This post is a tribute to evolution, which we humans seem to be pretty good at.It;s a short walk down memory lane in the evolution of the camera.So see if any of these images bring a smile to your face.
OK so this image has nothing to do with cameras but at one time not too long ago cars looked like this.This was the future!
And this was how we bought stuff less than 100 years ago.
Even 60 years ago this was how we got our technology.
So as I downloaded these photos out of my Huawei P30 Pro(love the Pro bit!)which has more cameras than I have meals in a day and editing suites and modes for Africa,I realised in 10 years this phone will be obsolete and hanging in a museum like all these.No ,more like 5 years.So let's look back at how we got here.
First off after the magic lantern came plate cameras like this Thorton Pickard Imperial triple extension camera.This impressively named beast was all the go in the 1920's.
We'll move on a few decades now because the idea is to show you some cameras you or your parents or grandparents used. Obviously as technology progressed cameras,lenses and film made huge improvements which became available to an increasingly affluent middle class that could now afford to take pictures themselves, rather than have portraits taken by professional photographers.No selfies yet but you could take 8mm videos on film!This cool looking cine camera is a Paillard Bolex cine camera from 1958.
This is a Ferrania Eura from 1959.Cameras like this were beautifully crafted but still came with a hefty price tag as they came from Italy and other relatively small producers.It is a medium format 6 x 6. with two apertures.
You can't do a short history of cameras without mentioning Kodak."You press the button,well do the rest" was the famous line that put Kodak to the forefront of camera and film sales from 1900 or so on.
They developed emulsion film which revolutionised photography way back then.
Kodak bought small format film cameras to the masses and the Brownie Flash B is one of their famous cameras from1959.
Another famous Kodak, the Instamatic from 1972.This was the camera to have as it was portable and easy to use.If you were good enough you could take selfies but it would take a week to get them processed.
How many shots were taken at the Playboy mansion with this little beauty?
A break thru Kodak Disc 2000 from 1982.The precursor to digital cameras,it used a disc to store images,not film.Film was on it's way out ,slowly but surely.
OMG !!Now you could develop your own film with the famous Polaroid Land cameras which were available for 40 years from 1940 or so.They revolutioinsed how people saved their own personal memories without having to pay for film development.Just don't leave them out in the Sun!!This is a Polaroid Land from the 1970's.Note the flash bulbs.
Another Polaroid ,the Spirit 600 CL sold in the 1980's.Polaroids became increasingly sophisticated with flash integrated and better film quality with shorter development times.
The age of the Compact Video cassette arrives.Now you can store videos on cassette.Just don't put your back out carrying this beast!A Sharp Video recorder from the 1980's.
Some old classic SLR's-love the workmanship on these oldies.Luckily a lot of people have taken up film photography again for the unique qualities film can give to images.
I guess we can get oversaturated with digital images,which came from the development of the DSLR in 1989.Since then mobile phone cameras have become increasingly sophisticated and the preferred medium for many photographers who love the convenience and variety of lenses available on the modern mobile-me included.The age of the selfie had arrived!
One of the first mobile phones with a real camera(well real for then)The iconic iMate 2001
So that brings us to the end of this short history of the camera.I hope it brought a smile to your face and even inspires you to grab a film camera and give film a go!
If I get enough interest in this post I'll do another on mobile phones and one on music machines.
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