See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/309056915

The SMPTE Century: Evolution in Cameras and Lenses from 1916 to 2016

Article  in  SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal · August 2016

DOI: 10.5594/JMI.2016.2578818

CITATIONS READS

3 1,104

1 author:

Laurence Thorpe
Canon USA Inc
39 PUBLICATIONS   87 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Laurence Thorpe on 02 December 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 TECHNICAL PAPER

The SMPTE Century: Evolution in Cameras and

Lenses From 1916 to 2016
By Laurence J. Thorpe

Abstract In 2013, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and

AQ1 Sciences gave the company an award of merit, saying it
“helped define the look of motion pictures over the last
Keywords century,” with lenses that produce what is known in the
AQ2 Author, please supply index terms/keywords for your paper. To industry as the “Cooke look”—warm, natural images on
download the IEEE Taxonomy go to http://www.ieee.org/ the screen.
documents/taxonomy_v101.pdf In 1935 in France, Pierre Angénieux formed the com-
pany that bore his name, with the intention to specialize
Introduction in optics for cinema. He introduced a 35 mm cine lens in
eorge Eastman’s development of film rolls in 1951. Angénieux designed a constant-aperture 17–68 mm

G 1889 was followed two years later by Thomas

Edison’s invention of the motion picture film
camera. In 1909, the 35 mm film format was rec-
zoom lens in 1956 and a 12–120 mm zoom lens in 1958
(Fig. 2).
In Germany, the Zeiss Company was born in the
ognized as an international gauge. The SMPTE century 1840s and made optics for telescopes and instrumenta-
began in 1916—with the initial founding tion. When the film camera was in-
of SMPE and was focused exclusively on vented, they turned their attention to
motion imaging as originated on motion lenses. Carl Zeiss is one of the oldest
picture film. Lenses, cameras, and the The SMPTE century existing optics manufacturers in the
film medium itself were soon to be sur- world and was resurrected in the late
began in 1916—
rounded by multiple standards that 1940s. Also in Germany, Schneider
helped define a long and sturdy history. with the initial Optical Company was founded in 1913.
The year 1916 saw more than 20,000 founding of SMPE In 1964, they launched the first zoom
movie theaters in the U.S. and the rise of and was focused lens with fixed back focus for 35 mm
the powerful independent companies that exclusively on cameras. In 1990, they ceased making
would ultimately become “Hollywood.” motion imaging as lenses for broadcast television (TV)
In 1923, optical sound on film was devel- cameras.
originated on
oped, and in 1932, the first three-color
Technicolor film was developed. motion picture
SMPTE is witness to a hundred years film. Motion Picture Film Camera
of motion imaging. The following is a Developments
fast and light overview of the same. During the early 1900s, when Chicago
was the center of the motion picture
Early Lens Developments industry, the Bell & Howell company designed the first
On the lens front, Cooke Optics was founded in the U.K. all-metal camera. Introduced in 1912, their model 2709
in the 1890s and introduced their famous Speed Panchro soon earned a high reputation and was produced for
in the late 1920s (Fig. 1) and followed this with the first 46 continuous years. Mitchel and Kodak soon followed
cinematography zoom lens a decade later. (Fig. 3).
In Europe, ARRI produced their first reflex mirror
shutter camera, the Arriflex 35, in 1937 and followed this
with the 1946 Arriflex II. They continued film camera in-
Digital Object Identifier 10.5594/JMI.2016.2578818
novations (Figs. 4 and 5) over many decades and have
Date of publication: xx Month Year continued into today’s digital era.

1545-0279/16B2016SMPTE August 2016 | SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal 1

FIGURE 1. Cooke Speed Panchro primes and their first cine zoom lens (manufactured by Bell & Howell). AQ3

TV Camera Developments
While motion picture film was flourishing worldwide,
there began a protracted quest in pursuit of electronic mo-
tion imaging. Scientists around the world were to devote
their lives to seeking the transducer that would transform
optical images into electronic signals that might ultimately
support realtime imaging and realtime transmission of
FIGURE 2. (Left) 1956 Angénieux 17–68 mm zoom; (right) 1958 those images.
12–120 mm zoom. As far back as 1918, Philo T. Farnsworth developed the
electronic image dissector. In 1926, a Hungarian engineer

FIGURE 3. (Left) Bell & Howell 2709 film camera, which was launched shortly before the founding of SMPTE; (center) 1933 Kodak
Special; (right) 1940s Mitchel Blimp.

FIGURE 4. Panavision started developing film cameras in the 1960s. (Left to right) Milestone models: the R-200, the 1986 Platinum, and
the 1997 Millennium.

2 SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal | August 2016

FIGURE 5. (Left to right) 1946 Arriflex II, 1952 16 mm Arriflex 16ST, 1972 Arriflex 35BL, and 1990 Arriflex 535.

Kalman Tihan filed a patent for an all-electronic TV that had earlier been developed by Dr. Peter Goldmark of
system. Two years later, he patented a pickup tube tech- CBS. NBC started broadcasting color images in 1953
nology based on a storage principle that produced a signifi- using the first commercially available color TV camera—
cant increase in sensitivity. In 1934, he sold his patents to the RCA TK-40. Mass production of color cameras began
Radio Corporation of America (RCA), and that same year, in 1954 using the updated TK-40A. These cameras used
Vladimir Zworykin of RCA developed the more sensitive three image orthicons and, with their large viewfinders,
Image Iconoscope tube (Fig. 6). weighed almost 400 lb.
Meanwhile in 1932, in the U.K., Electric and Musical In the early decades, TV cameras used lenses of differ-
Industries Ltd. (EMI) began work on the Emitron, basing ent focal lengths mounted on a turret on the front of the
it on experimental work by James McGee and William camera, as shown on the left in Fig. 8 (these were typi-
Tedham. By 1936, cameras developed for the BBC by the cally Kodak Ektar lenses). The camera operator
Marconi-EMI Television Co. Ltd. were used for the start rotated each lens into position and focused it when the
of the world’s first regular “high-definition” TV service in camera was not on the air. Zoom lenses came into
1936. The image orthicon proved far more sensitive than common use in the early 1960s, with the major suppliers
the Iconoscope-based tubes and was deployed as an image being British Rank Taylor Hobson and French Angénieux
transducer for unmanned radio-controlled flying bombs (Fig. 9).
(Fig. 7). In 1953, Vladimir Zworykin at RCA developed the
In parallel with the development of TV cameras, al- small Vidicon pickup tube, and in 1965, RCA introduced
most from the beginning, motion picture film lenses and the four-tube color camera—one 4.5 in. image orthicon
cameras were used to originate TV program material. In and three 1 in. Vidicons. 1954 saw the first SMPTE TV
1947, the first telecine machine to transfer film to video standards dealing with dimensions of slides and opaques
was developed. and image areas for 16 mm and 35 mm films used for TV.
Meanwhile, RCA had grown in stature and in re- The most impressive early TV zoom lens was the 1953
sources and were developing the NTSC-compatible color Varotal III from Rank Taylor Hobson from U.K. In
TV system. NTSC was formalized as the U.S. standard in 1956, Pierre Angénieux introduced the mechanical com-
December 1953—superseding the field-sequential system pensation system, enabling precise focus while zooming,
in his 10× lens released in 1958. Angénieux received a
1964 technical award from the Academy of Motion Pic-
tures for the design of that 12–120 mm zoom lens.
In 1960, Phillips invented an imaging tube called the
Plumbicon that promised true color fidelity. They were
made in Slaterville, Rhode Island, at the Phillips subsidi-
ary, Amperex Electronics. In the early 1960s, a new
broadcast camera featuring the new Plumbicon tube was
being developed by the Phillips Company in Holland. It
was called the Norelco PC 60 and was introduced in U.S.
in late 1964. Following the 1964 introduction of the
Norelco PC 60 came models PC 70, PC 72, PCP 90, and
the LDH series. At the same time, German Bosch Fernseh
marketed a line of high-end broadcast studio cameras
(KCU, KCN, KCP, and KCK) in the U.S., ending with
the tube camera KCK-40 in 1978 (Fig. 10).
FIGURE 6. (Left) Farnsworth and his image dissector camera;
Meanwhile, Japan was now stirring. In May 1946, Sony
(right) Vladimir Zworykin of RCA with some of the early image was founded as a consumer business but, in 1976, formally
sensors he developed. entered the broadcast TV business. In September 1946,

August 2016 | SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal 3

FIGURE 7. (Left) 1937 Super Emitron camera at the BBC; (right) image orthicon camera pickup tube that was developed during World
War II by Albert Rose of RCA.

FIGURE 8. (Left) TK-30 image orthicon camera that was to dominate black-and-white TV cameras throughout the late 1940s; (right)
early color TV camera of the mid-1950s.

Ikegami was founded and introduced their first broadcast

camera in 1975. Precision Optical Industries Co. Ltd. was
founded in 1947 and soon thereafter became Canon
Camera Co. and introduced their first broadcast studio
lens in 1955. By the early 1980s, the combination of
Canon and Fujinon had virtually displaced Angénieux
and Rank Taylor Hobson in TV optics.
In 1978, RCA introduced the TK-47 (Fig. 11), a
camera that what would become the company’s last hur-
rah in full-size studio cameras. This ubiquitous camera
became a TV industry workhorse until the era of charge-
coupled devices (CCDs) made it obsolete. Meanwhile, in
1980, the first step into digital cinematography was made
by Image Transform in Universal City, California, using a
specially modified 625-line 24-frame KCK-40 for their
“Image Vision” system.

Portable Video Camera Developments

FIGURE 9. Four-tube cameras developed by RCA in the 1960s,
with the camera on the right featuring a novel new image isocon While companies like ARRI and Aaton had wrought
(1967), which unfortunately fell victim to the meteoric rise of the mechanical miracles in their developments of portable
Plumbicon. 16 mm, S16mm, and even S35mm film cameras, the

4 SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal | August 2016

FIGURE 10. Some of the last of the famous three 30 mm Plumbicon-based studio cameras. (Left to right) Ikegami HK-312, Bosch
KCK-40, and RCA TK-47.

FIGURE 11. 1970s early portable cameras: (left) RCA in 1978; (center) RCA TKP-46; (right) 1977 EMI portable.

birth of the portable video camera proved far more ar- broadcast studio camera and the camcorder landscape.
duous. One of the earliest attempts was by the redoubt- The 1980s was a crucial decade in accelerating the devel-
able RCA in the mid-1980s and featured a daunting opment of portable camcorders and introducing the inte-
shoulder mount camera that was tethered to the pro- grated camcorder. This decade saw the “format wars”—a
cessing electronics in a backpack on an assistant. It fierce competitive struggle between competing videotape
proved to be one of those unavoidable first baby steps recorder (VTR) recording formats—and SMPTE Work-
from which much would be learned. ing Groups grappling with multiple related standards.
The real breakthrough was in 1976, when RCA Dramatic reductions in size and weight and incorporation
introduced the world’s first fully self-contained portable of a host of operational features saw portable video pro-
camera—the TK-76—based on the new 2/3 in. image duction totally eclipse 16 mm motion picture film cap-
format size pickup tube (Fig. 12). ture for TV news (electronic news gathering) and for
However, the notoriety of the TK-76 was short-lived electronic field production. Separately, as early as 1983,
as now Japan had vigorously thrust into the western Ikegami introduced the world’s first electronic cinema-
world in the form of Ikegami, Hitachi, Panasonic, and tography camera—the EC-35—based on three 2/3 in.
Sony, and they were to soon dominate both the Plumbicons.

FIGURE 12. Evolution in 2/3 in. image format cameras—the pioneering RCA TK-76 on the left, which was soon challenged by the
Ikegami HL-79A on the center—and Ikegami’s later foray into electronic cinematography with their EC-35.

August 2016 | SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal 5

FIGURE 13. Showing a 2/3 in. CCD image sensor and RCA’s first broadcast camera to use this technology. Within five years, the
integrated camcorder had become ubiquitous (Sony BVW-200 shown on the right).

Arrival of the CCD Image Sensor the 1920 (H)  1080 (V) digital sampling format with
At NAB 1984, RCA showed the first broadcast camera standardized frame rates for both the 50 and 60 Hz
based on the new CCD technology they had developed regions—a historic first in the annals of TV.
(Fig. 13). NEC and Sony followed, and by the end of the 1992 saw the world’s first CCD-based HDTV camera
decade, the integrated CCD camcorder had arrived, and which was to propel motion imaging to an entirely new
the broadcast format wars had become a global struggle level (Fig. 15). In 1994, protracted industry collaboration
for dominance in VTR recording formats. produced the BTA S-1005-A standard for the 2/3 in.
HDTV lens-camera interface—entailing optical, mechani-
Arrival of HDTV cal, and electronic interfaces—a first such standard in
This same 1980s decade also saw the arrival of high- video history that holds firm to this day. This was to add
definition TV (HDTV) in the form of highly expensive significant impetus to global developments in HDTV optics
photoconductive cameras and gigantic analog tape record- and cameras and helped rapidly establish the small 2/3 in.
ing systems (Fig. 14). The ensuing technical develop- image format size as central to ensuing developments. The
ments were flanked by an extensive global effort to forge a first integrated HDTV camcorder emerged in 1997.
unified standard for HDTV production and international A pent-up industry discussion on the possibilities of
program exchange. SMPTE was to play a central role 24-frame HDTV encouraged Sony to develop a total
here—forming a Working Group on Electronic Produc- production “24P” system and the SMPTE and ITU to
tion that ultimately produced the standard ST 274M in develop related standards. 1996 saw the establishment of
1996. That effort carried over to the international body, the ATSC 1.0 standard for over-the-air transmission
the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), of digital HDTV—but the broadcast industry held
and ultimately produced a worldwide standard based on back for some years. The new century saw accelerating
developments in HDTV studio and field cameras, and
when ESPN launched their initiative to cover major

FIGURE 14. In 1984, Sony introduced the HDC-100—the world’s

first commercially available HDTV camera (shown on the left
with Nikon lens), and by 1987, a second-generation camera saw FIGURE 15. (Left) First CCD HDTV camera HDC-500 based on a
collaboration between Sony and Panavision on an HD electronic 1 in. image format size from Sony; (right) only five years later,
cinematography camera. the world’s first integrated 2/3 in. HDTV camcorder HDW-700.

6 SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal | August 2016

 stage for a rapid proliferation of competitive products
(Fig. 16). The use of the established huge global inventory
of Super 35 mm prime and zoom lenses developed over
decades of motion picture film production propelled the
initial half-decade of these digital camera developments.
Most of the early such systems were based on the estab-
lished standards for 2K and HD.
The past five years has seen digital motion imaging
camera development on an unprecedented scale. AJA,
ARRI, BlackMagic Design, Canon, JVC, Panasonic,
RED, Sony, Vison Research, and Kinefinity are today
offering a wide range of 2K/HD/4K/UHD digital single-
sensor cameras to service the theatrical motion imaging
and the TV industries (Fig. 17). Around 2010 to
2011—within a year—major camera manufacturers
ARRI, Panavision, and Aaton quietly shut down produc-
tion of their motion picture film cameras and turned
their attention to digital cine camera systems. In 2013,
FIGURE 16. (Left) Sony-Panavision Super 35 mm HD camera Fujifilm ceased manufacturing motion picture film. How-
debuted in 2003 and initiated a vigorous global development in ever, the huge installed base of film rental cameras con-
large-format single-sensor digital motion imaging; (right) RED
tinues to sustain motion picture film production.
One 4K camera that first entered the marketplace in 2007.
By 2010, new Super 35 mm lens developments were
vigorously underway among the world’s major optical
sporting events in HDTV in 2003, the race was on to manufacturers as the large-format cameras extended
deliver HDTV services to the home. Global competitive themselves to 4K resolution and beyond (Fig. 18).
manufacturing forces were unleashed, and quite astonish-
ing developments in HDTV lenses, cameras, recording, Centennial of SMPTE
and displays were to follow. The SMPTE 2016 Centennial is witness to a renais-
sance in motion imaging. The rapidity and diversity in
Large-Format Single-Sensor Camera developments of lenses, cameras, and recording systems
Developments appear to hold no bounds. Boundaries are being pushed
The mid-2000s witnessed the arrival of the final challenge on all of the multiple dimensions that contribute to
to motion picture film imaging in the form of large-format overall video image quality. While 4K UHD is presently
single-sensor digital cameras—largely based on variants of taking center stage in terms of advances in resolution,
the established Super 35 mm image format size. Sony and there are already lenses available for the future promise
Panavision collaborated on the development of the Gene- of 8K UHD. Prototype 8K cameras were shown at
sis S35mm digital motion imaging camera that set the NAB 2016.

FIGURE 17. Indication of the prolific developments underway in large-format cameras from AJA BlackMagic, Canon, JVC, Kinefinity,
Panasonic, RED, and Sony (most offer families of these cameras).

August 2016 | SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal 7

FIGURE 18. Contemporary 4K prime and zoom lenses presently being offered by some of the world’s major optical manufacturers—
Angénieux, Canon, Cooke, Fujinon, Leica, Schneider, and Zeiss.

Startling developments in digital camera dynamic About the Author

range—now hovering in the 15-stop range—have made Laurence J. Thorpe is a senior
high dynamic range (HDR) motion imaging a reality. HDR fellow with the Imaging Technolo-
display technologies—both professional and consumer— gies & Communications Group,
are adding impetus to rising industry preoccupation with Professional Engineering & Solutions
HDR. And again, SMPTE proved extremely timely in their Division, Canon U.S.A., Inc. He
October 2015 publication of their Study Group Report: joined Canon U.S.A. in February
High-Dynamic-Range (HDR) Imaging Ecosystem. 2004. In January 2015, he was
Hardly has the ITU Radiocommunication Sector awarded the 2014 Engineering
(ITU-R) BT.2020-2 standard been established with its Emmy Charles F. Jenkins Award for
extraordinary wide color gamut (WCG) than manufac- lifetime achievement by the Academy of Television Arts and
turers are offering even wider gamuts in the quest to Sciences. In October 2015, Thorpe was a recipient of
allow digital emulation of all of the beloved motion Honorary Membership in SMPTE. In 1982, Thorpe
picture film stocks. Digital motion imaging camera joined the Sony Broadcast Company. From 1984 to
capture rates now extend up to hundreds of frames 2003, he was responsible for HDTV market develop-
per second. ment. From 2001 to 2004, he was senior vice president
It might be argued that this year of the SMPTE of content creation systems. He received the NAB 2000
Centennial is witness to “too much too fast” in the Television Engineering Achievement Award and the
progression of motion imaging. Some argue that 4K Montreux 2000 Gold Medal Award for Digital Cinema-
UHD must be accompanied by HDR and WCG to re- tography. From 1966 to 1982, Thorpe worked for
alize a significant enough step beyond current HDTV. RCA’s Broadcast Division, where he developed a range
Others argue that 1080p with HDR and WCG will of color television cameras and telecine products. In
eclipse any need for 4K UHD. Data pragmatists point 1981, Thorpe received the David Sarnoff Award for his
to the soaring digital data rates required for digital innovations in automatic studio color cameras. He holds
post-production and distribution that accompany many ten patents based on his work at RCA.
of these advances.
What is for sure is that this SMPTE Centennial epito- A Contribution received from the author July 2016. Copyright © 2016 by
mizes “Exciting Times.” SMPTE.

8 SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal | August 2016

 AUTHOR QUERIES

AUTHOR PLEASE ANSWER ALL QUERIES

AQ1 = Please provide Abstract.

AQ2 = Please provide Keywords.

AQ3 = Please check if Figs. 1-18 are cited properly in the text; otherwise, kindly provide the
correction.

END OF ALL QUERIES

View publication stats