Book excerpt: Illustrated with over 500 color photographs of vintage cameras and many images captured with them, here is a comprehensive book for collectors. It tells the story of photography from the camera obscura to digital imaging, with all the major cameras in-between. Early inventors and photographers are highlighted in a discussion of the evolution of cameras Camera groupings are based on format and function. Collectors will learn how to examine, care for, and test a camera, and will find the current price ranges of classic cameras invaluable. The glossary is a primer for the beginning collector and a refresher for the professional.