How Did Camera's Work In The 1700's?

Question

Well On My Field Trip To The Joh'n Brown Park, A Man Told Me You Had To Sit For 5 Minutes Without Even Moving To Take A Picture.

Answer 1

The very first cameras had very long exposure periods because the materials used for photographic film weren't nearly as light sensitive as they are today. Since the film had to be exposed to the light for so long, nothing in the picture could move or it would create a blurry image. Let's think about a modern equivalent for a second. Have you ever tried to take a picture with a digital camera in low light? Most cameras will automatically change the exposure amount to compensate for the lack of light available. What happens is the shutter remains open for 1/8 of a second instead of 1/400. A lot of things can happen in 1/8 of a second! Just the slightest move and whoops your picture is blurry! Old, old cameras would be set up on a tripod so that there was no chance of the camera moving and the subject would have to remain perfectly still during the entire exposure for the photograph of them to come out clear and not blurry.

The first permanent photographic image didn't come around until 1826. It was a picture taken out of the inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce's window. The exposure was a whole 8 hours! You can read more about it here: http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/wfp/
Cameras of this era used wet plates which required extremely long exposure times. Finally when dry plates were invented, exposure times were shortened to about 15 minutes and cameras became small enough to become portable. Celluloid film which is the basis of what photographic film is today wasn't invented until 1889 which allowed for the shortest exposure times. Read more about the camera's history here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_camera

Answer 2

Cameras were very simple devices in the 1800s and it took time for light to transfer the image onto plates (film came later). A lot of artists today do pinhole photography where they take a simple box, put film in it and let natural light come through an opening. It takes a while for the image to imprint, but when it does you get a very cool, old fashioned looking photograph.

Answer 3

In the 1700's all they had was something called a 'camera obscura'. I believe it used a pinhole lense, and therefore had to be seen only in a dark room. No film, you just looked at the live image on a table.

Answer 4

They didn't. The first fixed image wasn't produced until 1827 so there weren't any "cameras" in the 1700's.

Answer 5

WOW!! I know I may be a little older than alot of people in here, but to ask a question like this, is just crazy. I ain't that old....LOL....but good question, bet the didn't have digital cameras back then.

Answer 6

http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/Photography.htm