The Evolution Of Portable Cameras: A Historical Perspective

The history of the camera is a long and fascinating one, spanning centuries and involving numerous inventors and pioneers. The first camera, or more accurately, the precursor to the photographic camera, is considered to be the camera obscura, which in Latin means dark room. This device goes back to ancient times, with the oldest known written records of the idea traced to Han Chinese scholar Mozi, circa 470 to 391 BC. The camera obscura was not a portable device but rather a small, dark room with light entering only through a tiny hole, projecting an inverted image of the outside scene onto the adjacent wall.

Fast forward to the late 17th century, and the first portable camera obscura devices made their appearance, housed in tents and boxes. These were used as drawing tools, with images manually traced as no photographic processes had yet been invented. It was during this time, in 1685, that German author Johann Zahn envisioned a handheld reflex camera, though it would take another 130 years for this idea to become a reality.

The first photographic camera was developed in 1816 by French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, who created photographic images on silver chloride-lined paper. However, these images were not permanent. It was not until 1826 that Niépce produced the first permanent photograph, using a sliding wooden box camera to expose pewter coated with bitumen for eight hours. This photograph, a view from his window, is the oldest extant photograph and is still exhibited at the University of Texas at Austin.

The journey from the first cameras to the modern digital cameras in our smartphones has been a long and remarkable one, marked by numerous innovations and improvements.

The first portable camera was made in 1685

The history of the camera is a long and complex one, stretching back centuries. The first camera, as we know it, was invented in the 11th century and was more like a projector. This device, known as the camera obscura, projected an image onto a larger screen by inverting it through a small hole. The earliest written records of this idea are attributed to Han Chinese scholar Mozi, who lived between 470 and 391 BC.

In 1685, German author Johann Zahn envisioned a handheld reflex camera, publishing sketches and blueprints of various optic viewing tools, including the camera obscura. Zahn's design was simple, using a reflective mirror positioned at a 45-degree angle to cast the image. He also added flaps on each side to block unwanted light. However, it would take nearly 150 years for his ideas to become a reality.

The first photographic camera was developed in 1816 by French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. This camera used silver chloride-lined paper to create photographic images, and the oldest surviving photograph, taken around 1826, is exhibited at the University of Texas at Austin. Niépce referred to his process as "heliography" or "sun writing".

The first camera to be mass-marketed was the daguerreotype camera, produced by Alphonse Giroux in 1839. It cost 400 francs, or approximately $7,000 in today's money, and had an exposure time of 5 to 30 minutes. The daguerreotype camera was soon followed by other innovations, such as the calotype camera, and improvements in exposure times and portability.

The history of the camera continued to evolve, with the introduction of roll film cameras, digital cameras, and eventually, the integration of cameras into smartphones. Today, cameras are an integral part of our daily lives, allowing us to capture and share moments with the world in an instant.

It was designed by Johann Zahn

In 1685, the Würzburg cleric Johann Zahn published his book Oculus Artificialis Teledioptricus Sive Telescopium (The Long-Distance Artificial Eye, or Telescope). In it, he envisioned a portable handheld version of the camera obscura, which would later become the photographic camera. Zahn's design included a mirror reflex mechanism, which would not be realised until 150 years later when the first photographic camera was invented.

Zahn's book also provided an early and comprehensive account of the function and usage of a number of optical instruments, including the magic lantern, telescopes, microscopes, lenses, and reflectors. He is considered the most prolific writer and illustrator of the camera obscura.

Zahn also designed several portable camera obscuras, including one that was 23 inches long. He demonstrated the use of mirrors and lenses to erect, enlarge, and focus the image.

The first photograph was taken in 1816

Niépce had been experimenting with ways to fix the images of a camera obscura since 1816. The photograph Niépce succeeded in creating shows the view from his window. It was made using an 8-hour exposure on pewter coated with bitumen.

The oldest surviving photograph of the image formed in a camera was created by Niépce in 1826 or 1827. It was made on a polished sheet of pewter and the light-sensitive substance was a thin coating of bitumen, a naturally occurring petroleum tar, which was dissolved in lavender oil, applied to the surface of the pewter and allowed to dry before use. After a very long exposure in the camera (traditionally said to be eight hours, but now believed to be several days), the bitumen was sufficiently hardened in proportion to its exposure to light that the unhardened part could be removed with a solvent, leaving a positive image with the light areas represented by hardened bitumen and the dark areas by bare pewter.

In 1826, Niépce first managed to fix an image captured with a camera, but at least eight hours or even several days of exposure in the camera were required, and the earliest results were very crude.

Niépce spent at least eight hours creating the image. The photograph was taken from the upstairs windows of Niépce’s estate in the Burgundy region of France. This image was captured via a process known as heliography, which used Bitumen of Judea (the naturally occurring Syrian asphalt) coated onto a piece of glass or metal; the Bitumen then hardened in proportion to the amount of light that hit it.

The first camera photograph was taken by Joseph Nicephore Niepce

Niepce's interest in photography began with his fascination with the then-new art of lithography, which swept over France in 1813. He began his initial experiments by 1816, using paper coated with silver chloride, which produced a negative of the image. Niepce also experimented with a range of other substances, including a "film" made from "Bitumen of Judea", a semi-solid form of oil that appears like tar.

In the summer of 1826, Niepce set up a camera obscura in the window of his upper-story workroom at his country house, Le Gras. He placed a polished pewter plate coated with bitumen of Judea inside the camera and left the lens uncovered for an eight-hour exposure. After the exposure, the plate was washed in lavender oil and turpentine, which removed the soft unexposed bitumen, leaving a permanent image created by light. This image, which is now preserved at the University of Texas at Austin, is considered the first surviving photograph.

Niepce called his process "heliography", from the Greek "helios", meaning "drawing with the sun". Unfortunately, Niepce's work was soon overshadowed by the invention of the daguerreotype by his partner, Louis Daguerre, in 1839. Daguerre's invention was the first mass-produced photographic device and became extremely popular, with every wealthy household taking advantage of this new technology.

The first permanent photograph was taken in 1826

The photograph depicts parts of the buildings and surrounding countryside of Niépce's estate, Le Gras, as seen from a high window. It includes the upper loft of the family house, a pear tree, the slanting roof of the barn, and another wing of the house. This photograph is considered the oldest surviving camera photograph and is currently on display at the University of Texas at Austin.

Niépce's pioneering work in photography involved experimenting with various substances and techniques to capture and preserve images. He was particularly fascinated with the concept of light and its effects on different materials. His efforts to create permanent photographs built upon the earlier work of individuals such as Johann Heinrich Schulze, Thomas Wedgwood, and Carl Wilhelm Scheele, who had explored the light-sensitive properties of certain substances without achieving long-lasting results.

Following Niépce's breakthrough, he travelled to the United Kingdom in 1826 and presented his work to botanical illustrator Francis Bauer. However, his attempts to gain recognition from the Royal Society were unsuccessful due to his reluctance to disclose specific details of his process. Despite this setback, Niépce's contributions to photography are significant, and he is rightfully recognised as the world's first photographer.

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