Petzval's Portrait Lens
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Petzval’s portrait lens Lens Design OPTI 517 Prof. Jose Sasian Chronology • Camera obscura; Leonardo da Vinci (1452- 1519) provided the first known technical description • The idea of capturing an image • Lois Jacques Mande Daguerre (1787-1851) succeeded in finding a photographic process. This was announced in 1939 Prof. Jose Sasian Announcement of the invention of the Daguerreotype by Arago at the meeting of the French Academy of Sciences and Arts August 19th 1939 Louis-Jacques- Mandé Daguerre Dominique François Arago Prof. Andreas Ettingshausen, 1796–1878 Prof. Jose Sasian Daguerre’s camera and the achromatic landscape lens ½ hour to take a picture: F/16 “It is known that the objectives used by Daguerre were achromatic plane-convex-lenses. Their plane side was turned toward the object, the convex side towards the image. They have an opening of 3 zoll, but this opening is reduced to 1 zoll by a diaphragm placed before at a distance of 3 zoll from the lenses.” J. Petzval Prof. Jose Sasian Prof. Ettingshausen asked Joseph Petzval to explore the shape of the lenses Joseph Petzval Vienna University, 19th century Prof. Andreas Ettingshausen 1807-1891 “It was in the year 1839, when the wonderful invention by Daguerre was made public, and incited the general interest to such a high degree. At that time I was first made aware of the strange shape of the objectives used in Daguerre’s camera obscura by my dear friend and colleague Professor von Ettingshausen. I was asked to explore the reason for this shape.” J. Petzval Prof. Jose Sasian Petzval Portrait Lens “Greater illumination, one of the desired improvements, can only be obtained in two ways – by enlarging the aperture and by diminishing the focal length, both which, however, will result from employing two converging lenses, instead of one. These lenses must of course be achromats; and by theory, in order that a good image may be produced, they must be separated from each other by a distance no less than one third of the focal length of the lens near the object.” Petzval 1857. F/3.6 40 seconds to take a picture Prof. Jose Sasian Joseph Eder’s remark “The commercial success of the Petzval portrait lens was immediate and extraordinary, and that it spread with unexpected rapidity.” Prof. Jose Sasian Petzval lens imaging Bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the lack of sharp focusing in the images produced by a lens, especially In the outer parts of the field. Prof. Jose Sasian The question • How did Petzval design his famous portrait lens • Did he use real ray tracing? • Did he use third-order aberration coefficients? • Did he have help? • Petzval did not leave a record about how he did the designs • The announcement of the Daguerrotype was on August 1839 • Petzval had his designed done by May 1840, likely by March. Prof. Jose Sasian Prof. Ettingshausen suggests to P. W. Voigtländer to talk to Petzval P. W. F. Voigtländer, lens manufacturer in Vienna Prof. Andreas Ettingshausen Prof. Jose Sasian P. W. Voigtländer meets Petzval and provides glass indices of refraction and dispersion values P. W. F. Voigtländer Joseph Petzval Prof. Jose Sasian Petzval produces by May of 1840 two objective designs (actually four) For For “views” (landscapes) portraits Prof. Jose Sasian First camera with the Petzval Portrait objective • Voigtländer manufactured the objectives • The portrait objective working at F/3.67 allowed taking photographs in seconds (~40) making portrait photography a practical reality. • Anton Martin took photographs to evaluate the lens Anton Martin Prof. Jose Sasian Petzval’s Original Prescription The prescription has two sets of data for landscapes and for portraits. Written in ink and in pencil. NATIONAL BANK OF SLOVAKIA Prof. Jose Sasian P. W. F. Voigtländer notarized copy Akademiker Prof. Dr. Petzval, beleuchtet von Voigtländer, Drud und Berlag von Friedrich Biemeg und Gobn, NATIONAL BANK OF SLOVAKIA Braunschweig 1859. Prof. Jose Sasian The two sets of prescriptions Given in linien, zoll, and zoll and linien old German units In ink and in pencil No indices of refraction, dispersion values, or thicknesses Prof. Jose Sasian Reconstructed specifications Prof. Jose Sasian Commercial camera: Voigtländer-Petzval conical brass camera Plate D=92 mm ; f=149 mm Plate D=94 mm ; f=150 mm Measurements: 37 cm X 31 cm X 15 cm NATIONAL BANK OF SLOVAKIA Prof. Jose Sasian An early Petzval objective from 1845 Aperture stop was the rim of the first doublet Prof. Jose Sasian First-order concept layout F1=16 Zoll F1=8 Zoll F2=24 Zoll F2=12 Zoll F=11 Zoll F=5 ½ Zoll D=5.1 Zoll D=2.55 Zoll Aperture 3 zoll Aperture 1 ½ F/3.67 zoll F/3.67 Petzval’s report of 1857 Prof. Jose Sasian Thin lens solution Given by J. Eder N Crown = 1.517 N Flint = 1.575 The secret of the thin achromatic doublet is that the ratio of the optical powers of the individual lenses must be equal to the negative of the ratio of the glasses v-numbers. Prof. Jose Sasian Petzval statement of 1857 “Greater illumination, one of the desired improvements, can only be obtained in two ways – by enlarging the aperture and by diminishing the focal length, both which, however, will result from employing two converging lenses, instead of one. These lenses must of course be achromats; and by theory, in order that a good image may be produced, they must be separated from each other by a distance no less than one third of the focal length of the lens near the object.” Petzval 1857. Supports: Use of a thin lens model Use of third-order theory Prof. Jose Sasian Third-order thin lens solution • Two achromatic doublets individually corrected for spherical aberration • Front doublet contributing positive coma and positive astigmatism • Rear doublet contributing negative coma and negative astigmatism • Field was artificially flattened W222 / W220P = -0.79. As a thin lens F1=8 Zoll F2=12 Zoll D=F1 / 3 Zoll W222 / W220P = -0.79. AB k uWWB 2 222 222 A 13 kuB W131 Prof. Jose Sasian Thick lens solution W131 = 0 W131 = 0 Separation is D = 2 Zoll (Rather than D = 2.67 Zoll) W222 / W220P = -0.44 Prof. Jose Sasian Lens Adjustment Voigtländer wrote: “Prof. Petzval and I finding that, by this ring (i.e. a spacer) we could compensate for some errors, which must have taken place in the calculation.” Prof. Jose Sasian Petzval did not use real ray tracing. Some arguments are: • His two criticisms of the calculating opticians in his 1843 report and his repetitive highlighting of aberration theory. • His remark in his 1843 report that he had calculated 15 lens combinations with images of the fifth-order (meaning a third-order correction or several third-order aberrations corrected). • That the distance between doublets in the portrait objective is at odds with Petzval’s remark of at least 1/3 the focal length of the first doublet. Further, this statement reflects a third-order calculation. • That as late as 1857 Petzval expressly remarked that his new lens was corrected to an image of the fifth-order. • The correction of chromatic change of focus using a thin lens model. Prof. Jose Sasian K. &. K Bombardier – Corps This first result was the motive, because of the hopes to which it gave rise, that I was given authority by the highest order of his majesty, his k. & k. Highness General Artillery Director Arch Duke Ludwig to have the members of the K. &. K Bombardier – Corps namely the two Oberfeuerwerkers Löschner and Hain at my disposal. This Bombardier corps was well known to have mathematical knowledge… Prof. Jose Sasian A common misunderstanding Petzval in his 1843 report explains that the first practical result of his dioptric theory was the portrait objective of 1840. He writes that this first result was the motive for which Arch Duke Ludwig provided to him the help of the K&K Bombardier Corps. Later in 1903 L. Ermenyi wrote that before the end of 1840 the portrait lens became vividly discussed in Vienna and that the imperial court showed such interest that Arch Duke Ludwig provided to Petzval help with the Bombardier Corps. Accordingly, and contrary to common belief, Petzval did not have calculation help from the K&K Bombardier Corps to design his famous portrait lens. The Bombardier Corps helped Petzval to calculate the 15 tables (lens prescriptions) for Telescopes, cameras obscuras, and microscopes he wrote about at the close of his report of 1843. Prof. Jose Sasian Petzval’s drawings Prof. Jose Sasian "I have conquered the light, I have it firmly in my hands, because there is too much darkness in the world." Prof. Jose Sasian Petzval lens specs •F/# 3.6 • F=150 mm • D=42 mm • FOV=+/- 16.5 degrees • All glass lenses Prof. Jose Sasian Time table 1812 W. Wollaston landscape lens; 30 deg @ f/15 1825 ~T. Young, G. Airy, J. Herschel, H. Coddington 1828 Hamilton's theory of systems of rays 1839 Photography was made a practical reality 1839 Chevalier lens 1840 Petzval (Hungarian) portrait lens; 15 deg @ f/3.6 1841 Gauss’s cardinal points, focal and principal 1856 Seidel theory Prof. Jose Sasian The state of the art • Telescope doublets: Chromatic aberration and spherical aberration • Periscopic lenses in the camera obscura ~1812 • Airy’s study of the periscopic lens exhibiting the trade of between astigmatism and field curvature. • H. Coddington treatise in optics ~1829 • Microscopes • J.J. Lister microscope which was aplanatic 1830 • Precise measurement of index of refraction by Fraunhofer ~1812 Prof. Jose Sasian State of the art in the field of lens design Prof.