The choice of cameras is seemingly endless, but all function on the same basic principles.

All cameras are fundamentally the same - a light-tight box containing film, with a hole that will let light in to strike the film (or the CCD, in the case of digital cameras) and thereby record an image. A home-made pinhole camera costing pennies and a sophisticated, top-of-the line model costing several thousands of dollars both work on this principle. The differences between them are in how well they perform this function. The pinhole camera is the simplest design, and the least versatile. As features become added to its basic design, the resulting improved cameras progressively provide the photographer with less restrictions and greater ability to take better pictures under a wider variety of circumstances.