Book description
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.
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Table of Contents
- Preface to the First Edition
- Preface to the Second Edition
- Permissions
- Chapter 1 What Is Photography?
- Chapter 2 What Is Light?
- Chapter 3 The Camera—An Introduction
- Chapter 4 Images: What Is Perspective?
- Chapter 5 Why Does a Camera Need a Lens?
- Chapter 6 Elementary Optics: How Do Lenses Work?
- Chapter 7 The Simple Thin Lens and What it Does
- Chapter 8 How to Make Lenses that Are Good Enough for Photography
- Chapter 9 Coming to Terms with Real Camera Lenses
- Chapter 10 Wide-Angle Lenses, Fisheye Lenses, and Panoramas
- Chapter 11 What Is an Equivalent Image?
-
Chapter 12 How to Get Very High Magnification
- 12.1 Introduction
- 12.2 Supplemental Lenses
- 12.3 Extension
- 12.4 Teleconverters (Tele-Extenders) for Cameras with Interchangeable Lenses
- 12.5 Afocal Teleconverters for Fixed Lens Cameras
- 12.6 Combinations of Lenses and Extenders for Real World Macrophotography
- 12.7 Special Problems Resulting from High Magnification
- 12.8 Lighting for Close-Up Nature Photography with High Shutter Speeds
- 12.9 The Optimum F-Number for Macrophotography
- 12.10 Expanding the Depth-of-Field
- 12.11 Conclusions
- Chapter 13 Do We Need Filters Anymore?
- Chapter 14 The Limits of Human Vision
- Chapter 15 How Can Color Be Managed?
-
Chapter 16 Image Capture and Processing
- 16.1 Introduction
- 16.2 Capturing Photons with Image Sensors
- 16.3 CCD and CMOS Image Sensors
- 16.4 Encoding of Color
- 16.5 How Film/Sensor Speed (ISO) Is Defined
- 16.6 How the Dynamic Range Is Determined
- 16.7 Exposure Settings for High Image Quality
- 16.8 Saving and Storing the Image
- 16.9 Image Processing and Manipulation
- 16.10 Artifacts Resulting from Inadequate Periodic Sampling
- 16.11 Gamma Correction
- 16.12 Capturing the LightField
- 16.13 Does the Sensor Really Determine the Resolution of My Digital Camera?
-
Chapter 17 What Is Perceived Image Quality?
- 17.1 Introduction
- 17.2 Image Blurring and Softness
- 17.3 Focus
- 17.4 Camera Motion
- 17.5 Signal-to-Noise Ratios
- 17.6 Diffraction
- 17.7 Lens Performance
- 17.8 Sensor Resolution
- 17.9 Perceived Image Quality
- 17.10 Sharpening by Means of Image Processing
- 17.11 Contrast Sensitivity Function
- 17.12 Subjective Quality Factor
- 17.13 A Caveat
- Chapter 18 The Creation and Appreciation of Art in Photography
- Chapter 19 What We See and How We Photograph It
-
Appendices
- A Historical Note on Enlargers
- B What Is Behind the Rules of Optics?
- C Derivation of the Lens Maker’s Equation
- D Gaussian Optics and the Principal Planes
- E A Macro Lens with Attachments
- F Observing and Managing Color: Dealing with Color Vision Anomalies
- G Capturing Photons with Photographic Film
- H Microelectronics and the Path to Digital Sensors
- I Irradiance and Illuminance Units
- J All about Depth-of-Field and Hyperfocal Distance
- Index
Product information
- Title: Science for the Curious Photographer, 2nd Edition
- Author(s):
- Release date: August 2017
- Publisher(s): Routledge
- ISBN: 9781351811859
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