The use of the first digital camera can technically be traced back to 1951. In this year, the first video tape recorder captured live images by converting the information into electrical impulses and saving the information onto magnetic tape. By 1956, this technology was perfected and in common use with the television industry. In the 1970's, Kodak pioneered several solid-state image sensors that converted light to digital pictures for professional use. In 1991, the company releases the first professional digital camera that was marketed to photojournalists (About.com, 2011).

The first digital camera was created and used in 1975 by Steve Sasson, an engineer at Kodak. The camera took 23 seconds to scan an image onto a casset. This data was then transmitted to a television for viewing.