Zoom lens first demonstrated in 1947

[otherprof]

Looking up what happened on this day in history, I learned that a lens that could zoom was demonstrated on April 16, 1947 in New York City. It was not reported if people immediately began complaining about all the compromises in image quality we would now have forced on us.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Here's a good source about the development of zoom lenses:

"Zoom Lens History"

Zoom Lens History – … from Zoomar to Angenieux

 

[Solarflare]

Zoom lenses couldnt become popular before:

1. Lens coatings have been developed, which allowed lenses to have more lens elements without massive problems. Before that point, every single additional lens element introduced a huge additional cost in image quality, namely loss of light and additional internal reflections.

2. Film speeds got faster, making dark lenses, such as zooms, having any practical use at all.

Development of new types of lens elements, such as aspherical surfaces, or new glas types with properties such as anomalous partial dispersion also helped making modern zooms perform much better.

And namely in the 1940s there was no computers yet, which are kind of needed to compute a lens this complicated.

So yeah, these complaints have been VERY VERY justified.

 

[Soocom1]

Zoom lenses couldnt become popular before:

1. Lens coatings have been developed, which allowed lenses to have more lens elements without massive problems. Before that point, every single additional lens element introduced a huge additional cost in image quality, namely loss of light and additional internal reflections.

2. Film speeds got faster, making dark lenses, such as zooms, having any practical use at all.

Development of new types of lens elements, such as aspherical surfaces, or new glas types with properties such as anomalous partial dispersion also helped making modern zooms perform much better.

And namely in the 1940s there was no computers yet, which are kind of needed to compute a lens this complicated.

So yeah, these complaints have been VERY VERY justified.

Actually no.

I wont delve too deep, but computers simply make things more convenient.
The argument that we "couldn't do it without" is a misnomer.

Just made it easier and more efficient.

 

[480sparky]

Looking up what happened on this day in history, I learned that a lens that could zoom was demonstrated on April 16, 1947 in New York City. It was not reported if people immediately began complaining about all the compromises in image quality we would now have forced on us.

The stock price of shoe leather plummeted April 17th, though.

 

[zulu42]

Sparky wins the 'net today - in the category of artfully subtle photography quips.