The most common type of camera today, 35mm cameras were invented in 1914 by Oskar Barnack, and made commercially available by Leica in 1925. In the decades since then, literally hundreds of companies have produced a large variety of 35mm cameras, ranging from "single use" disposable cameras to professional-level SLR systems. As implied by the name, these cameras use 35mm-wide film, spooled into light-tight cartridges. Most 35mm cameras record 24 by 36mm images on the film, but alternate formats (such as 24 x 32mm and 24 x 18mm) do exist. The 35mm format provides a comfortable balance between image clarity, camera size, and affordability that has made the format popular with professional and amateur photographers.

For many photography enthusiasts, camera collecting is as much a part of their hobby as the taking of photographs.

Sites in this category are less concerned with technical information about cameras, and more concerned with general information for and about camera collectors, including displays of private collections, collectors' organizations, and advice on building collections.

Instant cameras were invented in 1947 by Edmund Land, founder of Polaroid. Such cameras use self-developing films that chemically convert to finished photographs without the intermediate step of developing a negative. Although only a handful of companies have marketed instant cameras, there are a diversity of formats, with image sizes ranging from 36 x 24mm to 20 x 24 inches. While obviously convenient, instant films' lack of negatives make reproducing photos more difficult. On the other hand, instant films unusual composition allow for innovative manipulations of the developing or finished photo, which has led to renewed interest in the format by artists and photographers.

Large format cameras are manual-focus view cameras that use sheet film to produce images significantly larger than other formats. (The most popular large format cameras produce images 100 x 120mm in size, 13 times the area of a standard 35mm camera image.) Similarly, large format cameras are the largest contemporary cameras, requiring tripods to hold them steady, and bellows to adjust focal lengths. Large format cameras are widely considered the most "old-fashioned" types of cameras, having changed relatively little over the past century.

One of the oldest formats still in widespread use, medium format cameras and film were introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1898. Medium format film is 2-3/8 inches wide, sold in paper-backed rolls commonly referred to as 120 or 220 films. Medium format images are 56mm high, with image widths depending on the camera used. Many photographers still prefer twin lens reflex (TLR) cameras for their medium format work, but medium format SLR and compact medium format cameras do exist. Medium format cameras tend to be larger, more expensive, and slower than contemporary 35mm and APS cameras, but the more detailed images produced by medium format films make them popular with some professionals, especially portrait, fashion, and wedding photographers.

Subminiature cameras are usually defined as any still camera that exclusively uses a single film format smaller than 16.7mm x 30.2mm, which is the size of the Advanced Photo System's (APS) IX240 film. The size of the camera is not the determining factor, though in most cases these cameras are some of the smallest ever produced. There are a variety of contemporary and historical subminiature formats, including (but not limited to) Minox, 16mm, disc, and half-frame cameras. The majority of these cameras are not toys. In fact, many of them have some of the more advanced optics of their time, as well as being mechanical marvels. Many older models rival the better lenses produced today. Cameras produced fifty years ago are carried daily in the pockets of many professional photographers.