Who Invented the Camera? Knowing the History behind It

In 1816, Frenchman Joseph Nicéphore Niépce invented the first photographic camera. A camera is an optical device that captures pictures that can be kept internally, sent to another place, or both. 

These visuals might be simple photos or moving images like videos or movies. The term camera is derived from the phrase "Camera Obscura" (Latin for "dark chamber''). 

Camera and its Parts

The camera developed into a modern camera. The camera's obscurity and functioning are very similar to the human eyes. In this article, the invention of the camera and how the camera was invented will be discussed.

Who Invented the Camera? 

How did the discovery of the camera take place? Let's read about it to know more! Johann Zahn invented the first portable camera in 1685. For the next 130 years, there was little growth in development. Most attempts to create cameras in between failed. 

In 1816 Joseph Nicephore Niepce took the first image. Nicephore's photograph was not lasting. It was shot on silver chloride-coated paper with a camera he built himself. On the paper, the areas that were not exposed to light became black. In 1816, Frenchman Joseph Nicéphore Niépce invented the first photographic camera. 

The camera did not capture images, instead, it projected them onto another surface. The camera obscura was small enough to be portable by the 17th century. Around this period, basic lenses for focusing light were introduced. The first image was taken by Nicéphore Niepcé, a French inventor who invented the heliograph in 1816.

The first Pinhole Camera by Alhazen 

Getting into the History

You must be thinking who made the camera? let us read more about it by getting into the depth of it. A man named Joseph Niepce took the first picture in 1827. It took hours to obtain a stable exposure to the photograph. A few years later, Louis Daguerre invented the first fully functional camera. 

By now you must have known when was the camera invented. Now, do you know who invented the first camera? Alphonse Giroux invented the first commercially manufactured photographic camera, the photo camera, in 1839. Giroux agreed to build the cameras in France with Daguerre and Isidore Niépce with each gadget and accessory costing 400 francs. This shot, labelled simply "View from the Window at Le Gras," is thought to be the world's oldest surviving photograph.

How Was the Camera Invented? 

Niepce engraved a bitumen-coated metal plate and then exposed it to light. The darkest sections of the engraving absorbed light, whereas the whiter areas allowed light to react with the chemicals on the plate. 

These heliographs are also known as sun prints which are commonly considered the first photographic photographs. Niepce's method on the other hand took eight hours of light exposure to generate a picture that would quickly fade away. 

Summary 

In this article, we provided a detailed discussion about cameras and their invention, along with images. Johann Zahn invented the first portable camera in 1685. For the next 130 years, there was little growth in development. Alphonse Giroux invented the first commercially manufactured photographic camera, the photo camera, in 1839. Cameras have proven to be excellent tools for visual arts, mass media, and a fun hobby of being able to record moments to remember, whether you're a professional or an amateur photographer.