Oskar Barnack
Encyclopedia
Oskar Barnack was a German optical engineer, precision mechanic
, industrial designer and the father of 35mm photography
.
In 1911, he was in charge of microscope research for Ernst Leitz at Wetzlar
. He was an enthusiastic photographer, but the heavy equipment of the day was difficult for him to handle due to his poor health. In 1912, he constructed a 35mm movie camera.
Between 1913 and 1914 he was head of development of the camera company Leitz
in Wetzlar
, Hesse
, Germany
. He was the driving force behind the making of the first mass-marketed 35mm camera
. Barnack suffered from asthma
, and sought to reduce the size and weight of cameras and supporting equipment used for outdoor photography. His 35mm design helped introduce the concept of exposing a small area of film to create a negative, then enlarging the image in a darkroom
.
The onset of World War I
kept the first Leica from being manufactured until 1924, and it was not introduced to the public until 1925, when Leica's chief, the optician
Ernst Leitz, took a gamble and authorized the production of 1,000 cameras.
Leica stood for Leitz Camera. Instead of the exposure plates used in past Leitz cameras, the Leica used a standardized film strip, adapted from 35mm
Edison roll-film. Barnack decided that the 18 x 24 mm (3:4) standard movie frame was not large enough for good still photo quality with the films of the day and doubled the frame size to 24 x 36 mm (2:3), with the image horizontal instead of vertical.
Lynow, Oskar Barnack's birthplace, and currently a municipality of Brandenburg
, Germany, has a museum to Oskar Barnack.
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
, industrial designer and the father of 35mm photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
.
In 1911, he was in charge of microscope research for Ernst Leitz at Wetzlar
Wetzlar
Wetzlar is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. Located at 8° 30′ E, 50° 34′ N, Wetzlar straddles the river Lahn and is on the German Timber-Framework Road which passes mile upon mile of half-timbered houses. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis on the north edge of...
. He was an enthusiastic photographer, but the heavy equipment of the day was difficult for him to handle due to his poor health. In 1912, he constructed a 35mm movie camera.
Between 1913 and 1914 he was head of development of the camera company Leitz
Leitz
The Esselte Leitz GmbH & Co KG, also Leitz, is a German manufacturer of office products. The company, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, is owned by Esselte since 1998. Today the brand Leitz is used by Esselte mainly for filing and workspace products....
in Wetzlar
Wetzlar
Wetzlar is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. Located at 8° 30′ E, 50° 34′ N, Wetzlar straddles the river Lahn and is on the German Timber-Framework Road which passes mile upon mile of half-timbered houses. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis on the north edge of...
, Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He was the driving force behind the making of the first mass-marketed 35mm camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
. Barnack suffered from asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
, and sought to reduce the size and weight of cameras and supporting equipment used for outdoor photography. His 35mm design helped introduce the concept of exposing a small area of film to create a negative, then enlarging the image in a darkroom
Darkroom
A darkroom is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light sensitive photographic materials, including photographic film and photographic paper. Darkrooms have been created and used since the inception of photography in the early 19th century...
.
The onset of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
kept the first Leica from being manufactured until 1924, and it was not introduced to the public until 1925, when Leica's chief, the optician
Optician
An optician is a person who is trained to fill prescriptions for eye correction in the field of medicine, also known as a dispensing optician or optician, dispensing...
Ernst Leitz, took a gamble and authorized the production of 1,000 cameras.
Leica stood for Leitz Camera. Instead of the exposure plates used in past Leitz cameras, the Leica used a standardized film strip, adapted from 35mm
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
Edison roll-film. Barnack decided that the 18 x 24 mm (3:4) standard movie frame was not large enough for good still photo quality with the films of the day and doubled the frame size to 24 x 36 mm (2:3), with the image horizontal instead of vertical.
Lynow, Oskar Barnack's birthplace, and currently a municipality of Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, Germany, has a museum to Oskar Barnack.
External links
- http://www.leica-camera.com Leica Camera AG official homepage
- http://www.overgaard.dk/leica_history.html Leica History by Thorsten Overgaard
- http://www.overgaard.dk/leica-M9-digital-rangefinder-camera.html "Leica Reloaded" Leica M9 by Thorsten Overgaard
- http://www.iphf.org/Hall_Of_Fame/Inducties_Bios/Oskar_Barnack_Bio.html "Oskar Barnack" International Photography Hall of Fame