The camera obscura (Lat. dark chamber) was an optical device used in drawing, and one of the ancestral threads leading to the invention of photography. In English, today's photographic devices are still known as "cameras". Image File history File links drawing by Meggar File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links drawing by Meggar File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Photography [fәtɑgrәfi:],[foʊtɑgrәfi:] is the process of recording pictures by means of capturing light on a light-sensitive medium, such as a film or sensor. ... Large format camera lens. ...

The principle of the camera obscura can be demonstrated with a rudimentary type, just a box (which may be room-size) with a hole in one side, (see pinhole camera for construction details). Light from only one part of a scene will pass through the hole and strike a specific part of the back wall. The projection is made on paper on which an artist can then copy the image. The advantage of this technique is that the perspective is right, thus greatly increasing the realism of the image (correct perspective in drawing can also be achieved by looking through a wire mesh and copying the view onto a canvas with a corresponding grid on it). Principle of a pinhole camera. ... A cube in two-point perspective. ...

With this simple do-it-yourself apparatus, the image is always upside-down. By using mirrors, as in the 18th century overhead version illustrated in the Discovery and Origins section, it is also possible to project a right-side-up image. Another more portable type, is a box with an angled mirror projecting onto tracing paper placed on the glass top, the image upright as viewed from the back. Tracing Paper is a type of paper, which is translucent so the light can go through, is made by immersing unsized and unloaded paper of good quality in sulphuric acid for a few seconds. ...

As a pinhole is made smaller, the image gets sharper, but the light-sensitivity decreases. With too small a pinhole the sharpness again becomes worse due to diffraction. Practical camerae obscurae use a lens rather than a pinhole because it allows a larger aperture, giving a usable brightness while maintaining focus. The intensity pattern formed on a screen by diffraction from a square aperture Diffraction refers to various phenomena associated with wave propagation, such as the bending, spreading and interference of waves passing by an object or aperture that disrupts the wave. ... A lens. ... A 35mm lens set to f/11, as indicated by the white dot above the f-stop scale on the aperture ring In photography the f-number (focal ratio) expresses the diameter of the diaphragm aperture in terms of the effective focal length of the lens. ...

A freestanding room-sized camera obscura used by the art department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. One of the pinholes can be seen in the panel to the left of the door.

Some camera obscura have been built as tourist attractions, often taking the form of a large chamber within a high building that can be darkened so that a 'live' panorama of the world outside is projected onto a horizontal surface through a rotating lens. Although few now survive, examples can be found in Grahamstown in South Africa, the Observatory in Bristol, Portslade village and Eastbourne Pier in England, Kentwell Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk, England, Aberystwyth and Portmeirion in Wales, Kirriemuir, Dumfries and Edinburgh in Scotland, Douglas, Isle of Man, Lisbon in Portugal, and California in Santa Monica, Los Angeles at the Griffith Observatory and San Francisco at the Cliff House, in North Carolina is Chris Drury's [1] "Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky" [2], Havana in Cuba, Eger in Hungary, and Cádiz in Spain [3]. There is even a portable example which Willett & Patteson tour around England and the world. Freestanding room-sized camera obscura outside Hanes Art Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ... Freestanding room-sized camera obscura outside Hanes Art Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ... The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public, coeducational, research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. ... Grahamstown from Fort Selwyn Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. ... The Observatory (grid reference ST563741) is a former mill, now used as an observatory, located on Clifton Down, close to the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, England. ... View from Cumberland Basin of the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Avon Gorge Bristol (IPA: ) is a city, unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, 115 miles (185 km) west of London. ... Portslade By The Seaside is the name of a lovely littlevillage, now a developed part of the city of Brighton & Hove. ... Shown within East Sussex Geography Status: Borough Region: South East England Historic County: Sussex Admin. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the Queen (King) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate... Kentwell Hall is a stately home in Suffolk, England. ... The church of the Holy Trinity Long Melford (or Melford, as it is more generally known) is a large, ancient village in the county of Suffolk, England, on the border with Essex, which is marked by the River Stour, approximately 20 miles from Colchester and 20 miles from Bury St. ... Suffolk (pronounced ) is a large historic and modern non-metropolitan county in East Anglia, England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the Queen (King) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate... Aberystwyth (IPA: , South Welsh: ) (in English: Mouth of the Ystwyth) is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. ... The central Piazza and Gloriette. ... This article is about the country. ... Kirriemuir, sometimes called Kirrie, is a burgh in Angus, Scotland. ... The Buccleuch St Bridge Devorgilla Bridge Overlooking Dumfries The Old Bridge House Dumfries ((IPA: ) pronounced dum-freece, not dum-fries) (Dùn Phris in Scottish Gaelic) is a former royal burgh and town with a population of around 31,146 (37,846 including the Locharbriggs and Cargenbridge areas). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II... Location within the British Isles Douglas (Doolish in Manx) is the capital of the Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin) and its largest town. ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Lisboa  - Subregion Grande Lisboa  - District or A.R. Lisbon Mayor Carmona Rodrigues  - Party PSD Area 84. ... For other uses, see Santa Monica (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... Panorama of Los Angeles and Griffith Observatory viewed from the Hollywood Hills. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... San Franciscos Cliff House is a popular restaurant to both locals and vistors. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Nickname: (Spanish) City of Columns Position of Havana in the Americas Coordinates: Country Cuba Province Ciudad de La Habana Municipalities 15 Founded 1515a Government  - Mayor Juan Contino Aslán Area  - City 721. ... (Eger is also German name for the city Cheb in the Czech Republic. ... Nickname: Tacita de plata (little silver cup) Location within Spain Province Cádiz  - Mayor Teófila Martínez (PP) Area    - City 12. ...

The principles of the camera obscura have been known since antiquity. Ibn al-Haitham (Alhazen) built the earliest camera obscura in the 11th century.^[1] Its potential as a drawing aid may have been familiar to artists by as early as the 15th century; Leonardo da Vinci described camera obscura in Codex Atlanticus. Johann Zahn's Oculus Artificialis Teledioptricus Sive Telescopium was published in 1685. This work contains many descriptions and diagrams, illustrations and sketches of both the camera obscura and of the magic lantern. Ibn al-Haytham depicted in an Iraqi 10,000-dinar note. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... The Mona Lisa Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian polymath: scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, and writer. ... Johann Zahn (1631—1707) was the seventeenth century German author of Oculus Artificialis Teledioptricus Sive Telescopium (Würzburg, 1685). ... Events February 6 - James Stuart, Duke of York becomes King James II of England and Ireland and King James VII of Scotland. ... The magic lantern or Laterna Magica was the ancestor of the modern slide projector. ...

A freestanding room-sized camera obscura in the shape of a camera located in San Francisco at the Cliff House in Ocean Beach (San Francisco)

The Dutch Masters, such as Johannes Vermeer, who were hired as painters in the 17th Century, were known for their magnificent attention to detail. It has been widely speculated that they made use of such a camera, but the extent of their use by artists at this period remains a matter of considerable controversy. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3504x2336, 1889 KB)A photo of the Camera Obscura in San Francisco. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3504x2336, 1889 KB)A photo of the Camera Obscura in San Francisco. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... San Franciscos Cliff House is a popular restaurant to both locals and vistors. ... Ocean Beach is a beach that runs along the west coast of San Francisco, California at the Pacific Ocean. ... Dutch Masters are a brand of cigar. ... Girl with a Pearl Earring, known as the Mona Lisa of the North Johannes Vermeer or Jan Vermeer (baptized October 31, 1632, died December 15, 1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of ordinary bourgeois life. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

Early models were large; comprising either a whole darkened room or a tent (as employed by Johannes Kepler). By the 18th century, following developments by Robert Boyle and Robert Hooke, more easily portable models became available. These were extensively used by amateur artists while on their travels, but they were also employed by professionals, including Paul Sandby, Canaletto and Joshua Reynolds, whose camera (disguised as a book) is now in the Science Museum (London). Such cameras were later adapted by Louis Daguerre and William Fox Talbot for creating the first photographs. Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630) was a German Lutheran mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, and a key figure in the 17th century astronomical revolution. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Robert Boyle Robert Boyle (25 January 1627 – 30 December 1691) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, inventor, and early gentleman scientist, noted for his work in physics and chemistry. ... Robert Hooke, FRS (July 18, 1635 – March 3, 1703) was an English polymath who played an important role in the scientific revolution, through both experimental and theoretical work. ... Paul Sandby (1725 – 9 November 1809) was an English map-maker turned landscape painter in water-colours, who, along with his older brother Thomas, became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768. ... The Stonemasons Yard, painted 1726-30. ... Sir Joshua Reynolds in a self-portrait Colonel Acland and Lord Sydney, The Archers, 1769. ... The Science Museum on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. ... Louis Daguerre Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (November 18, 1787 – July 10, 1851) was the French artist and chemist who is recognized for his invention of the Daguerreotype process of photography. ... William Henry Fox Talbot William Henry Fox Talbot (February 11, 1800 – September 17, 1877) was an early photographer who made major contributions to the photographic process. ...

The Discovery and Origins of the Camera Obscura

A Muslim scholar named Abu Ali Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haitham (965-1039 CE), known in the West as Al-Hazen, is accredited for its discovery while carrying out practical experiments on optics.^[1] In his various experiments, Ibn Al-Haitham used the term “Al-Bayt al-Muthlim”(Arabic: البيت المظلم), translated in English as dark room. In the experiment he undertook, in order to establish that light travels in time and with speed, he says: “If the hole was covered with a curtain and the curtain was taken off, the light traveling from the hole to the opposite wall will consume time.” He reiterated the same experience when he established that light travels in straight lines. The most revealing experiment which indeed introduced the camera obscura was in his studies of the half-moon shape of the sun’s image during eclipses which he observed on the wall opposite a small hole made in the window shutters. In his famous essay "On the form of the Eclipse" (Maqalah-fi-Surat-al-Kosuf) (Arabic: مقالة في صورةالكسوف) he commented on his observation "The image of the sun at the time of the eclipse, unless it is total, demonstrates that when its light passes through a narrow, round hole and is cast on a plane opposite to the hole it takes on the form of a moon-sickle”. Camera obscura from the Encyclopédie File links The following pages link to this file: Camera obscura Categories: Public domain images | NowCommons ... Camera obscura from the Encyclopédie File links The following pages link to this file: Camera obscura Categories: Public domain images | NowCommons ... Ibn al-Haytham depicted in an Iraqi 10,000-dinar note. ... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ...

In his experiment of the sun light he extended his observation of the penetration of light through the pinhole to conclude that when the sun light reaches and penetrates the hole it makes a conic shape at the points meeting at the pinhole, forming later another conic shape reverse to the first one on the opposite wall in the dark room. This happens when sun light diverges from point “ﺍ” until it reaches an aperture “ﺏﺤ” and is projected through it onto a screen at the luminous spot “ﺩﻫ”. Since the distance between the aperture and the screen is insignificant in comparison to the distance between the aperture and the sun, the divergence of sunlight after going through the aperture should be insignificant. In other words, “ﺏﺤ” should be about equal to “ﺩﻫ”. However, it is observed to be much greater “ﻙﻁ” when the paths of the rays which form the extremities of “ﻙﻁ” 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 was indeed the first accurate description of the Camera Obscura phenomenon.

In camera terms, the light converges into the room through the hole transmitting with it the object(s) facing it. The object will appear in full colour but upside down on the projecting screen/wall opposite the hole inside the dark room. The explanation is that light travels in a straight line and when some of the rays reflected from a bright subject pass through the small hole in thin material they do not scatter but cross and reform as an upside down image on a flat white surface held parallel to the hole. Ib Al-Haitham established that the smaller the hole is, the clearer the picture is. Image File history File linksMetadata Light_behaviour_through_pinhole. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Light_behaviour_through_pinhole. ...

References

Sources

• Hill, D.R. (1993), ‘Islamic Science and Engineering’, Edinburgh University Press, page 70.
• Lindberg, D.C. (1976), ‘Theories of Vision from Al Kindi to Kepler’, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London.
• Mustapha Nazeef (1940), ‘Ibn Al-Haitham As a Naturalist Scientist’, in Arabic, published proceedings of the Memorial Gathering of Al-Hacan Ibn Al-Haitham, 21 December 1939, Egypt Printing.
• Omar, S.B. (1977). ‘Ibn al-Haitham's Optics’, Bibliotheca Islamica, Chicago.

Edinburgh University Press is a publisher that is part of the University of Edinburgh. ... The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the U.S. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of texts covering...

See also

• Hockney-Falco thesis
• Black mirror
• Camera lucida
• History of cinema
• Magic lantern
• Optics
• Cameras

A diagram of the camera obscura from 1772. ... Painting by Claude Lorrain (1655-1660) shows the gradation of tone that artists hoped to emulate with the help of a Claude glass. ... Camera Lucida (in French, La Chambre Claire) is a short book published in 1980 by the French literary critic Roland Barthes. ... Origins of motion picture arts and sciences Any overview of the history of cinema would be remiss to fail to at least mention a long history of literature, storytelling, narrative drama, art, mythology, puppetry, shadow play, cave paintings and perhaps even dreams. ... The magic lantern or Laterna Magica was the ancestor of the modern slide projector. ... For the book by Sir Isaac Newton, see Opticks. ... A camera is a device used to take images (usually photographs), either singly or in sequence, with or without sound, such as with video cameras. ...

External links

• An Appreciation of the Camera Obscura
• Flash Animation — Flash Animation that explains how the Camera Obscura works
• The Camera Obscura in San Francisco — The Giant Camera of San Francisco at Ocean Beach, added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 2001
• Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, Edinburgh
• Vermeer and the Camera Obscura by Philip Steadman
• Paleo-camera - The camera obscura and the origins of art
• The History of the Discovery of Cinematography An Illustrated Chronology
• Sinden Optical Company — Camera Obscura manufacturer.
• List of all known Camera Obscura
• Re-opened camera obscura on Eastbourne Pier, UK

• Willett & Patteson Camera Obscura Creators
• Camera Obscura and Outlook Tower, Edinburgh, Scotland
• Cameraobscuras.com George T Keene builds custom camera obscuras like the Griffith Observatory CO in Los Angeles.
• Camera obscura in Trondheim, Norway Built by students of architecture and engineering from NTNU (The Norwegian University of Science and Technology)

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...