Iconoscope

An iconoscope is a very special kind of camera that is used to take pictures, but not just any kind of picture - these cameras are used to make pictures that are turned into moving pictures, or what we call "video." It works by capturing an image of what is in front of it, just like a regular camera, but instead of using film or a digital sensor, it uses something called an "electron gun" to create a picture.

The electron gun shoots tiny particles called "electrons" at a special plate, which is kind of like a screen. When the electrons hit the plate, they create a pattern of light and dark areas, which makes up the picture that the camera is taking. The image is then sent through a bunch of wires to a TV screen, which shows the image as moving video!

It's pretty amazing how this works - basically, the electron gun is like a tiny magic wand that creates pictures out of thin air! And the iconoscope was one of the first cameras to use this technology, way back in the early days of TV.