The first real consumer digital camera with its own viewscreen came from Casio in 1995. In 1996, Kodak introduced the DC-25, with CompactFlash storage.
Before that, cameras based on television camera technology but took still pictures were the only non-film cameras available. They cost $20,000, had poorer quality than film, and no easy way to print acquired images. The first true digital cameras, which stored images in computer files, arrived in North America in the early 1990s. However, high prices and low resolution kept them out of the hands of most photographers.
The market really took off when 2 MP cameras slipped under $US100 in 2002. Now most vendors only make digital cameras, leaving film units as an endangered species. With resolutions over 10 MP, and inexpensive printers readily available, digital cameras have taken over. IDC expects global shipments of digital cameras to hit 111 million units in 2008.
