cover image A History of Photography in 50 Cameras

A History of Photography in 50 Cameras

Michael Pritchard. Firefly, $29.95 (224p) ISBN 978-1-77085-590-8

Pritchard, director-general of the U.K.'s Royal Photographic Society, profiles 50 landmark cameras, beginning with the 1839 Giroux Daguerreotype, the first commercially available camera, and ending with the camera in the 2013 Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone. These cameras tell a history of technology, as well as a history of the pioneering inventors and photographers who captured the images of their times. It covers original box cameras, stereoscopic cameras, Polaroid cameras, single-use disposable cameras, single-lens reflex cameras, digital cameras, and camera phones. There are even novelty cameras made in shapes such as guns, compasses, and pocket watches. Pritchard discusses revolutionary changes such as the 1900 launch of the Kodak Brownie, which was sold for $1 and made cameras affordable even to the working classes, and the more recent convergence with other devices such as the smartphone. He also speculates on future ways of making and sharing images, such as Google Glass and the Lytro light field camera. The book includes a glossary of photographic terms, a bibliography of references, and lists of original materials, online resources, and museums. This beautifully illustrated and meticulously researched book is highly recommended for camera enthusiasts, amateur and professional photographers, and history buffs. (Sept.)