My Little History of Digital Compacts

A small parenthesis here. (Back in 1991…)

Fujix DS-100 (1991)
Fujifilm's First Fujix

I have the impression that many people have never seen this camera before.

Fujix DS-100 (1991) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Fujifilm was a forerunner in the development of digital with the Fujix
Prototypes and/or cameras are available only in Japan or gradually distributed in America. In the end, cameras intended much more for industries.

Cameras that don't necessarily fit into the "compact" category 🙂

Fujix DS-100 (1991) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

First of all
The Fujix DS-100 (1991)
270,000 pixels (640x480)
$5,000.00 USD

Here with its small memory card reader ;)

Fujix DS-100 (1991) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

To be able to read IM-8S memory cards, SRAM cards (flash memory cards)
The cards were equipped with a battery to store the images permanently.

Fujix Image Memory Card by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

The FUJIX DP-100
MEMORY CARD PROCESSOR DP-100

Fujix DS-100 (1991) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

I've only seen this camera for sale on eBay five times in 24 years.

And two more followed the Fujix DS-100, Who also seems to have passed under the radar

The Fujix DS-200F (1993)
310,000 pixels (640x480)
$1,999.00 USD

Fujix DS-200 F (1993) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

And the Fujix DS-220 (1995)
310,000 pixels (640x480)
$1,200.00 USD / 220,000 Yen

Fujix DS-220 (1995) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Fujix DS-220 (1995) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

I find the Fujix DS-220 particularly successful, I like its look :)

Fujix DS 1991-1995

Fujix DS-100 (1991)
Fujix DS-200 F (1993)
Fujix DS-220 (1995)

Fujix DS 1991-1995 by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Fujix DS 1991-1995 by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Fujix Back by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

In short, Fujifilm has been involved in digital photography since the very beginning
But unlike Kodak, Fujifilm has been able to adapt and is enjoying great success today.

End of parenthesis 🙂

Kodak DC20

My first digital camera, the Kodak DC20 bought in 1996 for $280.00 CAN. 180,000 pixels (493x373)

After reading the article "It's up to you to find the photos that go with it!" »
by Guy-Michel Cogné in the French magazine Chasseur d'Images N° 187

And It was love at first sight, I realized at the time that we were going to experience a revolution!! The evolution of modern photography!

Kodak DC20 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Kodak DC20 Digital Camera (1996)
180,000 pixel sensor (493x373)
Storage: 1mb Internal
$350.00 USD

Subsequently, I began to do research on the internet, to have as much information as possible on the beginnings of digital technology. And in 1998 I came across DPREVIEW :)

Kodak DC20 Digital Camera (1996) sur Mac by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

The Kodak DC20 is connected to a PowerBook G3 Series 233 mhz HD 2GB (1998) With Mac OS 8.6...
Photo Recovery with Photo Enhancer

Kodak DC20 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Another alternative for the Kodak DC20, here with a PC
HP Compaq nc8000 1.6ghz 512ram HD 40GB with Windows 98 (2004)

Kodak DC20 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Kodak DC20 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

And it's the start of a long adventure

No screen or memory card for this little Kodak DC20

Kodak DC20 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

The average price of a digital compact in 1996 was around CAD $1,500.00.
The $280.00 requested for the Kodak DC20 in liquidation, to have access to the magical world of digital seemed reasonable to me, or at least acceptable to me.

My first photograph with a digital camera was in 1996

Kodak DC20 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

26 years later ... in 2022

Kodak DC20 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

My Kodak DC 20 has not aged, him! 🙄

Canon PowerShot 600 (1996)

The Canon Powershot 600, Canon's first consumer digital camera

Canon PowerShot 600 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Digital Camera Canon PowerShot 600 (1996)
570,000 pixel (832x608) sensor
Storage: 1mb Internal & PCMCIA
7mm f/2.5AF
$950.00 USD

Canon PowerShot 600 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

And Canon doesn't do things by halves, their first compact is particularly imposing!
Here next to the Canon EOS D30 DSLR, I've already seen smaller ;)

Le Canon PowerShot 600 n’est pas si petit que ça by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

And the PowerShot 600 has a particularly impressive 570,000-pixel sensor for 1996.
Which gives in the end, photographs of 800x566

Canon PowerShot 600 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Canon PowerShot 600 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Canon PowerShot 600 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Ricoh RDC-2 (1996)

Ricoh's second consumer digital camera. Modular camera with a removable monitor

Ricoh RDC-2 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Ricoh RDC-2 (1996)
410,000 pixel sensor (768x480)
Storage: 2mb Int. & PCMCIA I, II
$1050.00 USD

Ricoh RDC-2 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Ricoh RDC-2 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Ricoh RDC-2 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Ricoh RDC-2 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flic

Fujifilm DS-7 (1996)

The first to be able to use the SmartMedia 5v

Fujifilm DS-7 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Fujifilm DS-7 (1996)
Capteur de 310 000 pixels (640x480)
Stockage : 2mb SmartMedia 5v
$700.00 USD

Fujifilm DS-7 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Fujifilm DS-7 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Fujifilm DS-7 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

From 1996, we witness the release of new digital compacts at a frantic pace!!
People who were paying over $1000.00 at the time quickly became frustrated when two months later an even better new camera took center stage.

And here is the first to be able to use the CF (CompactFlash)

The Kodak DC25 digital camera (1996)
180,000-pixel sensor (493x373)
Storage: 2 MB internal and CompactFlash
$500.00 USD

Kodak DC25 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Kodak DC25 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Kodak DC25 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

HP Compaq nc8000 1.6ghz 512ram HD 40GB with Windows 98 (2004)

The result was always tiny 493x373 photographs, Impossible to satisfy a serious photographer

Kodak DC25 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Kodak DC25 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Kodak DC25 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Only four months separate the release of the Kodak DC25 (October 96) from the Kodak DC20 (June 96)

The new Kodak DC25 had a clear advantage over my little Kodak DC20
CompactFlash card and rear screen.

The Kodak DC20 and DC25/ front view by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

The Kodak DC20 and DC25 / back view by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

In the years 96-97 digital compacts were replaced by more efficient devices, just a few months after their release.

Also in 1996

The Olympus D-200L and Olympus D-300L
The First Consumer Olympus Cameras, with a very conservative look

Olympus D-200L (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Olympus D-200L (Camedia C400L)
310,000-pixel sensor (640x480)
Storage: 2 MB Int.
$600.00 USD

Olympus D-300L (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Olympus D-300L (Camedia C800L)
810,000-pixel sensor (1024x768)
Storage: 6 MB Int.
$900.00 USD

The D300L was getting dangerously close to a million pixels

Olympus D-300L (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Sony DKC-ID1 (1996)

The First Sony Digital with an Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)
$1,800.00 USD in 1996
450,000 pixels (768 x 576) with 2mb Internal & PCMCIA

Sony DKC-ID1 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Sony DKC-ID1 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Sony DKC-ID1 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Nobody suspected in 1996 that Sony would become a major player in the field of photography.

Sony DKC-ID1 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Sony DKC-ID1 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Now it's Samsung's turn to present its first compact camera

Samsung SSC-410N (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

The Samsung SSC-410N (1996)
310,000-pixel sensor (640x480)
The First Consumer of Samsung
With a 2MB CompactFlash card

Samsung SSC-410N (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

A device with particularly original shapes, it reminds me of a small submarine ;)

Samsung SSC-410N (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Nikon Coolpix 100 (1996)

Nikon's first consumer digital camera

Nikon Coolpix 100 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Nikon Coolpix 100 (1996)
245,000-pixel sensor (512x480)
Nikon's first consumer digital camera
With an internal 1MB PCMCIA card
6.2mm f/4 lens
Price: between $500 and $700 USD

Nikon Coolpix 100 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Very original (like many other cameras of this era)
I consider the years 1996-97 as the best years for digital compacts, where research went in all directions.

Nikon Coolpix 100 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Here, the lower part of the camera was made of a PCMCIA card, so it could be plugged directly into a PC

Nikon Coolpix 100 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Nikon Coolpix 100 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Nikon Coolpix 100 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Nikon Coolpix 100 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Hi,

I had one of these for years. Used it at Ericsson to document failed radios and cell phones. That
Was my primary job: figuring out failure modes and working up solutions. I carried that CP 100
everywhere. Plus a notebook PC so I could stick the PCMCIA card part of the camera into the
slot and move the images.

About 1999 we were working on the T68i phone. A very small pocket units and the first with a
Color screen. And, about two months prior to release, the accessory guys handed me a snap
on module to go with my prototype T68 I was carrying. They made me a camera module!
And that was the prototype of the CommuniCam. Yep. The first cell phone camera. And with
more resolution than the CP100. The T68 had Bluetooth (another Ericsson invention)
and so moving shot files was even easier.

So I am the reason why when it comes to cell phone cameras. The next model we developed
had the camera embedded. And just about every model after sported a camera.

The module on the bottom wasn't a new idea. We had done that with several other items.
An MP3 player, a flashlight, a laser pointer (to play with cats and little kids), etc.

Stan

Thank you very much for your feedback
The CommuniCam was the forerunner of smartphones, which did so much harm to the photographic industry! 🤓

Agfa ePHOTO 307 (1996)
310,000 pixels (640x480)
The First Consumer Digital Agfa
2mb Internal
With a more classic shape

Agfa ePHOTO 307 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Agfa ePHOTO 307 (1996) and the Compaq 5100 / 90 mhz (1995)

Agfa ePHOTO 307 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Here, the interface of AGFA Photo Vise, the software for downloading photos from the ePhoto 307 camera under Windows 95 Unable to import photos with another software.

The Agfa ePHOTO 307 had one of the worst compression algorithms of its time
Here is an 800% crop of the photo, to clearly see the groupings of pixels in groups of 64 (8x8)

Agfa ePHOTO 307 (1996) by Marc Aubry, sur Flickr

Agfa ePHOTO 307 (crop800%) by Marc Aubry, sur Flick

Hi,

The real beginning of the smartphone was the PDA phone. Ericsson had a project with Palm for one, then Palm tanked and we wound up trying to peddle it ourselves. I still have a couple prototypes of that around.

I don't recall that one having a camera though.

Stan