The origins of the 35 mm camera lie in the
increasing availability of motion picture film stock
during the early years of the 20th century. The 35 mm
format was first used in Edison’s Kinetoscope, a
moving picture viewing device patented in 1891, and
was later adopted as the standard film gauge by
cinema-makers after 1896. ---- However, as the
quality of the film improved, the potential virtues of
small size and convenience of handling began to
appeal to still camera designers.