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470 BCE
Camera Obscura
The first description of an image being projected through a small hole that makes an inverted image by a Chinese philosopher named Mozi. -
Nicéphore Niepce used a camera to take the first photograph
Joseph Niepce used a chemical called silver nitrate because it darkens when exposed to light. -
Daguerreotype
Louis Daguerre created the first practical photographic process named the daguerreotype. -
Gelatin Dry Plates
Richard Leach Maddox invented the gelatin dry plates, which increased the sensitivity, so photos could be taken faster. -
Film
George Eastman made paper film then switched to celluloid, which he sold preloaded with his first camera called Kodak. -
35mm Film
Smaller cameras with high quality images were produced for still photography. -
TLR
The first practical reflex camera was the Franke & Heidecke Rolleiflex medium format TLR -
Automatic Features
Super Kodak Six-20 pack was the first camera to have a light meter with an automatic exposure. It was super expensive at the time, so automatic cameras didn't become popular until 1960. -
SLR
Faster and more user friendly, the Hungarian Duflex was the first camera to have a view finder. -
Instant Cameras
The Polaroid Model 95 was the first instant camera that processed and exposed photos in under a minute. -
Digital Cameras
Instead of film, digital cameras use analog predecessors to capture images. Steven Sasson invented the first digital camera that could take black and white photos and took about 23 seconds to take. -
Disposable Camera
Fuji-film made the first disposable camera called the Quick Snap -
Camera Phone
Sony made the first phone with a camera on it.
