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03-09-2019, 01:44 PM - 4 Likes   #1
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The "Vintage Digital Camera" thread (celebrating old, obsolete digital cameras!)

Welcome to the "Vintage Digital Camera" thread, celebrating old, obsolete cameras that are still in use, and the people that use them

In countless threads, almost daily (it seems), folks discuss what the next Pentax camera might or should be, what features and specs it must have, how the AF needs to be better, or the continuous shooting buffer larger, how Nikon / Canon / Sony / Panasonic / Fujifilm are ahead of the game in this, that or another area... how, if Pentax doesn't catch up and/or release a new model soon, they'll jump to another brand etc.

It seems like, for some folks, what they have is never going to be enough, that there's always something they need or want that their current equipment doesn't deliver, that the grass is always ever-so-slightly greener on the other side or with the next potential or yet-to-be-released model. It seems like the latest equipment has become more important than the process, challenges and fun of photography itself. I've even been guilty of thinking this way myself, in the past... but not any more.

I don't know about you, but whilst I find a few of these discussions interesting, I get tired of them too. If you'd like a break from all that, this thread might be for you.

There'll be no discussions of K-3II or K-1II replacements here. No talk of a future mirrorless camera. No analysing of Ricoh Imaging's financial performance. No debating the future of the digital photography industry. No doom and gloom. No, this thread is about the old digital cameras we love (or hate) and hopefully still use. Why we like them or loathe them. Whether they're our main photographic tools, or merely a pleasant and nostalgic addition to our more modern gear. The lenses we use with them. How we use them. And, perhaps, why we miss those that we sold, and wish we hadn't. Maybe some photos that demonstrate just how relevant these older cameras still can be to our wonderful hobby.

Since this is PentaxForums, I expect the majority of interest and contribution to be Pentax and Ricoh related, but other brands are just as welcome too! There will be no brand snobbery here. Any kind of camera is OK - DSLR, mirrorless, fixed lens, compact.

BUT... (there's always a but, right?)... your camera(s) must be at least TEN years old at the time of posting, using the year of release (rather than the exact date) as a reference. Since this thread is starting in 2019, initial posts must therefore be for cameras first released no later than 2009 (so, for instance, the K-x from 2009 would be valid, but not the K-r from 2010). If the thread is a success and remains active into 2020, then cameras released in 2010 and earlier will be allowed (the K-r would now be OK)... and in 2021, cameras from 2011 and before, and so on.

So, over to you good folks. Please get involved and enjoy a gear discussion with not a hint of angst regarding the latest equipment and industry woes. Tell us what "vintage" digital cameras you own and shoot, maybe a bit about their specs, capabilities and limitations, what you like and dislike and why, what lenses you pair them with, what sort of photography you use them for etc. Or maybe you just want to be nostalgic and tell us about old cameras you've owned and loved, but no longer have and wish you did? And whilst this isn't intended to be a "post your photos" thread, by all means show us the occasional example of what you've done with them, especially if it illustrates what you like.

I'll post here about my own "vintage" digital gear in the coming days

Let's begin...


Last edited by BigMackCam; 03-09-2019 at 02:37 PM.
03-09-2019, 06:22 PM - 2 Likes   #2
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I have a Konica-Minolta Dynax 7D in excellent condition, which has had the "first frame black" issue corrected at some point in its lifetime. That makes it worth much more than the $100 I paid for it, IMO. I still shoot with it from time to time for the user interface and the satisfying, heavy ka-chunk the mirror/shutter actuation provides.

I also maintain a Minolta DiMage 7. The original from 2001. Way ahead of its time, it takes fantastic images if the autofocus hits. Better to use manual focus with it. The colors are wonderful and the flare characteristics of the lens are fantastic. You get maybe 30 minutes or less of usage with the 4 AA batteries lol.

Edit: I should add that these are 5 megapixel cameras, and the images are more than large enough. Megapixels are overrated.

Last edited by Turbotak; 03-09-2019 at 06:52 PM.
03-09-2019, 06:28 PM - 1 Like   #3
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Great idea for a thread! I've got two that qualify as old but in use:

A Pentax K-10D (acquired 2007) was my first digital ILC and first Pentax. At the time I wanted an ILC, a friend showed me his K10D, the sales people at the local camera store showed me a bunch of more-expensive, larger, but inferior cameras so the rest is history! My K-10D now sees use as a dedicated M42 lens camera -- it seems fitting to use old lenses on an old body.

PROs:
* very nice 10 Mpix images
* excellent ergonomics and controls that were only available on much larger and more costly cameras
* Pentax awesome TAv mode and green button
* built-in image stabilizer (which was not available on supposedly better Canikons)
* solid weather-sealed body that took a licking and kept on clicking
CONs:
* noisy high-ISO images


A Konica-Minolta Dimage A2 (acquired 2004) sits a few feet away from me on a little tripod. It's always ready for any morning in which the pre-dawn sky does something interesting. And it can do nice documentary time-lapse series. It was my second digital camera (the 1st being a 2001 Minolta DiMAGE 7 that had a fateful encounter with a bottle of water in a rental car in Iceland). The Dimage series were "pro-sumer" bridge cameras with the A2 having an 8 MPix sensor.

PROs:
* compact 7X zoom bridge camera body (639 grams) ideal for travel
* extremely sharp 28-200 equivalent lens (7-50mm f/2.8-3.5 in reality) with a macro setting
* excellent controls: 2 e-dials and a 3rd function wheel not unlike the K-1's
* pro features: spot meter, RAW & RAW+, time lapse, top LCD
* built-in image stabilizer
* automatic sensor to switch between the EVF and backpanel LCD
* full-sized CF slot for a 4 GB microdrive
CONs:
* noisy images even at modest ISO
* AF was not especially fast
* not an ILC
* no OVF

As a side benefit, the batteries used by the Dimage A2 could be used in the K10D when I upgraded to Pentax.
03-09-2019, 06:35 PM - 1 Like   #4
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First digital camera was an Olympus Camedia C-1400L, expensive and it seemed so slow! Nice photos but finding a suitable memory card and reader was difficult back then. It was so good that I just used it for work and kept on using my Ricoh Mirai for everything else for a while.


Last edited by limestonecowboy; 03-10-2019 at 08:09 AM. Reason: incorrect info
03-09-2019, 07:01 PM - 1 Like   #5
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My first digital camera was the Sony Cybershot DSC-F707 (I think) with the tiny body (and sensor!) and the huge swivelling Zeiss zoom out the front. Resolution did not bear close inspection and the shutter delay made shooting action nearly impossible, but I took some memorable shots with it.

I'll dig up some images when I get to my desktop computer.

I went straight from that to the K10D. What a revelation that was! There really was something special about that CCD sensor.
03-09-2019, 09:59 PM - 2 Likes   #6
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My first digital SLR was my Pentax *ist DL2. I still own it and I still love the photos that I get from it. In fact, with today's software it is actually still quite a viable camera if you keep your prints to about 8x10. I'm pretty sure it qualifies for this thread.

A problem I have with it is that it doesn't get used enough anymore so when I do get around to installing batteries it takes a few start ups and shutdowns until the camera realizes that there are fully charged batteries on-board. Not sure why this happens but I have learned to be patient with it.

The other problem (though I don't really consider it one) is that the auto focus drive no longer works. So I had Katzeye install one of their split image focus screens and now I use it fully manual. Kind of like an electronic K1000 if you will.

I'll dig around and find some images from it. I am still gobsmacked by those wonderful Pentax colors whenever I use it. Absolutely lovely photographs.
03-09-2019, 10:16 PM - 1 Like   #7
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Aside from several forgettable compacts my first digital camera was an Olympus E20-N, which was at the time a very nice camera. 5Mp CCD sensor, 9-35/2 fixed zoom lens (35-140) and NTSC or PAL video. I had been trading Pentax K film cameras on eBay and I wanted a better camera for product shots. I stumbled acrosss Pentax’ Forums and sold it to buy the K10D that got all this started. It still works just fine but it is best on a tripod for landscapes with long exposures.

03-10-2019, 02:10 AM - 1 Like   #8
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My 1st ever digital camera was the Epson PhotoPC 550 compact from 1997 with a whopping 1/3 megapixel sensor. Actually was a decent performer for it's time and was good in low light.

A couple years later I got an Olympus Camedia C211 2 megapixel camera on clearance. Fun part was it came with an internal printer that used Polaroid 500 instant film. It was popular at family gatherings for the immediate output while everyone else was shooting film and waiting days for the prints.
03-10-2019, 08:09 AM - 3 Likes   #9
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I started out with an Optio 33L purchased back in June 2003.

I moved up to an istDS in December 2004. I still have the istDS and I picked up another one last year. I'm using them as a dual camera rig for experimenting with stereo/3D images.



I also have an infrared converted istDL2 which works well for false colour infrared.



I also have an old Sigma SD14 which I used for B&W infrared, but sadly it has been unused since I got the istDL2. I really should start using it again or send it to a new home.

03-10-2019, 10:46 AM - 2 Likes   #10
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Although I mostly use my K50 nowadays, I still have and sometimes use my old trusted K100D, first digital SLR after a series of smaller Point and shoots.
03-10-2019, 10:57 AM - 1 Like   #11
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I have offered her upgrades, but my wife still prefers her Nikon P7000 compact.



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03-10-2019, 11:54 AM - 1 Like   #12
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My first digital, the Epson PhotoPC of 1995. I didn't buy it until 1997 or 98.

0.3 megapixel (640x480) its 1MB internal memory could hold 16 photos. (32 320x240 photos). I had to buy a special serial cable adapter because Epson didn't use the standard 8-pin cable for Macs. (The camera had an 8-pin serial port but the cable was for 9-pin PC serial ports. It didn't work with a 8-pin to 8-pin cable)



After that I had a Polaroid something or other (really bad), then a Kodak DX3600.

Then my first really useable digital, the Panasonic DMC-FZ5. Lens "designed by Leica" and a 5MP 1/2.5" sensor. (5MP was really the sweet spot for that sensor size) Sadly it was not able to shoot in RAW (JPEG and TIFF).



The FZ-8 was the camera that made me buy a K-x...

Last edited by boriscleto; 03-10-2019 at 12:04 PM.
03-10-2019, 03:52 PM - 1 Like   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sandy Hancock Quote
My first digital camera was the Sony Cybershot DSC-F707 (I think) with the tiny body (and sensor!) and the huge swivelling Zeiss zoom out the front. Resolution did not bear close inspection and the shutter delay made shooting action nearly impossible, but I took some memorable shots with it.

I'll dig up some images when I get to my desktop computer.

I went straight from that to the K10D. What a revelation that was! There really was something special about that CCD sensor.
I took that same path. Started with a DSC-F707 and moved up to a K10D. I sold the F707 several years ago to help finance my K-01, but lately I've been pricing them on Ebay because I really enjoyed using the F707 as a walk-around camera.
03-10-2019, 04:30 PM - 4 Likes   #14
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As promised, some archival images from my long-gone Cybershot


Clifton Beach, Tasmania


Lake St Clair


Cradle Mountain wombat


Clifton drinks
03-11-2019, 12:41 PM - 5 Likes   #15
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My first ever digital camera was a 0.1 megapixel toy called a L'espion Mini. The first one that could take anything that you could reasonably call a photograph was the 4 megapixel Sony DSC-S40:



After that I tried a Fuji S1730 bridge camera but hated it. It had a horribly gloomy rendering style and a lag of a whole second between pressing the shutter and it taking a photo, and I got rid of it after a couple of months:



Then I moved on to the Canon A1200, which was actually a pretty good little 12 megapixel compact:



None of those early digitals ever got very much use because I was still primarily shooting film, but in 2012 I finally gave a DSLR a try with the Pentax K100D. I now shoot mostly with the Samsung GX-10 version of the K10D, which also qualifies for this thread, and which I'm planning to stick with for the foreseeable future because the rendering from the 10 megapixel CCD is just exquisite.
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