• 13 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Film Camera

A manual 35 mm film camera from above, from the back with the door open, and from the front.

Parts of a Film Camera

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Lens
  2. Focusing ring
  3. Aperture ring
  4. Lens mount
  5. Hot shoe
  6. Shutter button
  7. Film advance lever
  8. Viewfinder eyepiece
  9. Film cartridge
  10. Shutter curtain
  11. Sprocket
  12. Take-up spool
  13. Mirror

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-29 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: inside a camera lens

All 13 parts on the diagram

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Top and lens 7

  1. Lens It can be taken off and swapped for another.
  2. Focusing ring On a manual camera the photographer focuses by hand.
  3. Aperture ring A wider opening lets in more light.
  4. Lens mount A bayonet: the lens goes in and turns to lock.
  5. Hot shoe Its contacts fire the flash with the shutter.
  6. Shutter button It opens the shutter for the chosen time.
  7. Film advance lever It winds the film on one frame and cocks the shutter.

Inside the camera 6

  1. Viewfinder eyepiece You see what the film will see, through the lens and mirror.
  2. Film cartridge 35 mm film comes rolled up in a light-tight cartridge.
  3. Shutter curtain It opens for a moment to let light onto the film.
  4. Sprocket Its teeth fit the holes along the film and pull it along.
  5. Take-up spool The film is threaded into its slot.
  6. Mirror It reflects the view up to the viewfinder. It flips up when you take the picture.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-29, a name kept only where both sources use it: Canon AE-1 Instructions (a 35 mm SLR maker's manual), full text at https://archive.org/details/canon-ae-1-instructions (film advance lever, shutter button, hot shoe, viewfinder eyepiece, aperture ring, focusing ring, lens mount, mirror, film cartridge, sprocket, take-up spool, shutter curtain); and Wikipedia, text only: Single-lens reflex camera, Camera, 135 film, Film advance lever and Hot shoe. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-29 from plain geometry; no maker's camera, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A manual 35 mm film camera in three views. From above you see the lens and the controls; from the back, with the door open, the path the film takes; from the front, with the lens off, the mirror behind it.

Read the full guide

Follow the film

Numbers 1 to 7 are the outside: the lens with its focusing and aperture rings, the mount, the hot shoe, the shutter button and the advance lever. Numbers 8 to 13 are the film's path: you look through the eyepiece, the film leaves its cartridge, passes the shutter curtain, is pulled by the sprocket onto the take-up spool, and the mirror flips up for each picture.

  • Wind on before every picture: the advance lever moves the film one frame and readies the shutter.

Questions and answers

How does a film camera work?

Light passes through the lens. Press the shutter button and the mirror flips up and the shutter curtain opens for a moment, so the light falls on the film. The advance lever then winds the film on to a fresh frame.

Where does the film go in a film camera?

The film cartridge sits in the chamber on the left, seen from the back. Its end is pulled across the shutter, the sprocket's teeth catch the holes, and it is threaded onto the take-up spool on the right.

What is the lever on top of a film camera?

The film advance lever. Swinging it winds the film on by one frame and gets the shutter ready for the next picture.

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