From: liang@saul.cis.upenn.edu (Chuck Liang)
Newsgroups: rec.photo
Subject: Major advances in camera technology (was Re: Camera Feature Wars - Photo Getting Like Video)
Date: 21 Nov 92 04:05:59 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

In article <1992Nov20.180516.28628@noao.edu> lytle@noao.edu (Dyer Lytle  CCS) writes:
>In article <1992Nov20.162305.1@cc.helsinki.fi> mlindholm@cc.helsinki.fi writes:
>
>>Our whole technological culture is based on the idea that everything must be
>>made to work ever more perfect.  If a machine can be built, that is enough a
>>justification to build it.  No concern is given to whether it is needed at all
>>or even whether it is downright bad for people (or nature).  Engineering is our
>>new religion: we have to make progress.  No one knows why, but we just have to.
>>And we want all those marvellous new technological advancements.  No one knows
>>why, but we just want.
>Progress in camera technology, including auto exposure and auto focus, allows
...


  My own feelings are that most of important features important to
pratical photography were invented decades ago, and that the so called
current technological advances are merely refinements and advertising
hype.  Here is my chronological list of what I consider the most
important innovations in 35mm camera technology, beginning with the
original Leica camera with focal plane shutter.  

1930. Interchangable lenses. The Leica I was modified to accept
different screw-in lenses.

1932. Coupled rangefinder.  Introduced by the Leica II and the Contax I,
this feature means the user doesn't have to manually transfer the
rangefinder reading to the lens manually.

Around WWII: Coated lenses.  I'm not sure of who invented this key
technology.  In general, post-WWII lenses are coated while pre-WWII
ones aren't.

Shortly after WWII(?).  Coupled exposure meter.  I don't regard
uncoupled meters as an innovation because any moron could glue a meter
on to his camera.

Shortly after WWII.  Electronic flash synchronization replaces
earlier, cruder methods.

1949.  The Contax S (and the Italian Rectaflex) introduced the SLR
with eye-level prism.  This allowed a SLR to be viewed like other
cameras, which increased its popularity.

1954.  The Asahiflex (and the earlier Hungarian Duflex) gave SLR's the
instant return mirror.  This and eye-level viewing started
establishing the domination of the 35mm SLR over all other types of
cameras.  

Around 1960.  Cds exposure meters began to replace selenium cell
meters.  This allowed greater sensitivity and narrower acceptance
angles, giving rise to the spot meter.

1960's.  TTL exposure metering.  I'm not sure when exactly this was
invented and which was the first camera in incorporate it (Pentax
Spotmatic?).  This feature really made SLR's a favorite.

Around 1975(?).  The Olympus OM2n introduced TTL-OTF flash metering.

1985.  The Minolt Maxxum 7000 popularized autofocusing, which first
appeared in 1982 with the Pentax Me-F.


  I did not include many advancements in lens design because I'm not
clear when exactly these advances took place.  I did not mention auto 
exposure because this feature appeared on snap-shot cameras fairly
early.  It was more slowly accepted in "professional" level cameras.
I also did not include the Canon AE-1, whose electronic interior was a
major advancement in design, but didn't really affect the practical
aspect of photography (except increased dependence on batteries).  

  I do not consider features such as matrix metering to be major
advancements because they are really refinements of more fundamental
technologies (i.e., TTL metering).  I certainly do not consider things
like auto-zooming and barcode readers as major advancements.  Is there
anything obvious that I missed? 

  Why is it that most of the major technologies were developed in the
50's and 60's?  The problem is at least partly cultural.  Right now,
it nolonger matters if something is really an innovation, so long as it
APPEARS as an innovation.  Catchy slogans and fancy names are much
easier to come by than real technological advancement.  That's why
you have things like "Introducing the Olympus IS-1, the world's first
Zoom Lens Reflex."  For those of you who don't know already, a "zoom
lens reflex" is just a SLR with a built-in zoom lens.