Science for the Curious Photographer: An Introduction to the Science of Photography (2nd edition)

"While there are many books that teach the "how-to" of photography, Science for the Curious Photographer is a book for those who also want to understand how photography works. Beginning with an introduction to the history and science of photography, Charles S. Johnson, Jr. addresses questions about the principles of photography, such as why a camera needs a lens, how lenses work, and why modern lenses are so complicated. Addressing the complex aspects of digital photography, the book discusses colour management, resolution, "noise" in images, and the limits of human perception. The creation and appreciation of art in photography is discussed from the standpoint of modern cognitive science. A crucial read for those seeking the scientific context to photographic practice, this second edition has been comprehensively updated, including discussion of DSLRs, mirror-less cameras, and a new chapter on the limits of human vision and perception."--Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 Preface to the First Edition 14 Preface to the Second Edition 16 Permissions 18 Chapter 1 What Is Photography? 20 Chapter 2 What Is Light? 24 Chapter 3 The Camera—An Introduction 30 3.1 Introduction 30 3.2 The Camera Body 31 3.3 The Lens 32 3.4 Film and Sensors 34 3.5 Digital Camera Design 37 Chapter 4 Images: What Is Perspective? 40 Chapter 5 Why Does a Camera Need a Lens? 46 Chapter 6 Elementary Optics: How Do Lenses Work? 50 Chapter 7 The Simple Thin Lens and What it Does 56 7.1 Introduction 56 7.2 Optical Surfaces 57 7.3 Compound Lenses 59 7.4 Conclusion 60 Chapter 8 How to Make Lenses that Are Good Enough for Photography 62 8.1 Introduction 62 8.2 Aberrations 65 8.3 The Petzval Sum 67 8.4 Optical Materials 68 8.5 Anti-Reflective Coatings 69 8.6 Conclusion 73 Chapter 9 Coming to Terms with Real Camera Lenses 76 9.1 Introduction 76 9.2 The Thin Lens 77 9.3 The Compound lens 78 9.4 Gaussian Optics 79 9.5 Entrance Pupil, Stop, and Illumination of the Image 80 9.6 Vignetting 82 9.7 Metalenses and the New Optics of the 21st Century 84 9.8 Conclusion 85 Chapter 10 Wide-Angle Lenses, Fisheye Lenses, and Panoramas 88 10.1 Introduction 88 10.2 Conventional or Rectilinear Lenses 91 10.3 Types of Fisheye Lenses 91 10.4 How Fisheye Lenses Accomplish Their Magic 91 10.5 Examples and Illustrations 93 10.6 Panoramas 95 10.7 Conclusions 101 Chapter 11 What Is an Equivalent Image? 102 11.1 Introduction 102 11.2 Determinants of Image Appearance 103 11.3 Comments and Conclusions 107 Chapter 12 How to Get Very High Magnification 110 12.1 Introduction 110 12.2 Supplemental Lenses 114 12.3 Extension 116 12.4 Teleconverters (Tele-Extenders) for Cameras with Interchangeable Lenses 117 12.5 Afocal Teleconverters for Fixed Lens Cameras 119 12.6 Combinations of Lenses and Extenders for Real World Macrophotography 119 12.7 Special Problems Resulting from High Magnification 122 12.8 Lighting for Close-Up Nature Photography with High Shutter Speeds 122 12.9 The Optimum F-Number for Macrophotography 124 12.10 Expanding the Depth-of-Field 125 12.11 Conclusions 126 Chapter 13 Do We Need Filters Anymore? 128 13.1 Introduction 128 13.2 Absorption Filters 129 13.3 Polarization Filters 134 13.4 Polarization in Nature 136 13.5 UV and IR Photography 141 Chapter 14 The Limits of Human Vision 150 14.1 Introduction 150 14.2 Structure of the Eye 150 14.3 Operation of the Visual Receptors 152 14.4 Visual Acuity 154 14.5 Sensitivity 156 14.6 Conclusions 159 Chapter 15 How Can Color Be Managed? 162 15.1 Introduction 162 15.2 Color Theories 165 15.3 Colorimetry 168 15.4 Color Spaces for Digital Photography 174 15.5 Color Management in the Tristimulus World 176 15.6 Goethe-Hering Theory 177 15.7 Monochrome and Monotone Images 179 15.8 Color Constancy and the Land Theory 180 15.9 Color Opponent Cells in the Retina and Brain 181 Chapter 16 Image Capture and Processing 186 16.1 Introduction 186 16.2 Capturing Photons with Image Sensors 187 16.3 CCD and CMOS Image Sensors 187 16.4 Encoding of Color 188 16.5 How Film/Sensor Speed (ISO) Is Defined 191 16.6 How the Dynamic Range Is Determined 194 16.7 Exposure Settings for High Image Quality 197 16.8 Saving and Storing the Image 201 16.9 Image Processing and Manipulation 202 16.10 Artifacts Resulting from Inadequate Periodic Sampling 203 16.11 Gamma Correction 204 16.12 Capturing the Light Field 205 16.13 Does the Sensor Really Determine the Resolution of My Digital Camera? 206 Chapter 17 What Is Perceived Image Quality? 208 17.1 Introduction 208 17.2 Image Blurring and Softness 209 17.3 Focus 210 17.4 Camera Motion 210 17.5 Signal-to-Noise Ratios 211 17.6 Diffraction 211 17.7 Lens Performance 212 17.8 Sensor Resolution 215 17.9 Perceived Image Quality 218 17.10 Sharpening by Means of Image Processing 218 17.11 Contrast Sensitivity Function 219 17.12 Subjective Quality Factor 220 17.13 A Caveat 222 Chapter 18 The Creation and Appreciation of Art in Photography 226 18.1 What Is a Good Photograph? 226 18.2 Art and Consciousness 228 18.3 How Images Are Perceived 230 18.4 Why Do Images Attract or Repel? 233 18.5 How Knowledge of the Visual System Can Enhance the Artist’s Bag of Tricks 237 18.6 Reflections on Art in Photography 240 Chapter 19 What We See and How We Photograph It 242 Appendices 250 A Historical Note on Enlargers 250 B What Is Behind the Rules of Optics? 252 C Derivation of the Lens Maker’s Equation 258 D Gaussian Optics and the Principal Planes 260 E A Macro Lens with Attachments 262 F Observing and Managing Color: Dealing with Color Vision Anomalies 264 G Capturing Photons with Photographic Film 272 H Microelectronics and the Path to Digital Sensors 280 I Irradiance and Illuminance Units 284 J All about Depth-of-Field and Hyperfocal Distance 286 Index 290 While there are many books that teach the "how-to" of photography,__Science for the Curious Photographer__is a book for those who also want to understand how photography works. Beginning with an introduction to the history and science of photography, Charles S. Johnson, Jr. addresses questions about the principles of photography, such as why a camera needs a lens, how lenses work, and why modern lenses are so complicated.Addressing the complex aspects of digital photography, the book discusses color management, resolution, "noise" in images, and the limits of human perception. The creation and appreciation of art in photography is discussed from the standpoint of modern cognitive science.A crucial read for those seeking the scientific context to photographic practice, this second edition has been comprehensively updated, including discussion of DSLRs, mirror-less cameras, and a new chapter on the limits of human vision and perception.