Author Topic: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong  (Read 21100 times)

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #50 on: 17 February, 2018, 01:14:32 pm »
My old 2006 D40 can still hack it:

From Ken Rockwell:

Quote
Make Huge Prints!  If you're good, you can blow up the images from the D40 without limit. I've made great 20x30" prints from my D40. More pixels doesn't help: holding the camera still does. Your skill as a photographer is more important than your choice of camera.
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #51 on: 17 February, 2018, 02:09:15 pm »
 A lot of folk disparage KR, but I've always enjoyed his stuff. If your quotation is from article I think it is, it was the reason I bought my D40.

Re holding the camera still, the stabilization in that Tamron 70-300 is so rock-steady you practically have to wrench it off-target.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Gattopardo

  • Lord of the sith
  • Overseaing the building of the death star
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #52 on: 09 March, 2018, 10:47:20 am »
Where do old camera chargers disappear too?

Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #53 on: 09 March, 2018, 11:57:01 am »
Where do old camera chargers disappear too?

The cupboard our TV is sat on apparently. Its full of them.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #54 on: 09 March, 2018, 12:25:26 pm »
A lot of folk disparage KR, but I've always enjoyed his stuff. If your quotation is from article I think it is, it was the reason I bought my D40.

Re holding the camera still, the stabilization in that Tamron 70-300 is so rock-steady you practically have to wrench it off-target.

Rockwell has a reputation for keeping the manufacturers "sweet" and never finding many flaws in the gear he reviews.

However I find that he speaks a lot of sense because, as we are discussing on this thread, most gear is bloody amazing, more amazing than the capabilities of the photographer in most cases.

I'm getting very tired of some of the other "famous" reviewers now, fawning over the latest and greatest cameras and making out that even cameras from the last 2 years are now redundant.

Yes the latest cameras as incredible pieces of technology, huge dynamic range, low noise at silly ISO values, and so on and so on.  But the differences can only be seen at the very extremes, and under very close scrutiny. 

All of this is fine for me because I still crave a good old Canon 5D Mk3 and they are getting cheaper on Ebay by the day.  A bomb-proof tank of a camera with image quality good enough for thousands of Pros over the last 6 years or so. 
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #55 on: 09 March, 2018, 02:59:10 pm »
I disparage Ken Rockwell because many of his 'reviews' really aren't (he just regurgitates press releases and other third-party info in his own template) and his pictures are technically proficient, tedious, over-saturated postcards. Often the case with photo geeks who review gear, unfortunately. There's definitely a reviewer aesthetic. When not photographing the sides of buildings (FFS) to prove some marginal unimportant talking point, it's long exposure scenics with garish colours never found in reality. Or gimmicky, Strobist-approved studio portraits carefully engineered to avoid revealing any hint of personality in the model.

And where are the reviewers who'll try to explain what its actually like to use a piece of kit in practice? If you're lucky they'll throw in a sentence (mis)using the word 'ergonomics' and pretend they've said something meaningful. There's a reason digital cameras are still awkward rectangular bricks.

Anyhow, if you like his stuff, then take KR's advice. I generally try to pay more attention to photographers whose work I admire . The problem with that is they tend to be too busy taking pictures to pontificate online about the latest kit.

And I'm really not sure this stuff is doing his credibility any good...
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nm/aliens/index.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/analprobe/about.htm

(And I'll never forgive him for his obliviously daft 'review' of the Nikon 45mm AI-P. So there.)

</rant>

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #56 on: 09 March, 2018, 06:15:22 pm »
I generally try to pay more attention to photographers whose work I admire . The problem with that is they tend to be too busy taking pictures to pontificate online about the latest kit.

It's a valid point and, by definition, they will be using "old" gear and not a Nikon D850.

I like my gear to have proved itself for a couple of years, it takes me ages before I commit to buying stuff (so long-term tests are what I gravitate to). 
This always means I own "old" gear and hence why I'm looking at a Canon 5D. I think it's fair to say it's established itself.

OK, my 13 year old 5D "classic" is a bit extreme but I bought that with a specific purpose, of going back to basics.

Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

fruitcake

  • some kind of fruitcake
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #57 on: 11 August, 2019, 12:05:00 pm »
I have a Canon G2 whose JPEG image quality astounds me when I consider that the camera has a 4MP imaging sensor.



An f2 lens (and f2.5 at tele) is still remarkable on a compact camera. When I consider what Olympus and Nikon were offering at the time, the G2 must have seemed capable of magic.



I didn't see equivalent image quality from Canon's next three G series models. (G3 had a longer lens that wasn't so well suited to the sensor, G5 had noise issues, G6 had purple fringing issues).

Foxbat

  • a.k.a Torslanda Jnr.
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #58 on: 11 August, 2019, 02:54:40 pm »
I still run the EOS 400D (thanks Torslanda) now and again, bulletproof reliabilty, great sidearm to the 60D

Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #59 on: 22 August, 2019, 06:51:14 pm »
I'm still using my Panasonic Lumix LX3, 10 yrs on!  In the last couple of years it's taken a bit of a convenience back seat in favour of my MotoG5, but I'm still using in locations when I want quality.  Not great in low light (unless well supported), but in good light quality is superb, even with the small sensor.  I may at some point move to large sensor compact, but with it being a bit of a 'classic' probably won't part with it...

Flickr album... Pick of my LX3 bunch from 2009-2017

P1320869-e2 by ao, on Flickr

P1020403 by ao, on Flickr

P1010208 by ao, on Flickr

P1280048 by ao, on Flickr

Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #60 on: 02 March, 2020, 10:49:22 am »
I'm still using my Panasonic Lumix LX3, 10 yrs on!  In the last couple of years it's taken a bit of a convenience back seat in favour of my MotoG5, but I'm still using in locations when I want quality.  Not great in low light (unless well supported), but in good light quality is superb, even with the small sensor.  I may at some point move to large sensor compact, but with it being a bit of a 'classic' probably won't part with it...

Flickr album... Pick of my LX3 bunch from 2009-2017

P1320869-e2 by ao, on Flickr

P1020403 by ao, on Flickr

P1010208 by ao, on Flickr

P1280048 by ao, on Flickr

Your Mt Blanc/Chamonix photo, in my opinion, proves that you don't need to lug a 40kg wooden tripod, bellows, and 10x8 glass plates around on your holidays any more.

I suspect that the only reason Ansel Adams did so was the shortage of Sony A7iii cameras in the shops.
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #61 on: 24 March, 2020, 04:43:26 pm »
 :)  The LX3 has a well implemented mode called "Dynamic B&W" (red filter effect) used on that Chamonix pic.  One can always desaturate in pp, but the camera screen* displays in B&W and helps one focus on the composition.   The only downside is that the raw file has a colour cast (correctable in Lightroom).

In good light the cropability of the image is not bad at all, for a smallish 10MP sensor.

P1280048-002 by ao, on Flickr


* assuming that the image on the screen is visible, can be tricky in sunny conditions...

Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #62 on: 08 May, 2020, 11:43:57 am »
Well what fun!

I just dragged the old Olympus E500 out and swapped the focus screen for a traditional split screen style one. That was much easier than anticipated. The stuck on orginal analogue OM 50mm prime lens on using and adaptor ring. Works great ! I now have lovely bokeh!

Autofocus doesn't work of course (hence the split screen mod) nor does shutter speed priority but aperture priority does, just set the aperture on the lens and the camera will work out the shutter speed. Full manual works too.

Now to find a prime telephoto at a reasonable price for bird shots.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Woofage

  • Tofu-eating Wokerati
  • Ain't no hooves on my bike.
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #63 on: 14 May, 2020, 11:02:47 am »
I bought an Olympus 135mm from eBay for a few quid for that very purpose. Works a treat with an inexpensive adapter.

So the E500 is 4/3? I'm not sure how that differs from micro 4/3. I'm guessing not mirrorless?
Pen Pusher

Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #64 on: 14 May, 2020, 11:40:05 am »
Exactly right. Its a traditional SLR with a sensor that's smaller than a full frame DSLR. Hence why I got a manual split focus screen.
Micro 4/3 uses the same sensor standard but does away with the mirror. Micro 4/3 also uses a different auto focusing system I think.

I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #65 on: 14 May, 2020, 12:09:26 pm »
I just ordered a 135mm F3.5 from eBay to play with as well. That should be about 270mm on 4/3rds.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Woofage

  • Tofu-eating Wokerati
  • Ain't no hooves on my bike.
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #66 on: 14 May, 2020, 12:57:57 pm »
This photo was taken in my back garden with a Lumix GF1 (even quite old itself at the time) with an Olympus 135mm f3.5 lens. The focus isn't perfect but it shows the potential.


P1000952 by pencyclist, on Flickr
Pen Pusher

Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #67 on: 15 May, 2020, 08:34:48 am »
I may have to break out the tripod. I have shaky hands (a genetic trait inherited from my Dad and my Grandad before him) and there is no antishake with these old lenses on the E500.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Woofage

  • Tofu-eating Wokerati
  • Ain't no hooves on my bike.
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #68 on: 15 May, 2020, 11:43:33 am »
Very wise. My current camera (Lumix G80) has IBIS so it's less of an issue. Focus peaking too, which helps.
Pen Pusher

Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #69 on: 19 May, 2020, 12:28:11 pm »
The 135mm F3.5 arrived this morning. It came with a free Miranda skylight filter that wasn't listed in the eBay sale - which was nice. Perfect nick £40. Prime lenses for these prices ace.

Gave it a quick try. I really need that adaptor that does focus confirm :)
Managed to get a couple of shots just about in focus and they suggest that its going to be a promising lens to use.

If it all works out well I might get an adaptor for the OMD-EM10 II as well. Might be a bit easier to use as its mirror-less.

Macro lens for bugs next I guess. Any suggestions form the OM range that are cheapish ?
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Woofage

  • Tofu-eating Wokerati
  • Ain't no hooves on my bike.
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #70 on: 20 May, 2020, 12:09:17 pm »
Macro lens for bugs next I guess. Any suggestions form the OM range that are cheapish ?

A nifty-fifty mounted in reverse.
Pen Pusher

Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #71 on: 20 May, 2020, 12:20:12 pm »
If it all works out well I might get an adaptor for the OMD-EM10 II as well. Might be a bit easier to use as its mirror-less.
Does the focus peaking still work with legacy lenses?

Woofage

  • Tofu-eating Wokerati
  • Ain't no hooves on my bike.
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #72 on: 20 May, 2020, 12:51:17 pm »
Does the focus peaking still work with legacy lenses?

Yes (at least on the 2 Lumix cameras that I've had that have this feature).
Pen Pusher

fruitcake

  • some kind of fruitcake
Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #73 on: 23 May, 2020, 12:45:33 pm »
...there is no antishake with these old lenses on the E500.

I fancy trying an E300. That was the model with no SLR 'mirror hump' because they put the mirror to the left of the lens which then allowed them to move the viewfinder to the left, (meaning you could take photos with both eyes open). The resulting body shape probably makes the camera easier to stow in a bag. The E300 didn't sell well as they were too 'different'.

Re: Old Digital Cameras - Still going strong
« Reply #74 on: 23 May, 2020, 04:38:37 pm »
Does the focus peaking still work with legacy lenses?

Yes (at least on the 2 Lumix cameras that I've had that have this feature).
Thanks, I've been playing with the focus peaking and manual focus and am now scouring ebay for an appropriate lens and adapter.