Product Evolution

of Cameras

Veronica Mandella
Introduction to Engineering
Period:1
What is a Camera

A camera is a box that captures moments by

controlling the amount of light that reaches
a light sensitive surface inside the device
such as film, a digital sensor, or another
surface.

(Masoner, The Basic Elements of a Camera)

When was the camera invented

The first camera was invented in 1500 by Ibn al -Haytham (Alhazen). He was an Arab Muslim
scientist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. Alhazen invented the first pinhole
camera which he used to study the solar eclipse of 1544.

(Davlin,
History of Cameras: Illustrated Timeline)
What materials were originally used to make
the Camera

The materials used to make the first camera were wood, and a white screen such as a piece of
paper.

(Early History)
How was the Camera originally made

The first camera or the camera obscura was a darkened room with a small hole in one wall and
opposite that was a white screen. Later on the cameras became more compact but the images
were still blurry. Back then there was no permanent photograph, just a outline of which artists
would trace.

(Early History)
What improvements have been made to the
Camera over the years
Over the years the camera was made more compact from the first camera.

- The first compact camera was created by the French Academy of Sciences.

- A year later the first American patented his version of a camera.

- In 1888 the first camera with film was invented and the camera was simple and cheap

- In 1900 the travel camera was created and was very portable and light

- 13 years later the first candid camera was invented and became the standard for film
cameras

- 1948 the Polaroid camera could print our picture in about a minute

- 1960 the first underwater camera

Why were the
improvements made to
the camera

The improvements to the camera were made to

take better pictures, make the cameras more
compact, and user friendly.
Who uses the Camera

Anyone you can think of uses cameras

nowadays. They are easier than ever to use
because of how compact they have become.
Major changes that have occurred in the
design of the Camera

Some major changes that have occurred in the design of the product is the image quality, how
compact and small the cameras have become, and that the cameras became digital.

(Early History)
Effects on society and the environment

When the first digital camera came out there wasn't much demand for it. Over the years the
camera became more consumer friendly and the technology was used all around the world.
Nowadays cameras are used by everyone to capture moments all the time.

( The Impact of Digital Cameras in our Lives)

 References
Davlin, Ann. History of Cameras: Illustrated Timeline [Updated in 2015]. Photodoto, 2015, photodoto.com/camera-
history-timeline/. Accessed 23 Aug. 2017.

The Impact of Digital Cameras in our Lives. Techiestate, 27 Sept. 2013, www.techiestate.com/cameras-that-out-snap-
the-iphone/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2017.

Early History. History of Field View Cameras, fiberq.com/cam/index.html#early. Accessed 28 Aug. 2017.

Masoner, Liz. The Basic Elements of a Camera [Updated in 2017]. The Spruce, www.thespruce.com/what-is-a-
camera-2688050. Accessed 28 aug. 2017.