5

Timeline - The evolution of the camera

15th century Although the concept is expressed much earlier, Leonardo da Vinci gives the first
detailed description of the camera obscura, a dark box with a pinhole at one end and a glass
screen at the other. When light shines through the pinhole an image appears on the screen.
16th - 17th centuries Giovanni Battista della Porta describes in his 1558 book, Natural Magic, the
use of a lens instead of a pinhole in the camera obscura to make images appear sharper. Many
artists use the camera obscura as an aid to accurately portray perspective in their work.
1826 Joseph Nicéphore Niépce experiments with pewter plates treated with bitumen, an asphalt
type substance that changes colour when exposed to light, as a way of recording an image in the
camera obscura. After failed attempts, Niépce produces the first permanent image, titled View
from the Window at Le Gras, by treating the plates with oil of lavender post-exposure. However,
this process is not easily recreated since it takes eight hours to get a proper exposure.
1840 Charles Chevalier constructs the first folding camera, with a sleeker and more portable
design than the camera obscura. Its side panels can be unhinged from the body to fold flat and it
is a daguerreotype camera, meaning it houses a film process in which highly polished silver-
plated copper sheets are treated with light-sensitive silver-iodide.
1851 The wet collodion film process becomes very influential in camera design. Since the film
needs to stay moist while making the exposure, the camera has to be fitted with draining
channels for the negative material.
Mid 1850s Bellowed cameras are introduced to allow for movement and flexibility that the rigid
designs did not allow. Advancements in the construction of the bellows allow for lenses with
greater focal length and the ability for close-up photography, since the bellows adds distance to
the camera.
1860 Thomas Sutton, a University of London photography lecturer, designs the first single lens
reflex (SLR) camera. Through the use of mirrors inside the camera, the photographer can now
get an accurate view of what will appear in the photograph.
1880-1900 As the construction of film evolves, dry-plate and roll-film versions of the SLR
camera are created. Around this time, detective cameras, designed to be hidden in hats, watches
and books, become popular but the fad doesn’t last long since the small photos are not practical
and the image quality is very poor.
1881 Thomas Bolas constructs of one of the earliest twin lens reflex cameras. The camera uses
one lens for the viewfinder and the other for taking the photograph. Similar to the SLR, the twin
lens reflex uses mirrors for both lenses.
1888 The Eastman Company manufactures the Kodak, the first built-in roll-film box camera,
ushering in the era of modern photography. This camera is lighter and easier to use than it
predecessors, helping to make the art of photography more readily available to the masses. The
company's slogan is, “You press the button, we do the rest.”
1913 Oskar Barnack invents the UR- Leica, the prototype of the first 35-mm Leica camera. This
is one of the earliest cameras to take 35-mm film and uses the 24x36mm standard image size.
1914 The George Eastman Company produces the first autographic roll-film camera.
Autographic film has two layers, the front layer for recording the image and the back layer for
writing information about the photo. Photographers write on the back of the film by opening a
small door in the back of the camera. This is the first form of photographic data collecting.
1925 The Leica A is introduced and is the first 35-mm camera to gain commercial success
because of its portability, superior construction and advanced lens quality.
1930 Johannes Ostermeier patents the first commercially available flashbulb, called Vacublitz.
Around this time, General Electric makes its own version of the flashbulb, called Sashalite.
1936 Kine introduces the Exakta, the world’s first 35 mm SLR. Its small design remains almost
unchanged until 1949.
1947 Edwin H. Land creates the Polaroid camera. It is the first camera to deliver instant results,
producing a positive image in 60 seconds.
1959 The Nikon F, a 35-mm SLR camera, is introduced. Although many cameras come close,
the Nikon F is said to be the first real professional 35-mm SLR and is used by photojournalists.
1963 Kodak announces the Kodak Instamatic, a camera that is fully automatic. All the user has
to do is load the film cartridges. The camera is a mass-produced success.
1981 Although the technology is already being used for government purposes, Sony introduces
the Mavica, the first commercially available electronic still camera. This camera does not use
film. Instead, it records images onto a minidisk, which can then be connected to a computer for
viewing. While this camera is not digital, its technology is the precursor to the digital revolution.
1985 Konica Minolta releases the Maxxum 700 AF SLR, the world's first true autofocus SLR. A
variety of autofocus lenses are built for the camera.
1986 Fuji introduces the first disposable camera. The camera, called the Quicksnap, is box-
shaped and can take about 20 pictures on 35-mm film.
1987 The first camera of the popular Canon EOS series is developed. The camera includes full
electronic control throughout as well as an all-electronic lens mount.
1991 Kodak introduces the first digital camera. It is an updated version of the Nikon F-3 with a
Kodak 1.3-megapixel image sensor. This camera is targeted at photojournalists, not mass-market
consumers.
1994 The first digital camera for consumer use is the Apple QuickTake 100. This camera can be
connected to a computer using a serial cable.
PresentDigital cameras continue to increase in quality and capacity as technology advances. A
range of professional digital SLRs, like the 50-megapixel Hasselblad H3D11- 50, point-and-
shoot digital cameras, like the Sony DSCW300 Cyber-shot, and models in between, like the
Nikon D-40, are being produced.

View from the Window at Le Gras

Photo: Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, 1826
L’Atelier de l'artiste
Photo: Daguerre, 1837

Alice Liddell as a Young Woman

Photo: Julia Margaret Cameron, Print from wet collodion negative

An example of a bellowed camera

Photo: Stephen Coburn/istockphoto.com

An example of a twin lens reflex camera

Photo: Dmitri Melnik/istockphoto.com

The Leica A
Photo: Eugene Ilchenko

A Graflex Speed Graphic camera with flash from the 1940s

Photo: James Steidl/istockphoto.com

The Kine Exakta

Photo: Eileen Hart/istockphoto.com

An example of a later Polaroid camera

Photo: Adrian Assalve/istockphoto.com

The Nikon F
Photo: Jeff Dean

The Kodak Instamatic

Photo: Henk Badenhorst/istockphoto.com
The Sony Mavica
Photo: Rama

An example of a disposable camera

Photo: Jeff Gynane/istockphoto.com

The Apple QuickTake 200

Photo: Jared C. Benedict

An example of a modern digital point-and-shoot and a digital SLR

Photos(L to R): istockphoto.com, Jakub Semeniuk/istockphoto.com

Published Friday, September 12, 2008 6:00 AM by admin

Filed under: Camera, History

Digital Camera History: The Evolution of the Camera

By Karl Tate
27 April 2010 10:00 AM ET
The digital camera so popular today is the end product of a long evolution of cameras, from
primitive pinholes and the surprisingly early advent of color photography to the high-tech 35mm
cameras of the 20th Century that are all but obsolete now. As cameras become standard features
in cell phones, a look at the history of photography:
Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to dynamically frame a picture with your hands and snap it with a
blink of your eye? Well, that is exactly what this futuristic concept by Mac Funamizu does.
So how would it work? The stylish sunglasses will have an integrated camera which takes a
picture of the area you frame with your two hands using the universal ‘frame’ gesture.
Options are displayed on the inner side of the glasses with instructions such as, “Shut your left
eye to shoot.”
I know it’s a rather wild design, but with our great technological advances, we can have
something like this in the next decade.
Check out more ambitious designs by Mac Funamizu below.

computers
From 1981–2006: 25 years of PC evolution
The introduction of the IBM personal computer (PC) in 1981 marked a
fundamental turning point in computing. Looking back now, on the PC's 25-
year anniversary, it’s difficult to grasp the full impact that a quarter century
of personal computing has had on our daily lives. Today it is hard for many
of us to imagine life without PCs in our homes and workplaces.

back to top
1980's
1981—IBM introduces its first PC, which features an Intel 8088
microprocessor as the "brains" inside the computer.

1981—Adam Osborne completes the first portable computer, the Osborne I,

which weighs 24 pounds.

1983—Microsoft releases Windows* and introduces a "low-cost" mouse at

$195.

1983—Time magazine names the computer "Machine of the Year."

1984—Apple debuts the Macintosh*, which popularizes the graphical user

interface.

1984—Hewlett-Packard markets the laserjet printer, which prints eight

pages per minute.

1985—Grolier's Electronic Encyclopedia* becomes available on CD-ROM.

1985—Intel introduces the Intel386™ microprocessor and Compaq is the

first to ship a PC based on the chip.

1987—IBM's PS/2 machine, with the Intel386™ microprocessor, makes the

3.5-inch floppy disk drive standard on IBM computers.

1987—Aldus releases its PageMaker* program for use on IBM and IBM-
compatible computers.

1989—Intel releases the Intel486™ microprocessor, which contains more

than one million transistors.

1989—Creative Labs releases its first Sound Blaster* audio card for the PC.

back to top
1990's
1990—In Geneva, Switzerland, Tim Berners-Lee develops a new technique
for distributing information on the Internet, eventually called the World Wide
Web.

1991—Creative Labs introduces a multimedia upgrade kit containing a CD-

ROM drive, Sound Blaster Pro* board, speakers, and multimedia software.

1993—Intel introduces the Intel® Pentium® processor and the number of

people in the United States connected to the Internet reaches three million.

1993—Silicon Graphics founder Jim Clark collaborates with Marc Andreessen

to create an Internet browser called Netscape*.

1995—Microsoft launches Windows* 95 and its browser, Internet Explorer*.

1996—Palm introduces the Pilot 1000* and Pilot 5000* products.

1997—Time magazine names Intel's Andy Grove "Man of the Year."

1997—Intel introduces the Intel® Pentium® II processor and the number of

people worldwide connected to the Internet surpasses 100 million.

1998—Microsoft introduces Windows* 98 with universal plug and play

capabilities.

1998—Intel CEO Craig Barrett predicts there will be one billion connected
PCs within the next decade.

1999—Intel introduces the Intel® Pentium® III processor and the number of
people worldwide connected to the Internet grows beyond 201 million.

back to top
2000's

2000—Approximately 35 million Americans listen to music online1, 45

million play games online2, and the number of people worldwide connected
to the Internet passes 400 million.3

2000—Intel introduces the Pentium® 4 processor designed for Internet

audio and streaming video, image processing, video content creation,
speech, 3-D games, multimedia, and multitasking user environments.

2001—The PC turns 20 and the number of PCs sold worldwide between

1981 and 2000 reaches 835 million.4

2001—Apple launches the iPod* personal music player, which marks a

major turning point in the digital music revolution.6

2003—Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe found MySpace.com, one of the

world's most popular online social networking services.

2003—Intel introduces Intel® Centrino® processor technology for notebook

PCs, enabling breakthrough mobile performance with built-in wireless
connectivity to provide everything mobile lifestyles demand.

2004—Notebook PCs outsell TVs during the 2004 holiday season for the first
time.

2005—Lenovo acquires IBM's PC division.

2006—Intel launches Intel® Viiv™ technology, the company's premier

brand for PCs designed for entertainment in the home to enjoy, share,
manage, and control digital content—from photos and music to games and
movies.

2006—Intel announces Intel® vPro™ technology, its forthcoming PC

platform brand optimized for businesses. Intel vPro technology is Intel's
premier platform for superior manageability, enhanced security, and energy-
efficient performance.

2006—Intel launches the Intel® Core™2 Duo processor for drastically

improved performance and energy efficiency. The Intel Core 2 desktop
processors provide up to a 40 percent increase in performance and are more
than 40 percent more energy efficient versus Intel's previous best
processor.7

2006—Intel estimates that there are close to one billion Internet-connected

PCs worldwide.
October 25, 2010 7:23 AM PDT

Goodbye Walkman, thanks for the iPod

by Greg Sandoval

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Sony has announced it has finally retired the Walkman cassette tape player, marking the end of
one of the most successful consumer gadgets of all time.

Over three decades, Sony sold more than 200 million Walkman tape players.
(Credit: Sony Corp.)

At least it outlived disco.

By today's standards, the Walkman was clunky. The plastic tape player required frequent
replacing of two AA batteries. There was no shuffle. There was no storage to speak of. It could
play only the number of songs on the tape. Jumping to a new song tasked an owner with fast-
forwarding, an inexact process that meant repeated stops to find the start of the desired tune.
But until July 1, 1979, the day the Walkman went on sale in Japan, people had no concept of
portable music--not the kind that Sony offered. Until that day, portable music mostly meant
holding a transistor radio up to your ear.
The Walkman dazzled.
Count Steve Jobs among the most impressed, according to John Sculley, Apple's former CEO.
"We used to go visit Akio Morita and he had really the same kind of high-end standards that
Steve did and respect for beautiful products," Sculley said in an excellent interview with Leander
Kahney of the Cult of Mac blog. "I remember Akio Morita gave Steve and me each one of the
first Sony Walkmans. None of us had ever seen anything like that before because there had never
been a product like that...Steve was fascinated by it. The first thing he did with his was take it
apart and he looked at every single part. How the fit and finish was done, how it was built."
So, the Walkman's designers likely influenced the eventual concept for the iPod. And what about
the Walkman's branding? After the music player became a hit, Sony tried to capitalize by
releasing such products as Pressman, Watchman, Scoopman, Discman, and the Walkman MP3
player--which will soldier on. Now, think iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

iPod Nano
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)

Of course, Jobs took portable music to a new level, one where even Morita's company couldn't
compete. Jobs wrapped his offering around a cohesive and as yet unbeatable combination of
hardware, software, and digital retail. Sony knew hardware but was at best so-so in retail and a
total disaster at developing software (see Sony Connect).
Some have speculated that Sony's failure to keep up in a segment that the company created was
one of the reasons it has given the Walkman such a quiet send off.
Still, the company should be proud. It's unlikely we would have had the iPod without the
Walkman and Morita, who helped set music free.
For that, we owe the device and the man a deep and respectful bow.

Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. He is
a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg,
or follow him on Twitter at @sandoCNET.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20020573-

37.html#ixzz13OXAnF26