The Rotating-Prism Camera: An Historical Survey

The first Fastax camera was developed in 1934. Since that time a variety of rotating-prism cameras in different forms, and for various applications, has stemmed from this development. Some developed independently and others as variations of the original camera. The historical background of the rotating-prism camera goes back to 1932 when the Eastman ERPI Type 2 was acquired by Bell Telephone Laboratories. A number of well-known scientists have been involved in various aspects of photography at exotic speeds, i.e., in the time band of less than 1 μs.