In 1975, a young engineer at Kodak, Steve Sasson, took the first picture on a handheld digital camera. This invention would change photography forever.
Early Years at Kodak
Steve Sasson joined Kodak in 1973 as a 23-year-old electrical engineer. While Kodak was known for its film and mechanical cameras, Sasson felt out of place. Trained in electronics, he was more interested in imagining a future where photography could be completely electronic. Inspired by Star Trek, Sasson envisioned storing and capturing images electronically, without requiring film.
Foundations of Digital Imaging
The building blocks for digital imaging already existed. Exposure meters used selenium cells to convert light into electricity, and NASA satellites used digital sensors for imaging. The invention of the charge-coupled device (CCD) at Bell Labs in 1969 allowed electrical charges to be stored and passed along circuits, creating the potential for digital imaging devices.
First Steps Toward a Film-less Camera
In 1974, Sasson was given the task to explore the CCD in Kodak’s Applied Research Laboratory. Fascinated by how light could affect electronics, he began experimenting. He sourced parts from unused equipment, including an optical assembly from a movie camera and an analog-to-digital converter from a digital voltmeter, assembling them without formal permission.
Building the Camera
Sasson constructed the first prototype using the CCD to capture images, stored on an audio cassette tape. The camera was bulky, weighing around 8 lb (3.6 kg), resembling an oversized toaster. Using a microprocessor, he converted the digital data into a television signal for playback. The first picture was captured in 1/20th of a second, but the cassette took 23 seconds to record the data. The image was low resolution, and faces were distorted, but the concept worked.
Demonstrating to Kodak
Sasson and colleague Jim Schueckler spent over a year refining the device. Once operational, Sasson demonstrated it to Kodak management. Executives were amazed by the potential but focused on the “why” rather than the “how.” The camera was entirely digital and ahead of its time, far before digital consumer products existed.
The Road to Consumer Digital Cameras
In 1978, Kodak was granted the first patent for a digital camera. Sasson continued working on digital technologies until his retirement in 2009. The development of the Bayer array by Bryce Bayer and other advances paved the way for consumer digital cameras. Kodak released its first consumer digital camera, the DC40, in 1995, 20 years after Sasson’s initial invention.
Legacy and Recognition
Sasson’s original prototype is now in the George Eastman Museum in Rochester. In 2009, he received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for his pioneering work. Today, his vision of film-less photography is realized in virtually every smartphone, capturing images impossible on traditional film.
Impact on Photography
The story of Steve Sasson demonstrates the importance of early innovation, even when established companies are hesitant. While Kodak struggled to capitalize on digital photography, Sasson’s invention laid the foundation for the digital imaging revolution. As he recalls a vacation in 1998 at Yellowstone, seeing people using digital cameras, he realized his early prototype had become mainstream—a dream realized decades later.
“Part of what happens with a lot of this stuff is it’s sort of like being too early to the party,” says Gustavson. “Because of their [Eastman Kodak’s] research labs and innovative nature, they tended to create things that, were ahead of the curve, not behind it.”
Sasson’s original camera now lives in the George Eastman Museum in Rochester. Its creator was given the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2009, the country’s highest award for scientists. The technology he helped bring into reality has developed far beyond the dreams of any Star Trek-loving electrical engineer – the phones we carry in our pockets are capable of taking images almost impossible to capture on photographic film, Gustavson points out.
As for the Sasson, the moment where he realised his invention was poised to go mainstream was on a holiday with his wife Cindy and children in 1998 at Yellowstone National Park. Sasson wasn’t married when he built the digital camera and rarely mentioned it outside of work. They were sitting in the stands near the Old Faithful geyser, waiting for the moment it would blow.
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“I saw people getting ready to take this picture. They got their cameras ready. And I saw they had film cameras, they had video cameras, they had digital cameras, I remember saying to Cindy, looking around at this, waiting, I said, ‘It’s happening.’ She said, ‘What?’ I explained to her how I built this first prototype camera many, many years ago, and that how I had to explain how this might evolve, and what my dream was.
“Now I’m on vacation in Yellowstone in my real life, you know, with my wife and my kids. And it just hits you – this is what I was thinking about. And I’m still alive. I could see it.”
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By The Morning News Informer — Updated Dec 8, 2025
