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Body
The camera body must be rigid and light. Rigidity is important because the camera must hold the lens steady in relation to the film or sensor. Specialized cameras for underwater photography or for rugged duty may be waterproof or shockproof.
Lens
A good quality lens is critical for taking quality photographs. The best lenses are finished to a high accuracy right to their edges, have a high transparency to let in maximum light and are made up of several lens elements to correct distortions caused by simple lenses. Lenses typically include an aperture adjustment that controls the amount of light passing through the lens into the camera.
Recording Medium
Photographs were traditionally taken on film but, as of 2011, they are mostly digital. An electronic sensor replaces the film at the back of the camera and converts the light reaching the focus of the camera into electronic signals. These signals are stored in a memory chip. The resulting digital images require a viewer or computer to be displayed but can also be printed out on glossy paper similar to traditional photographs.
Shutter
The shutter opens briefly to let a short pulse of light into the camera. This action freezes the motion of the target and creates an instantaneous image. Shutter speed is also a second way of controlling the amount of light that passes into the camera.
Viewfinder
The viewfinder lets the photographer see the photograph before he takes it. Digital cameras have LED screens that fulfill the same function. More expensive digital cameras still have viewfinders as well since the LED screens are hard to see in bright sunlight.
Flash
Even with sensitive electronic sensors in digital cameras or very sensitive film, there may not be enough light to take a picture. A flash lights up the scene to add light as necessary. The camera synchronizes the flash to deliver light just after the shutter opens, and the shutter closes again after the flash has delivered enough light to result in a well-lit picture.
Controls
The photographer must be able to adjust the aperture, shutter speed, flash and many other settings to take good pictures. In traditional film cameras, he makes these adjustments by moving rings on the lenses and adjusting levers manually. In digital cameras, he can select automatic operation to let the camera make the adjustments, or he can make them manually by choosing the appropriate settings from menus on the LED screen.
Battery
Film cameras used to have no power source, and the act of manually winding the film stored the energy to take the next picture. In 2011, almost all cameras have batteries to power the various functions. Batteries may be rechargeable power packs particular to the camera or standard AA or AAA sizes. If standard, the photographer may use both regular or rechargeable batteries.