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The camera obscura brings the outside inside. An adjustable lens and
mirror image capture the scene in a moving, full-colour display that
can be seen by a group of people in a darkened room. First time
viewers often exclaim as birds and aircraft swoop across the scene,
or as a crimson sunset blossoms on the table, often appearing more
vividly than normal.(1)
History
The camera obscura has been used for over a thousand years; its origin predates even the
discovery of the principals of optics. The first camera obscura was simply a small hole in one wall of
a darkened room or tent. Light passing through the hole formed an inverted (upside down) image of
the outside scene on a white screen placed across the room from the hole. The image was dim and
fuzzy, but it did accurately show the scenery in full colour along with the motion of birds, ocean
waves and tree branches swaying in the wind.
Artists were undoubtedly the first users of the
camera obscura, as they soon realized that one could
trace on the screen the outlines of buildings, trees,
shadows and animals. This rough sketch could later
be filled in with colour to achieve the artists objectives
while maintaining correct perspective and sizes for
near and distant objects.(3)
Aristotle (384-322 BC) understood the optical principle of the camera obscura. He viewed the
crescent shape of a partially eclipsed sun projected on the ground through the holes in a sieve, and
the gaps between leaves of a plane tree.(4)
Development
The development of the camera obscura took two tracks. One of these led to the portable box
device that was a drawing tool. In the 17th and 18th century many artists were aided by the use of
the camera obscura. Jan Vermeer, Canaletto, Guardi, and Paul Sandby are representative of this
group.
A. Nobody invented it. The camera obscura works on a naturally occurring phenomenon. You might
as well ask who invented the rainbow! Over the centuries many people made contributions to the
camera obscura as we know it but all are based on the underlying optical laws that are part of
nature.(3)
A. No. A pinhole camera is a type of camera obscura, as are all photographic cameras. The pinhole
camera starts with an enclosed container (AKA the "dark room") with a very small opening to let in
the light. It is therefore a camera obscura. Cameras that use an actual pinhole size aperture are
used to expose photographic film or paper but have limited use as viewing or drawing devices
because the light that the pinhole admits is very dim and the image would be very hard to see. Most
camera obscuras are made with lenses in the aperture since this makes the image much brighter
and sharper. Room sized camera obscuras are sometimes made with lensless apertures but these
openings are much larger than a pinhole. We have been told that an opening about the size of a US
quarter can work well in some rooms. (3)
Questions and answers (cont)
Why would you go into a dark room to look at the reflection of what you can see outside?
A. We have met a number of people who just don't get it when we explain what a camera obscura
is. Some of these people become converts to the cause when they actually stand inside the room
but some never do understand. Even modern children who are blas about technology have been
heard to call outCOOL! when the room goes dark and a small circle of the world appears on the
table, Its in colour! It moves! Watching the image on the table or wall is not the same as looking at
the view outside. The selection and isolation of the projected image and the feeling of watching the
world outside without being seen is indeed magic (3)
A. It can cost almost nothing if you use recycled materials like cardboard cartons and a small hole in
thin material or as much as a couple of Ferraris, as I once read about a complex room camera
obscura. Jump t Main Content
It seems awkward to view an unsharp and inverted image. Can these problems be solved?
A. Both difficulties were solved soon after the invention of optics in the early 1600s. When a
converging lens is placed over a relatively large hole, an image is obtained which has the sharpness
of a small hole and the intensity of a large hole. The image formed is still inverted and the simple
lens tends to distort the edges of the image.(6) That problem is solved by arranging the lens to look
vertically upward into a flat mirror held at about 45 to the optical axis. Now the image is projected
down onto a horizontal white table where the scene will appear right side up if the viewer stands
with his back to the outside area of interest.
Early lenses were single pieces of glass that produced a greatly improved image but one that still
suffered from color fringes around bright objects and increasing unsharpness toward the edge of the
viewing table. A camera obscura today uses a lens with two or more glass elements that reduce
these problems.
Four hundred years ago, the flat mirror was simply a polished metal plate. About 1850, opticians
learned how to apply a shiny silver film to a polished flat piece of glass, thereby producing a flatter
mirror of much higher reflectivity. Today, most flat mirrors are made by evaporating a film of
aluminum onto a polished glass plate. This technique makes a much more durable reflecting
surface.
The image on the white screen may be viewed by mounting the white screen over the hole cut in
the side of the box. In this case you view the inverted image through the backside of the white
screen. Another arrangement uses a small hole cut in the side of the box that is carefully shielded to
keep out stray light yet allow the viewer to see the screen. (3)
Questions and answers (cont)
How can I make a brighter and sharper image than I get with a pinhole camera?
A better image is made by replacing the pinhole with a lens whose focal length is equal to the
distance from the lens to the viewing screen. The diameter of the lens might be to 1 inch for a
focal length of 10 inches. In a basic instrument this can be a simple lens made of one lens element.
(1) Remember, both the pinhole and the lens produce an inverted image.
The pinhole camera is nice, but how can I make an image that shows more detail and
appears right side up?
To achieve these improvements you must make a much bigger camera obscura in which the viewer
sits inside the instrument. Such a device uses a larger lens of longer focal length and also includes
a flat mirror mounted above the lens. The viewers now sit or stand inside the darkened room to see
the image on a horizontal white table. Those viewers with their back to the scene of interest will see
a right side up image.
The smallest such instrument suitable for a single viewer might use a lens of 40 or 50-inch focal
length. This device would display details in the scene 4 or 5 times larger than produced by the 10-
inch instrument described above. Larger lenses with even longer focal length can reveal surprising
features of very distant objects. For instance, a lens of 100 inches focal length will show an image of
the full moon that is about 1 inch in diameter. Such a view is like looking at the scene with a 10
power binocular. The largest camera obscuras today use lenses of 12 to 14 inches diameter and
produce focal lengths of 250 to 350 inches.
Large instruments are usually equipped with electric motors to carefully rotate the flat mirror about
the vertical axis (azimuth) and to tilt the mirror to shift the view upwards or downwards (altitude).
Many camera obscuras also provide means to move the lens vertically over several inches to focus
the instrument on near or distant objects.
As the focal length of the lens is increased, the lens diameter must also be made larger in order to
maintain adequate image brightness. The ratio of lens focal length to diameter is called the speed or
f/number of the lens; this ratio determines the brightness of the scene on the table. This brightness
is proportional to the square of the f/number. For example, the image produced by an f/8 lens is four
times brighter than that made by an f/16 lens. Most camera obscuras use lenses of f/15 to f/30.
Note that the apparent image brightness is strongly affected by stray light; the viewing room must
be as near to total darkness as possible. (1)
Questions and answers (cont)
Can you create a camera obscura that can see farther than your immediate surroundings in
detail e.g. binoculars.
A: Yes. You would need more sophisticated optics, and even then the image would be fainter and
the field of view smaller. It would however be feasible to produce an image of the Moon (which is a
daylight object) about a metre across that, in the darkened room, would be clearly visible. (8)
A: In this camera obscura we used a spectacle lens, which is a positive meniscus lens, of the sort
used to correct the vision of people who are far-sighted. As you can see, the image quality is quite
good. Simpler lenses, such as biconvex (like in a magnifying glass) or plano-convex (one side flat,
the other convex) are unlikely to produce such good results. But you can experiment for fun and get
quite gratifying results. To get a better image would require more sophisticated lenses. Professional
examples have lenses that can cost as much as a good car. For that, you will get brighter, clearer
images with less distortion. (8)
At what angle is the mirror placed and how would the result change if the mirror was placed
at a different angle?
A: The mirror is on a hinge mechanism that lets it tilt up and down so that targets at different angles
from the horisontal can be imaged. The centre of this range of movement puts the mirror at 45
degrees; that allows the centre of the view to be horisontal. In other words, at 45 degrees, the
image of the horison will be projected vertically downwards to the screen. By tilting the mirror to a
higher angle, objects above the horison can be imaged. By tilting it downwards, nearer objects are
accessible. (8)
A: The term magnification refers to the apparent size of the image compared to the apparent size of
the object on which it is focused. Higher (more) magnification makes the object look bigger. But by
putting your face closer to the table, the objects will also look bigger, even though the image on the
table stays the same size. So in effect, you can change (zoom) the magnification by moving closer
to or farther away from the table. The answer is therefore not straightforward. However, the size of
the image is determined by the focal length of the lens and the distances from the object to the lens,
and from the lens to the table. We chose a focal length that would result in a sensible image size for
the dimensions of the camera obscura. (8)
Will the humidity in the tent create condensation on the lens and affect the picture reflected
by the mirror?
A: Condensation would occur if the lens was significantly colder than the surrounding air and the
level of humidity was high enough. In practice, this is only likely to occur in very cold weather or in
rainy/misty conditions. But yes, it is possible. In that case, the droplets of water condensed on the
lens would act like a whole lot of tiny lenses. Each of them would try to create their own image, most
likely quite strongly out of focus, and these multiple images would overlap one another. The result
would be a blurred, out of focus final image. (8)
The Camera Obscura at Scopex (8)
Most amateur astronomers, having an innate interest in optics, stumble over references to
the cameras obscura of days gone by. Those with an interest in telescope making are likely to
consider building one. A few may even have visited actual installations as far afield as Pretoria,
Johannesburg or Grahamstown a magical experience that leaves one wishing for ones own. It is
therefore unsurprising that several people sharing this desire thought it a fine idea to have one for
ScopeX.
And so the mission was launched. At the outset the objective was to create something effective,
affordable, safe, reusable, storable and transportable. Preferably it should also be reproducible by
other interested parties. Being able to reconfigure the structure for other purposes would be a
bonus. This is quite a tough set of criteria to meet.
Clearly, the first step was to work on the optical feasibility. Given telescope makers penchant for
scrounging and experimentation, it was soon empirically determined that a decent spectacle lens
paired with the mirror from a defunct overhead projector would do the job. Because spectacle
lenses are readily available in a variety of focal lengths, there was some design flexibility. Our
experiments also allowed us to determine the maximum image size that would sharp enough to be
pleasing to view. This in turn determined the size of the table which would act as a viewing screen.
rigid structure that would not unduly vibrate the optics and also provide the necessary strength and
stability for safety.
Accordingly a zonohedral structure based on the rhombic cubeocta was chosen for the frame
design. The structure comprises eight identically sized rectangular wall frames, four identical
trapezoids for the roof structure, four identical struts to tie the trapezoids together for ease of
assembly and a square frame to house the optical turret. These parts are made from flat and angle
iron, bolt together easily and can be packed away flat in a small space. Assembly can be performed
by two people in a pinch. The integrity of design and implementation was verified by a structural
engineer.
To enclose the frame for the requisite low light conditions, tent material was chosen. Attached to the
frame with hook and loop( Velcro) fasteners, the walls can be removed almost instantly in case of
an emergency, or easily reconfigured to use the structure as a gazebo. The steel structures
assembled mass effectively anchors it against the wind.
The optical turret employs the Teflon-on-Formica azimuth bearing common in small telescopes. It is
easily rotated by hand and stays put when you let go. Altitude adjustment is by vertically moving a
rod attached to the pivoted mirror. Focusing is achieved by raising or lowering the table, which is
supported by a counterweighted piston that slides snugly inside a PVC water-pipe pedestal.
All in all the results have been gratifying. The design has proved effective and convenient. Many
hundreds of people have enjoyed using it, and keep asking for it to come back each year.
References
(1) http://www.cameraobscuras.com/details.html
(2) http://www.camera-obscura.co.uk/camera_obscura/camera_obscura.asp
(3) brightbytes.com/cosite/what.html
(4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura
(6) http://web.up.ac.za/default.asp?ipkCategoryID=2096
(7) http://www.acmi.net.au/AIC/CAMERA_OBSCURA.html