The Age of Digital Photography

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Taking pictures is an enjoyable past-time. It is a means of capturing a moment in time and preserving it forever. It is a form of creative expression and for those fortunate enough to be really good at it, a way to make money.

There was a time not too long ago when it took a week or more before you could see the images you produced. Then the Polaroid instant cameras were introduced which gave a person the means to see their photographs in a matter of a few minutes, instead of a few days. They were revolutionary and popular but produced a rather small image

In 1972 the instant camera revolution really took off with the introduction of the Polaroid SX-70. The SX-70 was a folding SLR pack film camera which was produced in various iterations up until the early 1980s.

The SX-70 was revolutionary because it accomplished several things. First, it was the only motorized foldable camera on the market at that time. It was also convenient because it used a self contained, self developing film which did not need to be peeled apart.
By 1973 Polaroid was producing 5000 SX-70 cameras a day and almost 50,000 packs of film.

Throughout the 70's Polaroid continued to enjoy unprecedented success with their line of instant cameras.
In 1979 Polaroid produced 7.3 million cameras. They
seemed to be everywhere.

The digital age really came into being in the late 80's and early 90's. These first commercially available cameras were helped by the formation of the JPEG and MPEG standards in 1988 which allowed image files to be compressed for storage.

The first consumer camera with a digital display was produced by Casio in 1995. These first mass produced consumer digital cameras were originally a low resolution format, less than 1 mega pixel.
Around 1997 the first mega pixel cameras appeared with some offering the ability to record video clips as well.

In today's market, you will find that many digital cameras have become more compact. Yet in spite of their smaller size, they still yield superior quality images with most offering five to ten mega pixels of resolution or better. Some are also available with a wireless download feature so you don't even have to connect the camera to a PC.

The digital cameras of today have truly revolutionized the way we take pictures, much as the instant cameras did in the early 70's.
No matter what type of photographer you are, professional or amateur, go out and find the digital camera that is right for you.