In 1981, Sony unveiled the Mavica, the first electronic still camera. It was an analog device that recorded TV-resolution images onto small magnetic disks. Resolution was a mere 0.28 megapixels. Canon later entered the market in 1988 with similar 'still video' cameras like the Xap Shot, also using 2-inch Video Floppy disks.
Sony's first true digital Mavicas, the FD5 and FD7, arrived in 1997. They were not the first digital cameras but became massively successful, capturing 40% of the market. Their key feature was using standard 3.5-inch floppy disks for storage, the cheapest digital medium at the time. Resolution was 0.3 megapixels (640x480), storing about 20 JPEGs per disk.
Using a later FD-73 model reveals a boxy but solid camera. The 10x zoom lens is sharp, but images take 4-5 seconds to save to the floppy. The 2.5-inch screen doubles as a viewfinder but is hard to see in bright sun. Transferring photos was simple—just pop the floppy into a computer.
The Mavica line transitioned from analog to digital, ending with the 2002 FD200 model featuring a 2-megapixel sensor. Over 1 million Mavicas were made, cementing their role as a foundational, if awkward, step in digital photography's history.