From camera obscura to 5D photography
Photography is constantly evolving, although not all advances are popularized in the same way or at the same speed. Normally, the ones that reach the majority of users the fastest are those that, without diminishing their merits, are easier to implement and even understand how they work for the users. For example, HDR photography.
However, there are other novelties that, due to their complexity, remain in the background, but are not less important for them. What’s more, in most cases they are much more than what mobile phone manufacturers want to surprise us with with their latest proposals. An example of this is the 5D photography. Do you want to know what it is? We are going to tell you in a simple way, but first you have to quickly review the evolution of photography itself.
It could be said that the camera obscura is the origin of photography or, at least, on what was based to begin to build the device that would allow to capture the first photo in history. And, these dark cameras work identically to a photo camera.
In a darkroom the light only enters a small hole and that allows to create a projection of what is on the outside just on the surface opposite to said hole. Of course, to be able to appreciate this projection, it is normal to be inside the camera itself. (https://hhcdropshipping.com/) So with the idea in mind, they began to investigate how they could capture that image so that it was not something ephemeral but permanent.
This is how the challenge was raised and as technical advances allowed it to be achieved, what would be the first recognized photo in history: “point de vue”. This photo was taken by Nocéphore Niépce in 1826 and he is the one who is recognized for the invention of photography.
Well, from that first photo, everything began to evolve rapidly, the analog cameras with reels, the SLR and then the cameras with digital sensors that already represented the total boom of this artistic discipline arrived. But not content with that, they continued experimenting with new capture techniques.
As everything progressed, ideas began to merge that made it possible to make the leap from those captures in two dimensions of objects in three dimensions to new types of photography such as 3D or 4D. Well, the last thing is 5D photographs. An important leap that is not easy to explain, but which is roughly understood and allows you to get an idea of the importance it can have.
What is 5D photography
Let’s start at the beginning, who invented 5D photography? Here, unlike the photograph associated with Nocéphore Niépce as the author of the first photo in 1826, ”Point de vue”, there is no single figure but rather a group of researchers.
These have managed to capture the first images of what are considered as 5D photographs, but what exactly are these types of images. Well, let’s see, a photograph will always be a 2D image and at most, when viewed on a digital medium, a 3D image. So the use of five dimensions in the name is due to the increase of information and not so much to see more.
Therefore, 5D photos are images that are achieved by combining images with a large amount of information captured using different techniques such as compressed volumetric spectral ultrafast photography.
Yes, the name itself already indicates that a good understanding of the exact capture process will not be easy if you do not have a good background in physics. Because it must be clear that it is all that spectral, volumetric and compressed. Still understanding the idea is not impossible for anyone.
As the capture technique is described, it is capable of taking a snapshot at such a high speed that it allows freezing all kinds of things that can be photographed in times ranging from picoseconds to femtoseconds. To give you a clearer idea, these CUP cameras are capable of shooting 70 billion frames per second.
Thus, with techniques that go from the capture of ultrafast photons to the observation of the optical Mach cone, etc., is how they achieve. Because all the data collected in each of these individual images is combined to generate the 5D image.
If you have an idea or are more familiar with terms like 3D or 4D photography, 5D photography is the evolution and fusion of the other two. Thus the system provides spatial resolutions in the X, Y and Z axes together with data in t, λ.
Will I be able to take 5D photos on my mobile phone? Well let’s see, it’s really not likely that you can get to do 5D photography with a smartphone. The experimental system that has been built to capture these types of images makes use of two types of sensors and then they are merged into one to display five dimensions of information.
Applications of 5D photography
Well, knowing all this and hoping that you have assimilated the concept as well as possible, although you can always continue investigating if you even feel that you need to know more, What is 5D photography for?
The best answer is that 5D photography will have mainly academic and research uses. Different laboratories and research environments on biology, physics and chemistry will find in this type of photos a way to capture a very high amount of information to review when needed and thus advance in very varied projects that will allow them to discover secrets that science still has in store. . Because right now there are unrepeatable moments impossible to “freeze”.
