The History And Science Of Lenses

This interesting (yet highly technical and extensive) video by John P. Hess from Filmmaker IQ looks at both the history and some of the complex science behind the manufacturing of lenses.

If you are a history/technology buff and interested in photography this fascinating video looks at a great deal of the history of lenses starting from some of the earlier ones know centuries bc and going on into modern days and modern designs.

Out of the many fascinating things Hess mentions in this video is the way the Japanese lens industry evolved to the dominating position is currently holds in the world of photography (this is a great example of how industry and government can work together to create a genuine competitive edge in a specific market.

We have dived into lens technology many times in the past and more specifically into lens manufacturing on “Nikon Lens Technology Explained“, “Nikon Lens Craftsmanship“, “How does the Glass for Nikon Lenses is Made”, “How Does Panasonic Manufacture Lenses at the Yamagata Plant“, “How Does Sigma Manufacture Lenses (part 1 and part 2)”, “Carl Zeiss – Manufacturing the new Touit lenses“, and finally “How Leica Lenses are Made“.

You can find more photography related technology videos on our photo-tech section here on LensVid.

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.