Another Book thread - Good books on optics (?)

[Tom Sawyer]

Hello, people.
I'm getting very interested in the technical side photography lately, and one aspect that I absolutely would like to fully understand is: What actually happens inside my SLR? (I'm, well, old school and I shoot with film, if that matters) How does the light create a image, how does it reach the film, what happens to the light inside the lens, why is my depth of field low with a big aperture, all those things...I guess it will have a lot to do with optics?
Anyway, I would like to know if you can recommend me a book that talks optics on a photographic level, if you know what I mean. I'm not necessarily interested in a full-blown course on optics, but rather how the principles influence us as photographers.
Thank you for any tips.

 

[lockwood81]

I'm currently reading "The New Manual of Photography: The definitive guide to photography in every format"..

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/New-Manual-Photography-John-Hedgecoe/dp/0789496372/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1234569065&sr=11-1]Amazon.com: The New Manual of Photography: John Hedgecoe: Books[/ame]

I'm finding it very informative on the topic of photography as a whole.