Article ID: CBB583192403

Zoomar: Frank G. Back and the Postwar Television Zoom Lens (2016)

unapi

In October 1946, optical engineer Frank G. Back introduced a new zoom lens designed for film and television cameras. The Zoomar lens was adopted by newsreel and television, and soon became ubiquitous in American television production. Zoomar lenses enhanced postwar television, and prepared the ground for the later popularity of zooms in film production. This article explores the wartime innovations and industrial collaborations which aided the development of the lens. It documents a neglected aspect of the history of American television technology, and sheds further light on relations between small inventors and large corporate bodies during the mid-twentieth century.

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Authors & Contributors
Pursell, Carroll W.
Wohleber, Curt
Mark Alvey
Garber, Ken
Holmes, Jamie
Lenny Lipton
Concepts
Technology
Inventors and invention
Engineering
World War II
Technological innovation
Movie cameras
Time Periods
20th century
21st century
20th century, early
19th century
Places
United States
Russia
Europe
Canada
Soviet Union
Great Britain
Institutions
Motorola
American Telephone and Telegraph Company
United States. Office of Scientific Research and Development
Radio Corporation of America
Bell Telephone Laboratories
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
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