The first camera, in the sense of a device that could capture images, was developed by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, a French inventor. In 1826 or 1827, he created the first permanent photograph using a process called heliography (or sun drawing). The image, called View from the Window at Le Gras, was captured on a pewter plate coated with bitumen, and it took an incredibly long exposure time of around eight hours.
Niépce worked with Louis Daguerre, who would later improve upon his methods, leading to the creation of the daguerreotype process in 1839, which became the first widely used method of photography. So, while Niépce made the first photographic image, it was Daguerre who made the technology more practical and accessible for the public.
If you're curious about the progression of camera tech, it's a fascinating journey from those early experiments to today's digital cameras!
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/who-made-the-first-camera/m-p/15161192