How to access the iPhone's camera from Mobile safari?

What is this camera made of?

• http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=dry+plate+camera&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1024&bih=584&tbm=isch&tbnid=f_0wxTgByjm8AM:&imgrefurl=http://www.vintagephoto.tv/no2kodak.shtml&docid=n0b0oRLUAlR6ZM&imgurl=http://www.vintagephoto.tv/images/no2kodak1.jpg&w=381&h=370&ei=hB1kT4bzAtHimAWKg5mkCA&zoom=1 hope u can access that.

• Answer:

  The first thing about understanding cameras is that ALL cameras are essentially boxes that keep out all unnecessary light. The reason is that the photogrpaher needs to control exactly how much light will come into the camera and go to the film medium -- ccd's for digital cameras, where the display is captured by which ccds get the light and colour required from an electrical signal. The camera you are directing us to is rather like a 'land camera'. The film medium was often a 'plate', which had to be inserted (carefully and in a dark place) before the picture could be taken. It was extremely fine grained, so the definition was virtually 'perfect' - no pixels - because the grains in the medium acted like pixels do in digital cameras (can you IMAGINE a digital picture with a BILLION pixels?). This one took circular pictures - that's the effect you get when you use, say, a pinhole camera. Later ones made sure that the image's round edges were cut off. If I remember rightly, the outside of these cameras were made with a wooden frame, covered with leather and sponge to ensure that the inside was totally dark. The lens (and shutter) were glass and thin metal. I don't remember whether they had an iris in those ones, so that the amount of light coming in through the lens could be controlled. No, I didn't have one like this, but I worked with a photographer who collected old filming equipment, and he had two or three of the 'string-set' cameras from that era. And the cameras still worked. But it was much easier to use an SLR, which gave a lot more control on the effects one could get.