Camera Technology: The Dark Side of the Lens [Hardcover]

Norman Goldberg (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0122875702 | ISBN-13: 978-0122875700 | Publication Date: April 21, 1992 | Edition: 1

For anyone who has ever wondered how cameras work, this book is a pleasant way to learn. It is generously endowed with enough fundamentals to satisfy the technical specialist, without intimidating the casual but curious amateur photographer. The author has repaired, modified, and designed and analyzed cameras for the past forty five years. With this background, he goes beyond describing camera functions based on advertised data--instead the book explains how various cameras really work. The book peels off the cover panels and lets you look into the dark side of the lens. The dozen or so formulas use simple math and the drawings alone are worth the price of admission.

Key Features
* Describes how cameras work and how well they overcome the difficulties in making a technically perfect photo
* Covers causes of image faults
* Presents unique methods for testing cameras
* Covers integration of optics, electronics, and mechanics in contemporary cameras

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the most fascinating things Goldberg does is to offer some of his own solutions to the technical problems in modern camera design. His idea of image-surface-to-film optimization as a solution to the film-curvature problem is wonderful and one I expect will catch on in the camera-making industry....Camera Technology is the first attempt I've seen at breaking down the barriers between photography how-to books and the intently technical articles that give more scientific background and detail than I, as a photographer, really want."
--LASER FOCUS WORLD
"Norman Goldberg's book is an excellently practical contribution to the literature of this important and neglected subject. It will be of value to specialists and to the general technical user alike....A really useful feature of the book is the inclusion of the details of several pieces of ingenious and practical test equipment that the author has devised for his own use. This feature alone... will gain this book a long-term place on many technical optics bookshelves."
--CONTEMPORARY PHYSICS
"We think Camera Technology his new book represents a much needed contribution to photo literature for fans such as the readers of Popular Photography."
--POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY
"The book is remarkable...not like any other book I have ever seen. Based on the author's experience as a repairman and writer, he has acquired a unique fund of knowledge about cameras and camera design that is hard to duplicate anywhere. The detailed description of mechanisms and the wonderful explanatory diagrams could hardly be improved upon. This book is just about perfect for all those who wish to know more about camera technology."
--RUDOLF KINGSLAKE

Product Details

• Hardcover: 309 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 1 edition (April 21, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0122875702
• ISBN-13: 978-0122875700
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,292,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book on Camera Technology, August 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Camera Technology: The Dark Side of the Lens (Hardcover)

Norman Goldberg was Modern Photography's senior technician in the 70s-80s before it was acquired by Popular Photo. His job was to take apart new cameras and dissect their technical features, and he did an outstanding job. You just cannot find such expertise easily.

Dark Side of The Lens(DSTL) is a textbook on camera technology. Covered are classic mechanical types to more modern ones with autofocusing. Emphasis is on the mechanical and electronics aspects, but there is also a wealth of tech info on lens technology. It is not a book for casual browsing, the reader will benefit most if he has a background in electronics, optics or engineering similar to NG's.

Profusely illustrated with CAD diagrams and concisely explained by NG, this book is worth much more than its modest price. It deserves its place of honor in any camera lover's bookshelves.

The only sad thing: what are we going to do when NG (now in his 80s) is no longer around? Like Marty Forscher, NG is a legend in his own time.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Technical Tour de Force, February 18, 2010

By 

Jeremy M. Harris (Worthington, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Camera Technology: The Dark Side of the Lens (Hardcover)

I have read this book twice, once back in 1992 when it was published and again recently to bone up for this review. It is a rare and remarkable work in which Mr. Goldberg summarizes a lifetime of studying the insides of cameras, or as he puts it, "the dark side of the lens." Clearly the author has a singular talent for describing and illustrating the complex mechanisms and control systems that have transformed consumer cameras into marvels of clever, intricate engineering.

The main body of the book comprises seven chapters covering focusing, exposure, time lags, viewfinders, film support, hardware, and testing. Each section abounds with mechanical and optical detail conveyed via lucid descriptions keyed to superb illustrations. This is not a book for the casual prospective camera buyer, but rather a valuable reference work for people who enjoy understanding in detail the way things work. Goldberg also provides fascinating historical perspective on how difficult technical problems have been solved in stages by ingenious designers. "Camera Technology" was written too early to cover the recent digital revolution, but a surprising amount of its content is still relevant today. After all, cameras still have bodies, lenses, diaphragms, shutters and viewfinders supported by extensive autofocusing and autoexposing subsystems. And the single-lens reflex (SLR) is still the premier configuration for professional as well as serious amateur photographers.

I think the strongest distinguishing feature of this book is the skill with which the author personally produced nearly all of its many illustrations and diagrams. From the look of the graphics, I would guess that he used a bit-mapped application similar to Apple's classic MacPaint program. Such software, while capable of many useful artistic effects, was not designed with technical applications in mind. Nevertheless I was repeatedly impressed by Goldberg's uncanny ability to illustrate intricate mechanisms and sophisticated concepts with admirable clarity. And because author and illustrator are the same person, the correlation between text and graphics is virtually perfect. An excellent example would be Figure 2.10, an isometric (simulated 3D) illustration of a Leica style three-axis focal-plane shutter and its mechanically coupled film transport components. I would call the figure a masterpiece of essentially freehand drawing on a computer.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book for those interested in the technical side, March 29, 1999

By 

Robert S. Lyss "similyss" (Nevada City CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Camera Technology: The Dark Side of the Lens (Hardcover)

This book presents the technical side and history of the working components of (mostly) 35mm cameras. There are sections on shutters, aperatures, etc. There are many illustrations but I agree they are a bit spotty in quality. I enjoyed the book a lot.