Lesson 2 : 22.2.2010 - History of the Camera

Lesson 2 : 22.2.2010 - History of the Camera

Today's lesson took us through a basic history of the camera. Camera is a latinword meaning vault and obscura means darkness. The camera obscura was originally designed and used as a drawing aid. It has then developed into the camera that we all know and use today.

Brief History
1267 - Roger Bacon writes about the camera obscura from 10th century Arab scholars writings.
1490 - Leonardo Da Vinci describes one in detail
1558 - Giovanni Battista della Porta, suggests it be used as a drawing aid and then went onto install mirrors and a lens to revert the image and make it sharper and brighter.
1557 - First moveable camera obscuras appeared.
1676 - First reflex camera produced.
1685 - First telephoto lens

Light Sensative Materials
There were many significant discoveries from the early 1700’s to the early 1800’s but history records Joseph Niépce as the person responsible for the first permanent camera image, a view from his window in 1826.

This was an 8 hour exposure. - Bitumen of Judea on Pewter


Camera Basics
- light-tight body
- lens to focus the image
- means of capturing the image (film/sensor)
- aperture through which the light passes
- shutter to begin and end the exposure/capture

Aperture
- aperture means hole or opening
- different sized apertures allow exposure to be varied
- when light level is low, a large aperture can be used
- when light level is high, a small aperture can be used

Shutter
- mechanism to begin and end the exposure/capture
- early versions were simply a lens cap
- low light level requires a long exposure
- high light level requires a short exposure
- focal plane or between the lens (BTL/Leaf) variety

Shutter Types
- Focal plane: operates in front of the film ‘at’ the focal plane -
BTL or Leaf: operates inside the lens much like a diaphragm


Blogwork:

Familiarise yourself with your camera.

Canon 40D

- Shutter Speed Range: 30 - 1/8000 sec

- Lens Aperture Range: F1.0 - F91 (dependant on lens)

- Exposure Modes:
• Auto
• Program AE (P)
• Shutter priority AE (Tv)
• Aperture priority AE (Av)
• Manual (M)
• Auto depth-of-field
• Portrait
• Landscape
• Close-up
• Sports
• Night portrait
• Flash off
• Camera user settings 1 *
• Camera user settings 2 *
• Camera user settings 3 *

- ISO Range: 100 - 1600

- The preset white/grey balance:
• Auto
• Daylight
• Shade
• Cloudy
• Tungsten
• Fluorescent
• Flash
• Custom
• Kelvin (2500 * - 10000 K in 100 K steps)

- File Types:
• RAW (.CR2; 14-bit *)
• JPEG (EXIF 2.21) - Fine / Normal
• RAW + JPEG (separate files)
• sRAW (2.5 MP) *