Optics and Camera Equipment
Оптика та знімальна техніка
Physical foundations of optics and modern imaging systems: light, lenses, sensors, exposure, and professional use of photo/video cameras, optics, and accessories.
Фізичні основи оптики та сучасних знімальних систем: світло, об’єктиви, сенсори, експозиція та професійна робота з фото- й відеокамерами, оптикою та аксесуарами.
02 · Visual schema
Керуй f-stop і focus — iris і DOF реагують одразу
Керуй f-stop і focus — iris і DOF реагують одразу
- 1 semester · 90 h (10 lectures, 20 practicals)
- UK
BA year 1, Photographic Art and Videography (OPK6) — students who need physical foundations of light and hands-on camera/lens practice before advanced shooting courses.
04 · Course path
- Light
- Lens
- Aperture / DoF
- Sensor
- Exposure
- System
05 · Module map
M101
Physics of optics
Light, geometry, aberrations
M202
Lenses in practice
Types, focal length, DoF
M303
Camera systems
Sensors, exposure, video, gear
PR04
Studio / field
20 practicals + mini-project
06 · What you'll learn
Explain how light, geometric optics, and aberrations shape the image
Choose lenses by type, focal length, and distortion for a given task
Control aperture, depth of field, sensors, and exposure triangle in practice
Operate photo and video camera systems and essential accessories safely
Complete a creative mini-project that demonstrates technical and visual control
Module 1 — Physical foundations of optics and light: nature of light, geometric optics, aberrations (lectures 1–3)
Module 2 — Design and characteristics of imaging optics: lens types, focal length, distortion, aperture & DoF (lectures 4–6)
Module 3 — Imaging systems, exposure, and modern technology: sensors, exposure, video systems, accessories (lectures 7–10)
Practical arc — 20 studio/field sessions + individual creative mini-project
Syllabus: module structure
The module’s ninety hours are split between ten lectures and twenty practical sessions in the studio and on location. Theory runs in three modules, and the practical arc leads from basic exercises to an individual creative mini-project.
| Block | Content |
|---|---|
| Module 1 (lectures 1–3) | physical foundations of optics and light: the nature of light, geometric optics, aberrations |
| Module 2 (lectures 4–6) | design and characteristics of imaging optics: lens types, focal length, distortion, aperture |
| Module 3 (lectures 7–10) | imaging systems, exposure, and modern technology: sensors, video systems, accessories |
| Practical arc | 20 studio/field sessions + an individual creative mini-project |
Assessment and tools
Assessment rests on practice: for every session students deliver a short practical result (a test frame, a lens comparison, a solved exposure problem), and the module closes with an individual creative mini-project where the chosen optics is argued with frames, not words.
The hardware base is the academy studio’s cameras and lenses: primes and zooms of different classes, hands-on work with aperture, depth of field and focal length. The course’s gear is what students will actually shoot with — from entry DSLRs to modern mirrorless video systems.
The module works best paired with Photographic Lighting: Theory and Practice: optics answers how the image is formed, light answers how to draw it. Post-shoot processing lives in Digital Photo Editing.
Instructor
The instructor is Sasha Poberailo, a filmmaker and researcher of interactive cinema, lecturer at the Kharkiv State Academy of Culture (more about the author).