1984 - 1985
FIRST
INTERNET (USENET) MENTION OF ELECTRONIC CAMERAS - 1984. Dejanews.com pioneered research into past articles on the web. Later, Google acquired Deja assets and continued the program. A web search by DigiCamHistory.Com in March of 2002 found a 1984 message mentioning
electronic cameras. The message was by Debbie Byrd on 27 October
1984, on the net.astro newsgroup. Debbie discussed the use of an
electronic
camera on a telescope in Chile used to photograph the planet Neptune.
CANON
AT OLYMPIC GAMES - 1984. In July,
1984,
Canon conducted a trial of a professional color still video camera (the
RC-701) and an analog transmitter at the Los Angeles Olympics.
The
images were transmitted back to Japan via phone lines in less than 30
minutes.
They were then printed in the Yomiuri newspaper. Immediately
before
the Games, Canon announced its successful development of a color
electronic
still camera designed for commercial broadcasting use. Using a
regenerator
and transmitter developed at the same time, the company conducted
practical
tests at the '84 Olympics. The color electronic still video
camera
with a 400K pixel CCD used in the tests was the first practical
application
for public use. With the cooperation of the Yomiuri Shimbun, a
leading
Japanese daily newspaper, images taken by the still camera were
experimentally
transmitted to Japan over telephone lines, and proved to be supremely
successful.
Based on data and experience from those tests, Canon began product
development,
culminating in the Canon Still Video System of 1986. Popular
Photography,
October 1984, p48.
http://www.canon.com/about/history/
COMMODORE
AMIGA A1000 - 1984. (First shown in
1984, marketed 1985) The Amiga was the very first personal computer
with
superior graphics and sound capabilities with a GUI (graphic user interface) environment.
It provided multi-tasking capability with driver-and-library-using
design.
There were two versions of the Amiga 1000. The first one sold only in
the
USA, had a NTSC display, and no EHB video mode. Later versions
would
have this built in. The second version had a PAL display, the enhanced
video modes (EHB), and was built in Germany. It could digitize
pictures,
video, and display still images with 4096 colors when in the HAM mode
(static
display). The Amiga A1000 was a significant advance over other
systems
at the time as it included a 32bit pre-emptive multi-tasking GUI, 4
channel
stereo sound, 880k 3-1/2 inch floppy disks, and video modes which
provided
4096 colors as standard equipment when other systems were monotasking
at
just 16 colors. The Amiga could simultaneously display multiple
windows
at different resolutions on a single monitor. It became a
favorite
of artists and animators because its multiple co-processors allowed it
to do complex images and animations that other systems of the time
could
not handle (with the exception of expensive workstations). The
Amiga
A1000 has the signatures of all of it's designers cast into the inside
of it's case, including the paw print of Jay Miner's (Amiga developer)
dog Mitchy. MSRP $1300.
http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=28
http://oldcomputers.net/amiga1000.html
HITACHI STILL
VIDEO CAMERA PROTOTYPE - 1984. This
camera had a 2/3-inch MOS image sensor with horizontal resolution of 300 TV
lines. Popular Photography, October 1984, p35.
DIGITAL STILL CAMERA - 1984. MegaVision designed a 1000-line digital camera (a scanline, vidicon tube camera) to be used with their 1024XM image processor.
www.mega-vision.com/about/about.htm
JVC GR-C1 - 1984. First VHS single-unit video camcorder. This camcorder used Compact VHS tape which JVC introduced in 1982. This was the same tape as standard VHS and the same recording format, but in a cassette which was only 1/3 the size. This compact cassette could be inserted into in a full-sized VHS adaptor shell so that it could be played back in any VHS machine. In this way, JVC achieved miniaturization without compromising compatibility with older equipment. Immortalized in the movie 'Back To The Future' (photo above on right), it is the original, definitive camcorder.
KONICA CV-301 - 1984. The CV-301 was the world's smallest video camera at that time, but still used a image pickup tube rather than a CCD or CMOS chip. It was unusual for its pistol-grip shape which was made possible by the clever placement of the pickup tube - in the handle! The CV-301 could be used with portable VHS, VHS-C, CVC and some other types of recorders, but not Betamax. Information provided by Total Rewind. http://www.totalrewind.org/
GE 1CVC4030E - 1984. One of many early model video cameras which required an external tape recorder. Playing a tape onto a TV also required a power supply for the recorder. The camera shown above was obtained on eBay in excellent condition with original case and manual for $1.
CANON CI-10 – 1985. Color video camera with 9 mm lens. 508 x 466 pixel CCD. Image sensor of 8.8 x 6.6mm. Images could be recorded on still video floppy discs (with proper equipment). See reference below. Popular Mechanics, December 1985, page 14.
http://www.geod.ethz.ch/p02/projects/dapcad/examples/DDD_giova.html
MACINTOSH
COMPUTER - 1984. Apple introduced
the
Macintosh computer in January
1984 with an emphasis on graphics and user friendly
interface. The first Macintosh
didn't have a model number - it was simply the
Macintosh. There was no name on the front. Early 128Ks said
"Macintosh" on the back, while later ones were marked "Macintosh
128K" to distinguish them from the Macintosh 512K. MSRP
$2,500.
Digital
Photography, Mikkel Aaland, 1992, p11. http://lowendmac.com/compact/128k.shtml
SONY
DISCMAN (D-5, D-50 PORTABLE
CD PLAYERS) - 1984. Sony introduces
portable
CD players.
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/sonyhistory.html
ATARI / MITSUBISHI PICTURE PHONE - 1985. The Lumaphone began as a division of the Atari Video Game Company. The division was called Ataritel. This particular phone was developed in 1983. Atari Sold the division to Mitsubishi in 1984. The "Lumaphone", the Atari Videophone in its finished form, was advertised in 1985 and sold by Mitsubishi Electric of America in 1986 as the Luma LU-1000. The Lumaphone could transmit an image in 3-5 seconds and could have a parallel printer attached for printing out small black and white images (Mitsubishi P60U). Also, a TV could be hooked up to the unit for conference room meetings. If a larger video image was desired for the home or office desk, the optional VisiTel LU-500 could be attached. This Lumaphone, VisiTel (in new condition) and information were kindly provided by Mike Mozart of JeepersMedia.
Mitsubishi P60U and Mitsubishi VisiTel LU-500
http://www.atarimuseum.com/ataritel/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/user/JeepersMedia
SONY CCD-V8 - 1985. World's first camcorder capable of recording video on standard 8mm videotape. 250K pixel CCD. 6X zoom. 1.97kg. c.$1175 in Japan. The photo on is the original CCD-V8 which was manually focused. This model is very rare as production ceased as soon as the AF model was made available.
SONY CCD-V8AF - 1985. The cased camera is an improved model, the CCD-V8AF, which as the name suggests, incorporated auto-focusing, the first 8mm camcorder to do so. Collectors, you missed out on this one. The CCD-V8AF shown above in new-from-factory condition with carrying case and all accessories was obtained on Yahoo Auctions for a winning bid of just $40!
A TALE OF TWO CAMERAS by Jack Carter (a dickens of a different sort). The CCD-V8 video camera was manual focus only and radically different than the following CCD-V8AF model. The CCD-V8 did have distance markers on the lens to aid in focusing manually, a feature retained by the CCD-V8AF. The CCD-V8 had no internal auto focus parts, circuit boards, or manual / auto focus switch on the outside. However, the early CCD-V8AF camera which replaced the CCD-V8 model had a hunting problem, not being able to decide where the correct focus point should be. The auto focus motor would operate continuously and cause the battery to run down. Professionals would habitually turn off the auto focus in order to conserve battery life. The CCD-V8AF had two types of auto focus: infrared and through-the-lens. The infrared model would measure distance by sending out an infrared beam which reflected back to a sensor. It had two major flaws: 1) difficulty in focusing on a dark object, the dark object adsorbing the infrared beam completely with no return to the sensor; 2) the beam would reflect from glass windows causing the lens to focus on the glass rather than on the intended subject. The through-the-lens system operates similar to the human eye, adjusting the focus for finest detail. The early through-the-lens AF models also had hunting problems, never being satisfied as to the sharpest focus point and then shutting down the auto focus after a few seconds, the solution at the time if the camera wasn't moved. The CCD-V8 and the CCD-V8AF were quite different internally and the lens of the CCD-V8 was long enough so that you could easily focus it by hand. Later cameras didn't have a lengthy protruding lens because the auto focus system worked very well, focusing as rapidly as the human eye.
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/sonyhistory-f.html
SONY CCD-M8 - 1985. World's first 'pocket-book' 8mm camcorder - lightest weight (1.0kg) and smallest size. Record-only function. 270K pixels (Gross) CCD .
http://www.rewindmuseum.com/history.htm
SONY BETAMOVIE BMC-220 - 1985. Similar to the BMC-100/110 of 1983, but with auto-focus.
http://www.betainfoguide.net/BTMpage.htm
CANON
8 VM-E1 - 1985. Canon releases the
Canovision
8 VM-E1, its first integrated (all in one unit) 8mm video camcorder. Canon was second after Sony in releasing an 8mm camcorder. MSRP $1,400. http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/history/index.html
FUJI
ES-1 - 1985. STill video
camera.
2/3-inch 640 x 480 pixel CCD. 3X 50-150mm manual zoom SLR. Above photos provide by 歌谣, adfans@hotmail.com. Also see: Understanding
Electronic Photography, John J. Larish, 1990, p34.
KONICA SVC-20 - 1985. Prototype still video camera. 2/3-inch, 300K pixel CCD. Through the lens viewing with 9mm-27mm zoom lens. Up to eight frames per minute. Understanding Electronic Photography, John J. Larish, 1990, p35. Popular Science, October 1985. Photo provided by Mike Mozart of JeepersMedia. http://www.youtube.com/user/JeepersMedia
KONICA SVC-40 - 1985. Prototype still video camera. 2/3-inch 300K pixel CCD. Auto-focus, 12-38mm f/1.4 zoom lens. Recorded on mini floppy dics. Understanding Electronic Photography, John J. Larish, 1990, p35. Popular Science, May 1987.
PIXAR
Digital Imaging Processor - 1985.
Pixar introduces a digital imaging processor. 1984
- 1985
