Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers (1930-1949)

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High-Speed Motion Pictures by Multiple-Aperture Focal-Plane Scanners* BY FORDYCE E. TUTTLE EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK Summary — Heretofore, in all high-speed photography instantaneous time covered one complete frame, the continuity of instantaneous frames forming the time axis. This is fundamental even with image dissecting methods which reduce frame length by lateral displacement of frame elements, a trick done to shorten physically the time axis and allow the higher speeds mechanically inherent in less length of film. A new method of obtaining high-speed pictures is described whereby instantaneous time covers multiple small portions of a single frame, the total area of these small portions being sufficient to provide detail and the single frame being large enough to permit unmagnified observation. This is accomplished by multiple-aperture focal-plane scanners. PRACTICALLY EVERY WORKER in the field of high-speed motion picture photography has had to make some compromise on picture definition to obtain high rates of picture taking. As soon as we exceeded the speeds at which we could afford to stop the film mechanically to receive an image, we all found ourselves in some kind of trouble. Those who chose to make the image travel with the film by moving image reflectors or refractors had to be content with approximations. A rather poor image, progressively astigmatized and progressively distorted, could be made to move in the same direction as the film. Periodically during the picture-taking cycle this image might move faster than the film, and periodically it might move slower than the film. We had to be satisfied if we could achieve an average image velocity that equaled the average film velocity. Those who chose stroboscopic illuminating devices attempted to make the individual picture exposure time so short that they did not care whether the film was moving or not. To obtain more light, they could even allow their pictures to blur quite a bit before they produced images as bad as the image travel systems. Any self-luminous or continuously illuminated objects in their scenes, of course, smeared out beyond recognition. * Presented April 6, 1949, at the SMPE Convention in New York. NOVEMBER, 1949 JOURNAL OF THE SMPE VOLUME 53 451