use the rise movement (vertical shift upwards) on the front standard (lens) to frame the top of the building.