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1839 – The Daguerreotype Camera
Mozi’s method of projecting a picture through a pinhole was amazing, but there was no way to store the end result. It was useless. But that was going to change. In 1839 Louis Daguerre created a process to actually store image forever on a shiny mirror finished copper plate. This was the first object made to capture information on it and store it forever. Daguerre made it public in return for a lifetime pension, and this process paved the way for the film cameras that we have used in the past. -
1500 – The Pinhole Camera
When a Chinese philosopher, named Mozi, observed rays of light shining on the walls of a dark room through a pinhole made on the other side, he saw the world outside upside down. He was fascinated by the fact, and with proper research he found out that since light travels in a straight line, such a phenomenon could take place in nature. This was the building block for modern cameras and photography. -
1925 – The Leica I
35mm films; the standard format for film photography for decades. Leica I was the first compact camera that packed a f/3.5 lens and was able to shoot photos on 35mm films. Cameras that we use today started to come into existence at this stage. -
1947 – Polaroid Model 95
While more new cameras were being launched onto the market a cameras became household objects. But the whole process of taking a photo & developing the photograph was a time consuming job. A company named Polaroid saw this problem & decided to make the process into seconds. Then came Polaroid Model 95 onto the market. With this photographers could take a shot & get the photo printed on special paper supplied by Polaroid in minutes. Now instant photos were a reality & gave new turn to evolution. -
1975 – Kodak Digital Camera
Cameras have been bulky boxes to portable ones, the lengthy process of developing a photo has been zipped to a few minutes. However in 1975 Steven Sasson made the world’s first digital camera. This showed the camera industry a glimpse into the future, with everything being digitized and things being done at less time. However, it was in 1991 when the first digital camera was made available on the market at a hefty price tag of $13,000 for people to buy. -
1986 – Fuji QuickSnap
Cameras evolved a lot in all these years but there's still one thing that keeps this device out of reach of many around the world. Price. Fujifilm, a film/camera making company shattered the barrier by inventing a single use disposable camera, the Fuji QuickSnap. Each of these were worth only $4 and captured 27 shots. Once film was taken out and photos developed these cameras were but a toy for kids. Thinking of its performance and number of shots it took at that price, it was very economical. -
2000 – Sharp J-SH04
There's no doubt cameras were getting smaller, advanced and digital as days went on, but how small could it get? Apparently small enough to fit a cell phone and take pictures on the go. Sharp introduced a cell phone in 2000 that had a tiny camera on the back and which could shoot, process and display photos on the phone's display instantly. This was the first cell phone with inbuilt digital camera and it paved the way for cell phones which boast high quality digital cameras on back. -
2007 – Apple iPhone
With the invention of a revolutionary smartphone, the Apple iPhone in the year 2007, digital cameras in cell phones got a new life. The iPhone camera had superb imaging technology and delivered great photos in every lighting condition. It was capable enough to give traditional point and shoot digital cameras a run for their money, and turbo charged the growth of tiny cameras. -
2008 – GoPro HD HERO
While everyone was focused on making cameras that were used to capture indoor/outdoor moments by regular customers, GoPro was trying to develop something for the people who were more adventurous and were looking forward to capture their moments. With HD HERO, GoPro introduced a camera that was able to shoot videos at 1080p and could be taken along with you on mountain biking, surfing or any other sport that you know. -
Now
High-end DSLRs such as the Canon EOS 1D-C offer superb image quality and video recording at 4K resolution in a compact body. Who thought that a compact camera like this could actually offer movie quality video recording and could actually have the potential to replace the huge movie cameras we are accustomed to? We surely have come a long way from the year 1500. But is this the end of this fabulous development? Certainly not. -
1900 – The Reise Camera
Cameras were something everyone wanted back then, but the only thing coming between these devices and photographers was that cameras were bulky, heavy and unattractive boxes. In the year 1900, the Reise Camera changed it all. This was the world’s first truly portable camera, with its ability to be folded into a compact shape and being extremely light weight as compared to other models available on the market, this was the thing for people who were looking to travel around and shoot photos.
