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In his latest video, Will from the PhotographyExplained channel takes us on a wild ride through 125 years of camera tech. From a cardboard box with a lens to a 60-megapixel digital powerhouse, he tests seven cameras that represent huge leaps in photography. Some are frustrating, some are genius, and a few are surprisingly still usable today. Let’s break it all down—camera by camera.
Film Cameras
Kodak Brownie (1900)
Will kicks things off with the Kodak Brownie, a camera that cost just one dollar back in 1900. It’s basically a cardboard box with a simple lens, one shutter speed, and zero controls. No focus, no aperture options—you point, shoot, and hope for the best.
It takes 620 film, which isn’t made anymore, so Will had to modify some 120 film just to get it working. The results? Pretty terrible, he admits. But the Brownie wasn’t about perfect pictures. It was about making photography accessible. Kodak sold 10 million of these in five years.
And here’s a fun fact: famous photos of Titanic survivors and the iceberg they hit were taken on a Brownie by passenger Bernice Palmer. Now that’s a legacy.
Kodak Autographic (1920s)
Next up, Will tests the Kodak No.1 Autographic, which he calls the “granddad of Instagram captions.” This camera let users write notes on the film using a tiny stylus. Just open a flap, scribble a note, and it would appear on the developed photo.
It also introduced bellows to adjust focus and let users change aperture and shutter speed—finally giving photographers more creative control. Sadly, Will didn’t get any photos with this one because, well, he broke the shutter while playing with it. Ah, this reminds me of me and my Lomomod No. 1 adventure. Still, the concept of writing directly onto your image file? Pretty darn cool for that time.
Kine Exakta (1940)
The Kine Exakta is another big step in the history of the camera. It introduced the single-lens reflex design to the world. Instead of guessing what the camera would capture, the SLR mirror showed exactly what the lens saw. This was revolutionary.
Will notes the brighter viewfinder, especially when paired with Carl Zeiss lenses, made it much easier to compose photos. Even after 80+ years, it’s still surprisingly usable.
Nikon F (1959)
Ah the iconic Nikon F. Will calls it the “Swiss Army knife” of cameras, capable of handling any photography task. “If cameras were rock bands, the Nikon F would be The Beatles,” Will jokingly says. But hey, Many a true word is spoken in jest.
This camera fixed major SLR annoyances, like the mirror not flipping back after a shot (so you couldn’t see through the viewfinder again until you advanced the film). The Nikon F’s instant return mirror solved that.
It also introduced an automatic diaphragm to keep the lens bright while composing, and it was the first true “system camera”—you could swap out lenses, viewfinders, and add-ons depending on your needs. It even had a built-in light meter in Will’s version, which helped him finally get some well-exposed shots.
Canon AE-1 (1976)
Jumping into the electronic era, the Canon AE-1 became the first camera with a built-in microprocessor. That gave it automatic exposure—so instead of fiddling with settings, the camera could choose the right aperture and shutter speed for you.
This feature made serious photography accessible to more people. Canon sold over 5 million AE-1s, and it’s still a favorite among film beginners today. Oh, and fun fact: the classic shutter sound your iPhone makes? It’s the AE-1’s click. Apple sampled it for Macs and iPhones.
Will found the AE-1 to be the most fun film camera in the lineup, because it let him focus on composing great shots instead of fighting with exposure settings. So, if you’re new to film photography, or photography in general, this could be a great camera to get you started.
Digital Cameras
Nikon D1 (1999)
On the verge of the 21st century, the revolution came in the history of the camera. We started switching to digital. The Nikon D1 was Nikon’s first professional digital SLR, with a 2.7-megapixel sensor and a price tag of $5,500—far cheaper than earlier digital models. It was he first DSLR that made newspapers and photojournalists to start ditching film.
No more waiting for film to develop—now you could review images instantly on the back LCD screen. Will used the D1X, a later version of the D1, and while the battery life was rough, he says it still felt familiar, with image quality that was easy to edit and autofocus that was decent for its time.
Sony A7R IV (2019)
Fast forward to today, and Will’s personal camera, the Sony A7R IV, feels like something from science fiction compared to the Brownie. It has a 60-megapixel sensor, no mirror, and a screen-based viewfinder. He says it’s especially perfect for his favorite genre, landscape photography.
He even compares shots from all seven cameras taken in the Lake District, and while the compositions are similar, the editability of the files shows just how far tech has come. The Brownie image falls apart under editing, but the Sony file lets you zoom in and see people walking on distant hills. It’s night and day.
Concluding the Camera History Journey
From the Kodak Brownie to the Sony A7R IV, the history of the camera is filled with innovation, creativity, and accessibility. Each camera in Will’s test brought something new to the table—from bellows and mirrors to processors and pixels.
And while he’s happy to live in the digital age, Will clearly enjoyed exploring the history of camera. And while watching his video, I enjoyed it as well. Sadly, I never had the chance to try any of these film cameras. But I’ve played with quite a few Soviet film cameras, as they were quite popular and available here in Serbia when I was a kid.
Personally, I’d love to get my hands on a Nikon F. Which of these oldies would you like to add to your collection?
[I Tested 100 Years of Cameras | PhotographyExplained]