ABSTRACT
The lens-based media of photography, cinematography, video and digital imaging in all their aspects make use of various radiation-sensitive systems in general and light-sensitive emulsions, surfaces, materials or photodetector arrays in particular. The lens of a camera is the ‘front end’ of the system in that it acts as an interface between the scene or subject and the viewing or recording system. There are many ways of recording a subject, from a pencil drawing to storage in various digital formats on tape or disc. Photography and digital imaging are leisure activities and a means of artistic self-expression to many who lack more conventional skills of draughtmanship or artistry. Lenses also offer a means of isolating, juxtaposing or combining subjects and suggesting spatial and tonal relationships of aesthetic interest, giving an artistic extension to vision in addition to the more technical purpose of recording.
