The Evolution of Cameras
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Cameras are much older than you might think. The great inventions of photography throughout the decades and centuries have paved the way for cameras in the modern world.
Throughout ancient history, there is mention of the principle and physics of the camera obscura in many different cultures. However, the claimed inventor of the camera obscura is Ibn al-Haytham, an Arabian mathematician, astronomer, and physicist. The camera obscura worked the same way as a projector, and a room with little to no light was needed to show the images. The rooms had a hole on one side that allowed light to enter and project a reversed image on the opposite wall. Ibn al Haytham invented the camera obscura sometime during the 11th century. Later, the camera obscura became portable in 1685 when Johann Zahn decided to use a box instead of an entire room. Zahn made modifications to the camera obscura. Instead of just a pinhole, he added a lens to adjust the focus. Some portable camera obscuras even had an angled mirror inside that would display the image right-side-up.
A little over two centuries later, the first commercial, amateur-friendly camera hit the market. In 1888, George Eastman released the Kodak camera that included 100-exposure film inside and produced round pictures. Eastman designed this camera to use the flexible roll film he had invented. When the owner had used all of the film in the camera, they would send it back to the manufacturer and pay them to refill the camera with film and develop their pictures.
In 1947, cameras took a giant leap when Edwin H. Land invented the instant camera by Polaroid. Instant cameras introduced coloured photos in 1963. The film in these cameras has three layers: one sensitive to blue light, one sensitive to green light and the last one sensitive to red light. These three light-sensitive layers allow the images to appear in colour. Polaroid had not anticipated the demand that would come and made only 60 models of the instant camera and began selling them on the market, but they sold all of the cameras within the first day.
Instant cameras are still going strong in the 21st century. Fujifilm had taken over the instant camera industry when Polaroid refused to keep up with the latest technology and unfortunately, declared bankruptcy in the early 2000s.
Today, digital cameras are everywhere, all because of an engineer named Steven Sasson. Sasson invented the first digital camera in 1975. He worked for the Kodak company and got the idea to create a digital camera; however, Kodak was not ready to pursue his vision of digital photography. Still, Sasson took extra parts from the Kodak factory to create his prototype. It took 23 seconds to capture an image, weighed 8 pounds and had 0.01 megapixels. This camera may not seem like much, but it was a giant step to the availability of photographs and cameras that we have now.
Cameras have a long and scientific history that continues to amaze the world with its constant evolution. Technology is always advancing, and cameras are on almost every device, so even if you don't have a brand name camera, access to photography is never out of reach.
Camera Obscura Links
https://mymodernmet.com/camera-obscura/
https://www.britannica.com/technology/camera-obscura-photography
http://physics.kenyon.edu/EarlyApparatus/Optics/Camera_Obscura/Camera_Obscura.html
http://www.photographyhistoryfacts.com/photography-development-history/camera-obscura-history/
The First Kodak Camera Links
https://www.britannica.com/technology/Kodak-camera
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_760118
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kodk/hd_kodk.htm
The First Instant Camera Links
https://www.edn.com/polaroid-introduces-the-instant-camera-february-21-1947/
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/land-instant-photography.html
https://mymodernmet.com/history-of-polaroid/
The First Digital Camera Links
https://www.diyphotography.net/worlds-first-digital-camera-introduced-man-invented/
Kaydence Marie
Kaydence Marie is a writer attending the professional writing program at Algonquin College. Although she is ardent for reading and writing, she is also very interested in photography, music, and animals. Kaydence can most likely be spotted reading her tarot cards while checking out a restaurant's latest vegan options.
