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Since the beginning of the war, both sides have been engaged in espionage. In ancient times, hostile parties had no better means of reconnaissance and secret theft except peeping with their eyes or eavesdropping with their ears. In the long years, the evolution of spy's special skills has always affected the trajectory of spy activities. The so-called "the walls have ears" and "the palace is full of eyes" are vivid descriptions of the ubiquitous eavesdropping and photo stealing activities.

When history entered the19th century, one thing changed the ways and means of espionage, that is, in the first half of the19th century, the French Joseph Niepse and Louis Jacques Mandel Daguerre contributed to the establishment of photography. The first photo in the world was taken by 1827 Nieps. He used his camera to photograph the scenery on the asphalt-coated white pewter board he saw from the window of his study. The exposure time of this photo is as long as 8 hours. From 65438 to 0829, landscape painters Daguerre and Niepce cooperated to improve cameras and photographs. 1837, Daguerre was able to take quite clear and delicate photos on silver-plated copper plates. He exposed silver iodide to light on a silver plate, then put it in a developer for development, and then washed it with soda solution to get a clear photo. However, the sensitivity of silver film is very low, and it still takes an hour to take a photo.

1839 On August 5th, the French Academy of Sciences exhibited the world's first optical photo taken by Daguerre, which caused a sensation in Paris. Since then, photographers have started to use bulky cassette cameras, which are mounted on tripods and equipped with large negatives. This situation poses a challenge to spies. They need to develop smaller and smaller cameras that are not easily noticed by people. They also want to "tamper" with radios, handbags, lighters, matchboxes, ballpoint pens, compact boxes, cane handles and other items, and use these daily necessities as camouflage for taking candid photos.

In the 20th century, German spy cameras were improved on the original basis. During World War I, ghost cameras appeared in Germany. The Germans put it on pigeons, and then released a large number of such "pigeon spies" behind the French defense line to carry out aerial reconnaissance missions.

Since the invention of the camera in the middle of19th century, photography technology has played an increasingly important role in information collection. Spies use cameras to photograph people, airports or other military facilities, bridges, military equipment, airplane models or documents. To sum up, there are three kinds of spy cameras used by spies, which are easy to hide and can take high-quality photos.

This camera is small, can be carried in your pocket, and has various uses, such as monitoring photography, document copying and so on. In order to facilitate concealment, some miniature cameras are not equipped with a viewfinder, and photographers must take pictures intuitively when taking candid photos.

In the whole series of miniature cameras, the most famous and successful one is the Minox camera. It is wrong to describe Minox as a camera brand of Lithuania or former West Germany. The first Minox camera was developed and designed in 1937 and manufactured in Riga, Latvia. The inventor of Minox camera is Latvian engineer WaiterZapp. When he was a teenager, he dreamed of making a portable camera that could be placed in the palm of his hand at will, but could take high-quality natural pictures. When Zep was 32 years old, he made his first camera with his design team. The film it uses is only a quarter of the size of the standard 35 mm film, and the cassette contains 50 frames. Although Zep originally made the Minox camera for ordinary photography, it didn't take long for intelligence agencies around the world to buy it for spy photography.

From this point of view, this commercial camera is small in size, good in performance and flexible in use. It is obviously an ideal device for secret shooting and the most handy model for spies. Minox camera is equipped with a series of accessories, so that it can be hidden for use. It can take 50 photos at a time without reloading. The new Minox camera produced after World War II is equipped with a high-resolution lens, so that more and clearer information can be obtained from the microfilm with better film. When Minox camera first appeared, it was considered as a miracle in the history of human science and technology. For example, spies can develop films with Minox miniature developing tanks, which are only the size of small beverage cans.

For example, the early photo amplifier was used to expose small photos from miniature negatives, and an improved amplifier was developed during World War II, which can expose larger photos from the original film with higher definition. During World War II, intelligence agencies in various countries found it difficult to obtain enough Minox cameras for espionage. After the end of World War II, the models produced were equipped with various accessories, which made this camera used in various spy work. Until the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, it was still a favorite tool of spies.

In espionage or covert operations, all kinds of spy cameras are hidden in an object or disguised as an object, such as handbags, cosmetic boxes, walking sticks and so on. Or a camera tied to the body for covert shooting is called a covert camera. F2 1 camera developed by the former Soviet Union and robot camera in the former West Germany are two widely used hidden cameras. They are all developed from a model designed by Germany before World War II, which uses a clockwork-driven winding device. The former Soviet Union and western intelligence agencies invented and manufactured a large number of devices to hide cameras. Ordinary cameras can also be used for secret work as long as they are equipped with special camouflage accessories. When a spy takes secret photos with a hidden camera, the camera may be hidden in the spy's clothes or disguised as another daily necessities. Some miniature camera generally have only one fixed disguise, while hidden cameras often have many different disguises. For example, robots, cameras such as F2 1 and Leica all have their own hidden ways.

Robot camera was first created in 1934. It is driven by clockwork and can shoot continuously without manual film winding. In World War II, the German Air Force used it to verify the destruction of bombed targets, and German intelligence organizations also used it. Because this machine does not need to roll up the film manually when shooting, it can work hidden in various objects. So in the early days of the cold war, many spies used this model. In the 1950s and 1960s, the CIA used robotic cameras hidden in briefcases for surveillance. The intelligence officer put the briefcase under his arm, with the main body at right angles to the photographer's direction. Because the viewfinder can't be used, it takes a lot of practice in advance to take accurate photos. Intelligence officials should intuitively learn how to place briefcases correctly in order to shoot at the set targets. When shooting, the operator presses the shutter lever through the briefcase.

F2 1 The three most important camouflage tools for hidden cameras are coats, ordinary camera covers and umbrellas. Camouflage clothes come in many styles. A fake button is installed on the panel attached to the camera F2 1 to cover the lens. The camera is attached to the lining, and the fake button protrudes from a hole in the front of the jacket. When the remote shutter in the pocket is pressed lightly, the center of the fake button will open quickly and the photo can be taken quickly. Ordinary camera covers used for camouflage are also very common. Spies hang the camera covers around their necks as if the camera were useless. But in the sleeve, a F2 1 camera is installed on the side, which can shoot at right angles to the front of the camera sleeve. When the spy presses the button, the baffle on the side of the camera cover will open to take pictures. Camouflage umbrellas are even more ingenious, and the design can be described as ingenious. The camera F2 1 is placed in the formed wooden pole of the umbrella, and the camera lens is facing the small hole on the umbrella surface. When shooting, the spy can press the shutter switch on the handle.

Leica made in Germany is an ordinary camera, but it is also a hidden camera that spies love to use. The word "Leica" on the lens cover of Leica camera was carefully hollowed out by spies, so that you can shoot through the hollowed-out place even without removing the lens cover, but in the eyes of outsiders, this camera has not been used.

This kind of camera is specially developed for shooting a large number of documents, some of which can shoot 400 pages of documents continuously, with high degree of automation, fast remake speed and good imaging quality. Usually, spies have only a short time to copy secret files. Although ordinary cameras can also be used to shoot documents, if you want to take high-quality photos, you still need to concentrate and have enough time. Therefore, intelligence agencies have developed a fast, simple and reliable portable special copy camera.

Copying cameras are often miniature or disguised. The most famous of the latter is the KGB drum camera disguised as a notebook, which can continuously copy 40 pages of documents without reloading. This machine is hidden in a fake notebook similar to the notebook that spies often carry. When in use, when the spy rolls the spine of the fake notebook over the file and brushes it, the small wheel on the spine of the notebook will start the shutter device and its built-in lighting source to complete the shooting task. The KGB also uses the Yedongka C-64 replica camera, which can work under various voltages, including car batteries. This machine is easy to use and can take high-quality photos. This camera, called Yelka, has a hinge design and can be folded when not in use.

American intelligence organizations also use briefcase-type replica cameras. When the briefcase is opened, the copy lighting device will extend outward and be powered by the main power supply or battery. The modified 35 mm fixed focus briefcase copying camera adopts nylon gear, which can be operated silently.

In order to effectively monitor and take pictures for a long time, people invented many ingenious camouflage objects for spies to hide their cameras. These camouflage objects are quite different in size and camouflage methods, but the basic principle is to disguise or hide the camera so that it looks like an ordinary object and will not arouse suspicion. But the camouflage used must be consistent with the lifestyle and surrounding environment of the spy who uses it. Some camouflage objects contain booby traps, and trying to open them without permission will lead to the destruction of information. When opening the tight disguise, it is often necessary to unscrew it clockwise, rather than the usual counterclockwise direction.

Matching the spy camera is a "microfilm". The microfilm of the miniature camera used by Stasi, the former Ministry of National Security of East Germany, is only the size of the thumb cover, and it can take three microfilms. This camera can take photos directly without negative, and each miniature photo must be viewed with a magnifying glass. Since the American Civil War in the 65438+60s, intelligence agencies all over the world have been using microfilm, the smallest of which can reach 1mm, which can be hidden in daily objects or specially disguised. The ring designed during World War II can hide microfilm or compass. Cut the edges of thick postcards with a knife, or hide them in microfilm, then seal them and send them as they are.

Time is passing, and the history of mankind has turned page after page. The spy camera and hidden photography technology, which combine wisdom, technology, courage and even customs and fashion, will, as always, make great contributions to those little-known historical chapters.