SOME RECENT ADVANCES IN UNDERWATER CAMERA EQUIPMENT 
by HAROLD E, EDGERTON, Professor of Electrical Engineering 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
Cambridge, Massachusetts 
and SAMUEL O. RAYMOND, Senior Engineer 
Edgerton, Germeshausen&Grier, Inc. 
Boston, Massachusetts 
ABSTRACT 
There is a continuing need in the field 
of deep sea ocean floor photography to take pic- 
tures at greater distances above the ocean floor 
so that more area of the bottom can be covered 
with each picture. With this technique, a means 
for photographically "mapping'' the ocean floor 
might approach the means of mapping land areas 
as used in aerial photography, but on a much 
smaller scale, Recent advances using faster 
lenses, more light, and better light placement 
are discussed. 
INTRODUCTION 
Aerial photography is a technique that 
has been of tremendous value in mapping the sur- 
face of the earth. A pair of stereo photographs 
taken from an altitude of 30,000 feet can map in 
detail an area of over 20 square miles. It 
might take a land surveyor years to map this 
area in equal detail. Aerial photography has 
moved up to 80,000 feet and beyond into the field 
of earth satellites and rockets which travel hun- 
dreds of miles above the earth, covering corres- 
pondingly greater areas of the earth's surface 
with each picture. 
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If deep sea ocean floor photography 
could be advanced to equal even 5% of what has 
been possible with aerial photography of land, 
the benefits to oceanographers, hydrographers, 
and marine geologists would be tremendous. There- 
fore, the trend in deep sea ocean floor photo- 
graphy is toward taking pictures farther and far- 
ther off the ocean floor covering more and more 
area. Until several months ago, most deep ocean 
photography was being done at a distance of about 
10 feet above the ocean floor covering an area of 
about 50 square feet. The camera used was the 
type shown in Figure l. ,The electronic light 
source was essentially the same distance above the 
ocean floor as the camera. The light was rated at 
100 watt-seconds. The lens used was the F-11 under- 
water lens designed by Professor Robert Hopkins of 
the University of Rochester for underwater use be- 
hind a flat glass window. (If a normal camera lens 
which is designed for use in air is used underwater 
behind a flat glass window, "pillow' distortion 
occurs as shown in Figure 2. Professor Hopkins' 
lens is calculated to overcome this distortion. 
A photograph taken with it is shown in Figure 3. 
Of course, if the Hopkins lens is used in air, the 
pictures will have "barrel" distortion. ) 
