SLR/Iris cameras, and stoning

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 97315

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Sea Change" <nakedkali at y...> wrote:
>  Pippin said:
> 
> [small snip]
> 
> Ppp> Unfortunately she must not  have had her glasses 
> Ppp> on at the time.They would have protected her, as Colin, looking 
> Ppp> through his camera, was petrified, not killed. 
> 
> _____________________
> 
> Sea Change responds:
> 
> Some film-using cameras (typically cheaper SLRs) have a separate
> viewfinder opening that doesn't look through the lens.  ... Some 
> film-using cameras use a mirror system, so the viewfinder opening 
> shows directly what the lens sees. ...edited...
> 
> So, it is possible that Colin didn't look directly at the basilisk,
> but a mirror image.  ...edited...
> 
> Does anyone remember if Harry had his glasses on still when he 
> fought the basilisk?  Perhaps Fawkes' deorbitation of it was 
> unnecesary!
> 

> 
> Sea Change, who wonders if a modern digitized CCR image of a
> basilisk is as deadly as the real thing.

bboy_mn:

SLR (Single Lense Reflex) is the common 35mm camera where you hold the
camera up to your eye and look in to a viewfinder that uses a mirror
and prism set which allow you to look at your subject through the main
photo-taking lense of the camera.

The other type camera with a separate viewfinder and lense system is
usually referred to as a 'box' camera. The most important aspect of
this type of camera is that looking through the viewfinder system is
like looking throught the wrong end of a telescope or pair of
binoculars. Everything is reduced in size, and very difficult to see.

There is another variation of a box camera that was once very popular
but is rarely seen now days. This was a Dual Lense Reflex system, in
other word one path of lenses to expose the film, another set of
lenses/mirror for the viewfinder. 

Typically with this camera, you held it down by your waist, and looked
down through the top of the camera where the image of your subject was
projected on a frosted glass or plastic plate. This camera also used a
mirror to redirect the in-coming image to the viewfinder.

The only camera of this group that creates a potential problem is the
simple 'box' camera because you are looking directly through a series
of lenses (no mirrors) at your subject. If we are to speculate that
this was the type of camera, and indeed I believe it was in the movie,
 then there must be some way to explain why Collin wasn't killed.

So, my explanation is that the image was so reduce in size that Collin
really couldn't see the Basiliks eyes.

---Quote - Fantastic Beasts.... Basilisk - pg 3-4 ---
"...but it's most dangerous means of attack is the gaze of its large
yellow eyes. **Anyone looking DIRECTLY into these will suffer instant
death.**
---End Quote - My Emphasis---

I interpert this to mean that you can look at the Basilisk's eyes but
you can't look into them.

Here is an example, you are walking through a woods heading North, A
short distance in front of you is a Basilisk facing East and it's
attention is focused on something directly in front of it. 

In other words it's not looking at you. Logically, you can see it's
eyes, but because of the distance and angle, you can not see DIRECTLY
INTO it's eyes. In addition, the Basilik is not holding you in it's
gaze. Therefore you are not dead.

Another way to look at it is, you see it but it doesn't see you.

My conclusion, if Collin was using a box camera, the size distortion
caused by the camera's viewfinder lense prevented Collin from actually
looking into the Basilik's eyes. He saw the Basilisk, but didn't see
into its eyes. However, the Basilisk did see him very clearly, but was
 very limited in it's ability to look into Collin's eyes. So Collin
survived.

The other types of camera have a mirror, so they are not a problem.
They can be easily explained.

As far as digital cameras, I think you would be protected, but you can
count on you camera being FRIED. Seeing a Basilisk using a digital
camera would be about the same as seeing one on TV.

Given all I have speculated, eyeglassses would not help you. If you
looked through your glasses into the eyes of the Basilisk... you are
toast.

The are the kinds of things I love to speculate on.

bboy_mn