Kodak began developing
CCD-based digital cameras in 1972, when Dr. Roger Van Heyningen, the Director of the Physics Division at Kodak Research Labs established a laboratory to develop CCD image sensors. In 1974,
Peter Dillon and his colleagues invented single-chip color image sensors and developed a single-sensor color video camera. In December 1975, Steve Sasson and his colleagues at the Kodak Apparatus Division built a toaster-sized experimental model of a digital camera using a 100 x 100 pixel Fairchild CCD image sensor that recorded digital image data to a cassette tape. The Dycam Model 1 was launched in 1991, capturing greyscale images into internal memory; CNN noted the Dycam's possibilities in a 1992 segment, touting its advantages over conventional film-based cameras. In 1992,
Apple Computer started marketing plans for a digital camera codenamed
Venus. At the time, over $12 billion was spent annually in the United States on
photography. Apple sought a company to design and manufacture its QuickTake digital camera line. During this time, Apple entered into a set of non-disclosure agreements with Kodak to share its proprietary digital camera architecture and cooperate in its further development; Kodak contributed the CCD sensor to the final design. Later,
Chinon was added as the manufacturing/assembly partner, also responsible for the design of the optics and basic electronics. By October 1993, rumors of
Venus and its capabilities had publicly tied Kodak, Apple, and Chinon together; the cost was anticipated to be relatively low compared to existing digital cameras.
QuickTake 100 The QuickTake 100 was first shown at Tokyo
MacWorld on February 17, 1994, and released for sale on June 20 of that year. The initial list price was . It was one of the first digital cameras marketed to consumers, emphasizing ease of use. and early reviews were enthusiastic about the industrial design and ease of use. Two separate models (for
Macintosh or Windows) were sold; the bundled software and
serial cable were specific to the host computer's operating system, but the camera hardware itself was identical. The CCD sensor was manufactured by Kodak and was also used in the Kodak DC 40 camera. It was a full frame image sensor with 9 micron square pixels and Bayer pattern color filter. The camera had a built-in flash, but no focus or zoom controls, as the fixed-
focal length lens had an equivalent
angle of view as a
standard 50mm lens for a
35mm film camera; the fixed-focus lens captured a range from to infinity; The flash has a maximum range of .
Quicktake 100 Plus Apple offered a factory upgrade to the QuickTake 100 changing the name to the QuickTake 100 Plus, which included all the functionality of the QuickTake 150.
QuickTake 150 Apple improved the file compression technology and released the QuickTake 150 in April 1995, replacing the 100. The 150 uses the same hardware as the 100, and the improved compression enabled the QuickTake 150 to capture 16 best-quality or 32 standard-quality images, with either quality level now stored at the full resolution of 640×480 in the 1MB of built-in storage. At the same time, Kodak introduced its
DC40, which used a similar design and hardware as the QuickTake 150, but captured images at an increased resolution to a larger internal storage. and a separate close-up lens that changed the focus range to and diffused the flash appropriately. Compared to the prior Kodak/Chinon-based models, the most noticeable change for the QuickTake 200 was a color LCD screen on the rear panel, which enabled the preview of stored photographs. The screen updated with a refresh rate of 30 Hz. In addition, the 200 added focus and aperture controls; apertures were now user-selectable, and although the lens was still a fixed-focus lens, three separate focus modes could be selected: close-up, ; portrait, ; and standard, to infinity. other companies such as
Kodak,
Fujifilm,
Canon, and
Nikon shortly thereafter entered the digital market with brands that consumers associated with photography. The QuickTake line was discontinued in 1997 shortly after
Steve Jobs came back to Apple. In an attempt to streamline Apple's operations, Jobs discontinued many non-computer products, including the
Newton line of products, the
LaserWriter printer line, and the QuickTake cameras. The Apple QuickTake camera has since become a collector's item for Apple enthusiasts. Apple later reused the QuickTake name in iPhones released since 2018 as a feature in its camera app, allowing videos to be recorded without switching out of still camera mode. == Specifications ==