Video: How Steven Sasson invented the digital camera in 1975

Steven Sasson invented the digital camera in 1975. His invention began as very broad assignment from the Eastman Kodak Company : "Could a camera be built using solid state electronics, solid state imagers, and an electronic sensor that gathers optical information?" The 8-pound, toaster-size prototype captured an image of a lab technician, at a resolution of .01 megapixels, took 23 seconds to record onto digital cassette tape and another 23 seconds to read off a playback unit onto a television.  We can thank these modest beginnings for the modern digital cameras we have today. 

Photographer David Friedman created this mini-documentary about Sasson and his invention.


Inventor Portrait: Steven Sasson from David Friedman on Vimeo.