Why are cameras mainly black?

11 years 3 months ago #264405 by Tuscany
Is there a legitimate reason why camera bodies are mainly black? I know some come in red, but why not in other colors or even white will be nice.


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11 years 3 months ago #264407 by Stealthy Ninja
Black goes with everything. Black is StealthY.

Black blends in and doesn't stand out so much. Great if you want to get some candids and such.

Most photographers don't care about fashion that much I guess. Personally I think multiple coloured cameras make them seem like cheap point and shoot cameras. Black = pro (petty I know).
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11 years 3 months ago #264419 by McBeth Photography
I've always kinda thought that cameras are usually black to prevent weird reflections on the subject. Otherwise, I have no idea. :huh:

It is what it is.
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11 years 3 months ago #264425 by ShutterGuy
I'd sport a white camera. Actually I would have to see one first. :toetap:


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11 years 3 months ago #264444 by effron
Initially, professional cameras were mostly used in photographic studios. When using artificial lighting, there is always a good chance that the camera could end up as a reflection in some glass or metal object being photographed. Consequently, serious photographers needed to be aware of reflections that could spoil their photographs. Chrome cameras made it difficult to keep reflections to a minimum. At some point, manufacturers decided to make professional cameras black. In most major studios, the tripods, light stands and other professional hardware are usually black for the same reason. Graphic arts cameras and copy cameras and lenses would usually be masked off with black material to reduce reflections off of the copy glass. Some photographers will go as far as painting out the camera names on the front of the camera and the white lettering around the front of the lens to eliminate any chance of reflection. For the same reason, macro lenses are generally black when seen from the front with the lens type and other lens info printed around the barrel where it can't reflect off the subject. Some photographers go as far as wearing dark clothing in order to avoid unwanted reflections. Camera straps with bright logos and camera names are also avoided.

Besides being less reflective, black painted cameras are usually less conspicuous and are better choices for some types of photography where the intrusion of the camera is to be avoided. Street photographers and photojournalists usually prefer to use cameras that meet this requirement.

There.....

Why so serious?
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11 years 3 months ago - 11 years 3 months ago #264448 by MajorMagee
It's really all about marketing, and creating social norms among your target group.

Lenses in the Canon L lens series are white in color. According to Canon, this reduces heat gain when a lens is used in bright, direct sunlight. White reflects more light than black - thus, less heat gain. The white lenses look great, but attract attention. Watch for them the next time you watch a sports event on TV or in person.


You can make an argument for anything if you want to bad enough.

As I've been known to say in my Engineering classes:
Reasons That Sound Good Are Not Always Good Sound Reasons.


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11 years 3 months ago #264454 by Happy Snapper
White isn't too bad




Gripped Nikon D810 --- Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 --- Sigma 10-20mm f/4 --- Nikon 50mm f/1.4 --- SB600
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11 years 3 months ago #264469 by Boydster
White would be nice. It's clean and fresh look. But most likely look grungy after a few weeks!

Canon 7D, Canon 50 1.8, Canon 100 macro, Canon 70-200 f/4L, Canon 24-105 L, Canon TS-E 45, Tokina 12-24
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11 years 3 months ago #264487 by Joves
I think it is more a case of habit. My Pentax MX is aluminum and black leather. My D300 is not really all black, the rubber parts are a deep charcoal gray. Granted it looks close to black but is not. But also black is nonreflective so it works well for its purpose.


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11 years 3 months ago #264503 by Ben Mayer
I'm not feeling the white bodies, prefer my camera gear to be black


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11 years 3 months ago #264509 by icepics
Early cameras had black interiors, black bellows, black exteriors - I think to prevent light/reflectons from reaching the film. There were some box cameras with red, blue, green leatherette and/or chrome or nickel on the exterior, and some cameras with olive drab exteriors, so I guess by the WW II era camera manfacturers realized that wouldn't affect the film. Even with many mid-century plastic or bakelite cameras if the body has color the interior is black.

Sharon
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11 years 3 months ago #264534 by MajorMagee
Then there's always the Henry Ford answer. He made all his cars black because it was the cheapest paint to produce, and hid the car's finish imperfections the best. Black plastic and rubber follows this manufacturing principle perfectly.

If it really was for optical reasons wouldn't an 18% Grey with a matte texture be the ideal?

Of course controlling what shade of grey you'll actually get from batch to batch can be a problem if you try to use recycled content, so it's much more difficult and costly to do than just dumping in enough carbon black to cover everything up.


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11 years 3 months ago #264563 by chasrich
Once you go black you never go back... :woohoo:

“Amateurs worry about equipment, professionals worry about money, masters worry about light, I just make pictures… ” ~ Vernon Trent
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11 years 3 months ago #264627 by crystal
black is cool
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11 years 3 months ago #264641 by ShadowWalker
I'm happy with the cameras keeping with the black theme, but do think white would be nice.


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