The Digital Camera Revolution Digital camera technology evolved from the same technology that recorded television images. Television cameras convert the information into electrical impulses (digital) and save the information onto magnetic tape. In 1951, Bing Crosby laboratories headed by engineer John Mullin) created the first early VTR and by 1956, VTR technology was perfected and in common use by the television industry Television/video cameras and digital cameras both use a CCD (Charged Coupled Device) to sense light color and intensity. Computer technology was also advancing rapidly at this time NASA’s use of digital technology along with significant contributions from the private sector helped move the science of digital imaging forward. During the cold war digital imaging also was used by the government spy satellites and during the 1960?s space race NASA began using digital signals to map the surface of the moon. The images that the space probes were sending back to the earth were enhanced by the use of digital technology. Texas Instruments patented the first film-less electronic camera in 1972 and in August, 1981, Sony released the first commercial electronic camera the ‘Sony Mavica.’ This camera took video freeze-frames and is not considered a true digital camera but it did kick start the digital camera revolution. In 1986, Kodak scientists invented the world’s first mega pixel sensor followed by the release in 1987 of seven new products for recording, storing, manipulating, transmitting and printing electronic still video images. By 1990, Kodak had developed the Photo CD system and proposed “the first worldwide standard for defining color in the digital environment. The first professional digital camera system was released by in 1991 specifically designed for use by photojournalists. The first digital cameras developed for the consumer market that worked with a home computer via a serial cable were the ‘Apple QuickTake 100 camera’ (1994), the ‘Kodak DC40 camera’ (1995), the ‘Casio QV-11’ (with LCD monitor, late 1995), and ‘Sony’s Cyber-Shot Digital Still Camera.’ (1996). In order to help introduce the idea of digital photography to the public Kodak created digital image-making software workstations and kiosks which allowed customers to produce Photo CD Discs and photographs, and add digital images to documents. Hewlett-Packard was quick to see to opportunity and was the first company to make color inkjet printers that complemented the new digital camera images The first true digital camera to work with your home computer was launched by Apple in 1994. IBM joined the market making a deal with Kodak to develop the first Internet-based network image exchange.
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The Kodak and Microsoft partnership ensured that digital camera manufacturers could use the power of Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) standard through Windows. These were momentous events in digital camera history and the photo experience was and remains a key driver of the Internet era. Many of the Kodak digital camera models with EasyShare capabilities are compatible with Windows XP enabling users to transfer digital camera pictures directly from camera to their computers and then print the pictures The printing industry adapted their products to be in sync with the images created by digital cameras. Cell phone manufacturers then tied up with digital camera manufacturers to develop new age camera phones. By 2003 camera phones outsold stand-alone digital cameras, and in 2006 they outsold all film-based cameras and digital cameras combined. Camera phone sales reached a billion devices in only five years, and by 2007 more than half all mobile phones were camera phones. Camera technology and photography advanced the other key developments of cinema and TV significantly and just imagine what a boring place the world would have been without these forms of entertainment. Today it seems everyone has a digital camera and you can buy one for a hundred dollars or even buy for as little as $30 or $40! If you go online there are websites dedicated specifically to ratings and reviews of all the different models. So do your shopping online for the best results.
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