Types of Cameras
There were many different types of cameras. When photography first got its start in 1839, there was a box with a lens in one end, and a door on the opposite end which could be opened and the light sensitive material placed inside. There was the first method of producing a photographic positive image on a light sensitive plate. A second method was using light sensitive paper to produce a negative image.
Types of cameras improved as photography started to get popular. The quality of lenses greatly improved the evolution of the camera, and were designed specifically for photography.
The next thing to start improving were the types of cameras. Up to now they were large cumbersome wooden boxes which were heavy and difficult to carry. The boxes were then designed to fold up, made carrying them easier.
The next improvement was a folding camera using bellows where the lens board could be pulled out of the case for use and then folded back in when not in use. This design is still used today in large, format, film cameras.
By1880, hand held cameras started to appear. Lens speed improved dramatically. The anastigmat lens was designed and speeds up f/4.5 were now possible.
In1888, George Eastman designed a preloaded film camera will roll film, and up to 100 pictures. It was called the Kodak. It was send back to Eastman for developing and printing, and then returned to the user. This brought amateur photographers out in force. The demand for cameras was over whelming.
New materials were now being used, such as aluminum and its alloys. This made the cameras lighter and less expensive due to the parts being made in mass production
In 1928, a German precision instrument company, Leitz, designed and marketed a camera using 35mm film. It took five years for this film size to get attention, but it never stopped growing. There cameras also got attention: Leica, Rolleiflex, and Zeiss Ikon.
From then on, the number of cameras never stopped growing, with the 35mm camera selling more that any other type.
