The first digital camera was produced for consumer use in 1994 – the Apple QuickTake 100 Camera. Shortly thereafter Kodak released the Kodak DC40 camera. However, the technology that made digital cameras possible has been around for a lot longer. Digital camera technology is related to the same technology that recorded television images in the 1950s. Digital imaging was also used by spy satellites in the 1960s.

Texas Instruments patented a film-less camera in 1972 and in the 1980s Sony released the Sony Mavica electronic still camera. This camera recorded images onto a mini disc that could them be put into a video reader connected to a television monitor or a color printer. The Mavica, however, was considered a video camera that took still video frames and not a true digital camera.

Kodak engineer Steve Sasson, built a digital camera in 1975 which relied on cassette tape to record the images. You could playback the images on a television with a custom machine.