Camera Lucida and Camera Obscura - the Scientia Review

Camera
Lucida
and
Camera
Obscura
Richer Leung and Amy Lynn Rockwood
1

Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Optics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Light Spectrum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Refractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Prisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Reflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Periscopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Camera Lucida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Origin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Practical Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Camera Obscura. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Origin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Practical Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Differences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Role in History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
First Photograph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Do it Yourself!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Author’s Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Photo Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2

C A M E R A
O B S C U R A
& L U C I D A
I N T R O D U C T I O N
With the inventions of camera obscura
and camera lucida, artists were able to expand
their creative means of expression. In addition,
these inventions led to scientists having a bet-
ter understanding of light and its behavior.
Camera obscura is the predecessor to the film
camera. On the other hand, camera lucida is a
drawing aid that had more practical use in sci-
ence.
3

O P T I C S
O P T I C S
Optics is the branch of physical science
which deals with light and how it behaves. Ear-
ly scientists thought light was a collection of
rays coming from the source. Now, scientists
consider light to be able to behave either as a
wave or as a group of particles. When light is
acting like particles, it is considered to be a col-
lection of individual parts called photons.
When you look at sunlight or try to draw light, it
is pretty easy to see it in the form of rays. It can be
harder to imagine light in the form of a wave.
4

O P T I C S
The unit used for
wavelengths is
nanometer (nm). A
strand of hair is
10,000 nanometers
wide!
L I G H T
S P E C T R U M
All existing waves (as in light or sound) of
varying sizes can be organized into a spectrum,
or range from smallest to largest. The human
eye can only see light
with wavelengths be-
tween 400 nm and
700 nm. Some other
waves that exist such
as x-rays and micro-
waves cannot be
seen with the human
eye. We see the different sized wave as the col-
ors of the rainbow. Each different size wave is
a different color.
5

O P T I C S
The prefix fract is a
Latin root meaning
break. Refraction
refers to the light
breaking, in a sense,
when it hits a new
material.
R E F R A C T I O N S
As light travels through different substanc-
es other than air, such as glass or water, its
speed can change. When the speed of light
changes it bends and causes refraction. The
light bends toward the line
perpendicular to the plane
of the new substance. Dif-
ferent types of lenses use
refraction to alter the image
or to change the direction of
the image. Cameras also use refraction to flip
an image upside down and to capture it.
6

O P T I C S
Prisms can be made
with just a
translucent tank
of water and some
light.
P R I S M S
A common demonstration of refractions is
done with a triangular prism of glass that
breaks white light into the colors of the rain-
bow. This shaped piece of glass is called a
prism. Using geometry, scientists can evaluate
the index of refraction, or how much the angle
of the light changes, for a specific material.
7

O P T I C S
L I G H T
A N D W A T E R
A common substance that causes refrac-
tions of light is water. As the rays of light
change from air to water, the characteristics of
the light waves also change. The new velocity
and wavelength of the light rays cause it to
bend. An object placed only half in water will
seem to bend, starting at the point of contact
with the water. Notice in the
image above how the pencil
appears to bend once it hits
the surface of the water.
However, this is just an illu-
sion created by the refractions of light. Can
you think of another example of a substance
that creates a similar illusion with refractions?
8

O P T I C S
R E F L E C T I O N S
The behavior in which light bounces off
surfaces and changes direction refers to reflec-
tions and is governed by the laws of reflection.
The laws of reflection state that the angle at
which the light hits the surface is equal to the
angle at which the light returns compared to
the line perpendicular to the surface. In addi-
tion, the incoming rays of light and reflected
rays of light are in the same plane, meaning
they can share two dimensions. Imagine draw-
ing both rays on the same sheet of paper to
hold up to near a mirror.
9

O P T I C S
M I R R O R S
Specially made reflective surfaces are
used in everyday life and are called mirrors.
There are 3 main types of mirrors that cause
light to reflect in several ways, sometimes dis-
torting the original image.
Planar mirrors are simple flat mirrors. A reflected im-
age looks the same as the original, only reversed.
Concave mirrors are mirrors that curve inward. A re-
flected image can be upside down or focused to one
point.
Convex mirrors are mirrors that curve outward. A re-
flected image looks stretched out, and these mirrors
are commonly used to see around bends.
10

O P T I C S
Submarines use
periscopes to see
above the surface of
the water. The
periscope is able to
rotate a full 360 so
the passengers of
the submarine can
know what is
P E R I S C O P E S
Used in combinations, mirrors can allow
you to see objects around a corner or from a
hidden position. A periscope is an example of a
device that uses two mirrors in a vertical tube.
The two mirrors are placed at the top and the
bottom, facing each other and both slanted at
a 45 degree angle. Below is an image of the
basic layout for a periscope, where the posi-
tions labeled a and b would have planar mir-
rors.
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C A M E R A
L U C I D A
C A M E R A
L U C I D A
Camera lucida is a small portable device con-
sisting of a mirror and a drawing surface. Light en-
ters the apparatus through the mirror and is directed
onto the drawing surface. The mirror allows an artist
to reflect light to recreate a scene. The projected im-
age on the drawing surface is often referred to as a
superimposition. New models of the device have ad-
justing components and a translucent drawing sur-
face to make reflecting an image and drawing much
easier. Below is a diagram of the basic design of
camera lucida.
12

C A M E R A
L U C I D A
Camera Lucida is a
word with Latin
Origin that literally
means “light
chamber”.
O R I G I N
Camera lucida was a device first patented by
William Hyde Wollaston in 1807. There is strong evi-
dence that a similar apparatus was invented by Jo-
hannes Kepler prior to the release of Wollaston’s de-
sign. Camera lucida originated much later than its
counterpart, camera obscura. Modern cameras de-
rive their meaning from these two similar phrases.
Left is a sketch
of Wollaston, created
with his own inven-
tion, the camera luci-
da.
13

C A M E R A
L U C I D A
P R A C T I C A L
U S E S
Camera lucida is commonly used as a sketch-
ing tool because of its ability to project images onto a
drawing surface. Many artists used it as an aid when
drawing. Also, until recent years, the device was prev-
alent in microscopy, the study of small biological or-
ganisms. Scientists and researchers used Camera
lucida to recreate and draw images of small life
forms. Below is a drawing of a living organ surround-
ed by two pigment cells
from the skin of a sala-
mander larva. The draw-
ing was created using
camera lucida in 1933. It
is approximately 16.5 mm
in size and was dyed with various pigments to ana-
lyze the movement of several cells during develop-
ment.
14

C A M E R A
O B S C U R A
C A M E R A
O B S C U R A
Camera obscura is an optical device that pro-
jects an impression of its surroundings onto a wall or
screen. The apparatus is generally a box or room
with a small “pinhole” on one side. Light from the ex-
terior travels into the hole and casts itself on the oth-
er end of the box. Since light is a mix of rays, the col-
or of the image is preserved and projected onto the
screen. However, as the image is focused to one pin-
point it flips its orientation and the resulting image is
upside-down. As shown below, the light rays remain
intact, but change their arrangement. There is a mir-
ror to reflect the
image again to
the exterior sur-
face of the box
and reorient it.
15

C A M E R A
O B S C U R A
Camera obscura is a
word with Latin
Origin that literally
means “dark
chamber”.
O R I G I N
Camera obscura, or the pinhole camera, was an
apparatus first constructed by an Iraqi scientist Ali Al-
Hasan around 1000; however, the principles behind
the pinhole camera originated around 400 B.C. by
Mo-Ti, a Chinese philosopher. Aristotle, a Greek phi-
losopher, was one of the first to truly the principles
behind the pinhole camera. Many other scientists
from different backgrounds examined and studied
the design behind camera obscura.
16

C A M E R A
O B S C U R A
The largest camera in
the world is a camera
obscura, measuring 44
feet tall and 161 feet
long. The device
permanently projects
the image of a 5,000-
acre establishment!
P R A C T I C A L
U S E S
With modern technology, Camera Obscura is
obsolete. In the past, however, it was a common tour-
ist attraction. Large rooms would be constructed that
reflected natural surroundings onto a wall. Although
it has no practical uses, some photographers still
use it to interest and inspire their audience.
Above is a modern piece of artwork produced using
a large camera obscura to project a landscape onto
the back room of a wall. It was made in 2009.
17

C A M E R A
L U C I D A
&
O B S C U R A
D I F F E R E N C E S
Despite the relativity of the names camera ob-
scura and camera lucida, they are completely differ-
ent. Camera obscura is literally a camera, meaning it
is a room or box in which an outside image is project-
ed. Camera lucida, on the contrary, is a small porta-
ble device that helps an artist draw. The two appa-
ratus got their relation in the 1800s before photog-
raphy was developed. At that time, the word
“camera” was actually associated with the word
“chamber”. Since the literal meanings of the words
were “chamber dark” and “light chamber” respec-
tively, they fit the definition of the devices.
18

C A M E R A
L U C I D A
&
O B S C U R A
R O L E I N
H I S T O R Y
Camera obscura was the biggest contribution to
modern photography. The design and application of it
affected the growth and development of the very first
photograph. The first camera designs were based off
of the structure of camera obscura. Although camera
lucida was not a key influence to the development of
photography, it was still an invention that helped sci-
entists and researchers understand the behavior of
light.
19

C A M E R A
L U C I D A
&
O B S C U R A
To date, the earliest
surviving
photograph was a
nature scene taken
by Niepce in 1826.
F I R S T
P H O T O G R A P H
The original design of a camera, which was
based on that of camera obscura, made heliographs,
or sun prints. Joseph Nicephore Niepce was a pio-
neer in the field of photography, making the first pho-
tograph in 1826. Niepce covered metal plates with
bitumen, a chemical that reacts with light, and ex-
posed the plates to sunlight. The first photographs
required eight hours of exposure to sunlight.
This is one of the first heliographs that was created
with a camera obscura.
20

C A M E R A
L U C I D A
&
O B S C U R A
C O N C L U S I O N
Camera Obscura and Camera Lucida are two
important devices that shaped modern photography.
They are also important optical tools that encourage
art in different forms. With the invention of these ap-
paratuses, a whole new field of science and art was
developed.
21

Do It Yourself!
Go into a dark room in your house with a window opposite
to a flat wall. Cover the entire window with foil or cardboard and
make sure no light can enter. While it is bright out, cut or poke a
small hole in the center of the foil or cardboard. If done correctly,
an upside-down image of the surroundings outside should be
projected onto the flat wall!
Make sure that no other light is entering the room while
you are doing this to ensure that the reflected image is not dilut-
ed. Be careful when making the hole. The smaller the hole, the
sharper but dimmer the picture will be. The larger the hole, the
brighter but more dull the picture will be.
22

Glossary
Counterpart (n.) an object or person of similar functionality in
different category or system
Nanometer (nm): (n.) a unit of length equivalent to 1 x 10 -9 meters
Optics: (n.) the branch of science pertaining to light and its associated
behavior
Orientation: (n.) direction or positioning
Photons: (n.) particles of light
Plane: (n.) a two-dimensional surface defined by three noncollinear
points or a line and a point not contained by that line
Prism: (n.) a solid object commonly with two triangular faces for
separating light into the spectrum of colors
Refraction: (n.) a change in direction of a wave such as when
light passes from one substance to another
Spectrum: (n.) 1. a range of values 2. the distribution of light
when white light is dispersed, e.g. as by a prism
Superimposition: (n.) the result of placing something transparent
over another, such that both can be seen as one
23

Author’s Page
Richer Leung is in the class of 2012 at Massachusetts Academy
of Math and Science at WPI. Richer enjoys playing lacrosse and
various other sports in his free time.
Amy Lynn Rockwood is also part of the class of 2012 at Mass
Academy. Her interests vary from playing the viola and piano to
camping and spending time outdoors. Amy Lynn hopes to major
in mechanical engineering in college.
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Photo Credits
Page 1. http://boulderhistory.org/images/webimages/camera-lucida-11.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_obFSytBMkV4/TOJgUkGpAXI/AAAAAAAAAOI/NtBW
jZLsZDM/s1600/Camera_Obscura2.JPG
Page 4. http://www.imaginenomalaria.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/sun-rayscoming-out-of-the-clouds-in-a-blue-sky.jpg
Page 5. http://themoderngreen.com/wpcontent/uploads/
2008/10/light_spectrum.jpg
Page 6. http://www.primetab.com/refraction_ray.gif
Page 7. http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.
php?action=dlattach%3btopic=24878.0%3battach=9410%3bimage
Page 8. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/geoopt/refr2.html
Page 9. http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTF6O7O9XfgNRT9Yhb
12aaCYq2R2o1iPMFf77KaiF_Hy9HDwEy0
Page 10. http://www.webdesign.org/img_articles/538/flat-mirror-9.JPG
http://hsphysicsteacher.com/lightreflection/10%20Light%20&%20Reflectio
n/10.20%20IMG_1008%20concave%20mirror%20(67%20Mustang).JPG
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTaD1c2WzVKH7ggA4GVLCpYK
Qs8m7l1PcpleizxrgEJck4zJNyL
Page 11. http://innovations.oise.utoronto.ca/science/images/d/db/
Periscopes_simple.png
http://thumb18.shutterstock.com/thumb_small/162115/162115,1237965
803,22/stock-vector-yellow-submarine-vector-27372940.jpg
Page 12. http://www.antique-microscopes.com/photos/Zeiss_camera_lucida.jpg
Page 13. http://www.precinemahistory.net/images/wollaston_portrait.gif
Page 14. http://accessscience.com/loadBinary.aspx?aID=3798&filename
=449300FG0210.gif
Page 15. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Camera_obscura
_box.jpg
Page 17. http://www.bonnibenrubi.com/gfx//morell/large/Abelardo_Morell
_Pingyao_Vases_Large.jpg
Page 20. http://www.dptips-central.com/image-files/nicephore_niepce
_oldest_photograph_1826.jpg
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