[moffkalast]

This photo looks so odd: https://nmb.bm/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IMG_011057-1536x13...

Were cameras at the time really that good already? Or was it likely restored with some creative license?

[pixelesque]

Yes, as long as you were happy to wait 30s for an exposure (on tripod), by 1850 (most of those photos were > 15 years later than that) there were many photos of good quality.

Look at photos of Crystal Palace in 1851 for example.