EOTO: Video Cameras and Recorders

I chose to write on Video Cameras and Recorders because of my personal interest in this topic! As a Media Production major I spend a lot of time with big expensive cameras that do incredible things so it's interesting to see where that originated from. Evan did a great job telling the story of this side of motion pictures.

The first video cameras were created for use in broadcast media in the early 1900's. A Scottish engineer by the name of John Logie Baird first began work on this based on photo cameras and another device called a "Nipkow disk." This disk was a mechanical device that cut images into "scan lines" which were basically fragments that were that able to be played somewhat in synch.

Closer to the 1930's two men, Philo Farnsworth and Vladimir Zsworykin, produced two different versions of video cameras that used cathode ray tubing.This was a switch from automatic tech to electron scanning tech. This same technology was slowly improved over the next 50 years but stayed pretty consistent as the industry standard.

In 1981 the use of analog cameras was based out and digital cameras were created to take their place on every stage almost. The Sony Mavica single lens was all the rage with this new development. 

These "digital" camera's photos were still all saved magnetically so they weren't truly digital. This took a few years. The first developed digital cameras and video cameras were used by the military to carry out covert operations and capture details for their protection. Recording then became possible because of the compact size.

From then on camera's were small enough to be put anywhere and everywhere - now they're on every cell phone and personal computer. What started as something that was the size of a small dog can now be something that can be smaller than some insects. The developments and advancements made by engineers and innovators have led to an art form I'm personally thankful for. Capturing moments, for whatever reason, is a gift. We're lucky to live in a time that can immortalize moments- the same moments we fall asleep thinking about.