Camera
Physicists now understand the multi-spectral qualities of the world’s first color photographs
Jonas Ferdinand Gabriel Lippmann, known as Gabriel Lippmann, accomplished a lot during his 75 years. Born in Luxembourg in 1845, Lippmann, a physicist, was a pioneer of color photography. His method for producing color photographs, which relied upon the interference phenomenon, earned Lippman the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1908.
According to a recent paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Lippmann’s color photography technique distorted the colors in a scene. Physicists at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have determined the precise distortion recorded by Lippmann’s photographs. Further, the team has developed a way to reconstruct the original spectrum of light that originally exposed the color plates. The analysis shows, theoretically and experimentally, how the spectrum reflected in a Lippman plate is different from the spectrum that exposed the plate. By combining this analysis with an analysis of the color absorption properties of a plate, the original exposing color spectrum can be recovered using an algorithm.
Compared to a typical digital image sensor and most other photographic techniques, which records red, green and blue, EPFL’s physicists discovered that Lippmann’s approach typically captured 26 to 64 spectral samples in the visible region. Lippmann’s technique relies upon the ‘same interference principles that recently enabled gravitational waves to be detected and which is the foundation of holography and much of modern interferometric imaging.’
Gilles Baechler, a co-author of the new paper published in PNAS, said, ‘These are the earliest multi-spectral light measurements on record so we wondered whether it would be possible to accurately recreate the original light of these historical scenes, but the way the photographs were constructed was very particular so we were also really interested in whether we could create digital copies and understand how the technique worked.’
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| ‘Lippmann photography pipeline. (A) The original power spectrum incident on one spatial location of the plate, made of an emulsion layer on a glass sheet. (B) The silver density throughout that spatial location’s depth is assumed to be proportional to the exposing interference pattern. (C) After exposure, the plate is developed and the silver density is multiplied by a spatial window that models development effects. (D) When the plate is illuminated, the light is partially reflected on each infinitesimal layer of the recorded pattern. These partial waves interfere, creating the reflected wave, which is represented by a complex wavefunction (real part in color and imaginary part in gray). (E) The power spectrum of the reflected wave resembles the original incoming power spectrum.’ Credit: G. Baechler et al./Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 2021 |
Lippmann’s color photography process included projecting an image onto a photographic plate, which seems standard so far. However, what separated his technique from others is that the projection went through a glass plate that had been coated with a transparent emulsion of very fine silver halide. The fine-grain resulted in higher resolution and required much longer exposure times, limiting the practicality of Lippmann’s technique. There was also a liquid mercury mirror in contact with the emulsion, so the light went through the emulsion, hit the mirror and then reflected to the emulsion. This causes light to interfere and the pattern of interference exposed the emulsion differently across various depths. This resulted in the exposure being ‘encoded,’ so to speak, in the emulsion in an interference pattern.
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| ‘Self-portrait of Gabriel Lippmann viewed under different illumination. (A) Diffuse illumination. (B) Directed light whose incoming direction is the mirror image of the viewing direction with respect to the plate’s surface.’ Credit: G. Baechler et al./Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 2021 |
Upon investigation, although the multi-spectral images reflected from a Lippman plate look accurate to the eye, they are inconsistent, an observation that has never before been documented. ‘We ended up modeling the full process from the multi-spectral image that you capture, all the way to recording it into the photograph. We were able to capture the light reflected back from it and measure how it differed from the original,’ Baechler said.
Baechler continued, ‘With the historic plates there are factors in the process that we just cannot know but because we understood how the light differed, we could create an algorithm to get back the original light that was captured. We were able to study invertibility, that is, given a spectrum produced by a Lippmann photograph we know it is possible to undo the distortions and reconstruct the original input spectrum. When we got our hands dirty and made our own plates using the historical process, we were able to verify that the modeling was correct.’
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| ‘Spectrum recovery. (A) The recovery algorithm is verified using self-made plates. (Left) Photographs of the color checker and of the Lippmann plate of the color checker. (Right) The original (i), measured (ii), and recovered (iii) spectra. (B) The recovery algorithm is applied to two historical plates. (Left) Photographs of the plates. (Right) The measured and recovered spectra.’ Credit: G. Baechler et al./Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 2021 |
It’s interesting enough to investigate Lippmann’s early 20th-century photographic technique using modern tools and science. However, the team believes that revisiting Lippmann’s technique can inspire new technological developments as well. Further, the team has already constructed a prototype of a digital Lippman camera. The team hopes that multi-spectral image synthesis and a multi-spectral camera could have intriguing benefits in the 21st century.
| Image: Canon |
Canon posted a teaser across its social media channels, promising that something is coming soon. The post features two cameras shrouded in shadow, with a large “V” between them and the date March 26. “In one week, a new chapter begins! We promise it’s worth the wait,” says the Instagram caption. “Subscribe to our YouTube channel at the link in our bio to be among the first to know!”
Of course, as a teaser, details are minimal. But the photo does provide some worthwhile details. One of the cameras is less hidden in shadow than the other, revealing a bit more. It looks remarkably like the Canon PowerShot V1, which was recently released in Asia during CP+. You can even make out the 8.2-25.6mm lens, which is what the V1 features. So, it seems like a safe bet to guess that we will see a broader release of the new compact vlogging camera.
The second camera, though, is much darker. Even when brightened, it doesn’t reveal any additional details. However, the giant “V” in the image suggests that both cameras will fall in the company’s V series of vlogging and creator cameras. It looks to be only slightly larger than the PowerShot V1, though the lens seems quite a bit larger than the V1’s. It’s hard to tell if it’s another fixed-lens compact or if it could be an interchangeable lens system for vloggers.
Luckily, the announcement is only a week away, so we don’t need to wait much longer to find out what Canon is hinting at.
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2012’s XF1 was just one of a range of high-end compacts Fujifilm produced in the past.
Photo: DPReview.com |
In our interview with Yuji Igarashi, Fujifilm’s Divisional Manager, Professional Imaging Group, he seems to hint at more affordable models, aimed at first-time photographers.
“I think now that cameras have become quite expensive, that’s maybe why young people are going to second-hand cameras for their first camera,” he says: “I think maybe there’s a gap for young people to start shooting with digital cameras.”
“Maybe there’s a gap for young people to start shooting with digital cameras”
The public awareness generated by the X100V and VI puts them in a good position, he suggests: “We’re getting a lot of interest from the younger generation. The younger generation and also a more female audience. Because in the past it was a more male-dominated industry.”
“That’s an opportunity for expansion: the younger generation, both male and female.”
This audience isn’t necessarily familiar with cameras, he suggests: “I think you know many people are the first-time buyers of cameras, so I think that’s a huge difference. People who were coming to our system maybe five or ten years ago had experience in shooting with other cameras and then starting with X-series, whereas now we’re seeing people for whom X-series is the first camera in their entire life, so they’re comparing their experience to smartphones, rather than comparing to other cameras.”
“Now we’re seeing people for whom X-series is the first camera in their entire life”
“To be honest, we’re still trying to figure out what is the right camera. Of course many young people are interested in X100, X-M5, X-T30 and even X-T5 so they’re quite diverse: we can’t really categorize that audience.”
But, he hinted, addressing this audience might mean an expansion beyond its existing models. “They want what’s right for them,” he says: “it’s not like there’ll be one camera that’s right for everyone.”
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“I think [X100VI] has helped raise awareness of other X-series cameras,” says Igarashi
Photo: Richard Butler |
Could be compact
Could there be room in Fujifilm’s lineup for a compact camera, again, we wondered. “I think there is demand for compact cameras,” says Igarashi.
“I think that smartphones have actually helped people get into photography because everybody takes pictures. So I think there’s potential for compact cameras.”
The younger generations’ relationship with photos is different from their established users, he suggests: “When young people now take a picture and then look back at a picture they took maybe 10, 15 years ago, it may look almost exactly the same because image quality has remained very good.”
“I think there’s a lot of potential in compact cameras as long as we can provide something unique”
“So they’ve never experienced this kind of nostalgia in their images. I think second-hand compact cameras are perhaps unique because the images look kind of old and the body looks old and gives this nostalgic feeling to it.”
“For my generation, when we were children we had film cameras: we already experienced that, so it’s not a new thing for us, but it’s a new thing for a younger generation.”
“I think there’s a lot of potential in compact cameras as long as we can provide something unique, and provides a unique experience for the users.”
Must be engaging
Experience, is a critical consideration Igarashi says: “I think that the shooting experience is probably the most important thing that distinguishes smartphones,” he says: “For our cameras, at least.”
“I think that experience is what young people are looking for: the fact that you’re intentionally capturing this moment in time, the way you want to capture it.”
“Smartphones can be a great tool, but I think there’s more emotion you can add by using a camera to capture the scene.”
Interview conducted by Dale Baskin and Richard Butler, at the CP+ 2025 show in Yokohama, Japan. Answers edited for flow.
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Fujifilm’s Makoto Oishi and Yuji Igarashi at the company’s booth at CP+ 2025.
Photo: Dale Baskin |
Fujifilm is still committed to both the X-Pro and X-E lines, says Yuji Igarashi, Divisional Manager of its Professional Imaging Group, as we discussed the future of those cameras, the challenges of autofocus and addressing the X100VI backlog.
X100VI backlog
Igarashi was keen to explain how the X100VI has ended up back-ordered and clear-up the mistaken impression that the shortages are intentional.
“The number of pre-orders on Day One was so big that some people have been waiting for a year,” he acknowledges: “It was an extraordinary volume of orders and, of course, we’re doing our best to catch up with that. We’ve been shipping consistently, and we continue to do our best.”
“We’ve increased our production of X100VI quite a lot,” he says. To put it in context, he tries to give an idea of how they got caught off-guard: “if you look at the X100 series’ history, we’ve had five cameras preceding this camera and we’ve already sold in a year what they would have sold in three or four years.”
“We’ve already sold in a year what they would have sold in three or four”
Ramping-up production is harder for a camera like the X100VI, he says: “Generally speaking, a premium product is more difficult to produce. For example, the top plate of X100VI, you can see the sharp edges are made from aluminum, and it goes through many processes like stamping and milling, and filling in the colored details. So, it’s not like you can simply increase production, quickly. But of course, we will continue to do our best to make a camera available to everyone who wants one. ”
Autofocus concerns
Igarashi also said he recognized the concerns some users and reviews have expressed about autofocus.
“I don’t think we are at the point where I can say, ‘Ok, this is good enough and we’re not going to do any more’, he says: “So even today, we’re working on making improvements.”
“Of course, we always continue to improve our autofocus and also we are aware that we have room to improve as well. And so we’re making a continuous effort.”
“We are aware that we have room to improve… so we’re making a continuous effort”
One aspect is that the evolution and expansion of the X-series is exposing their cameras to new photographic challenges, he says: “Picking up the X100 autofocus, and then using an X-H with a telephoto prime lens and trying to capture wildlife is a completely different story.”
“Of course we know that shooting wildlife or sports is not our bread and butter: it’s not what we’ve been doing for years, and that’s what we’ve been learning as we create these longer lenses. We’ve been expanding our field of photography as we’ve been expanding our lens lineup.”
“The areas we’re used to, I think we’re better at, and the new areas we’re expanding into, those are both the spaces we think we have room to improve.”
On X-Pro and X-E
“Our plan hasn’t changed, we still plan to launch a successor to X-Pro3, but we don’t have a date, yet. And X-E of course, too. We haven’t abandoned the line either.”
But, especially in the light of what he’d said about a younger audience, we wondered whether it was likely that the X-E series would return to its more enthusiast-focused roots, given how much the X-T series has now expanded to address that audience.
“We’re always considering what’s right, so it’s never fixed,” he says: “I think we look into every product, not just X-E. There’s nothing that’s perfect, which is totally unchangeable: it’s something we consider every time we come up with the next version.”
There are limits to this, he suggests: “I think everybody would be surprised if it wasn’t rangefinder style,” he jokes.
“Some people really liked the latest X-E”
But, he says, it’s impossible for one product to serve everyone: “Some people really liked the latest X-E we had: X-E4, but some did not, so while we can’t make everyone similarly happy, we try to come up with the best possible solutions. We try to listen to the latest feedback and make improvements from there.”
Jun Watanabe, Product Planning Manager, explained the sorts of users they will be building the next X-E for: “They love the rangefinder style, and they don’t have a specific shooting subject [in mind],” he says: “They love daily life photography [and using X-E] as a snap camera.” Importantly, “they love the style and the design,” he confirms.
The future of photo-focused cameras
Existing photographers shouldn’t be alarmed at the company’s efforts to broaden their appeal, Igarashi stresses. If anything, the broadening product line lets each camera be a bit more focused: “I think improving cameras for photographers is very much possible. Very small things, but for example, because we have more hybrid cameras like the X-H, that’s allowed us to make the X-T5 screen a tilting screen instead of flip out screen. We can probably separate our cameras more between stills and hybrid models.”
“We just need to be mindful of who the audience is, and how to provide the right fit for those people.”
Interview conducted by Dale Baskin and Richard Butler, at the CP+ 2025 show in Yokohama, Japan. Answers edited for flow.
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