Cameras were independently invented by both the Chinese and the Greeks.

t. While the idea behind the "camera obscura" can trace its roots back to both the ancient
Chinese and Greek cultures, it wasn't until around the 1500s that the predecessor of the
modern camera was invented. The Chinese and Greek had both developed the concept of
the possible functions of such a device, but beyond some rudimentary attempts, little was
accomplished in the way of a functioning prototype for the camera. The "camera
obscura", which was developed by both societies was a simple affair, with a pinhole used
to project an upside down image onto a wall or other surface. By the 1800s the first
nearly successful photograph was taken, but as light was needed to view the photo, time
after time, it eventually became overexposed and became too dark to see.
What contribution did Johann Heinrich Schulze make to the field of photography in the
early 1700s?
discovering that silver salts darkened when exposed to light. In 1724 Johann Schulze
conducted an experiment with silver and chalk that proved this mixture produced a better
photographic effect than simple untarnished silver. Still, the end result was not
completely desirable, because the silver salts used continued to darken more and more as
they were exposed to light. Nevertheless, his experiment did provide the basis for further
studies into the development of camera images.
When Frenchman Joseph Nicphore Nipce and his brother, Claude, began
experimenting with image reproductions, where did his PRIMARY interest lie, aside from
developing photographic methods?
making an engine for propelling boats. While Joseph Nipce created the oldest known
photograph still in existence entitled "View from the Window at Le Gras", shot in the
early 1800s, his primary interests lay in building what is regarded as the world's earliest
internal combustion machinery. He and his brother, Claude, began developing that engine
type after Joseph returned home from the Napoleonic Wars.
A Frenchman, Louis Daguerre, invented the first practical application of developing
pictures in 1839. His method involved using either silver or copper plates to reflect the
images produced by the camera. By what name were these early resultant pictures
known?
daguerreotypes. Daguerreotypes were accomplished by a complicated process that used
silver, (sometimes copper), sodium thiosulfate and mercury, as well as other materials.
When the process was first introduced, often people had to sit quite still, posing in the
sunlight for up to as much as 10 minutes at a time, waiting for the exposure time to take
effect!
In 1881 an American farmer invented the first "roll film" camera, which brought
photography to new levels among the masses of those who enjoyed taking their own
pictures. What was the name of this farmer who hailed from Cambria, Wisconsin?
Peter Houston. While Peter Houston developed the earliest roll film camera, it was his
brother, David, who patented the containers that held the rolls of flexible film, along with

several of the working parts of his brother's camera. Later, in 1889, Houston sold these
patents to George Eastman of Eastman Kodak fame for $5,000.00.
George Eastman, an entrepreneur from Waterville, New York, founded the Eastman
Kodak Company. The brilliance of the mass marketing of cameras and film hit new
heights, as many people began taking their own snapshot photos. Where did George
Eastman state that he got the name for his company, Kodak?
he liked the sound of the letter "k". George stated that he simply liked the letter "k". "I
devised the name myself. The letter 'K' had been a favorite with me - it seems a strong,
incisive sort of letter. It became a question of trying out a great number of combinations
of letters that made words starting and ending with 'K.' The word 'Kodak' is the result."
The advertising slogans of "You press the button and we do the rest" and the urgings for
photographers to find a "Kodak moment" are still easily recognized by amateur
photographers. The Brownie box camera was introduced by Kodak in 1900, and soon it
became a great success with those folks who learned to do their own "photo shoots."
Color photos were desirable from the very outset of picture-taking, but a man named
Thomas Sutton, who used a technique proposed by James Clerk Maxwell, produced the
first successful color photograph. In what year was his photo of a blue, a green, and a red
ribbon taken?
1861. In 1861 Thomas Sutton used a green, a blue and a red filter on his camera to
produce the first successful color photo. Other color pictures had been taken previously,
some perhaps even better than Sutton's, but after a time they all faded due to exposure to
light. Sutton took three black-and-white shots of a multicolored ribbon, using the various
filters mentioned, and created what came to be considered by many to be the first ever
color photograph.
A camera with self developing film was introduced to the market in 1948. What U.S.
company mass marketed this type of camera that could develop its own pictures in about
a minute?
Polaroid. The Polaroid Land Camera was named after its inventor, Edward Land. The
development of the film used was effected by pulling a tab attached to the film from the
camera after a photograph was taken, and within seconds, (after exposure to some messy
chemicals), the photo was able to develop almost instantaneously.
In 1934, one of the first 35 millimeter cameras to be used by this country was developed
by Canon. This type of film was used most often for still photographs and for motion
picture photography. What nation introduced Canon cameras to the world?
Japan. The Japanese company, Precision Optical Industry Company Ltd. first introduced
the "Kwanon" to the camera market in 1934. In 1947, the company adopted the new
name "Canon". (The gauge of the film, 35mm, refers to the width of the film being used).
Canon brought the Rangefinder camera known as Canon 7 to the market in 1961.
With the advent of digital cameras, many people are familiar with the term "pixels", or

the technology that provides us with such vivid photographs with brilliant clarity. What
does the acronym "pixel" actually mean?
picture element. Picture element is the source of the term "pixel". Depending upon the
size of each pixel, the image portrayed is determined by the resolution that it presents. A
pixel is a unit of the digital image, while the resolution is dependent on the size of each
pixel, whether it is a dark line or a light line pixel. The actual processes involved are a bit
too complicated to explain here, but if you'd like more information about pixels, there are
plenty of websites available to assist you in learning more about how they work.