History of the Camera: When was Photography Invented?
Written by Peter Dam
Published on August 15, 2023
We take cameras for granted. After all, every smartphone, tablet, or laptop
has (at least) one. They are sometimes affordable, and can deliver high-
quality images and videos without too much effort on our side. Nowadays,
cameras can be analog or digital, large or tiny, completely automatic or
excruciatingly manual, and everything in between. However, that wasn’t
always the case. The history of the camera began long before the boom of
the digital world, and it has more to do with the philosophy of photography
than with its technicalities.
What is a Camera?
A camera is a device capable of capturing still or moving images by using
light. Everything that surrounds us looks a certain way because of light.
Without it, we wouldn’t have colors, highlights, shadows, or contrast. A
camera takes advantage of that by combining optics and mechanics,
chemistry and electronics, in such a way that light gets imprinted on a light-
sensitive material.
In the case of analog cameras, the medium is the photographic film. In the
case of digital cameras, the medium is an electronic sensor. Both the film
and sensor react differently to different amounts of light, therefore recreating
the scenery in front of the camera.
Timeline of the Camera
The first cameras were nothing like the modern ones. But each proved a
principle and took photography one step closer to what it is today: an artful
manner of recording the world. Every stage on the camera’s timeline is a
valuable lesson about curiosity, determination, and unique ways of seeing
the world.
Camera Obscura
Camera obscura (translated as ‘the dark room’) represents the first step in
seeing the world as a series of images. It is a dark room or box having a
small hole (aka pinhole camera) or lens on one side that lets the light get
through and projects an image on the opposite wall. It was used around the
middle of the 16th century as a way of indirectly looking at eclipses or
studying astronomical phenomena, as an aid in drawing and painting, and for
entertainment. Camera obscura represents one of the first attempts at
understanding and making use of light’s reflection and refraction properties.
However, the image projected by a camera obscura was ephemeral. It wasn’t
recorded in any way other than the operator drawing on the wall the
contours of the projection. Nevertheless, it brought many benefits to
painting, architecture, map drawing, and even philosophy. Camera obscura is
still used today for teaching purposes.
Heliography
Camera obscura wasn’t really a camera until 1816 when Joseph Nicéphore
Niépce used it to create the first-ever photograph. What Niépce did was find
a way to record the image projected by the camera obscura. He used a light-
sensitive material called “Bitumen of Judea” or “Asphalt of Syria,” a semi-
solid oil, and mixed it with pewter. The result was a permanent image that
would survive after the camera obscura was closed. He named his
method heliography, which translates as “sun drawing.”
We don’t have the first photograph he created, but we have one from 1826,
taken at Le Gras, France. Niépce’s process used a multi-day exposure time to
capture the image. Therefore, a landscape would be his only possible
subject. At this point, people were more interested in capturing images than
choosing the subject matter — but that will soon change.
Source: Wikipedia
Niépce experimented with other materials as well, such as lavender oil
distillate, and it seems he was convinced silver was a good choice. He
became a partner with Louis Daguerre in 1829 and passed the torch for the
next stage in the history of the camera.
Daguerreotype
Louis Daguerre continued, improved, and finally changed Niépce’s process
completely. In 1839, he announced a new photographic process named after
him: daguerreotype. The daguerreotype requires a silver-plated copper
with a mirror finish treated with substances that make its surface sensitive to
light. The plate is exposed to light in a black box for a given period of time,
which can be as short as a few seconds. Then, it is fumed with mercury
vapor, chemically treated to become insensitive to light, rinsed, dried, and
sealed in a protective glass enclosure.
Unlike heliography, the daguerreotype produces a much better image
quality, requires less exposure time, and is portable. Thus, Louis Daguerre
wasn’t limited to capturing landscapes. He could photograph people, still life,
and street views. This made his process popular in a very short amount of
time. The French government bought the rights and presented the
daguerreotype as a gift to the world.
View of the Boulevard du Temple, Daguerre, 1837/1838 (Source: Wikipedia)
Although much appreciated and popular, the daguerreotype wasn’t for the
masses— just a few daguerreotypists could afford the camera and necessary
materials. Furthermore, there was no way to get multiple photos from a
negative.
The First Photographic Camera
Here lies some controversy. Niépce’s heliography process was the first-ever
camera, but it was mostly an experimental one. Daguerre’s daguerreotype
was much better, more practical, and more popular. However, it still wasn’t
for everyone. But in 1839, soon after the launch of the daguerreotype,
Alphonse Giroux produced the first camera to use plates from the shelf. And
many argue that this is the first photographic camera.
Giroux created a daguerreotype camera that used standardized plates one
could buy in different sizes. It had an exposure time of 5 to 30 minutes and
cost around $7,000 in today’s money. It wasn’t cheap, but it was accessible.
Also in 1839, Henry Fox Talbot presented something called “a film.” Instead
of using daguerreotype plates, he used writing paper soaked in table salt and
covered in silver nitrate. The photographs were blurrier than the ones made
by a daguerreotype and the method, called calotype, didn’t catch the
public’s attention. Nevertheless, it was the first mention of a photographic
film and the first step toward using paper instead of plates.
Salted paper
print of David Octavius Hill from a calotype by Robert Adamson, 1845
(Source: Wikipedia)
So, which is the first photographic camera? One that’s able to record an
image, one that’s portable and able to capture any static subject, one that’s
accessible to more than a handful of people, or one that uses a film? Each of
them is the first in some regard and holds importance in the history of the
camera.
Mirror Camera
Besides the minute-long exposure time and expensive gear, the
daguerreotype had another issue: the image faded fast. You couldn’t hope
the portrait of a family member will outlast them. Therefore, in 1840,
American Alexander Simon Wolcott presented a daguerreotype camera that
didn’t have a lens. Instead, it had a concave reflecting mirror and was, for
that reason, called a mirror camera.
Wolcott used the mirror to reflect light onto a plate sensitive to light and
produced a positive image. Later on, he and his partner Johnson improved
the photo-sensitive plate by using a mix of bromide and chloride that
accelerated the process and developed a lighting method that used outdoor
mirrors to reflect light inside the studio.
The use of the mirror reduced the sitting time for a portrait from 30 minutes
to 5 minutes and increased the lifetime of the photograph. The natural next
step for Wolcott and Johnson was to open a portrait studio in New York City, a
world’s first, followed by a branch in Washington D.C. and one in England.
The mirror camera was the beginning of commercial photography.
Instantaneous Exposures
At the end of the 19th century, photography was still in its early stages. The
photographic process was difficult and involved many chemicals.
Furthermore, developing had to be done soon after taking the photo because
the chemicals would dry and ruin the exposure. One couldn’t take a
photograph without proper training.
But in 1871, Richard Leach Maddox found a way to make the developing
process faster and healthier. Affected by the chemical vapor used in the
developing process, Maddox started experimenting with a gelatin emulsion.
It was a complete success. First of all, gelatin dry plates didn’t require
preparations. Anyone could get them from the store and use them
immediately. Then, they didn’t have to be developed immediately, could be
made in smaller sizes, and supported faster exposure times. By 1878,
Charles Harper Bennett had already created the first gelatin dry plates for
sale and decreased the exposure time to 1/25 second.
Roll Film Cameras
From the gelatin dry plates to celluloid film was only one step. And it was
George Eastman’s contribution to photography. In 1888, Eastman
manufactured and started selling a camera named Kodak. It used a roll film
and allowed for 100 exposures. Then, the photographer would send the box
camera to the Kodak factory for developing. A Kodak camera cost $25. It was
affordable, much easier to use than previous cameras, and accessible to
anyone. Kodak’s slogan was “You press the button, we do the rest.”
In 1900, Kodak released a new model, the Kodak Brownie, which was even
simpler and less expensive than the first model. Everyone afforded to record
their memories, and not just family portraits. People started photographing
events, vacations, places they were visiting, and anything that captured their
interest. The developing process became less expensive. In a few years,
photography was accessible to the masses as a leisure activity. Eastman
became one of the richest men in the U.S. Kodak remained at the top of the
photography industry for almost a century and is still around today.
35mm Film Camera
We owe the 35mm film to a German inventor and photographer called Oskar
Barnack — and to Leica. In 1913, the inventor was experimenting with the
35mm motion picture film, aiming to make it useful for photography as well.
The 35mm film is a 35x24mm film roll in a protective cassette that allows for
a fixed number of exposures. Initially, it had 36 exposures.
Instead of sending the entire camera to be developed, now you would be
sending only the film. Furthermore, any camera manufacturer could launch a
camera that used 35mm film. And so they did. Today’s standard for analog
photography was adopted by Kodak in 1934. Many others followed.
Leica is a German company founded in 1869. They were doing cameras,
optical lenses, binoculars, and rifle scopes, but the commercially available
35mm film camera made them famous. That’s because Leica cameras had
quite a few aces up their sleeves. First, Leica cameras had interchangeable
lenses, and the company provided three options: 50mm, 35mm, and
135mm. Then, they had a viewfinder, a rangefinder (focus aid mechanism),
and a range of shutter speeds from 1 second to 1/1000 of a second. Unlike
the cameras before them, Leica cameras provided options, artistic freedom,
and artistry.
Leica I, 1927 (Source: Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA 4.0)
Twin-Reflex Camera (TLR)
Twin-reflex cameras have two identical lenses (same focal length) vertically
arranged. The one at the bottom will take the photo, while the one at the top
will be the viewing lens. The TLRs aimed to provide the same image through
the viewfinder as the recorded photo. Although the technology of SLR
cameras (single-lens reflex) has been available since 1861 thanks to Thomas
Sutton, building SLR cameras was too complicated and expensive. So the
first camera models, such as Kodak and Leica, were TLR cameras.
TLR cameras were popular for about 40 years, between 1920 and 1960. They
were left behind by modern cameras. At the time, they provided
interchangeable lenses, a leaf-type shutter that made possible variable
shutter speeds and flash sync, reliable and silent mechanisms, and a funny
boxy design.
Kindaflex TLR Camera,
Source (CC BY-SA 3.0): Wikipedia
SLR cameras became popular after the Second World War because of
technological advances. And they have never left the scene since.
Digital SLR Camera (DSLR)
A digital SLR camera is an SLR camera that uses an electronic sensor
instead of photographic film. Early attempts to build a DSLR include Kodak’s
engineer Steven Sasson (1975, a 4kg camera with a 0.01MP resolution, and a
23 seconds exposure time), the Sony Mavica (1981, with a color striped 2/3”
format CCD sensor with 280K pixels and analog signal processing and
recording), the Canon RC-701 (1986, with a 2/3” format color CCD sensor
with 380K pixels), and the Nikon E series (1995).
However, the first full-digital professional DSLR camera was Nikon D1,
launched in 1999. The first consumer-level DSLR, FinePix S1 Pro, was
launched a year later by Fujifilm. The 21st century brought an explosion of
innovation and technological advances that made DSLR cameras more
performing, reliable, versatile, and affordable. They feature optical
viewfinders, manual and automatic focus mechanisms, interchangeable
lenses, ultra-fast and ultra-slow shutter speeds, astonishing photo
resolutions, LCD screens, and more.
Nikon D1 Camera, Source (CC BY 3.0): Wikipedia
Mirrorless Camera
A mirrorless camera doesn’t have a reflex mirror that flips between serving
the viewfinder and projecting the image onto the sensor. As a result,
mirrorless cameras don’t have an optical viewfinder but an electronic one.
Nevertheless, they are smaller, more compact, lighter, and more silent. The
professional photographer always on the move needed lightweight gear that
offers the same performance as a DSLR.
Mirrorless cameras entered the market around 2010 and had to prove
themselves before being accepted into the world of professional
photography. However, nowadays, they offer similar sensor sizes, lens
variety, image quality, and maneuverability as DSLR cameras. In addition,
the lack of a reflex mirror allows them to provide a focus-peaking display,
zebra patterning, face or eye tracking, improved visibility in low light
conditions, and a live depth of field preview. Deciding between a mirrorless
camera and a DSLR is more a matter of preference than technical
requirements.
Most Influential Cameras
Many cameras had a remarkable impact on the history of photography. Not
just because they brought new features or stunning technological innovation,
but because they changed how people relate to photography and
emphasized the many roles photography has in our lives (e.g., art,
documentary, social, cultural, etc.). Here are the most influential of them:
1. Niépce’s Heliography Camera
This has to get first place because it created the first-ever photograph and
made the rest of photography history possible. Without it, we would have
used camera obscura to look at images but never recorded them. It was a
simple wood box with a lens on one side and a light-sensitive material on the
other side and took days to create a photograph, but it was nonetheless the
birth of photography.
2. Wolcott’s Camera
This takes second place because it started the photography industry. It
proved that photography isn’t just for experiments, but for anyone who
wants to record a memory. The success of his portrait studios showed the
incredible force of photography. Furthermore, he experimented with
chemicals that made the process faster and more pleasant, and built the
basis of photography lighting. One can say that Wolcott’s camera represents
the first photo session.
3. Charles Harper Bennett’s Camera
In third place, it is Charles Harper Bennett’s camera with gelatin dry plates.
Although Richard Leach Maddox receives the credits for inventing the gelatin
silver process, it was Charles Harper Bennett who made the gelatin dry
plates commercially available and put the basis of instantaneous
photography. His camera had an exposure time of 1/25 second and could
photograph moving subjects. It may be considered the first “action camera.”
Gelatin silver
print, 1909 (Source: Wikipedia)
4. Kodak Brownie
Kodak Brownie, released in 1900, has its place in history for sure. It was the
first camera designed for the masses, so affordable and easy to use that
everyone could use it. Kodak Brownie was the camera that took photography
out of the professional photographer’s studio and into the streets. Its
massive popularity proved the mesmerizing effect of photography: once you
take a photograph, you can’t stop. Kodak Brownie was part of the social and
cultural changes happening at the beginning of the 20th century and
recorded them for posterity.
Kodak Brownie
Camera, Source (CC BY-SA 3.0): Wikipedia
5. Leica I and II (1925, respectively 1932)
These cameras established the 35mm film as a standard. They opened the
door to any manufacturer willing to build a camera and eliminated the
industry monopole. Leica II is the first camera with interchangeable lenses, a
separate viewfinder, and a built-in rangefinder. But Leica I and II had been
more than technological innovation. They were the first cameras to
transform ordinary people into professional photographers. These cameras
started landscape photography, photojournalism, and war photography. They
were present in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the Second World War
(1939 – 1945).
6. Rectaflex Series 1000 (1948) and Zeiss Contax S (1949)
These cameras share this place because they are the first SLR cameras on
the market. Both had eye-level pentaprism. This means they allowed the
photographer to see a correctly oriented image through the viewfinder. In
addition, Zeiss put a Fresnel lens between the pentaprism and the ground-
glass screen to brighten the image in the viewfinder. This technology and
design are still used in modern SLR cameras because it’s the easiest and
most comfortable way to frame a photo.
7. Polaroid Land Model 95
This is the world’s first instant camera. It was released in 1948 and was an
instant success. The camera didn’t require developing and printing in a
dedicated studio. It would print the photos on the spot. Polaroid’s instant
cameras allowed the photographer to see the result immediately and take
another shot if needed. In the 1960s, Polaroid advertised the cameras among
professional photographers, such as Ansel Adams, Andy Warhol, and Helmut
Newton.
Polaroid Land
Camera (CC0) Source: Wikipedia
8. Nikon D1
This is the world’s first purpose-built professional DSLR. Released in 1999, it
featured a 2.7MP sensor, 4.5fps continuous shooting, interchangeable lenses,
an autofocus system, multiple metering modes, a built-in flash, and a shutter
speed range between 30 seconds and 1/16,000 of a second. It had an optical
viewfinder, an LCD screen, and a Nikon EN-4 Ni-MH battery pack. Nikon D1
supported Nikon F-mount lenses and weighed 1.1kg (without the lens). It was
an exquisite photography gear that made everything possible (e.g., long
exposures, action shots, nighttime photography, etc.).
9. Epson R-D1
This is not an iconic camera now, but it was back in 2004 when it was the
first mirrorless camera on the market. It featured a 6.1MP APS-C sensor,
manual focus, a shutter speed range between one second and 1/2000 of a
second, a dynamic range between ISO 200 and 1,600, and an LCD screen.
The R-D1 supported Leica M-mount lenses. It wasn’t a match for the existing
DSLRs, but it weighed only 560g. It was a promise of what mirrorless
cameras can do, and it wasn’t long until the R-D1 wasn’t the only one of its
kind.
10. Leica M3
This is not the first camera in any department except in people’s hearts.
Released in 1954, it was the finest 35mm camera — discrete, reliable, and
silent. It is an iconic camera through design and concept, so much so
that Leica’s M10 camera tries to resemble its qualities.
But it’s not only about the build quality and excellent optical properties of
Leica cameras. It’s also about their presence. Many famous photographers,
from Henri Cartier Bresson to Annie Leibovitz were and are unable to give up
their Leica cameras. These cameras were there to record wars, Gandhi’s
funeral, and moments in the lives of Che Guevara, Richard Nixon, Queen
Elizabeth II, and of so many others. They are the heart and soul of
photojournalism and provide the perfect balance between technical abilities
and artistic freedom.
Leica M3
Camera (CC BY-SA 2.0 fr) Source: Wikipedia
Camera History: Frequently Asked Questions
When was the first camera invented?
The first device able to reproduce and capture an image was invented in
1816 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce and was called the heliograph. In 1839,
Louis Daguerre created the daguerreotype, which was much closer to the
photographic camera concept we know today.
What was the first photo ever taken?
The oldest photograph preserved today is a landscape taken by Joseph
Nicéphore Niépce at Le Gras, France, in 1826. Theoretically, it’s not the first-
ever photograph because Niépce had been experimenting with heliography
since 1816. But previous ones didn’t get to enter history.
What was the first camera brand?
Kodak is considered the first camera brand. The company created by George
Eastman in 1888 produced the first camera for the masses. Kodak used a roll
of paper, later celluloid, able to hold 100 pictures. After using all the
exposures, the entire camera was sent to Kodak laboratories for developing.
When did cameras with color come out?
Color photography relied more on the photographic process than on the
camera. Auguste and Louis Lumière developed in 1907 the Autochrome
process, which produced monochrome brownish photos. However, it was the
launch of Kodak’s Kodachrome film in 1935 that opened the door to color
photography. Kodachrome was closely followed by Agfacolor (1936) by Agfa
and Kodacolor (1942) by Kodak.
Conclusion
The history of the camera shows how photography followed closely advances
in technology and the social and cultural environment. It started as a
challenge and ended as something we couldn’t imagine life without.
Photography is part of how we use technology, understand the news, look at
art, and interact with each other.
