Digital Camera History

Digital Camera History

The digital camera is a development of the videotape recorder (VTR), wherein the data of television cameras are turned into digital and stored in a magnetic tape. It was John Mullin, who headed the engineering department of Bing Crosby laboratories that perfected the VTR technology. Back then, charged coupled device or CCD was used to recognize radiant colors and intensity. Meanwhile, NASA sends representations and related data of their inquest from the moon's surface to the earth by converting analog signals into digital. The department also took advantage of the growing advancement of computer to further enhance all the data that was sent by the research team. The government sector as well as private companies have made notable improvements on the development of digicams.

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In 1972, it was the Texas Instruments Company that got the right of first publication of the invention of an electronic camera without film and it was the Sony Company that launched the first electronic camera in August 1981, which is intended for public use. The camera was popularly known as Sony Mavica. At this time, taken images were only saved in a mini disc. To be able to view the picture, a video reader is needed to link the disc to a monitor or printer. However, this remarkable gadget was still not acknowledged as a real digital camera, since a video camera was still used to record a picture in the first place.

A few years later, several camera companies continued to make specific enhancements on the said gadget. Kodak has made various solid-state sensors, which is capable of converting electronic images from light. The company's discoveries continue to advance until such time they have invented the mega pixel sensor. These mega pixels are responsible for producing a digital photo print with 5x7 inches in measurement. In 1990, Kodak broadcasted the first photo CD system in the world, which lead to the perfection of digicams. Just after a year, Kodak announced the release of the first professional digital camera. The model was a Nikon F-3 with 1.3 mega pixel sensor. The Apple QuickTake 100 was the first digicam that was intended for average camera users. It was then followed by successive release of various digital cameras such as Sony's Cyber Shot Digital Still Camera, Casio QV-11, and Kodak DC40.

For the past years, digicam's development continues to progress. Several types have been invented to further provide more satisfying image results like bridge cameras, mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, line-scan camera systems, digital single lens reflex, digital range finders and compact digital cameras.

Interchangeable Lens Camera