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400 BCE
Camera Obscura
The Latin name means "dark chamber." The earliest versions dating to antiquity consisting of small darkened rooms with light admitted through a single tiny hole. For centuries it was used for viewing eclipses without endangering the eyes, and by the 16th century the technology was used as an aid for drawing. -
Handflex Reflex Camera
Johann Zahn, German author, offered a design for what is known as a handheld reflex camera. Although nobody acknowledged the camera until Joseph Nicephore Niepce created a prototype in roughly 1816 -
Daguerreotypes
Louis Daguerre created a more practical camera which involved coating a copper plate with silvers, sensitizing in iodine, then developing it over hot mercury. -
The Mirror Camera
The daguerreotype camera photos faded quickly but Alexander S. Wolcott remedied it. The camera he came up with produced a positive image of a negative one with reversed colors. -
Instantaneous Exposures
Richard Leach Maddox invented this with a gelatin dry plate that produced instantaneous exposures. Functioning as a sort of precursor to the polaroid cameras. -
Kodak
George Eastman began selling a box camera after he pioneered the use of roll film cameras. A single Kodak camera came with 100 exposures but had to sent back to Eastman Kodak factory for development. -
35mm Film Camera
Oskar Barnack is generally credited for the advent of 35mm film cameras. However Kodak quickly became the leading provider of photographic film. -
Twin-reflex Camera
Camera enjoyed a major advance with this invention which introduced features like viewfinders, pentaprisms, variable shutter speeds, and detachable lenses. -
Digital SLR Camera
A type of camera that delivers high-end image quality. The camera allows you to see the exact image you're shooting directly through the viewfinder, allowing you to capture scenes better. -
Mirrorless Camera
A type of camera that works without a reflex mirror. Light passes through the lens directly to the digital sensor, then it displays your image on the LCD screen allowing you to adjust settings and preview your image before its shot.
