Who Invented the First Camera?

Cameras are important to people in many aspects. They are useful in capturing memories and moments which can be preserved either in the soft or hard copy. The development of camera from the age of a room-size box to what it is currently has taken a lot effort, trial and error, and has involved several people in the process.

History of the Invention of the Camera

It is quite interesting to analyze the progress the camera has made from when it was first invented to what it is today. The history behind the invention of the modern camera involves many people. Some of the people spent a decade attempting to come up with a camera. The inventors strived to develop the more superior camera than the cameras developed before. In 1021, Iraqi scientist and writer Ibn described a device which resembles a camera in many aspects, in his book titled “Book of Optics,” marking the beginning of the thousand-mile journey involved in the development of the modern camera. In fact, the quality of cameras keeps improving day after day.

Who Invented the First Camera?

The first portable camera was designed by Johann Zahn in 1685. Not much progress was made in the development for up to approximately 130 years later. Most of the attempts to make cameras in between were futile. It was not until the year 1814 when Joseph Nicephore Niepce clicked the first photograph. The credit for the invention of the first camera is therefore co-shared between Johann Zahn and Joseph Nicephore Niepce. The photo taken by Nicephore was not permanent. It was taken using a camera he made on his own, on a paper coated with silver chloride. The regions that were not exposed to light on the paper became dark.

Louis Daguerre is given the credits for inventing the first ever practical photography in 1829. It took Daquerre over a decade attempting to come up with an effective method for the photography. All the progress Daquerre made was in partnership with the Nicephore. The ownership rights were sold to the French Government, which in turn took the responsibility of developing daquerreo type studios in different parts of the country. Alexander Walcott invented the first camera that produced photos that did not fade quickly.

From this point onwards, several people were involved in developing the methods and camera for superior quality images. The progress made involved invention of less blurred and colored photography, negatives, and smaller cameras.

What Did Ancient Cameras Look Like?

The pioneer cameras were huge in size. The first camera was in fact so huge it required several people to operate it. It was approximately the size of a room. It had space to accommodate a number of people on its inside. The big cameras were used up until the 1940s. Some of the cameras were able to take images, but could not save them. Thus, the photographer had to take up the task of manually tracing the images after snapping them. Initially, the cameras produced blurred images, which improved gradually. The first camera also took black and white images. In fact, it was until in the 1940s that the colored photography became common and commercialized.