what is camera

A camera is an optical instrument used to capture and store images and videos, either digitally via an electronic image sensor, or chemically via a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. Cameras have played a significant role in the progression of visual arts, media, entertainment, surveillance, and scientific research. The earliest camera was the camera obscura, which was adapted to making a permanent image by Joseph Nicéphore Niepce and Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre of France in the 1820s and 1830s. Although there are many types of cameras, all include five indispensable components: the camera box, film, the light control, the lens, and the viewing system. The camera body is essentially the light-tight box that allows light to be captured on film, paper, or a digital sensor. The camera has come a long way from its humble beginnings, but it is still just a box that controls the amount of light that reaches a piece of film (or sensor) . The rapid development of smartphone camera technology in the 21st century has blurred the lines between dedicated cameras and multifunctional devices, profoundly influencing how society creates, shares, and consumes visual content.