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Nov 5, 1558
Pinhole Camera Obscura (Variation of Camera Obscura)
Giovanni Battista della Porta is often seen as the inventor of the Camera Obscura because of his description of it as a pinhole. The camera portion of the pinhole camera obscura resembles more modern cameras but tends to be more box like. Often used for exposures of the sun and featured a shutter to control when exposures were being taken or shown. -
Camera Obscura
The first basic 'camera' that would lead to the later invention of more advanced cameras that also used a method of capturing image through the use of light. The Camera Obscura's first pemanent image was taken by Joseph Nicephore Niepce -
Daguerreotypes
Created by Louis Daguerre and Nicephore Niepce. Followed a similair process of picture taking through the use of light as the Camera Obscura, but they were put onto plates and sheets that were coated chemically in order to save an image onto them. Established a process of chemically creating photographs that is later used in film. -
Dry Plate
A item used to create images from cameras that was developed by George Eastman, who later created film which followed a process that is very similair. You would chemically coat a plate within a darkroom and then place it into the camera for the photograph without exposing the plate to any light. -
Film
A more portable version of plates that were used previously to capture images or photographs, developed by George Eastman who also created the dry plate. You would place film into your camera and then have it processed by the Kodak company (Known as the George Eastman Company). -
Brownie Camera
A camera developed by Kodak, which featured the easy process of taking pictures and having Kodak process the film. This opened it up as a hobby to the public because of the easier usage. This camera utilized film, which was 15 cents a roll, and the camera itself was 1 dollar. -
35mm Format
Invented by Thomas A. Eddison in 1891, but available to the public in 1913. Featured 24x36mm rolls of film which became the standard for film usage because of companies like Leica that often used this particular type of film size. Developed the style of a more portable camera which is mirrored in modern cameras today while the film size remained in use until the digital camera. -
SLR / TLR (Single Lens Reflex / Target Lesion Revascularization)
Franke and Heidecke Rolleiflex Medium Format TLR which was a camera that was more mobile and compact than previous inventions. Used a mirror to reflect what would be captured by the camera to our eye and when a picture is taken the mirror would lift and allow light to hit the film. -
Instant Cameras
Invented by Edwin Land, Polaroid's Model 95 being one of the most common instant cameras. Once a picture was taken it would be automatically printed out of the camera and available for viewing. Marked the slow down of film usage in cameras due to it being the last large invention in photography before digital. -
Point and Shoot
Konica invented the very first point and shoot camera, which used film, in 1978, which featured a simple operation for taking photographs and allowed for snapshots of family gatherings and events. These cameras led to the creation of digital cameras that worked on the same basis, but replaced film with the digital sensor. -
Digital Camera
Invented by the company Sony and announced by them in 1981, a camera that no longer required film and relied on digital storage. Rather than imprinting an image on film or plates, it was saved by a sensor behind the lens. Paved the way for larger sensors that would allow for higher resolutions. -
DSLR
Released in the early 2000s to the public, featured a similair style and mechanics as the SLRs that utilized film. The DSLR however was Digital and used a sensor and memory card to capture photographs. Sensor size changed the quality and resolution of a photograph, but also made the camera bigger if the sensor got too big. -
Phone Cameras
Mobile phones began to become very popular in the early 2000s and most featured a camera that utilized a sensor, like most modern cameras at the time, but due to the size limitation of the sensor the photos were of low quality and low resolution. As mobile phones began to become more advanced and sensors also advanced most smartphones today take pictures of the same, if not better, quality as digital cameras. -
Mirrorless Cameras
The Epson RD1 mirrorless camera was released in 2004, however the mirrorless camera only began to get popular in 2013 and forward due to the advancements with mirrorless. These cameras are slowly beginning to replace DSLRs due to their size. Their sensors are the same as most DSLRs, APS-C and Full Frame making them competition to the DSLR market. Some mirrorless however do not have a viewfinder, but have an EVF (Electronic View Finder). -
Action Cameras
In 2004 GoPro announced it's action camera. A very small camera that recorded high quality video and took photographs at a very wide angle. The small size of the camera allowed for unique angles of photographs to be taken and allowed the camera to be put in many unique spots. As companies begin advancing their action cameras better quality images and videos are being produced, meaning there have been advancements made in sensors which allows them to be smaller but still capture images.
