Camera Eras

This page hopes to help classify the technology available to a camera developer at the time a camera was manufactured. It is an on-going work, and will be expanded upon often.

Era	Era Start	Era End	Type
Camera Obscura Era	470 BC	Present (Hipster)	Lens & Viewfinder Technology
Film Plates	1850	-	Storage Medium
Paper-Backed Roll Film Era	1885	1889	Storage Medium
Plastic Nitrate Film Era	1889	1951	Storage Medium
Safety Film Era	1908	Present	Storage Medium
Large Format SLR	1884		Lens & Viewfinder Technology
Small Format SLR	1935	Present	Lens & Viewfinder Technology
SLR Instant-Return Mirror	1948	Present	Lens & Viewfinder Technology
Autofocus Development Era	1960	1977	Lens & Viewfinder Technology
Autofocus Era	1977	Present	Lens & Viewfinder Technology
Twin Lens Reflex Era	1928	-	Lens & Viewfinder Technology
Instant Photography Era	1948		Storage Medium
Digital Development Era	1975	1987	Storage Medium
Digital Era	1988	Present	Storage Medium

Camera History Project

This website is the culmination of years of antiquing. My wife and I enjoyed travelling around the United States, stopping at various antique shops and finding different cameras. Since 2012, we have collected hundreds of cameras, and there are some that we have, but that have not made it online yet. When the real world slows down, we plan to resume our hobby! Feel free to check out our online collection, and using the comment system, let us know which you've had and which is your favorite!