10 Things You Never Knew About The Evolution of Cameras

4. The Advent of Roll Film: A New Era

The introduction of roll film by George Eastman in the late 19th century marked a pivotal moment in camera evolution. Roll film was flexible, lightweight, and easy to handle, unlike the fragile glass plates used previously. Eastman's Kodak camera, which used roll film, was marketed with the slogan "You press the button, we do the rest," making photography accessible to amateurs. This innovation simplified the photographic process and spurred the development of smaller, more portable cameras. It laid the foundation for mass-producing cameras and popularized photography as a hobby.