Pierre Angénieux
Encyclopedia
Pierre Angénieux was a French
engineer and optician, one of the inventors of the modern zoom lens
es, and famous for introducing the Angénieux retrofocus
.
in 1928, and from the École supérieure d'optique
the next year. He was a student of Henri Chrétien
.
After working for Pathé
, Angénieux founded a company specialising in cinema equipment in 1935, les établissements Pierre Angénieux. He started using Geometric optics rather than Physical optics
in the design of his lenses, as Carl Zeiss
and Ernst Abbe did, and developed computing methods decreasing the time needed to design a lens by an order of magnitude.
In 1950, Angénieux introduced the Angénieux retrofocus
, which allowed mounting wide-angle lens
es on Single-lens reflex camera
s. (Retrofocus lenses had previously been developed for the film industry in 1931 by H. W. Lee of Taylor, Taylor and Hobson
: British patent no. 355,452.)
In 1953, Angénieux designed the fastest lens of the time, reaching 0.95. The design was used in the Bell & Howell 70 series cameras for 35 years.
In 1956, Angénieux designed a constant aperture 17-68mm zoom lens, and a 10-120mm in 1958 .
Angénieux' company provided NASA
with photographic equipment used in the Ranger program
, Project Gemini
, Apollo program, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
and Space Shuttle
. Notably, the first high-resolution photographs of the Moon, by Ranger 7
, were made with a 25 mm 0.95 lens.
In 1964, Angénieux received an Scientific or Technical award
"for the development of a ten-to-one Zoom Lens for cinematography." He was honoured with the Grand Prix des Ingénieurs Civils in France in 1973, and with the 1989 Gordon E. Sawyer Award
. His company also produced lenses for the Kodak Retinette
and Pony cameras.
In 1993, Angénieux' eponymous company was acquired by Thales Group
and re-named Thales Angénieux. The company still specializes in optical, electro-optical and optical-mechanic products.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
engineer and optician, one of the inventors of the modern zoom lens
Zoom lens
A zoom lens is a mechanical assembly of lens elements for which the focal length can be varied, as opposed to a fixed focal length lens...
es, and famous for introducing the Angénieux retrofocus
Angenieux retrofocus
The Angénieux retrofocus photographic lens is a wide-angle lens design that uses an inverted telephoto configuration. The popularity of this lens design made the name retrofocus synonymous with this type of lens...
.
Biography
Angénieux graduated from the École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiersÉcole Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers
Arts et Métiers ParisTech is the French leading engineering school in the fields of mechanics and industrialization.The school trained 85,000 engineers since its foundation in 1780 by the Duke of La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt....
in 1928, and from the École supérieure d'optique
École supérieure d'optique
The École supérieure d'optique , nicknamed "SupOptique", is the leading French grande école in the field of optics and its industrial and scientific applications, and a member of the prestigious UniverSud Paris and ParisTech...
the next year. He was a student of Henri Chrétien
Henri Chrétien
Henri Jacques Chrétien was a French astronomer and an inventor.Born in Paris, France, his most famous invention is the anamorphic widescreen process, that resulted in the CinemaScope, and the co-invention of the Ritchey-Chrétien telescope , which was anadvanced type of astronomical telescope, now...
.
After working for Pathé
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
, Angénieux founded a company specialising in cinema equipment in 1935, les établissements Pierre Angénieux. He started using Geometric optics rather than Physical optics
Physical optics
In physics, physical optics, or wave optics, is the branch of optics which studies interference, diffraction, polarization, and other phenomena for which the ray approximation of geometric optics is not valid...
in the design of his lenses, as Carl Zeiss
Carl Zeiss
Carl Zeiss was a German maker of optical instruments commonly known for the company he founded, Carl Zeiss Jena . Zeiss made contributions to lens manufacturing that have aided the modern production of lenses...
and Ernst Abbe did, and developed computing methods decreasing the time needed to design a lens by an order of magnitude.
In 1950, Angénieux introduced the Angénieux retrofocus
Angenieux retrofocus
The Angénieux retrofocus photographic lens is a wide-angle lens design that uses an inverted telephoto configuration. The popularity of this lens design made the name retrofocus synonymous with this type of lens...
, which allowed mounting wide-angle lens
Wide-angle lens
From a design perspective, a wide angle lens is one that projects a substantially larger image circle than would be typical for a standard design lens of the same focal length; this enables either large tilt & shift movements with a view camera, or lenses with wide fields of view.More informally,...
es on Single-lens reflex camera
Single-lens reflex camera
A single-lens reflex camera is a camera that typically uses a semi-automatic moving mirror system that permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to pre-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly...
s. (Retrofocus lenses had previously been developed for the film industry in 1931 by H. W. Lee of Taylor, Taylor and Hobson
Cooke Optics
Cooke Optics Ltd. is a camera lens manufacturing company based in Leicester, known earlier as Taylor, Taylor and Hobson and then Taylor Hobson. T. S. Taylor, an optician, his brother W. Taylor, an engineer, and a Mr Hobson, a businessman, formed the company in 1886.The name Cooke originally came...
: British patent no. 355,452.)
In 1953, Angénieux designed the fastest lens of the time, reaching 0.95. The design was used in the Bell & Howell 70 series cameras for 35 years.
In 1956, Angénieux designed a constant aperture 17-68mm zoom lens, and a 10-120mm in 1958 .
Angénieux' company provided NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
with photographic equipment used in the Ranger program
Ranger program
The Ranger program was a series of unmanned space missions by the United States in the 1960s whose objective was to obtain the first close-up images of the surface of the Moon. The Ranger spacecraft were designed to take images of the lunar surface, returning those images until they were destroyed...
, Project Gemini
Project Gemini
Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of NASA, the civilian space agency of the United States government. Project Gemini was conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, with ten manned flights occurring in 1965 and 1966....
, Apollo program, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
-Backup crew:-Crew notes:Jack Swigert had originally been assigned as the command module pilot for the ASTP prime crew, but prior to the official announcement he was removed as punishment for his involvement in the Apollo 15 postage stamp scandal.-Soyuz crew:...
and Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
. Notably, the first high-resolution photographs of the Moon, by Ranger 7
Ranger 7
Ranger 7 was the first US space probe to successfully transmit close images of the lunar surface back to Earth. It was also the first completely successful flight of the Ranger program. Launched on 28 July 1964, Ranger 7 was designed to achieve a lunar impact trajectory and to transmit...
, were made with a 25 mm 0.95 lens.
In 1964, Angénieux received an Scientific or Technical award
Academy Award, Scientific or Technical
Since 1931, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has given the Scientific and Technical Award, an Academy Award for scientific or technical achievements, which are presented at "a dinner ceremony separate from the annual telecast."...
"for the development of a ten-to-one Zoom Lens for cinematography." He was honoured with the Grand Prix des Ingénieurs Civils in France in 1973, and with the 1989 Gordon E. Sawyer Award
Gordon E. Sawyer Award
The Gordon E. Sawyer Award is an accolade given each year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to "an individual in the motion picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry." The award is named in honour of Gordon E...
. His company also produced lenses for the Kodak Retinette
Kodak Retinette
Kodak Retinette is the name of a classic series of cameras manufactured by the Eastman Kodak company. They were introduced in 1939 as a less expensive alternative to the Kodak Retina series. The first models were of the folding type using bellows and their lenses had three elements as compared to...
and Pony cameras.
In 1993, Angénieux' eponymous company was acquired by Thales Group
Thales Group
The Thales Group is a French electronics company delivering information systems and services for the aerospace, defense, transportation and security markets...
and re-named Thales Angénieux. The company still specializes in optical, electro-optical and optical-mechanic products.
External links
- Pierre Angénieux Pierre Angénieux on GadzartsGadzartsGadz'Arts or Gadzarts is the nickame given to the students and the alumni of École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers - a prestigious university specialised in engineering....
. - An introduction to Angénieux lenses
- Angenieux website