reflex camera

[ ree-fleks kam-er-uh ]

noun

1. a camera in which the image appears on a ground-glass viewer focusing screen after being reflected by a mirror or after passing through a prism or semitransparent glass; in one type single-lens reflex camera, or single-lens, light passes through the same lens to both the ground glass and the film, while in another type twin-lens reflex camera, or twin-lens reflex, light passes through one lens viewing lens to the ground glass and through a second lens taking lens to the film, the lenses being mechanically coupled for focusing.

reflex camera

noun

1. a camera in which the image is composed and focused on a large ground-glass viewfinder screen. In a single-lens reflex the light enters through the camera lens and falls on the film when the viewfinder mirror is retracted. In a twin-lens reflex the light enters through a separate lens and is deflected onto the viewfinder screen

Word History and Origins

Origin of reflex camera¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Optics and imaging giant Nikon will stop making new single lens reflex cameras — once the technological mainstay of professional photography — according to a report from Nikkei.

From The Verge

Leicas are more compact than any comparable digital single lens reflex camera, and I prefer the clarity of their optical viewfinders over the magnified electronic ones of other mirrorless digital cameras.

From New York Times

Thanks to a tool called a Katana, which acts as a mount and a tripod for on-the-ground use, Buenrostro has also replaced her regular digital single-lens reflex camera with a drone.

From Washington Post

Then came autofocus lenses and auto functions on the high-end single lens reflex cameras that rolled out from companies like Canon and Nikon.

From New York Times

He was wearing multiple press identification cards and carried a Canon digital single-lens reflex camera.

From Los Angeles Times