Smile! You're On Candid Camera! Quiz

Answer: True

While the idea behind the "camera obscura" can trace its roots back to both the ancient Chinese and Greek cultures, it wasn't until around the 1500s that the predecessor of the modern camera was invented. The Chinese and Greek had both developed the concept of the possible functions of such a device, but beyond some rudimentary attempts, little was accomplished in the way of a functioning prototype for the camera.

The "camera obscura", which was developed by both societies was a simple affair, with a pinhole used to project an upside down image onto a wall or other surface.

By the 1800s the first nearly successful photograph was taken, but as light was needed to view the photo, time after time, it eventually became overexposed and became too dark to see.

Answer: discovering that silver salts darkened when exposed to light

In 1724 Johann Schulze conducted an experiment with silver and chalk that proved this mixture produced a better photographic effect than simple untarnished silver. Still, the end result was not completely desirable, because the silver salts used continued to darken more and more as they were exposed to light.

Nevertheless, his experiment did provide the basis for further studies into the development of camera images.

Answer: making an engine for propelling boats

While Joseph Niépce created the oldest known photograph still in existence entitled "View from the Window at Le Gras", shot in the early 1800s, his primary interests lay in building what is regarded as the world's earliest internal combustion machinery. He and his brother, Claude, began developing that engine type after Joseph returned home from the Napoleonic Wars.

Answer: daguerreotypes

Daguerreotypes were accomplished by a complicated process that used silver, (sometimes copper), sodium thiosulfate and mercury, as well as other materials.

When the process was first introduced, often people had to sit quite still, posing in the sunlight for up to as much as 10 minutes at a time, waiting for the exposure time to take effect!

Answer: Peter Houston

While Peter Houston developed the earliest roll film camera, it was his brother, David, who patented the containers that held the rolls of flexible film, along with several of the working parts of his brother's camera.

Later, in 1889, Houston sold these patents to George Eastman of Eastman Kodak fame for $5,000.00.

Answer: he liked the sound of the letter "k"

George stated that he simply liked the letter "k".

"I devised the name myself. The letter 'K' had been a favorite with me - it seems a strong, incisive sort of letter. It became a question of trying out a great number of combinations of letters that made words starting and ending with 'K.' The word 'Kodak' is the result."

The advertising slogans of "You press the button and we do the rest" and the urgings for photographers to find a "Kodak moment" are still easily recognized by amateur photographers.

The Brownie box camera was introduced by Kodak in 1900, and soon it became a great success with those folks who learned to do their own "photo shoots."

Answer: 1861

In 1861 Thomas Sutton used a green, a blue and a red filter on his camera to produce the first successful color photo. Other color pictures had been taken previously, some perhaps even better than Sutton's, but after a time they all faded due to exposure to light. Sutton took three black-and-white shots of a multicolored ribbon, using the various filters mentioned, and created what came to be considered by many to be the first ever color photograph.

Answer: Polaroid

The Polaroid Land Camera was named after its inventor, Edward Land.

The development of the film used was effected by pulling a tab attached to the film from the camera after a photograph was taken, and within seconds, (after exposure to some messy chemicals), the photo was able to develop almost instantaneously.

Answer: Japan

The Japanese company, Precision Optical Industry Company Ltd. first introduced the "Kwanon" to the camera market in 1934. In 1947, the company adopted the new name "Canon".
(The gauge of the film, 35mm, refers to the width of the film being used).

Canon brought the Rangefinder camera known as Canon 7 to the market in 1961.

Answer: picture element

Picture element is the source of the term "pixel".

Depending upon the size of each pixel, the image portrayed is determined by the resolution that it presents. A pixel is a unit of the digital image, while the resolution is dependent on the size of each pixel, whether it is a dark line or a light line pixel. The actual processes involved are a bit too complicated to explain here, but if you'd like more information about pixels, there are plenty of websites available to assist you in learning more about how they work.