Old Vintage Cameras: Instant Polaroid

What is a Camera Obscura?

The camera obscura (Latin; camera = vaulted chamber | obscura = dark, thus darkened chamber or room) is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side. Light from an external scene passes through the hole and strikes a surface inside where it is reproduced, upside-down, but with color and perspective preserved. The image can be projected onto paper, and can then be traced to produce a highly accurate representation. Using mirrors, as in the 18th century overhead version (illustrated in the History section below), it is 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 being upright as viewed from the back. As a pinhole is made smaller, the image gets sharper, but the projected image becomes dimmer. With too small a pinhole the sharpness again becomes worse due to diffraction. Some practical camera obscuras use a lens rather than a pinhole because it allows a larger aperture, giving a usable brightness while maintaining focus.

Polaroid Impulse Camera	Polaroid Spectra SE	Polaroid Color Adapter Kit	Polaroid Swinger Camera Outfit 1960s
Polaroid Land Camera J66	Polaroid Colarpack II Land Camera Retro	Polaroid 101 Land Camera Kit Vintage Mid 60s	Polaroid 230 Land Camera
Polaroid Land Camera Model 80A with Polaroid BC Flash	Polaroid M60 Vintage Land Camera and Accessories	Polaroid Impulse AF Camera Collectible	Polaroid 620 Light Meter

Old Vintage Cameras

Pages

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Instant Polaroid Cameras

Vintage Polaroid Freshly Picked

Old Photo

Kodak News Releases

Random Photo

Old Photo

George Eastman House Blog

Old Photo

APUG

Old Photo

Old Photo

Polaroid.com Latest Press