Favorite camera?

[Onio]

Just curious if any of you have a favorite camera. The quality of the images that come out of my current camera.. *chefs kiss* I can't complain about them at all. However, it's not something I enjoy shooting with, at all! It's big, slow, heavy, unwieldy.. I've missed a lot of shots and have probably skipped a few times I've wanted to go out shooting because it's just not fun to work with. Thinking about changing over to a different type in the future.

[Frost Sheridan]

what camera do you have right now?

my personal favorite camera to use is my sony mavica FD-200. it's a digital camera from 2002 that stores photos on floppy disks and has a whole 2.0 megapixel sensor! it produces surprisingly good photos for a digital camera of its age, but still has that early digital vibe. because it doesn't have much in the way of manual controls and won't ever produce an amazing image no matter what, i don't feel near as pressured to take a 'good' photo with it so it's more fun to use than a higher-end camera.

i do have a sony alpha a6000 for when i want to take 'good' photos. it's a really nice camera, but the mavica is still fun to use in comparison!

[Onio]

That's awesome! I'd like to pick up one of those just to play around with. The a6000 is a solid little camera! I'd like to pick something about around the size for the outdoors and leave my primary camera in the studio. Current camera is a 645z - have been using it since 2016.

[Melooon]

Apparently that 645Z was $9000 new! I don't think I know many individuals that that level of investment in a bit of tech!

Personally I use an Olympus OM-D III with a 50mm equivalent lens - Its a fun camera! Its smaller than you'd expect but you can adapt full size lenses to fit on it; so sometimes I used old Pentax lenses from the 60s! It also makes a very satisfying click when you close the shutter! It does great video too which can be handy when you need it! (theres a gyroscopic mechanical stabiliser built into the body; you can feel it spinning!)

Walking around with it makes me feel a bit like I have one of those old Startrek tricorders form the original series

(Here it is next to a pen for scale - excuse the dust its not seen much use this winter!)

[Onio]

I really like the look of those OM-Ds (and all the other cameras that brands have decided to embrace the retro look with!) I'm guessing that's the E-M10 III? That's one of the few camera brands I haven't had an experience with yet, but I'm sure the photos are stellar.

I haven't touched mirrorless cameras yet, but I'm really considering on it for my next move, either full-frame or medium format mirrorless (probably the former, as mf is expensive!)

And yes, it was very expensive, but I used it as my workhorse! I would've never been able to afford it on my own. I've never been a well-off person, but I caught the attention of an art patron when I was leaving school and got a grant for my photography. I was able to pick it up used for $5,500 with the support I received. Most expensive thing I've ever purchased. I've yet to spend that much on a car, haha. But I'd like to think that this camera has paid for itself by now and I'll probably be using it far, far into the future! Even though it'd be difficult to sell for even $2k at this point, the image quality is such that I see no reason to retire it until it dies (but I would love a Nikon Z7 or something similar because this thing is a bit backbreaking while traveling)

[Melooon]

Yep! Thats the one - I suppose what makes a good picture is very subjective - I find its very good at capturing soft warm light and colour tones - heres an uncompressed image.

I used a cheapo lens when I first got it and it wasn't nearly as good; so a lot is in the lens - the older adapted lenses tend to be good at making things more.. warped! However its definitely not as crisp as a proper DSLR; Im not sure id use it for detail shots. It tends to blow out a bit with high contrast (I mostly just use auto mode) - but its generally still a nice result - I should prob switch it into RAW mode though; that would avoid that issue much better..

[Onio]

Those are some lovely greens and yellows. Throw it in manual and RAW and start playing around! RAW makes a huge difference, indeed, specifically when recovering highlights/shadows and adjusting color temperature. My tripod gave out under the weight of my camera a long time ago and the camera fell 8 feet and bashed into a rock. The little dial that switches it from Manual mode to the other modes got wrecked, so now I'm permanently stuck in manual mode (fine by me!) I used to find great pleasure in working with my camera's limitations to capture the images I want - though the 645z doesn't seem to offer that challenge to me any longer

[dotmidi]

This isnt exactly a camera, its a camcorder bUUUT it can take pictures

I had spent all my birthday money on a nice quality Hi-8 Camcorder! These and many similar cameras from this generation are <a href="

prevalent in the skate community [/url], not just that but overall it has this really nice sound and look to it

I miss the sound that old recording footage has, its honestly very hard to replicate without using the devices themselves! Same with a lot of "vintage" looks, filters just do not cut it to the real deal.

[Melooon]

This isnt exactly a camera, its a camcorder bUUUT it can take pictures

That second video is fantastic! I remember when the world felt like that! Harmless anarchy

Old video camera pictures are great - my mum actually did a whole art project based on them around 2006 - https://sarahiremonger.com/photographs/myths-2006-07/1 (a lot of them are pictures of me ) - They have a really soft digital-yet-analouge feeling - I find it really interesting that she spotted that all the way back in 2006, most of us are only just starting to notice this technology now!

Also unrelated - but if we are talking video camera imagery: this is a great video on CRT camcorders from the 80s!

[Cobra!]

My favourite camera is the Canon Sure Shot 105 Zoom S. It's a film camera from the 90s. It handles all of the advancing and winding for you, and even automatically adjusts the shot to get the clearest photos possible. They always turn out great!

[Gans]

Time for the low-cost scrap approach to making photos. This thing is called "Medion", which is always the cheapest camera around here, having been sold in Aldi supermarket stores for an affordable price. Today, you can get it for 10 Euros as a used goodie.

I got this as a kid and experimented a lot with it. The camera was going to be mounted to extreme places... and bashed to the ground very often... without breaking. The scars and bashes on the case tell the stories, that this camera helped to record. The labels on the buttons are long gone. Nobody can use the true power of this little thing, expect me.

That being said, never underestimate these old digital cameras. Despite having a poor zoom and poor automatic brightness recognition, they can bring an lively feel to the images and videos that no modern smartphone can achieve.

In the operation of that kind of cheap digital camera, I found it useful to have a second one of the same model. Or to look exactly for the other camera using the same batteries, as this will make it a lot easier.

Speaking of batteries, I'd go for cameras that use AA-batteries instead of the more powerful proprietary battery types. Because those will degrade and make the old camera therefore unusable. And wheather those special batteries can be found in the future is doubtable. You can get AA-batteries at every kiosk on the other hand.

[CyberCat2000]

Speaking of batteries, I'd go for cameras that use AA-batteries instead of the more powerful proprietary battery types. Because those will degrade and make the old camera therefore unusable. And wheather those special batteries can be found in the future is doubtable. You can get AA-batteries at every kiosk on the other hand.

Agreed! This is always the one bit that concerns me about a lot of newer electronics; will it be possible to find a battery for them in the future? 

Anyways, there's a camera we've had in our family for a LONG time, and that is the Sony DSC-S700! Dating from 2007, it's rather basic. But hey, it works rather well, and even in the days of smartphone cameras, still has its uses!



My hopes are to eventually experiment with other old digital cameras, and maybe even film. On the digital side, I found some old mini CD-RWs that would work well for a CD Mavica. And my workplace has an abandoned Canon Powershot A20 I could maybe play with for fun. Who knows, I might even try a Micro 4/3 camera too! 

[Onio]

@ Dotmidi: Love it. That media really had its own aesthetic. I miss the camcorder we used to have - completely forgot about it and I have no idea where those files are! But I had a blast using it.

Also your font makes me read what you've written in some kind of heavy metal vocals :omg:k:



@ Melon: you have a VERY cool mom.





@ Cobra: I really, really want a point and shoot film camera.





@ Gans: I've never heard about those Medions, but after that introduction, I'm going to have to do a little digging.





@CyberCat2000: Yes! I had a Cybershot (well, my dad did, until I left it in my pocket and got caught in a wave at the beach). I loved that camera! It was so small and slick looking! It was from 2002 or 2003 - the DSC-T7 - back when 5 megapixels was a big deal. I still have the body, but that camera has been dead for 18 years now.

[Tiffany]

I have a Canon Rebel XSi DSLR, I've had it for over ten years and it's been very reliable and I am a Canon fan.

[Snackish Magpie]

I have quite a few film/instant cameras that I like to play with, and I think out of all of them my Zenit E has taken top spot so far! It's satisfying to use, a beast in weight, and I can only think of one or two times I've been let down by it (but that was due to me loading the film badly and the sprocket holes tearing  )

Here's (hopefully) a photo I took with it using LomoChrome Purple film back in 2019 - I can't describe why but something about it looks like a toy set!



Also I once dropped this camera on cobblestones when I tripped on a pavement, it bounced off the ground and I was convinced it was a goner, but nope! It has a will to live