Photography

We begin with a light tight box to hold the film and carry it around from subject to subject.

The shutter controls when the light enters the camera and for how long it enters. A good camera will have some way of adjusting the time the shutter is open plus there has to be some type of release for the shutter.

The lens lets in light. The larger the lens the more light. The lens also effects how large the image appears based on the focal length of the lens.

The aperture is located in the lens and is a set of leaf like piece of metal that can change the size of the hole that lets in light. We consider the lens to be part of the shutter as we do not actually need a lens to focus an image if we have a small enough hole to let in the light.

Camera obscura

Camera obscura is the natural optical phenomenon that occurs when an image of a scene at the other side of a screen (or for instance a wall) is projected through a small hole in that screen as a reversed and inverted image (left to right and upside down) on a surface opposite to the opening. The surroundings of the projected image have to be relatively dark for the image to be clear, so many historical camera obscura experiments were performed in dark rooms.

The term "camera obscura" also refers to constructions or devices that make use of the principle within a box, tent or room. Camerae obscurae with a lens in the opening have been used since the second half of the 16th century and became popular as an aid for drawing and painting. The camera obscura box was developed further into the photographic camera in the first half of the 19th century when camera obscura boxes were used to expose light-sensitive materials to the projected image.

The camera obscura was used as a means to study eclipses, without the risk of damaging the eyes by looking into the sun directly.

As a drawing aid, the camera obscura allowed tracing the projected image to produce a highly accurate representation, especially appreciated as an easy way to achieve a proper graphical perspective.

A camera obscura device without a lens but with a very small hole is sometimes referred to as a "pinhole camera", although this more often refers to simple (home-made) lens-less cameras in which photographic film or photographic paper is used.

A very large camera designed by George R. Lawrence (1868-1938) and used to photograph a train of the Chicago & Alton railroad on the Chicago-St. Louis line for the 1900 Paris Exhibition. - After the French Consul General had inspected the camera and enormous glass plate, Lawrence was awarded the Grand Prize of the World for Photographic Excellence at the Paris Exposition of 1900 for his 8 x 4 1/2 foot photograph of the Alton Limited train, promoted as The Largest Photograph in the World of the Handsomest Train in the World. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_giant_camera.jpg

In an Era where digital cameras come and go quickly, the Leica II from 1932 still works fine and is most definitely fun to use for not so modern photography.

The Leica II was the first commercially successful, small 35mm format, rangefinder camera with a reliable shutter and with a standardized lens mount, which allowed for interchangeable lenses. This was cutting edge technology in 1932. In spite of its age - the Leica II is still a very usable camera for daylight photography. With the collapsible 50mm Elmar lens or 35mm focal length Summaron, the entire Leica II package will comfortably fit in coat pocket.

In 1963, Kodak introduced the INSTAMATIC series of cameras. This series were the first cameras to utilize Kodak's then new 126 format film (an inexpensive, easy-to-load film cartridge). In February 1963, the first INSTAMATIC camera, INSTAMATIC 50 was launched in the UK. This model was soon followed by the US version, INSTAMATIC 100, which had a built-in 'peanut' flash. The INSTAMATIC series was an incredible success which later triggered the production of many imitations. Nevertheless, the inexpensive INSTAMATIC 50 compact point-and-shoot camera took the world by storm, even being given out along with SCOTT paper towels. This eventually led to a generation where everyone can 'shoot' and amateur casual photography became common; a clever business strategy to boost the sales of their 126 film. Shortly after, other big brothers of the photography industry started manufacturing their versions of the INSTAMATIC

The camera generally recognised as the first digital still snapper was a prototype developed by Eastman Kodak engineer Steven Sasson in 1975.

Basic Mechanics of the Camera

Camera obscura