World's first digicam--older than most of you

Leonard Goh | Jun 17, 2008

Thirty-three years ago, an engineer from Kodak by the name of Steve Sasson took several spare parts from various gadgets and put together what was possibly the world's first digital camera. It relied on a cassette tape to record the image captured by a CCD (yes, it existed then) and a custom machine to playback the images on a television. In case you are wondering, the image captured was like television then, in black and white.

Talk about portable--Sasson's invention tipped the scales at 4kg and could easily blend in with most kitchen appliances. The prototype was shown to Kodak's executives and subsequently forgotten after the presentation. Fast forward to 2001, and we see Sasson, who is still with Kodak, showcase the vintage piece to the public.

What Sasson envisioned then has become reality today--CCD sensors, connectivity to televisions to share your photos and film-less photography. Will we still be stuck with film now if he had not rolled up his sleeves and tried something different? We wouldn't want to know.

Picture credit: Kodak

Filed under: Digital Cameras
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