Apple QuickTake
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Image:Quicktake 200 front.jpg Image:Quicktake 200 back.jpg
The Apple QuickTake (codenamed Venus, Mars, Neptune) was one of the first consumer digital cameras. It was launched in 1994 by Apple Computer. Three models of the product were built including the 100 and 150, both built by Kodak; and the 200, built by Fujifilm. The QuickTake cameras had a display resolution of 640 x 480 pixels maximum. The QuickTake was discontinued in 1997. The 100 and 200 models are only directly compatible with the Apple Macintosh, while the 150 model is compatible with both the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows. Because the QuickTake 200 is almost identical to the Fuji DS-7, Fuji's software for that camera can be used to gain Windows compatibility for the QuickTake 200.
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History
In 1992 Apple Computer started developing the QuickTake, codenamed Venus. At the time over $12 billion was spent annually in the United States on photography. The QuickTake 100 was released in 1994 as an "easy-to-use" digital camera that connected to any Macintosh using an Apple serial cable. Apple released a connection kit for Microsoft Windows with the QuickTake 150 in 1995. The last QuickTake model was the 200, released in 1996.
The QuickTake did not sell very well, as other companies such as Kodak, Fujifilm, Canon, and Nikon entered the digital market with brands consumers associated with photography. It was discontinued in 1997 shortly after Steve Jobs came back to Apple, and was attempting to solve Apple's financial problems. The Apple QuickTake camera has since become highly sought after, and is popular amongst Apple product collectors on eBay.
Specifications
| 100 | 150 | 200 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image | 24-bit | 24-bit | 24-bit |
| Resolution | 640x480 pixels | 640x480 pixels | 640x480 pixels |
| Image Format | TIFF, BMP, PCX, JPEG, QuickTake | PICT QuickTake | TIFF, BMP, PCX, JPEG, QuickTake |
| Lens | 8mm | 8mm | 8mm |
| Memory | 1MB Flash EPROM | 1MB Flash EPROM | 2-4MB 5v media card |
| Shutter Speed | 1/30 to 1/175 of a second | 1/30 to 1/175 of a second | 1/4 to 1/5000 of a second |
| Connection | RS-232C | RS-422, RS-232C | RS-232c serial, NTSC Video I/O |
| Introduced | 16 February 1994 | May 1995 | 17 February 1997 |
| Discontinued | ? | ? | 1997 |
| Introductory Price | $749 US | $700 US | $600 US |
Using QuickTake
The QuickTake 200 can be used with card-readers that can read 5v media cards. For users with an Apple Macintosh running System 7 with a serial port, the QuickTake 200 can be plugged directly into the computer using the Apple QuickTake camera software. The QuickTake 100 and 150 store images internally, not on cards, so they must be used with an Apple serial cable and the QuickTake driver software. The QuickTake cameras cannot be directly connected to a Macintosh running Mac OS X because QuickTake cameras use a unique codec for compression and decompression.