The Eye & the Camera (Oxford AQA IGCSE Physics)

Revision Note

The Eye & The Camera

  • In your exam, you may be asked to compare the function of the human eye and a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera

  • A CCD camera (digital camera) uses a convex lens that focuses light onto a screen to form an image

    • The image can be viewed on the camera screen or transferred to a computer and printed

  • An older model of camera uses a convex lens to focus light onto a photographic plate in the back of the machine this is called a photographic film camera

    • The film can be "developed" using chemicals in a dark room and the photos formed on the film

A CCD camera

A CCD camera also known as a digital camera for IGCSE & GCSE Revision notes
A CCD camera produces an image on a screen which can be sent to a computer for easier viewing or printing

A photographic film camera

A photographic film camera for IGCSE & GCSE revision notes
An example of a photographic film camera

Comparing The Eye and The Camera

The Eye

The Camera

Image formed

Real, inverted and diminished (magnification < 1)

Lens type

Variable focus converging lens

Fixed focus converging lens

Focussing adjustment

The ciliary muscles contract and relax changing the thickness of the lens

The lens on the front of the camera can be adjusted to move closer or farther away from the object

Image detection

Light-sensitive cells on the retina detect the light from an image

Sensors in a CCD (digital) camera or the photographic plate in a film camera

Brightness control

The iris controls the diameter of the pupil

The aperture is the hole in the centre of the lens that allows light to pass into the camera. It contains rotating blades that open to let light in when you press the shutter

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