Today we cannot imagine our life without photographs. They surround us all the time. Taking a photo is an elementary task for a modern person. But once they could only dream about it. Let's find out what the history of the camera was from the first ideas of engineers to modern technology.
Man has always been attracted to the beautiful. Once he wanted to describe him, give him shape. In poetry, the beautiful took the form of a word, in music - a sound, and in painting - an image. The only thing that a person could not capture was an instant. For example, to catch the peals of a thunderstorm, dissecting the sky, or a breaking drop. With the advent of the camera, this and much more became possible. The history of the development of the camera includes many attempts to invent devices that register an image. It begins a long time ago, when studying the optics of light refraction, mathematicians noticed that the image can be turned over by passing it through a small hole into a dark room. Consider the most significant events that have affected the history of the camera.
Kepler's laws
Do you know when the history of the camera began? The first technologies that were later used to create photographs appeared in 1604 when Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer, established the laws of light reflection in a mirror. Subsequently, the lens theory was founded on them, according to which Galileo Galilei - the Italian physicist - created the world's first telescope for observing celestial bodies. The principle of refraction of rays has been established and studied. It remains to learn how to register the resulting image on paper.
Discovery of Niepce
Almost two centuries later, in the 20s of the 19th century, the French inventor Joseph Nisefort Nieppes discovered a way to register images. Many believe that it was from this moment that the history of the emergence of the camera began. The essence of the method consisted in processing the incident light with asphalt varnish and storing it on a glass surface. This varnish was something like modern bitumen, and glass was called a pinhole camera. Using this method, the image took shape and became visible. This was the first time in history when a picture was drawn not by the artist, but by refracted rays of light.
New Talbot image quality
Studying the Nieps camera obscura, the English physicist William Talbot achieved an improvement in image quality with the help of the negative - the imprint of the photograph he invented. It happened in 1835. This discovery allowed not only taking photos of a new quality, but also copying them. In his first photo, Talbot captured the window of his house. The image clearly conveys the outline of the window and frame. In his report, written a little later, Talbot called photography a world of beauty. It was he who laid the foundation of the principle that was used for printing photographs for many years.
Setton's invention
In 1861, the English photographer T. Setton developed a camera that had a single reflex lens. The camera consisted of a tripod and a large box, on the upper side of which there was a special cover. The uniqueness of the lid was that it did not transmit light, but it was possible to look through it. The lens registered focus on the glass, which with the help of mirrors formed an image. By and large, this was the first camera. The history of the further development of photography developed more dynamically.
Kodak
The now popular Kodak brand first made itself known in 1889, when George Eastman patented the first roll of film, and then a camera designed specifically for this film. As a result, a large Kodak Corporation appeared. It is interesting to note that the name "Kodak" does not carry any semantic load. Eastman just wanted to come up with a word that would begin and end with the same letter.
Photo plates
In 1904, the Lumiere trademark launched the production of plates for color photographs. They became the prototype of the modern picture.
Leica cameras
In 1923, a camera appeared that worked with 35 mm film. Now you can view negatives and choose the best ones for printing. Two years later, Leica cameras were launched into mass production. In 1935, the Leica 2 model appeared, which was equipped with a viewfinder, powerful focusing, and could combine two pictures into one. A version of Leica 3 also allowed you to adjust the exposure time. For a long time, Leica models have been an integral attribute in photographic art.
Color films
In 1935, Kodak began producing Kodakhrom color film. After printing, such a film had to be given for revision, during which color components were superimposed. Seven years later, the problem was resolved. As a result, Kodakkolor film has become one of the most commonly used in professional and amateur photography for the next half century.
Polaroid Camera
In 1963, the history of the camera received a new vector. The Polaroid camera turned the idea of fast photo printing. The camera allowed you to print a photo immediately after it was taken. It was only necessary to press the button and wait a couple of minutes. During this time, the camera traced the contours of the picture on a clean print, and then the full gamut of colors. For the next 30 years, Polaroid cameras have secured market leadership. The decline in popularity of these models began only in the years when the era of digital photo was born.
In the 70s, cameras began to be equipped with an exposure meter, auto focus, built-in flash and automatic shooting modes. In the 80s, some models were already equipped with liquid crystal displays, which displayed the settings and modes of the device. The history of the digital camera began around the same time.
The era of digital photo
In 1974, thanks to the electronic astronomical telescope, it was possible to take the first digital photo of the starry sky. And in 1980, Sony launched the Mavica digital camera. The video shot on it was recorded on a flexible floppy disk. It could be endlessly cleaned for a new recording. In 1988, the first model of a digital apparatus from Fujifilm was released. The device is called Fuji DS1P. Photos taken on it were stored digitally on electronic media.
In 1991, Kodak created a digital SLR camera, which had 1.3 megapixels of resolution and a number of functions that make it possible to take professional digital pictures from it. And Canon in 1994 equipped its cameras with an optical image stabilization system. Following Canon, Kodak also abandoned film models. It happened in 1995. The further history of the camera developed even more dynamically, although there were no more fundamentally important developments. But what happened was a decrease in size and cost while increasing functionality. It is on a successful combination of these characteristics that the company's success in the market depends today.
2000s
Samsung and Sony, which are developing on the basis of digital technology, have absorbed the lion's share of the digital camera market. Amateur models crossed the border of 3 megapixels of resolution and began to compete with professional equipment in the size of the matrix. Despite the rapid development of digital technologies - face and smile recognition in the frame, elimination of the red-eye effect, multiple zoom and other functions - the price of photographic equipment is rapidly falling. Phones equipped with a camera and digital zoom began to confront cameras. Film machines are of little interest to anyone, and analog photos began to be valued as a rarity.
How is the camera arranged?
Now we know what stages the history of the camera consisted of. Having briefly examined it, we will get to know the device of the camera closer.
The film camera works as follows: passing through the diaphragm of the lens, the light reacts with the film coated with chemical elements and is stored on it. The case does not transmit light, as well as the cover of the film holder. In the movie channel, the film is rewound after each shot. The lens consists of several lenses that allow you to change focus. In a professional lens, in addition to lenses, mirrors are also installed. The brightness of the optical image is adjusted using the iris. With the help of the shutter, the curtain opening the film opens. The exposure of the photo depends on how long the shutter is in the open position. If the subject is not sufficiently lit, a flash is used. It consists of a gas discharge lamp, with instantaneous discharge of which it is possible to obtain light exceeding in brightness the light of a thousand candles.
A digital camera at the stage of passage of light through the lens works the same as a film one. But after the image is refracted through the optical system, it is converted into digital information on the matrix. The image quality depends on the resolution of the matrix. After it, the transcoded picture is stored in digital form on the storage medium. The body of such a camera is similar to a film, but there is no film channel and a place for a reel with a film. In this regard, the dimensions of the digital camera are much smaller. A familiar attribute for modern digital models is the LCD display. On the one hand, it serves as a viewfinder, and on the other, it allows for convenient navigation on the menu and see the result of focusing.
The lens of a digital apparatus also consists of lenses or mirrors. In amateur cameras, it can be small, but functional. The main element of a digital camera is the sensor matrix. It is a small plate with conductors, which forms the quality of the picture. The microprocessor is responsible for all the functions of a digital camera.
Conclusion
Today we learned what stages the fascinating history of the camera consisted of. Photos today do not surprise anyone, but there were times when they were considered a real miracle of engineering. Now the photo is taken in a matter of seconds, but earlier it took days.
The history of the camera with the advent of digital cameras has received a new milestone in development. If before the photographer had to go to all sorts of tricks to get a beautiful shot, now the camera-rich software is responsible for this. In addition, any digital photo can be further edited on a computer. The creators of the first cameras did not even dream about this.