The origin of photography

See the past and present life of photography:

s!7F12506321D42D7E!1282.entry

The past and present life of photography

Speaking of the origin of photography , Chinese elites may be tempted to cite the small hole imaging mentioned in the "Mo Jing" of the Spring and Autumn Period in China over 400 BC, as if this hole can prove that the Chinese nation is the inventor of the camera (principle). To be honest, this cannot be completely regarded as obscenity. Whether it is the bulky box camera more than a hundred years ago, various film cameras in the past few decades, or today's digital cameras, the imaging principle is the same as the small hole imaging described by our ancestors. Exactly the same: take a sealed box, drill a small round hole on any side, and then put the side with the hole facing the window. The scene outside the window, such as a tree or something, will be generated on the wall of the box opposite the round hole. Reflection of this tree.

Theoretically, any sealed box with a small hole cut out is an original camera. But this primitive camera can only be considered half at best. When the sun goes down and everything goes dark again, we still have nothing. It's a camera without film - it can't record.

One day in 1826, Frenchman Joseph Nièpce (1765~1833) finally found the first film - asphalt. He applied white asphalt, which hardens after exposure to light, on a tin alloy plate, put it in a dark box and exposed it outside the window for 8 hours. He got the first photo in human history, which showed a part of a rural house under the sky. His invention failed to be popularized due to the long exposure time and blurry images.

It seems that asphalt is not a good photosensitive material. It would take 8 hours to take a blurry picture. By 1839, the Frenchman Daguerre invented a daguerreotype, which used silver iodide instead of white asphalt, exposed it with a steel plate coated with silver iodide in a dark box, developed it with mercury vapor, and then fixed it with a hypo wave solution. A very clear photo of the metal was obtained. A daguerreotype exposure takes approximately 10 to 30 minutes.

Daguerre's daguerreotypes did not have negatives, and they were taken one at a time. They are similar to the 10-yuan Polaroid photos that can be seen everywhere in tourist attractions today and cannot be copied. If it can’t be copied, why spread it? Therefore, almost at the same time as Daguerre, the Colotype photography invented by the British William Henry Fox Talbot (British, 1800–1877) has greater significance, although the Colotype method was clear in its early days. It is not as fast as the daguerreotype, but it has negatives and can be copied infinitely. Therefore, to be precise, the British man Talbot was the real inventor of photography. Talbot published it in London in 1844. The first photographic album in human history, "The Pencil of Nature," was published in a print run of 150 copies.

What is particularly worth mentioning is that the exposure time of the Carlo method is only 3 to 5 minutes. It is a significant improvement over Daguerre's daguerreotype. The reason why we emphasize exposure time is because sensitivity is one of the most important indicators of film. If the exposure time of taking a photo requires more than ten minutes, this kind of photography will not work. It is very practical and can only be used to take pictures of natural scenery. It cannot (or is difficult) to take portraits. For portraits, it is difficult for a living person to remain motionless in front of the camera for ten minutes, let alone street snapshots and sports photography. < /p>

In the following decades, photographic negatives continued to make progress in both raw materials and sensitivity. In 1851, Londoner Frederick Scott Archer (1813-1857) invented (silver iodide mixed). Collodion photography, also known as Wet Plate Process, further reduced the cost of film and reduced the exposure time to less than one minute.

By 1871. Later, the dry plate method replaced the wet plate and further shortened the exposure time to 1/25 seconds (under outdoor light). 1/25 seconds meant that all shooting before this was possible. A tripod is required.

But the film board is still troublesome. Can it be rolled up? In 1888, Eastman officially began to sell celluloid-based Kodak film. The sensitivity is ISO12. Soon, films with sensitivities above ISO100 were developed. At this point, the problem of photographic film was completely solved. There will be no major changes in film in the next hundred years. Maybe color film will be a major development later, but I think color is the last factor to consider in photography.

The development of technology has not only solved the problems of film materials and sensitivity, but also solved the problems of the camera itself. When the wet plate method was used in early travel photography. A photographer has to hire several people to carry boxes and negatives, which is called a heavy load! War photojournalists in the American Civil War used large carriages to carry equipment, called photographic vans, because the negatives were large plates coated with photosensitive materials. For 8X10 inches or larger.

Back then, cameras were the size of small boxes – you couldn’t build a camera that was smaller than the film, right?

Whether it is travel photography or reportage photography, there is an urgent need for more portable cameras. After the roll-packed Kodak film was launched in 1888, the size of cameras and negatives became smaller and smaller. Around 1890, 6X6 cm size film appeared, which is the 120 film we commonly use today. It is said that Edison cut the latest 70mm film from Eastman Kodak Company in the middle and punched small holes on both sides for easy winding. This became the 35mm film we commonly use today. Its actual size is 24X36 per sheet. mm.

In 1914, engineer Oskar Barnack, who worked at the Leitz Microscope Factory in Germany, built the world's first 135 camera using 35 mm film. This is the famous Leica prototype. Ur – Leica. From then on, those bulky wooden boxes began to be abandoned, and the 135 camera, a product of precision machinery and optics, began to dominate the world. At first, it was a rangefinder 135 camera represented by Leica. By 1948, the East German Zeiss company produced a 135 camera that could use one lens for viewfinding and shooting. This is the single lens we use now. Lens reflex camera, referred to as single-lens reflex camera (SLR).

120 and 135 cameras began large-scale industrial production. Film and cameras were sold at cabbage prices, and everyone could afford them. The speed of film is also very fast, and ISO800 or even 1600 film is now available. The camera itself is so small that it can be easily stuffed into a pocket. It is so fun to take pictures wherever you go! Just when the whole world thought that 135 cameras and Kodak film were perfect and would go down in history forever, in 1969, there was an invention that really didn't take long to immortalize traditional 135 film. This year, two scientists from Bell Labs in the United States, Dr. Boyle and Dr. Smith, discovered that there is a semiconductor that is very sensitive to light and will produce electronic signals when it is illuminated. This photosensitive semiconductor is named CCD, Charge Coupled Device, and is called a charge coupler in Chinese. It sounds weird, but CCD is actually an electronic photoreceptor. Let's call it electronic film. There are many types of photosensitive semiconductors (electronic photoreceptors), CCD is one of them, and other common ones include CMOS, Foveon's X3, etc. Later in this book, CCD is used to refer generally to the electronic photosensitive chip that is the heart of all digital cameras.

It is not difficult for me to write the words "You can take pictures without film" today, but if I had scribbled these words everywhere before 1969, I would have been sent to a lunatic asylum soon. The invention of the electronic photoreceptor CCD meant that you could take pictures without film. From then on, the digital era of recording light began. Traditional film was revolutionized. Now almost everyone has one or two CCDs in their hands. If you don’t believe me, please take apart your mobile phone. Start watching.

In 1975, Mr. Steven Sasson of Kodak developed the first digital camera. The CCD of this camera only has 10,000 pixels (think of the 10 million pixels flying all over the sky today), the power source is 16 AA batteries, the memory card is an ordinary audio tape, and the camera weighs about four kilograms. It was certainly possible to produce a 10-megapixel digital camera in 1975, but I estimate that CCD might be as large as your living room.

Since 1975, computer CPUs and digital camera CCDs have benefited from the rapid development of semiconductor processing and large-scale integrated circuit technology. By 1986, Kodak developed a 1-megapixel CCD, revealing the first glimmer of digital takeover of film.

The current digital camera (2008 AD)

Everyone knows the next story. This incredible CCD has slowly revolutionized film since then. 1998 was the first year of megapixels for home digital cameras. Since then, the CCD of digital cameras has increased by one million pixels every year, and the price has dropped by 10% every year (for the same type of camera).

By 2008, few people used film to take photos when traveling. Everyone had a small digital camera with at least 6 million pixels, and the price was almost as low as cabbage (many small digital cameras with 7 million pixels The price is below RMB 1,000). Mid-to-high-end small digital cameras are already at the 12-megapixel level, and the price is only RMB 2,000. Digital SLRs are also sold at street prices, with a 10-megapixel kit (body plus standard zoom lens) costing less than RMB 5,000. The top digital back reaches 39 million pixels (Phase1 P45+). I have never tried this guy, but it is said that the 39-megapixel digital camera is better than the 4X5-inch film drum electronic scanning, but its price is also more expensive than a TOYOTA Corolla. In any case, starting from 2008, film can basically enter museums.

In the decade from 1998 to 2007, there were dozens of brands and thousands of digital cameras that came on the market. Personally, I think the following four models are epoch-making products:

Nikon Coolpix 950, a two-megapixel home DC, launched for US$890, February 1999. This camera means that ordinary families can afford high-quality travel digital cameras.

Two million pixels is an important benchmark, because 2 million pixels can print 5X7-inch photos in fine detail, which is the size of most family photos.

Nikon D1, 2.6-megapixel professional digital SLR, launched for US$5,000, June 1999. As soon as this machine came out, digital SLRs began to quickly occupy the media and publishing industries. D1 also means the end of the money-grabbing era for Kodak's DCS series of professional digital SLRs. Before D1, Kodak's DCS series had never been less than $10,000 per unit. After D1, until 2007, Kodak never turned around in the digital camera market. This is called beating the old master to death with random punches.

Canon 30D, 3-megapixel digital SLR, released for $2,800, May 2000. 30D means photography enthusiasts can also afford a digital SLR. Before this, the determination to buy a digital SLR was similar to that of buying a car.

Canon 300D, 6-megapixel digital SLR, released for $900, August 2003. One thousand dollars is the watershed for the popularity of electronic products. The launch price of the 300D, priced at US$900, means that digital SLRs have entered thousands of households, and traditional film SLRs can basically enter museums.

Will the pixels of digital camera CCDs continue to grow indefinitely? For example, in a few years we will get one or two million pixels or something? Personally I don't think so. Because now mainstream digital cameras have fully reached the resolution of traditional 135 film and can meet all the needs of ordinary people, the lack of strong demand promotes its continued growth.

Over the years, many people have been arguing about how many pixels 135 film is equivalent to, but in the end there is no conclusion. The problem is not resolved and feelings are hurt. Photography is about getting photos, and the last thing is to produce pictures. Generally speaking, the limit of 135 film to produce fine pictures is 20 inches, and the limit of fine pictures of 8-megapixel digital cameras is also about 20 inches. So 135 film is roughly equivalent to 8 million pixels.

Explain the fine drawing. The so-called precision means that after the photo is printed, it must be able to be held in the hand (up close) and examined carefully. How big of a photo can a negative hold? It depends on how far away you stand. If you need, I can use 135 film to put a picture as big as a wall for you. That's exactly what movie theaters do. This kind of giant picture can only be viewed from a distance but not played with up close because the grain is too coarse. I'm talking nonsense. No one will come to the screen to watch a movie.

Since 10 million pixels are fully capable of producing 20-inch fine images, it is meaningless for CCD to continue to increase pixels. Apart from wedding dresses, has anyone enlarged the pictures at home to more than 20 inches? You don’t need to take wedding photos yourself. Even if you want to take wedding photos yourself, it only happens once or twice in your life. You can rent a high-end camera and there is no need to spend money.

In 2008, there were already many 12-megapixel small digital cameras on the market. I feel dizzy. This market is being misled. Many people think that the more pixels, the better the photo. This is a complete misunderstanding. When the CCD area is certain, adding more pixels will actually cause a decrease in image quality.

The vast majority of digital camera marketers cater to the public’s misunderstandings and constantly urge the R&D department to create higher-pixel CCDs. This is really a tragedy. I think that digital cameras now should not simply add a few more megapixels to 10 million pixels, but should work hard to improve the quality of CCDs. Reducing noise levels at high sensitivities (high ISO) and increasing exposure latitude are top priorities.

Nothing can change the nature of photography

What exactly is photography? 100 people have 108 answers. I think the essential functions of writing, photography and film are the same, which is to record. Texts record events, photography records scenes, and movies record dynamic scenes.

Photography, like text and movies, not only has the basic recording function, but also has the function of artistic creation. Words can be used to write poems and novels; photography can also be used to express personal emotions and artistic creativity. Not to mention movies, they are basically making fictional things.

Photography has undergone earth-shaking changes in the 180 years from its invention in 1826 to 2007, but the changes have all been to make recording more convenient. In order to facilitate taking pictures, we turned the wet plate into a dry plate, and the dry plate into film. In recent years, electronic film CCD has been used to replace traditional film, and digital cameras have become popular. With the development of technology, there may be biological photoreceptors to replace the existing digital camera CCD (CMOS) in the future. But no matter how the recording medium changes, the essence of photography will not change.

The biggest advantage of digital cameras now is that pictures can be obtained (seen) immediately. Human beings have become more and more impatient. In the past, if you didn't say you were in love for a year or a half, you would at least have to find a matchmaker or something like that. Now, everything you do demands to be done immediately and the problem can be solved overnight. When you take a picture with a digital camera, you get it immediately, and you can see it as soon as you take it. From the perspective of post-production of pictures, digital photography means that the traditional chemical darkroom is no longer needed. The picture can be slightly adjusted and connected to a printer to produce a photo.

The development of photography technology over the past 180 years has made the entire process of photography easier and simpler, greatly lowering the threshold of this art (craft), making photography further accessible to millions of people in a form that is popular with the common people. Users, this is also the most worthy of recognition and praise for digital cameras today.

Although the photography process has become easier, it is still not so easy to get good photos. Technically speaking, it still requires good ideas and diligent practice. As the saying goes, a third-rate photographer is better than a camera, a second-rate photographer is better than his skills, and a first-rate photographer is better than his thoughts. There is no shortcut to improve one's ideological cultivation. Reading thousands of books, traveling thousands of miles, the road is long and long. Come, I will search up and down.