subject: First Digital Cameras [print this page] Digital photocameras are a wide-spread phenomenon nowadays. It is hard to imagine making photos on a usual camera, which are printed later and not saved on computer. But 15 years ago, only a very wealthy man could afford such a device, and it was probably a sign of a luxury than a technical necessity. This technological advancement has turned over the idea of making pictures, which perfectly fitted society activity: besides simplifying way of taking personal photos, new professions emerged. Hence, the appearance of photocamera has changed a lot, even if to consider the main milestones of its development.
The first photocamera was invented in 1975 by Kodak Company. It is obvious that the firm engaged in photoshooting industry would introduce such advancement. However, there is no way it looked like modern one; in particular, its weight was about 4 kg, which took 23 seconds to save an image. Its black-and-white sensor has a max resolution of 1 megapixel only!
The next one to offer digital camera was Sony Company, whose device was called Mavica and appeared in 1981. Its purpose was to create crucial improvement in shooting art, which is why it was nearly a digital camera. The record was made on magnetic chart. If you needed to playback saved pictures on TV-set, you have had to use specific equipment.
In the history of cameras the first digital camera was registered in 1992, when Logitech FotoMan FM-1 was introduced. However, it stands far from modern cameras: it could make only black-and-white images of not very good quality. Moreover, it was too expensive to be distributed rapidly. In 1997 FujiFilm DS-300 appeared - the first camera with a resolution of the matrix more than 1 megapixel. The reason for megapixels growth was an attempt to make the novelty relevant to users requirements. The fact is that the computers at the time were not widespread, so the owners of cameras were in no hurry to move to the new standard.
The next substantial movement was made in the same year, when Agfa Company created photocamera with a color LCD screen and a swivel lens. Among the variety of these devices, Olympus D-200L was considered the best among all.
In modern times lots of firms are engaged in cameras production, such as Nikon, Sony, Casio, Olympus , Kodak and many others. They provide crucial advancements in digital cameras, which nowadays become available in weeks. Hence, photoshooting industry stays attractive more than ever.
