Is the X100 style the future?

[35mmdelux]

Were shoelaces considered retro when velcro straps on shoes were popular. Alternatively would it be retro if I bought and used shoes with velcro straps?

didn't velcro go out with the polyester suits? velcro gives retro a bad name...

 

[rxmd]

I'm curious, what exactly makes the x100 retro? [...] I get that it looks like an old 60s film rangefinder...

There you have your answer.

...but so do the leica M's, and they never stopped making them. Same with the r-d1. So if the leica M has always been around, how has it 'come back'?

It's no less retro because some niche manufacturers have never stopped making cameras that look like that. As soon as the look is picked up again by mass manufacturers because of its (perceived or deserved) association with value and with things that were better in the past, it becomes retro design.

Car analogy - if Daimler were now to make tailfin cars to address the "they don't make them like they used to" crowd, that would be retro design, no matter if there was a niche manufacturer in Mexico or Iran or Guinea-Bissau who never stopped making them, and no matter whether tailfins are purely aesthetic or whether their aesthetic also serves a function.

I think you should get away from the idea that retro is bad. You seem to have all sort of weird connotations with the term, as if "retro" design was somehow less worthwhile than "classic" design. I know nobody who seriously thinks that way. Some retro-designed products are certainly shallow, but this is because they're shallow products, not because of their retro design.

 

[Spyro]

this camera is a happy accident.
in most peoples' mind it's retro, which is what the designer wanted.
meanwhile those of us who feel it's simply sensible design, get a rare opportunity.
happy accident, enjoy.

 

[jsrockit]

I'm curious, what exactly makes the x100 retro?

 

[gavinlg]

That then makes the leica M8/M9, the Epson R-d1, the voigtlander R2/3/4X, the Zeiss ikon, the Bessa III/GF670 and the leica X1 all retro too.

So every time there's a thread on one of those cameras we have to make sure to use the word 'retro' to describe it as much as possible. I might tag my flickr and tumblr photos taken with the x100 as 'retro' too, just to make sure!

 

[jsrockit]

That then makes the leica M8/M9, the Epson R-d1, the voigtlander R2/3/4X, the Zeiss ikon, the Bessa III/GF670 and the leica X1 all retro too.

Exactly... except the Leica M8/M9 because the M never went away.

Also, why are you so offended by the word retro?

 

[gavinlg]

Exactly... except the Leica M8/M9 because the M never went away.

Also, why are you so offended by the word retro?

It implies a meaningless throwback - a fad, a trend, an ironic nostalgic toy. It may not mean this specifically, but this is how the vast majority take it.

I want this sort of design to stick around - sick of bad handling digitals.

 

[jsrockit]

Fair enough... that is close to the definition. However, in this case, I think retro controls and ergonomics is a badge of honor. Like you, I want these designs to keep coming. I'm all for camera design to "regress." I guess I can understand the word retro being a dirty word, but I tend to fall for nostalgia and don't feel I have to apologize for it.

 

[Snacks]

Wow, my drunken thread made it to two pages! Ok, here's my take:
I consider the X100 to be 'retro' because it has several of the features that were far more common in classic rangefinders (manual dials, chrome and leather finish) that are absent the vast majority of cameras today. Having said that, Fuji benefits from the association of leather and chrome with Leica quality.

Anyway... I think the style of the X100 is a work of genius. It's the perfect way of differentiating it from other mirrorless cameras, and let's not forget that viewfinder. Still, it probably made them enough money to justify the project and to advertise the new interchangeable lens version, and that will be the end of it. Honestly, I hope it isn't. Perhaps the feedback that Fuji gets will convince them and others to keep the classic aesthetics and give the world more beautiful cameras.

 

[dct]

Were shoelaces considered retro when velcro straps on shoes were popular. Alternatively would it be retro if I bought and used shoes with velcro straps?

No. It would be noisy!

 

[rxmd]

It implies a meaningless throwback - a fad, a trend, an ironic nostalgic toy. It may not mean this specifically, but this is how the vast majority take it.

This is how you take it. I don't think you're in the majority here.