Camera obscura with lens
Cámara oscura con lente y diafragma
- Date
- 1550-1568 · confidence high
- Place
- Venice and Milan, Italy
- Credited to
- Girolamo Cardano (lens, 1550), Daniele Barbaro (diaphragm, 1568), Della Porta (popularisation, 1558/1589)
- People
- 👤 Daniele Barbaro1513–1570👤 Gerolamo Cardano1501–1576👤 Giovanni Battista della Porta1535–1615
- Field
- Communication
What it is
A darkened room or box with a convex lens and a diaphragm fitted to its aperture, projecting sharp, bright images of the outside world. A drawing aid for perspective and a model of the eye (Kepler, 1604).
What it led to
- Kepler's theory of vision and the retinal image
- Perspective painting and vedutismo (Vermeer, Canaletto, debated)
- The portable drawing camera (Zahn, 1685), forerunner of the photographic camera
Built on
- Camera obscura (Alhazen)c. 1021
- Levi ben Gershon's camera obscura and Jacob's staff1328
- Alhazen's camera obscura
- Spectacle lenses
- Brunelleschi's linear perspective
Made possible
- Magic lantern1659
- Camera lucida1806
- Portable camera obscura
- Photographic camera (1826-1839)