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15th century Although the concept is expressed much earlier, Leonardo da Vinci gives the first detailed description of the camera obscura, a dark box with a pinhole at one end and a glass screen at the other. When light shines through the pinhole an image appears on the screen.
16th – 17th centuries Giovanni Battista della Porta describes in his 1558 book, Natural Magic, the use of a lens instead of a pinhole in the camera obscura to make images appear sharper. Many artists use the camera obscura as an aid to accurately portray perspective in their work.
Cameras have come a long way since they were first invented in 1827. During 1827, Joseph Nicephore obtained the first fixed image which led to hundreds of years of ever-changing cameras and photos. There are many types of cameras currently on the market, but there wasn’t always a number of cameras to choose from. Below you will find a timeline of specific events, which have occurred throughout the years, which have contributed to the evolution of cameras and photography.
1840 Charles Chevalier constructs the first folding camera, with a sleeker and more portable design than the camera obscura. Its side panels can be unhinged from the body to fold flat and it is a daguerreotype camera, meaning it houses a film process in which highly polished silver-plated copper sheets are treated with light-sensitive silver-iodide.
1851 The wet collodion film process becomes very influential in camera design. Since the film needs to stay moist while making the exposure, the camera has to be fitted with draining channels for the negative material.
Mid 1850s Bellowed cameras are introduced to allow for movement and flexibility that the rigid designs did not allow. Advancements in the construction of the bellows allow for lenses with greater focal length and the ability for close-up photography, since the bellows adds distance to the camera.
1860 Thomas Sutton, a University of London photography lecturer, designs the first single lens reflex (SLR) camera. Through the use of mirrors inside the camera, the photographer can now get an accurate view of what will appear in the photograph.
1880-1900 As the construction of film evolves, dry-plate and roll-film versions of the SLR camera are created. Around this time, detective cameras, designed to be hidden in hats, watches and books, become popular but the fad doesn’t last long since the small photos are not practical and the image quality is very poor.
1881 Thomas Bolas constructs of one of the earliest twin lens reflex cameras. The camera uses one lens for the viewfinder and the other for taking the photograph. Similar to the SLR, the twin lens reflex uses mirrors for both lenses.
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15th century Although the concept is expressed much earlier, Leonardo da Vinci gives the first detailed description of the camera obscura, a dark box with a pinhole at one end and a glass screen at the other. When light shines through the pinhole an image appears on the screen.
16th – 17th centuries Giovanni Battista della Porta describes in his 1558 book, Natural Magic, the use of a lens instead of a pinhole in the camera obscura to make images appear sharper. Many artists use the camera obscura as an aid to accurately portray perspective in their work.
Cameras have come a long way since they were first invented in 1827. During 1827, Joseph Nicephore obtained the first fixed image which led to hundreds of years of ever-changing cameras and photos. There are many types of cameras currently on the market, but there wasn’t always a number of cameras to choose from. Below you will find a timeline of specific events, which have occurred throughout the years, which have contributed to the evolution of cameras and photography.
1840 Charles Chevalier constructs the first folding camera, with a sleeker and more portable design than the camera obscura. Its side panels can be unhinged from the body to fold flat and it is a daguerreotype camera, meaning it houses a film process in which highly polished silver-plated copper sheets are treated with light-sensitive silver-iodide.
1851 The wet collodion film process becomes very influential in camera design. Since the film needs to stay moist while making the exposure, the camera has to be fitted with draining channels for the negative material.
Mid 1850s Bellowed cameras are introduced to allow for movement and flexibility that the rigid designs did not allow. Advancements in the construction of the bellows allow for lenses with greater focal length and the ability for close-up photography, since the bellows adds distance to the camera.
1860 Thomas Sutton, a University of London photography lecturer, designs the first single lens reflex (SLR) camera. Through the use of mirrors inside the camera, the photographer can now get an accurate view of what will appear in the photograph.
1880-1900 As the construction of film evolves, dry-plate and roll-film versions of the SLR camera are created. Around this time, detective cameras, designed to be hidden in hats, watches and books, become popular but the fad doesn’t last long since the small photos are not practical and the image quality is very poor.
1881 Thomas Bolas constructs of one of the earliest twin lens reflex cameras. The camera uses one lens for the viewfinder and the other for taking the photograph. Similar to the SLR, the twin lens reflex uses mirrors for both lenses.

















