ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of photographic lens design

Okay, kiddo, let's talk about the history of photographic lens design!

When people first started taking pictures, they used a camera obscura, which was basically a big box with a tiny hole in it. Light would come through the hole and project an image onto the wall inside the box. But they couldn't capture the image on paper until they figured out how to make a special kind of lens that would focus the light properly.

In the early 1800s, people started experimenting with lenses made of different materials and shapes to improve the quality of the pictures. One of the first successful lenses was designed by a man named Petzval, and it was made of glass and had a very specific shape. This lens was great at capturing portraits, but it was very heavy and expensive.

Over time, lens designers started making improvements to the Petzval lens to make it smaller and more affordable. They also experimented with different types of glass and coating the lens to reduce glare and improve sharpness. By the early 1900s, there were many different types of lenses available for photographers to choose from.

Today, lens design is still improving and evolving. There are lenses for every type of photography, from sports to landscapes to portraits. They come in all shapes and sizes, and with all kinds of advanced features to help photographers capture the perfect shot. Who knows what kinds of lenses we'll have in the future? The sky's the limit!