History of the Camera: 5 Fascinating Stories You Never Knew
Cameras are most of the time taken as a guarantee. After all, at least each smartphone device, tablet, or laptop has one. Thanks to their low prices, it can be affordable for people so that we can get high-quality images through our smartphones. Nowadays, it is easy for us to click images, but if we look back in history, it is not that easy to capture a professional image with one click. This article will unravel the incredible and comprehensive history of the camera. Get ready for some brainstorming facts that will make you think that the history of photography is more than just the boom of the digital world. It has also to do with the philosophy of photography, incredible camera inventions, and much more.
History of the Camera
The modern cameras that we use nowadays are very different from the ones that were used in the past. But all of them proved a principle and brought photography one step closer to what it is today. It is an amazing and beautiful way to record the world. Each phase of the camera’s timeline gives us a valuable lesson about determination, curiosity, and seeing the whole world in your own unique way.
Picture This: The Camera Obscura Magic:
Camera obscura is translated as the “dark room.” Alright, so back in the day, people in China and Greece found something pretty cool called “camera obscura.” It’s an amazing first camera, just like the great grandparents of our modern cameras. There is a small hole in the wall of the dark room. The one-side pinhole camera lets the sunlight get through and makes an image on the opposite wall. This first photographic camera was used around the middle of the 16th century.
Moreover, the image projected on the wall is just for a short time. It was not recorded in any other way than on a wall. However, it was good for architecture, philosophy, and even for drawing maps. Nowadays, this camera is still used for teaching purposes.
Daguerreotypes: The First Photo Superheroes
Lious Daguerre amazed the world with his amazing camera invention in 1839, named a daguerreotype. It feels like a superhero in the photos, as it captures the incredible photos. However, to create a daguerreotype, all you need is a piece of mirror finish. To make it light-sensitive, you need one piece of silver copper that has been treated with chemicals. In the past, it was used to produce the best type of image as it generated better-quality photos, required less exposure time, and was also a portable camera.
Louis Daguerre’s photography is not all about landscape photoshoots. He is also excellent at clicking candid moments and motion objects. Due to the French government rewarding him for bringing such a fantastic invention to the world, his photography and camera invention skills became very well known in the past.
Heliography
In the ancient days, a camera obscura was not like a camera invented in 1816. At this time, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce used this to project his first-ever photography. He learns how to capture the image that this camera obscura projects.
However, he used a sensitive light called asphalt from Syria and mixed it with semi-solid oil. In this way, he successfully generates the results even when the camera is off. He names this technique heliography, which is translated as “sun drawing.”.
Kodak: Where the Snap-Happiness Began
In 1888, George Eastman came up with the amazing idea, “You Press the Button, We Do the Rest.” With this idea, he produced an amazing invention called the Kodak camera. That motto changed the whole game. Therefore, you do not need a Ph.D. in photography to click the pictures. This invention brought the happiness of digital photography.
This movie camera is capable of 100 exposures with its roll film. The photographers just have to click the button to capture the image. This camera cost just 25 dollars, which was easily accessible to everyone and easier to operate than earlier cameras. After that, he also released a new model in 1900 called “Kodak Brownie,” which was even easier to use than the first model. Just in a few years, George became the richest U.S. man, has been the leader in photography for almost many years, and is still around today.
Leica 35mm Film Camera
In 1913, German inventor and shooter Oskar Baranack and Leica were to blame for 35mm film. They are working to make something useful for photography. This 35mm film camera allows for various numbers of exposures. It began with a total of 36 exposures.
However, at that time, people would be able to send the films instead of sending the whole camera to be developed. Kodak introduced analogue photography in 1934, and many people have since adopted it.
Final Thought:
Overall, the camera history is not so boring. The camera has changed a lot over the years, from huge optical lenses to small, pocket-sized mirrors. All thanks to the smart and intelligent people who played so well with pixels, film, and light to turn snapshots into everyday joy.
