Camera obscura when was it invented

In other words, should be about equal to. However, it is observed to be much greater when the paths of the rays which form the extremities of are retraced in the reverse direction, it is found that they meet at a point outside the aperture and then diverge again toward the sun as illustrated in figure 1. This an early accurate description of the Camera Obscura phenomenon.

The first written reference to the lenses was made by the mathematician Girolamo Cardano in , but the scientist Giovanni Della Porta was the one who, eight years later, spread this piece of news around the World. In the XVIIth century, Robert Hooke built cameras oscuras, and tried to reproduce the curved shape of the retina, wiith concave screens of projection situated at the bottom of the camera. The intention was to demostrate the mechanism of the human vision.

He also built different types of portable cameras obscuras, used to make illustrations in the travel guides and for topography. With that model, an inclined mirror reflects the image projecting it on to a paper situated on the glass situated on the top of the camera.

The lens was situaded at the end of a tube which slides into another one in order to focus at different distances. The mirror tilts and rotates allowing us to see a degree view of Edinburgh and the lenses allow us to see the image the right way up. In fact, camera obscuras date back to as far as BC, possibly even before records existed.

The earliest known written account of a camera obscura was provided by a Chinese philosopher called Mo-tzu or Mozi in BC. He noted that light from an illuminated object that passed through a pinhole into a dark room created an inverted image of the original object.

In the 4th century BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle realised that a partial eclipse could be viewed by looking at the ground beneath a tree. The crescent shape of the partially eclipsed sun projected onto the ground through the holes in a sieve and through the gaps between the leaves allowing him to view it safely. Alhazen or Ibn al-Haytham is said to have actually invented the camera obscura, as well as the pinhole camera which is based on the same idea.

There are several pages that features images of camera obscura rooms such as this page on US park camera obscuras from our collection. Today the camera obscura is enjoying a revival of interest. Older camera obscuras are celebrated as cultural and historic treasures and new camera obscuras are being built around the world. You must be logged in to post a comment. Skip to content Topics Topography of Memory Uncategorized.