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There's cameras and then there's cameras. I've got plenty of the first kind. They're "state of the art" pieces of industrial efficiency. Cameras like the Nikon D300 and the D700. I've owned most of the Nikon professional series bodies, starting with the D1, continuing through the D2x. But along the way I've found that there's a difference between a camera with good specifications and reliable performance, and a camera that's fun to hold and fun to use. I like the files I get from the Fuji S5 but for some reason it's just no fun to use. Same with the Canon G10. I really want to like it but it's more like a nice radio than a good camera.
So why do good cameras fail the warm and cuddly test? The D700 is a much less inviting camera to use than the almost identical D300. It's bigger shutter is much louder and has a flat, robotic sound. The D300 has a shutter sound that's like a gradual growl. It sounds more intuitive. I know that seems crazy but that's the best way to describe it. The Fuji S5 seems physically disconnected from the user. I push the button and something happens but I don't know when or how. It's like driving by wire. Or those lenses on the early Olympus cameras and the original Canon 85mm 1.2 L lens that translated the movement of a turn of the focus ring into an electrical signal that made a motor move the focusing elements. It hesitated and then overshot. Both the D700 and the D3 feel reliable and accurate but very soulless compared to previous Nikons.
What makes a camera fun? It's has personality. It should have a few quirks that make it interesting. And it should make you a better photographer. In much the way that a Leica rangefinder became a transparent conduit for images while my Contax RTS camera felt like an unbalanced hammer in my hand. Here are two of my favorite digital cameras of all time:
First, the Kodak DCS 760. It's a big goofy thing that endears itself to the user by it's protective "older brother" feel. You know it's going to work. You know the metering will be solid. You know the autofocus will be quick in a way that the new generation of cameras is not. It feels right in any size hand. The finder is so good you'll tear up when you look through it. But mostly there is an emotional reaction to a camera the bridges the best of the digital age with the nostalgia of the film age. The DCS 760 has crappy performance at any ISO above 125. Some would say above 80...... Don't ever think about using it for a long exposure. Nightmare pixel fireworks. But in the hand with a 180mm at an outdoor swim meet. Heaven. Absolute heaven. No wonder that they become harder and harder to find and hold their value better than the other cameras that came out in the same time frame.
The ulitmate way to enjoy a DCS 760? Tethered to a big monitor on a computer running the Kodak tethering software. It's so great. And the software was so good. Nikon has just now caught up. Barely.
The second camera? From around 2003. The Olympus E1. Wow, I wish the files were wonderful because the camera is addictive. Small, agile and sensitive. Small and well integrated controls. The most deliciously quiet mirror and shutter mechanism ever put into an SLR. I've pulled it out of the drawer and started using it again in the hopes that Capture One will turn the so-so ISO 400 raw files into gems. But really, this is the camera body design and implementation that everyone should have rushed to copy. It sublimates the "computer-ness of shooting with a digital camera and makes it as transparent to shoot as a Leica. An added and back handed compliment to the camera: The tiny, horrible screen on the back keeps you from chimping which helps keep the mind on what's happening in front of the camera.........
The E-1 is quiet, understated and gives you access to some really cool lenses, including some made by Leica. The camera is weather sealed and very robust. I like to equip mine with the LiPo battery pack because it adds a bigger grip and a second shutter release button. Not to mention giving me thousands of shots before recharging.
These are two of my all time digital faves. You can always pick one up cheap. Beware the Kodak batteries. Better to use that big beast with an external battery pack or plugged right into the wall!!!
Hey Kirk, enjoying the blog. I recently picked up a G10 and found it quite fun to use so far. Fits well in the hand (for me) takes much nicer pictures than the sub-compact I replaced with it and feels old and familiar (again, obviously, to me)
ReplyDeleteBut I've used Canon's almost since I started with the canon G2 (which shares a lot of build style with the G10) The menus, terminology (Av/Tv) and icons for a lot of the features are the same as on my D30 and 1D, too.
So it feels old and familiar almost straight away, in a way that any Nikon just doesn't, for me.
Certainly not trying to start a brand discussion, just noticing that what works is very much a personal thing. My hands might well be a different size from yours so a G10 works well for me, but not for you and so on.
That's probably why I force everyone who asks me to recommend a camera to go to a store and actually pick one up and see how it feels.
Looking forward to reading more!
Gordon, Funny you should mention those two digital cameras. I have one of each. I love the way the G2 felt. That and the G3 were two of my all time favorite shooting cameras for digital. My current favorite point and shoot is now the Sony R1. It is so delicious I can hardly stand it.
ReplyDeleteNice blog. Like it! I like the rants too actually, but in this post, I'd like to comment on the blue-green bounce you managed to get in the model's skin tones! What color is your studio floor?
ReplyDeleteon location over a green table. Silly me.
ReplyDeleteStill love my E-1. I think the files are wonderful at ISO100-200. The color is pleasing and subjects look multi-dimensional. Anything over ISO400 are usually "bleck" unless the conditions are just right.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, the nicest sounding DSLR ever made and maybe the nicest to hold. Dang right everyone should have taken a que from the ergonomics and design--even Oly. Still my dream camera in many respects: sound, feel, JPG color, weather seals.
It may be notable that the E-1 was the only weatherized camera body less than $4000 for quite a number of years. It was one of the only with weatherized lenses to match. Still has a great selection of lusty weatherized lenses (and the kit lenses are pretty classy for their price).
Best, Seth
I love my E-1! It surprises me all the time. However, I shoot events at ISO 400 with it all the time and although the noise is there, it isn't "bad" or so prevalent that it is a negative for the image (and most clients don't notice it in print or in web sized reproductions). I just picked up an E-3 and enjoy the camera a lot... love the files even more up to ISO 1250. But, the shutter isn't nearly as delicious as the E-1's. In fact, I've never heard a shutter quite like it.
ReplyDeleteTank
I also have & love the E1 and still use it often. When you say, "I wish the files were wonderful because the camera is addictive." Do you feel that the files are just fair or ok for printing purposes or more useful for something like web purposes. As the other comment stated that they are "are wonderful at ISO100-200". Is that more of what you meant Kirk - just at the high ISO's. Would you use the E1 at 100-200 ISO for a paid job?
ReplyDeleteMy only two gripes are that the AA filter is very strong so the camera needs a lot of sharpening. This can obscure the fine detail. I have no qualms about using it for any web project or for pr headshots. The lack of resolution gives me pause with bigger enlargements.
ReplyDeleteI always shoot it at 100 ISO.
The only camera I own is an E-1. I've looked at the newer offerings from Olympus, but the only weathersealed option is the E-3, which quite apart from price is bigger and heavier than the E-1. I do a lot of hiking with the camera, so that's a real drawback.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know why the E1's style was discarded...too expensive? Perhaps with the success of Leica installing a full-frame sensor into the M9, the E1 can be resurrected?
ReplyDeleteI'm using my e1 to do a portrait today. I was reading thru the comments after I moderated the one above. I have been using e1 raw files with the latest rev of Capture One and find that it breathes new life into the camera. The defaults are much, much sharper and the color cleaner. It's still a very, very good camera.
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