Popular Science Monthly 



603 



Making a Kite-Camera 



FEW of us can have the experience, 

 at the present time, of a ride in an 

 aeroplane, but it is quite possible to see 

 .Jiow our surroundings look from a high 

 viewpoint, by taking pictures from a 

 kite. It would take a very large kite, 

 indeed, to carry some forms of ready- 

 made camera, but it is easily possible to 

 make a camera light enough so that it 

 can be attached to any good kite and 

 still be capable of making perfect pic- 

 tures. 



The lens is probably the most impor- 

 tant part of a camera, and for a kite- 

 camera nothing would serve the pur- 

 pose better than a single achromatic 

 lens, such as is fitted to small box 

 cameras. Such a lens is light in weight 

 and capable of making very good pic- 

 tures. The lens can be bought very 

 reasonably, or one can be taken from 

 some other camera. The lens should be 

 obtained first of all, before starting the 

 construction of the Camera, as the di- 

 mensions of the camera box must be in 

 proportion to the focal length of the 

 lens. A lens of two or three inches 

 equivalent focus is satisfactory. The 

 equivalent focus of the lens can be de- 

 termined by focusing the sun on a piece 

 of paper. The distance of the lens from 

 the paper when the sun is focused to 

 a burning spot is the distance at which 

 the lens is to be placed from the plate 

 or film. 



For the purpose of kite photography 

 a camera taking pictures two inches 

 square is big enough. If larger pic- 



The camera used should be built of the 

 lightest materials and every allowance 

 made for air resistance 



lures are desired they can be subse- 

 quently enlarged. The construction of 

 the shutter and camera box is explained 

 by the diagrams. 



The box of the camera is made cone- 

 shaped in order to reduce the weight 

 and air resistance. The sides of the 





A kite-camera is easily built. It makes 

 _ bird's-eye photographs 



camera are made of light but stift' card- 

 board, glued together with a strong ad- 

 hesive. The back of the camera is made 

 in the form of a tight-fitting cover, also 

 made of cardboard, and the inside 

 measurements should be the same as the 

 pictures to be taken. The lens is fitted 

 to an additional partition of heavy card- 

 board fitted inside of the cone, at the 

 same distance from the back of the 

 camera as the focal length of the lens. 

 By sliding the lens back and forth 

 slightly in its tube, a sharp focus can be 

 obtained on distant objects, and the lens 

 is then firmly fixed in position. 



The front of the camera, also of card- 

 ])()ard, is provided with a circular open- 

 ing which must be large enough so as 

 not to obstruct the view of the lens. 

 On to the front is fitted the shutter, 

 which consists of a sheet of cardboard 

 blackened on the inner side, and cut in a 

 triangle shape. Into the shutter, near 

 the center, is cut a slit, which serves to 

 make the exposure, by admitting light 

 through the lens when it moves across 

 the aperture. The size or width of the 

 slit regulates the time of exposure, and 

 a few trials should be made in order to 

 obtain the most suitable width for the 

 speed of the lens and film to be used. 

 In general, the slit can be as large as it 

 is possible to make it without admitting 

 light to the film while the shutter is 



