Digital cult cameras?

grandallj said:
It seems to me that the OM-D EM-5 is building a cult. It remains to be seen whether the cult will maintain its attention span.
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Funny, but true. I can't imagine that anything built from now on will ever be able to remain in the consciousness of more than a handful of people. Too many people coming to photography now are too used to model-swapping on a monthly basis! :p
 
For me, a cult classic is something that is under-appreciated by the 'masses' but has a strong following by a significant (and usually growing) minority. I'm not so sure about the RD-1 – I can't help but think that the faux retro styling (the analogue gauges in particular) is almost demanding that it be considered a classic when it is arguably just the lowest cost route into digital RF photography (I suspect most RD-1 users, given the choice, prefer the M8 or M9 for taking photographs). The 5D is a good candidate but it was massively successful in it's day so I think it fails the 'under-appreciated' test. Off the top of my head, the only digital camera that fits my criteria is the Mamiya ZD. This camera – which received very lukewarm reviews when it appeared and then disappeared off the radar almost completely – was/is very highly regarded by those who were willing to use it to its strengths. Maybe the Contax N digital also makes the grade as a cult classic?
 
"Cult"-Cameras, digital or film, always have a particular position in camera history AND a special relation to their owners.

IMHO, those cams are likely to become cult-digicams:

- Canon EOS 5D (first affordable "fullframe" DSLR)
- Leica M9 (first "real" digital M)
- Leica Digilux 2 (legendary lens)
- Fuji X100 (took the digital RF idea onto a new level)
- Ricoh GRD series & Sigma DP1 (very "special" cameras, restricted versatility, but exactly that creates the "cult")


As for the Yashica EZ F521. I would love to see it becoming a cult cam, because I have one. ;)
 
To me the first ones that spring to mind are the Ricoh GR-D series, the Panasonic LX series (and their red dot counterparts)

I'm sure the Fuji X series fit as well, sadly I've yet to try one
 
Jamie Pillers said:
Gary, thanks.

Your mention of the Sony R1 led me to go to dpreview to look at the specs of that camera. While there, I was reminded of the cultishness measure dpreview provides. Its the "User Reviews" average score. If there are a lot of user reviews (129 for the R1 is a lot, by dpreview standards), and if the average score is above 4.5 out of 5 (4.69 for the R1), and if the user reviews continue to pour in years after the camera has been discontinued, then I think the camera deserves to be called a 'cult favorite'. :)
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Not only this but 10.3Mpx, 5x Zeiss zoom lens and APS-C size sensor which goes up to 3200 iso in 2003 were not exactly easy or cheap to get and this was a 999US$ (sic) camera. In fact I just noticed that it still sells for 450US$ on Amazon...

GLF
 
gavinlg said:
Don't forget the 5d was out at about two years before the d700, was the first affordable full frame body, and noise performance was only a stop worse.

The 5d is also known for color - wedding photographers often refer to it as the classic wedding camera for it's colors/tones.
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ian_watts said:
For me, a cult classic is something that is under-appreciated by the 'masses' but has a strong following by a significant (and usually growing) minority. I'm not so sure about the RD-1 – I can't help but think that the faux retro styling (the analogue gauges in particular) is almost demanding that it be considered a classic when it is arguably just the lowest cost route into digital RF photography (I suspect most RD-1 users, given the choice, prefer the M8 or M9 for taking photographs). The 5D is a good candidate but it was massively successful in it's day so I think it fails the 'under-appreciated' test. Off the top of my head, the only digital camera that fits my criteria is the Mamiya ZD. This camera – which received very lukewarm reviews when it appeared and then disappeared off the radar almost completely – was/is very highly regarded by those who were willing to use it to its strengths. Maybe the Contax N digital also makes the grade as a cult classic?
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With regards to that, I'd opt for the Fujifilm S3 Pro and S5 Pro. Future Cult camera's, I'd say.
 
The Digilux 2 thread on the Leica forum maintains its activity and has more 10 or 20 times more views than any other thread on that forum . . .
 
Jamie Pillers said:
Gary, thanks.

Your mention of the Sony R1 led me to go to dpreview to look at the specs of that camera. While there, I was reminded of the cultishness measure dpreview provides. Its the "User Reviews" average score. If there are a lot of user reviews (129 for the R1 is a lot, by dpreview standards), and if the average score is above 4.5 out of 5 (4.69 for the R1), and if the user reviews continue to pour in years after the camera has been discontinued, then I think the camera deserves to be called a 'cult favorite'. :)
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Interesting. I still have it.. Probably the oldest digital camera I still use. I love the way the LCD can be inverted so that it sits on top of the camera and u can look straight down much like tlr :).

Gary
 
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The RD1 b/c of all the analog controls, and not just the knobs, but the metered dials which show how empty/full your battery is, as well as white balance, format you are using (RAW vs JPEG vs both), AND will tell you how many shots you have left based on your memory used, AND the format you are using.
This is by and far the pick of the bunch for me. This is totally unique. "Faux retro styling"? you are out of your gourd.
I would second it with a Digilux 2.
 
Jamie Pillers said:
Cameras like the Mavica will certainly be necessary for any complete museum collection. But I wonder if cameras like these will be 'cult favorites'? A camera like the Mavica isn't a camera that will be demanded by large numbers of people due to its ongoing popularity, I think.
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Not unless you have a proprietary battery supply and many 3.5 floppy disks. But like you say it was one of the first. Also, are any digital cameras going to be in demand? They are all junk after a couple of years.

Well, maybe some of those Canon Mark XX model X will be: especially with camera collecting weight lifters.
 
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