| Opera Glasses " High Style, Spyglass Or Optical Device? |
| Written by Jeff Bridges | |||
| Friday, 25 December 2009 08:58 | |||
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If it wasn't for the Dutch optician Hans Lipperhey, we might not have had either binoculars or opera glasses today. He first started manufacturing simple binoculars in 1608. These were not much more than two telescopes connected by a central bridge, but they led to many further modifications and improvements. His early binoculars had a magnification capability of x3. Within less than a year the Italian mathematician and inventor Galileo Galilee made another drastic stride forward by increasing the magnification ability of telescopes to x30.
If it wasn't for the Dutch optician Hans Lipperhey, we might not have had either binoculars or opera glasses today. He first started manufacturing simple binoculars in 1608. These were not much more than two telescopes connected by a central bridge, but they led to many further modifications and improvements. His early binoculars had a magnification capability of x3. Within less than a year the Italian mathematician and inventor Galileo Galilee made another drastic stride forward by increasing the magnification ability of telescopes to x30. Binoculars of the time had one major disadvantage: Despite offering a much wider field of view than a telescope, they made use of convex lenses - which resulted in the image being inverted! It wasn't before more than 100 years later that Anton Schyrle for the first time manufactured binoculars with an extra lens that re-inverted the image. And it took another--1 years before John Dollond of England solved another big problem that binoculars had - color distortion. He started using achromatic lenses (color free lenses) and thereby solved this problem permanently. The next step forward was made when an Italian gunnery officer by the name of Ignazio Porro developed prismatic binoculars during the '50s. These offered an even wider field of vision than earlier binoculars and also a drastically improved magnification ability. The first time we find opera glasses mentioned in the printed media is in London during 1730. The opera glasses advertised were in fact not binoculars, but rather pocket-sized Galilean telescopes. They were used as much for decorative purposes as to watch the opera. The bodies were frequently decorated with mother of pearl, enamel, ivory or various types of gems. We find references to binocular opera glasses for the first time in Vienna during 23. They were still really not much more than two tiny telescopes connected by a bridge. You had to focus the telescopes individually by expanding the tubes. These very soon became as much a fashion item as an optical instrument. The designs became more elaborate and had to be worked on by painters, goldsmiths and other artists to create the ultimate fashion accessory. Theater goers not only used this to watch the stage, but also to scrutinize other people in the audience - presumably to see who else had opera glasses! Within a few years the design was improved to make it possible to simultaneously adjust both lenses. This led to an immediate increase in the popularity of this type of glasses. They also turned into much appreciated gifts - as is apparent when looking at the inscriptions encountered on many opera glasses dating from that period. Nowadays there is a wide array of opera glasses available. You can get them in virtually any color you want. They come in many different styles and materials. Strangely enough, monoculars are still popular, as are opera glasses with handles or reading lights. You even get them fitted with a jealousy glass - so you can watch another person in the audience without being seen! About the Author: Before you attend any performance make sure that you have a good pair of opera glasses. Here you can check out Opera Glasses with handle, flashlight, chain and more!
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