The Bottom Line
Pros
- Sturdy construction, doesn't wobble while you're using it if the wingnuts are done up tightly.
- Two filters to place below the viewfinder to compensate for poor light.
- Mirrors and filters are made from acrylic (plexi-glass) not glass, so they're unlikely to break.
- Camera head moves up and down, and pivots front to back.
Cons
- Large drawing board and viewfinder head which does fold down, but check your storage space.
Description
- Wooden drawing board with a wooden frame holding the wooden viewfinder, which uses shatterproof acrylic mirrors and filters.
- Weighs approximately 5 pounds (2kg). Drawing board is 18.5x24" (47x61). Camera reflects an image up to 20x44in (55x112cm).
- The mirror, half-silvered mirror and Filter Screens are all shatter proof acrylic (plexi-glass) for strength and safety.
- Comes with instruction leaflet on how to put it together, and small booklet on how to use it.
- Adaptor arm available for copying photographs.
Guide Review - Camera Lucida from Ancient Magic Art Tools
If you struggle with accurate perspective or if you like doing a detailed drawing that you then want to copy onto a canvas, a camera lucida is a tool that solves the problem. Unlike a projector, it can be used on real objects too and doesn't need electricity.
The camera lucida from Ancient Magic Art Tools arrived well packed and undamaged (this photo shows it when I'd removed the box and paper protecting it). There's a sheet explaining how to put it together and it isn't complicated. It's unlikely you'll ever take it all apart again; even for travel and storage you're more likely simply to loosen the wing nuts and fold it down on itself.
Even understanding how a camera lucida works, it still seems like a bit of magic. When you look into it, the subject in front of it magically appears on your piece of paper. The photo on this page wasn't digitally altered, it is the view looking down into the camera.
This camera lucida comes with two filters (darker pieces of plexiglass) that you can screw in position to adapt the intensity of the light coming through and how saturated the reflected subject is. Use one or both as necessary to adapt the light so you see a well-reflected subject but can still see the marks you're making on the paper. (In photo I've moved a little to the right so you can clearly see the lines I've drawn.)
Being so accustomed to a zoom lens on a camera where you turn the lens (or press a button) and the object gets bigger, it takes a little getting used to having to move the camera or object closer to one another to make the object appear larger on the paper. But a little experimentation will get you and your subject optimally situated. (Scroll down on this page of the manufacturer's website for a more systematic approach to size.)
Overall, I think if the idea of a camera lucida appeals to you, you should investigate this model.
