It's official, vintage digital compacts are trending (Petapixel)

[Pál_K]

I seem to have accumulated a few of the things myself.

Top row, L to R: Superheadz Sun & Cloud, Rollerblad 4, Superheadz Digital Harinezumi 2++
Bottom: Nikon Coolpix S01, Superheadz Necono, Casio Exilim EX-S500
…

I really wanted the Necono (cat shaped camera), but by the time I discovered them they were no longer available.

Sometime around 2006 or 2007 I found a 1MP camera in a dumpster at work. After taping the broken battery door shut I used that camera just for fun while walking around the workplace campus and at various places inside. I enjoyed it, but I already had an 8MP Konica Minolta DiMAGE X1 (still have it, just got a new battery for it), so - inexplicably- I put the 1MP camera back in its box and left it on a shelf with a sticky note saying “works” with the thought someone else might take it and use it. Odd, since I actually enjoyed using it and enjoyed the photos it made. I’ve looked on eBay for them - might get one still.

 

[x-ray]

Not sure I’d call my G10 Canon a pocket camera but it’s still a good camera and small enough to carry in a small belt pouch. I shoot raw files and process in Lightroom and the images are quite good. The lens is plenty sharp and at 14mp you can make decent size prints.

The biggest downside to these older cameras is high ISO noise and dynamic range although dynamic range wasn’t too bad in some of the old cameras.

(edit) Ichecked the specs and the G10 sold for roughly $450 and has a 17.7mp ccd.

 

[jsrockit]

I think the G10 is pretty cool and it is one of the higher MP ccd sensor cameras.

 

[David Hughes]

I really wanted the Necono (cat shaped camera), but by the time I discovered them they were no longer available.

Sometime around 2006 or 2007 I found a 1MP camera in a dumpster at work. After taping the broken battery door shut I used that camera just for fun while walking around the workplace campus and at various places inside. I enjoyed it, but I already had an 8MP Konica Minolta DiMAGE X1 (still have it, just got a new battery for it), so - inexplicably- I put the 1MP camera back in its box and left it on a shelf with a sticky note saying “works” with the thought someone else might take it and use it. Odd, since I actually enjoyed using it and enjoyed the photos it made. I’ve looked on eBay for them - might get one still.

A lot of the 1, 2 and 3 MP cameras amazed me by having decent to excellent lenses on them and viewfinders. Looking at the size of the ccd's I wonder if the they were so nice because the thing wasn't stuffed solid to collect lots more pixels. And also the photographers rather than he software engineers were having a big say in the design.

Another good point was that a good few of them ran on AA batteries and they didn't have so much work to do and could rest and recover between shots. Also the price of cards then meant it was treated like slide film...

Regards, David

 

[jsrockit]

I am not remembering the quality of these cameras (0-5mp) being special like others here. I owned a bunch of them from Sony to canon and even Agfa and Nikon to Leica even. They were fun and small (some extremely so) but IQ was not special.

 

[Dogman]

I used a Canon G10 extensively for a couple of years. Loved the size and image quality. It was one of the few point and shoots with a viewfinder.

From Acoma Pueblo, 2009:




It was one of the few cameras I owned that didn't take filters. So, of course, the first thing I did was get a big nasty scratch on the lens. Still took great photos. I gave it to my step-son who lost his own Canon pocket camera when he moved from Texas to Oregon. I doubt he still uses it. He's more of an iPhone photographer.

 

[gzisis69]

From this camera category my favorite is the fuji x10. Small good colors viewfinder and most important one can use it as a 50mm lens camera if he wants to.

 

[ptpdprinter]

From this camera category my favorite is the fuji x10. Small good colors viewfinder and most important one can use it as a 50mm lens camera if he wants to.

I don't think the Fuji X10 (12MP), or the Canon G10 (14.7MP) in the previous post, are the vintage digital compact cameras (0-4MP) the article was referring to.

 

[jsrockit]

From this camera category my favorite is the fuji x10. Small good colors viewfinder and most important one can use it as a 50mm lens camera if he wants to.

It isn't really in this category though is it? I mean, it is a 12mp CMOS. At least the G10 was CCD.

 

[Dralowid]

I don't think the Fuji X10 (12MP), or the Canon G10 (14.7MP) in the previous post, are the vintage digital compact cameras (0-4MP) the article was referring to.

Quite so, these are sophisticated devices. The article is about cameras we would normally dismiss as being 'diginasties'.

 

[Dogman]

Every single generation of digital camera was a technological wonder until 10-12 years ago when they became the norm.

 

[Tim Murphy]

Dear Board,

I still use an Olympus C-5050 5MP camera occasionally. The lens is sharp, and bright at f1.8. The write speed is slow, but it works great on ISO 64 or 100 for landscape and scenic pictures.

The downside is with a 2G CF card in it, I need to carry a lot of AA batteries. Even with Ni-Cads or Lithium batteries it's a battery killer.

The same can be said about the Olympus C-8080 with its 8MP output. The lens is great though not as fast. It is also a battery hog. But with $ 20.00 tied up in both cameras they are fun to use and hard to part with.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA 🙂

 

[David Hughes]

Just curious; how many C-5050 photos can you put on a 2G (?GM?) CF card?

Regards, David

 

[dct]

Not digital - but I'm waiting for APS to make a comeback (kidding).
Still have my Canon ELPH. Loved the mini form-factor and tank-like feel of the camera, but I never did get a good image out of that thing. 🙁

I own the whole Minolta Vectis S system and lenses, with several S-1 bodies and accessories. (To complete the collection I added also the weird RD-3000 digital body, using the same V-lens mount)
It was for many years my main camera system, before I began to explore the RF world. The images out of 100 ISO type 240 film where flawless for a SLR of that time.
Curious if someone finds a solution to revive the 240 film cassettes, without investing in a whole factory.

 

[Tim Murphy]

Just curious; how many C-5050 photos can you put on a 2G (?GM?) CF card?

Regards, David

Dear David,

Well over 1000 photos. IIRC with a freshly formatted card the camera lists over 1200 available shots. That's about 5 sets of AA batteries worth of pictures.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA 🙂

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

I think a big part of the new-found love for digital compacts is simple economics. The camera companies don't seem to be too interested in selling new cameras for less than $1,000, so a young person who wants to shoot with something besides their phone might find an inexpensive old digital compact appealing. Many people wouldn't be comfortable dropping a grand or more on what would be, essentially, a toy, but would be willing to explore a new hobby by buying a camera for less than $100.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I've had a 'thing' for Canon SD1000's for a good long while. Got my first one years ago with some bonus points from work.

I let my granddaughters try taking pictures with them when they visit but they're still a little too young to be gifted them yet.
I've followed the prices of these on the Goodwill auction site and they've gone up a lot in recent weeks.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

To be vintage it should be at least 20 years old. But for typical forums gearheads camera becomes vintage after Mark next is released. 🙂

I'm not a fan of PP, but I give them credit for early 2000's as vintage definition.

In 2007 we retired family EOS300, because film was not meeting our demand of growing family and active living style.
I went to the Source and for 200something CAD got advanced SLR shaped FujiFilm FinePix couple or so years old digital P&S.
It was first camera to practice AV, TV, M modes and long exposures on tripod. My wife took kids close up portraits and prints are with quality meeting today's standards.

Earlier 2000's is time for good quality CCD sensors to showing up. And CCD sensors have steady and numerous fans.

 

[jsrockit]

This was one I remember fondly...

 

[Capt. E]

I thought my Canon S100 was a great travel camera on my trip to Britain 10 years ago and the trip to Colorado 5 years later. I still use it.