Ever wanted to take a camera lens apart to see what's inside? Be prepared for a seemingly endless array of the worlds tiniest screws, a fountain of various rings, and a bit of grease.
Canon FD 50mm f/1.8
Mini Screwdriver
Elapsed Time: 38 Minutes
Deconstructing A Camera Lens
I have to say the ingenuity that goes into making even an old lens is truly incredible. It's easier to understand after watching this video, why lens manufacturers with a long track record of building lenses often have a higher quality product. Sure you can just hire a team Mathematicians, Industrial Engineers, and Optical Scientists and begin building lenses, but decades of research and development provide truly invaluable experience in crafting a beautiful lens. It was especially hard to fathom the knowledge required to build a lens, when I could hardly figure out how to just take it apart.
taking a camera lens apart
taking a camera lens apart, Aperture Blades
Lens Manufacturers: Who Came First?
Here is a rough timeline of lens manufacturers and the year they began, from Voight to Venus!
Voigtländer - 1756
Leica - 1849
Zeiss - 1874
Kodak - 1888
Schneider Kreuznach - 1913
Nikon - 1917
Olympus - 1919
Pentax - 1919
Canon - 1937
Tamron - 1950
Sigma - 1961
Soligor - 1968
Samyang - 1972
Venus - 2014
The Innovative History Behind Canon EF Lens Technology
If instead of taking a camera lens apart, you'd like to one come together, the two videos below are quite interesting.
[embed]http://youtu.be/fkBOsTVfpdA[/embed]
[embed]http://youtu.be/ovxtgj4SsiI[/embed]