Liquid lens - Is this the future?

[pedro.m.reis]

Take a look.
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article.ns?id=dn12038&feedId=online-news_rss20

Still in eraly developmente... but is this the future?

 

[thafred]

a battery dependent lens....doh

I´m amazed that they even do research on that sector but for cellphones and digicams this might be good...don´t see any leica lens made of liquid in the future....do you have some spare batteries for my Summiquid?? :-D

I have to search my archives but I´m certanly sure that I read about a functioning liquid lens in a pre 20th cent. panorama or 360° camera, were oil was used in a glass ball to make the diffraction higher...
Does anyone know about this?!

 

[nobbylon]

must admit, i prefer glass lenses and liquid lunches!!!!!!

 

[jshelly]

Beer Goggles?

 

[kbg32]

In the mid 1800's, a panoramic camera was used to take images of Paris. It had a liquid filled lens to capture the extended field of view. If memory serves me well, it was exhibited at the Met in the 150th anniversary of photography show - On the Art of Fixing a Shadow: 150 Years of Photography.

Goes to show, "what is old is new again".

 

[Peter_Jones]

There was a snippet in a magazine (AP?) a few months back about a record auction for a certain camera, which had a liquid lens - dated from third quarter of the 1800's so probably the panoramic one mentioned by thafred and kbg32.

A couple of decades ago liquid-filled spectacles were being mooted as a solution to the third-world's vision problems. Pump up the lenses to give the best vision.

As for enthusiast's cameras, liquid lenses may be a blind alley (excuse bad pun) 😀