It could be argued that some of the earliest point and shoot cameras were from Kodak with the marketing phrase “You press the button and we do the rest.” These cameras were not automatic like the ones we know today, but they did have little in the way of manual controls. The size of the compact point and shoot camera market increased rapidly during the 1970s and the 1980s because of the new technology allowed an everyday person to easily take a quality snapshot.
Konica introduced the very first point and shoot (click here for the review), autofocus camera which was called the Konica C35, Jasupin. It was launched in November 1977 and used the Vistronic Af system which was developed by Honeywell. Konica is said to have sold one million of these units after it was launched and in 1980, the C35 AF2 was brought put with some cosmetic differences.
How Were Cameras Invented?
The camera obscura was a device that Aristotle had written about more than 2,300 years ago and was believed to be used by great artists like Vermeer. The major drawback of the camera obscura was that it produced only light. This made it impossible to preserve the image. Things began to change in 1826 when Joseph Nicephore Niepce modified the camera obscura so that it was able to produce a photographic plate.
Through experimentation with a variety of different plates, Niepce created what he called heliography. By coating plates with asphalt, he observed the effect of sunlight on plates he created. The plates where made of paper, metal, and vellum coated with varnish. Success came when he inserted a pewter plate in the camera obscura; finally, an image that could be preserved was created.
This image however was very indistinct, and without instruction or knowledge of the subject or scene, the viewer could not identify the result. It was not perfect, but it was the first giant leap to recording and reproducing images via camera. These obscure images secured Niece the historical title as the inventor of the first camera as we know it today.
When Did People Start Using Digital Cameras?
The very first recorded attempt at building a digital camera was in 1975 by a man named Steven Sassoon who was an engineer at Eastman Kodak at the time. Photographs were made by exposing light-sensitive photographic film and paper which was then processed in liquid chemical solutions to develop and stabilize the image.
The first true digital camera which actually recorded images as a computerized file was likely the Fuji DS-1P of 1988, which recorded to a 16MB internal memory card that made use of a battery to keep the data in memory. This camera was never marketed internationally, not even in Japan.
The Logitech Fotoman was the first commercially available digital camera in 1990. It used a CCD image sensor which stored the pictures digitally and then allowed the user to connect directly to a computer to allow for downloading of the images. According to research from KeyPoint Intelligence/Info Trends, an estimated 400 billion digital photos were taken globally in 2011 and this number is estimated to rise to 1.2trillion photos in 2022.
What Is the Meaning of Power Shot Camera?
The Powershot products are a line of digital cameras developed for consumers and prosumers alike. Developed by Cannon, the Powershot line has been a huge success and is one of the best-selling digital cameras worldwide. These cameras are a compact point-and-shoot type of camera that dates back to 1996. This was when the PowerShot 600 was first introduced. The Powers hotline has broadened to become one of the most expansive in the industry and ranges from entry-level point and shoot to the big daddy feature rich cameras of professionals.
Conclusion
Point and shoot cameras are the most widely available cameras on the market but it’s the smartphones that really lend an air of convenience to the amateur holiday and family snappers. These cameras might fall a bit short in the eyes of the professional photographer who relies on lens changes and complicated settings. For this use, a DSLR might be the better option.
