Digital photography – data takes pictures

Steven Sasson built the first digital camera back in 1975. The Kodak prototype stored up to 30 images in digital-electronic form instead of on analogue film. Images were reproduced on a television and had a resolution of 100 × 100 pixels.

The Sony Mavica, a 1987 video camera that produced analogue-electronic still images that could be viewed on a monitor, is the oldest model in the exhibition.

The first digital cameras that could produce reasonably high-quality photos entered the market in the 1990s. The exhibition showcases the rapid development of digital cameras by featuring 15 models that range from a simple digicam to a high-quality reflex camera. The exhibition also includes related storage devices. And, of course, it presents the first iPhone, which revolutionised the market for photography equipment.

Visitors can use an on-screen application to view the image quality the cameras were able to produce. It only takes a touch of a finger to see just how pixelated and “colourful” reality was depicted just 25 years ago.

But even today, not every camera and not every smartphone produces perfect photos. Visitors who would like to test the quality of their own devices can do this using a testing card.

Visitors can use their cameras at a special attraction: A representation of a two-metre tall, seemingly three-dimensional dinosaur invites visitors to take unusual selfies.