Hi Everyone - Another GOOD point about the old Digicam is that it’s getting people involved with photography and it’s getting a younger generation keen and motivated to get out there to make pictures. So that’s only but a good thing :)
Running in parallel with the hype, I developed my original work with digicams from the late 90s to the early 2000s. It is precisely the technical limitations that attract me to using this type of equipment,
I think a lot of digicams are quite dated for sure, but some CCD sensor cameras still do quite well. I bought a Nikon P7100 which has a 10mp 1/1.7" sensor, and while it is a little old and slow, I was surprised at the results. Phone cameras are improving significantly also with collaboration with the likes of Leica, Zeiss and Hasselblad, but digital cameras especially compact large sensor cameras will be better in my opinion.
I think the important thing about compact cameras or digicams is not their image quality or how good they work on M or Av or whatnot, it's having something in your pocket all the time to capture the world around you or your life experiences and to separate that experience from your phone. I personally like to separate "photography" from "taking pictures" and like a dedicated tool to do it, but often I don't want to carry around a full camera so my Sony ZV-1 lives in my backpack and my Ricoh GR III lives in my pocket and they both go everywhere with me. It feels more intentional to me than a phone but the limits help me choose my shots more wisely.
In 2012, I bought a Canon G12 and took tens of thousands o pictures with it until the sensor went bad. Although I have a Lumix GX8, an Olympus Em-5 Mark 3 and a Lumix LX10 point-and-shoot, I missed the G12, so last year, I got a used one. It takes excellent pictures and I use it quite often.
Yep! you missed the point. Digicams became atractive not for high megapixel and clinicaly sharp looking photos. Yes they have poor dynamic range and noisy in low light but the phtos have a filmish look that a lot of younger people are looking for. ALso the ones with a CCD sensor will give you a much much better result.
I have two digicams. I got one for $20 and the other for free (a friend of mine had one and didn't want it anymore). Both of them work fairly well and take what are, imo, nice photos and decent video. I'm really happy with my cameras. That being said, some people charge way too much for these online. Unless it's in completely mint condition, any price over $75 or so seems like a scam to me. Price gouging takes away all the fun of the digicam hobby. It's supposed to be affordable and accessible , not a way to flex and see who spent the most money on their camera.
Not all digicams are equal, some give a really crappy output because of heavy noise reduction and jpeg artifacts, even at lower ISO. Just ask friends/relatives if they still have a digicam laying around, you probably will get it for free. Go to some garage sale, you probably will find some for around 5 USD / Euro. I have a few digicams laying around and only like some of them, for example my Canon S95 (2010). I also like my older Fujifilm 4700z (2000) and 6800z (2001) as these give pictures a nice nostalgic look, but usage is a bit more limited.
Pretty funny and entertaining video. You might have enjoyed it more if you would have had better digicams a Canon G9 G10 G11 g12 g15, 4 Canon S70 s90s 95 etc. All shoot raw and have lots of manual controls and make some pretty darn good images once you get the hang of it.
I believe a lot of people who post these photos from digital-cams that look great aren't actually from the digi-cam at all. A lot of people are faking the quality. This is the internet after all..
I don't know, mate. I am pretty happy with my digicams. But I am probably a bit more of a digicam snob and more selective with what I deem "worthy". None of those Lumix options you showed here tickled me. But I did get a Leica D-Lux2 which is technically a Lumix and I like it. The Olympus XZ-1 and XZ-2 are lovely too. So is the Pentax MX1. Plenty of nice premium digicams out there. The keyword of course being premium...
Well, I'm sorry to say, but I think you might have gotten the wrong ones. I use digicams with full PASM options like the Panasonic Lumix LX3, Leica D-Lux 2, Olympus XZ-1 and Canon PowerShot G2. The G2 may be much too old for most people with only 4mp (though the battery is the same as in the Canon EOS 5D Classic, and that's not bad at all). But, the XZ-1 delivers beautiful shots from f1.8 at the wide end with Olympus glass and color science, so I love it (even though the reviews of it aren't stellar). The RAW files are satisfying and easy to work with - even with free software like I use. And the LX3 with Leica glass - and the D-Lux 2 with the added bonus of Leica color science are even more compact and easy to carry in a jacket pocket or something like that. That being said, it's not for everyone, and there is nothing wrong with that. As it happens, I myself am looking into Sony NEX with the small camera body and a 16mp APS-C sized sensor. It seems like a very nice daily carry, when I don't want to risk my M4/3 gear, that I need to be in top condition for my next concert photography obligation in about three weeks time.
I think you got the comments you were expecting. And, I have to say from my experience with using a Lumix LX5 as a daily carry for years, that was a great camera (and I miss it a bit... but, crucially, not enough to buy it again!). Great content.
I almost bought one myself! I just couldn't justify the price! It's just not worth that much for me. Now, I am so happy for your video to clean things up in this subject. Great video again, thank you .
I have been shooting "Digicams" since before they were cool😅. So, I got them cheap. I call them compacts because, thats what there are. My main 3 .Panasonic Lumix LX 3 , Canon Powershot G1 and an Olympus C5050 What I look for when I get one? 1) CCD Sensor 2) 1.8 / 2.8 e.t.c. widest aperture. 3) Leaf Shutter Compact and kinda' unassuming when traveling. Almost always have the Panasonic Lumix LX 3 in my bag when shooting portraits or shows with my Nikon or Fuji systems. Let's talk about "Bridge" cameras next! 🤣
Generally agree with you, but I have a very old Lumix DMC-ZS20 that on travel allows me to get extreme long shots which even a phone zoomed out can't get.
I bought a Fuji X20 for 120 eur and like it. Bought Oly E-400, Kodak CCD with 14-42 lens for 80 eur and is surprisingly good. I gave Canon S90 to my grandson, still nice camera.. Sony RX100 series is quite a powerhouse and usefull too.
I'm into telephoto, or versatility at least, so fixed lens digicams always seemed limited to me. Even when they have zoom capabilities. The hype I'm struggling against? The GM1. I _know_ it won't outperform the cameras I already have, but I'd love one for the sheer novelty and collectability. And even though it might be daft to put even a M4/3 telephoto on it, at least the potential is there.
Unless you lean heavily on the nostalgia factor and their toy camera vibes, most of the digicams they cranked out were pretty mediocre. Fortunately I don’t throw anything away and I got to re-experience how mediocre most of them were without needing to spend any money 😅 I must say that there is a greater sense of achievement if you manage a good photo with some of these - and I have a little webcam sensor one that has a great form factor (like a spy 110 camera) that is really fun to use as a toy camera. I think it was said by a few other commenters, but if you want to be amazed by a digicam, you really have to use one of the expensive prosumer ones that came out like the OG x100 or the Canon powershot G series
If the decisive moment matters to you at all don't get a digicam - they're small, light, inconspicuous and should be a great street camera. But drawback 1 of all the drawbacks is the lag between hitting the shutter and when a digicam actually takes a shot!! Dreadful!
I recently found some old digicams in this sort of drawer😂. And I made some pictures just for fun. If I realy want to have the "good old" look, than i wold take a real film camera as my Canon QL. That´s a real adventure with great results.
I have several cameras from entry to pro level, but the lowest I will go for point and shoot is the Olympus (OM System) PEN series or something similar like Lumix GX85 or GX9. I had some Sony digicams before and I don't see myself going back to them.
What a legend, I wanted to try one out so I looked on marketplace and then decided not to, way too much for what they’re worth when I have a gx80, paired up with the 20mm f1.7 is way better
I never knew there was any hype with DigiCams. Phones don't have any ergonomics for photos, that's a huge minus for them. Digicams are easy to use, versatile, easy to carry around and shoot RAW, or the one's I've got do. I love CCD sensors, the main problem with them, is that when it comes to astrophotography, they struggle, anything else, is cake.
Your missing an important point. Digaicams are also big fun because of their price. You can/ could have a small wonder of past tech for a few bucks. Nowadays prices are very inflated especially because pickers and hobby traders see a possiblity to make a quick buck. All in all for a few bucks digicams are still fun but never pay too much (say $10 max) , because you can feel disappointed for what you get when you pay $50 or more.
Man I'm gonna have echos of 'digicam digicam digicam' stuck in my head for a while after watching this 🤣Enough to swear me off from digicams hahaha! Thanks, another enjoyable video, enjoyable subject!
Hi Grant - interesting video and whilst phone cameras have improved significantly, personally I still prefer a “proper camera”. I recently purchased a Sony RX100 mkiii, which you can still get from new in the UK, despite it being an older model. Yes it’s very compact and a more fiddly than my EM5 & a6500, but the “1 inch” sensor and f1.8-2.8 24-70 equiv lens are very good and it has (just) enough customisation to make aperture priority (which I prefer with a min shutter speed & max ISO) a breeze. I think it’ll complement my other 2 cameras very well as a pocket camera.
As I understand it, the kids are mainly using digicams instead of disposable cameras (as film + development have become way too pricey). Getting the same kind of lo-fi look, especially with flash. It's over hyped for sure, but on the other hand I think everything that's gonna make younger generations love photography is eventually a good thing.
I pulled my old fujifilm digicam out after seeing the hype on RU-vid! Had a go and it was so clunky ended up selling it for a few hundred dollars! Ended up buying a film camera for that authentic film look
I found a canon sx210 at a county dump here in Florida. It’s pristine, and after buying a $5 eBay charger it works as new. It has a ccd sensor and it still sucks by comparison. I’d happily trade it for a doughnut or half a sandwich.
I have tried a couple of digicams and whilst I have enjoyed one of them, the other cameras I never liked. I tried a couple of canon digicams from the late 2000s and the photos I got were generally boring. I did however try an old Kodak easy share C300 and oh wow I loved the photos coming out of it. But agreed would never pay $200 for a digicam. When the craze was still a thing I was shocked that people were paying Nikon D90/D200 money for an old shitty pocket camera. But I do think it’s good that though digicams, younger people like me are learning about photography and trying to get as much out of a basic camera as possible
Certainly better to sell digicams these days, but not buy them. 🙃 But yeah, 100% agree with 'ya on this one. Digicams are OVERRATED to the max. I used to work in retail camera shops for a good ten years between 2005-2015 and digicams were crap then and their crap now. Honestly, even my iPhone SE (1st gen) is miles better compared to most digicams for a quick photo or video. So I never understood the hype behind them. And no, they do not give you anywhere near a 'film look.' Although! I did make a quick buck on the handful of digicams I had laying around a few weeks ago when I finally sold them. And everyone called them point-and-shoots, I don't know why they started calling them 'digicams.'
I have sold over 200 of these recently, and these are great cameras. They are infinitely better than the old point and shoot 35mms of the 80s and 90s. If you are a manual shooter, these aren't for you. These are auto shoot cameras you toss in your pocket. And the image quality is plenty good unless you are trying to make "pro" photos. If you have a $1200 Iphone that takes great pics, you can buy an itty bitty digicam you can put on a wrist strap, walk around the city and not worry about it. Put your phone away, that digicam could be 1/3rd the size, way cheaper and easier to toss around, a better lens and better zoom, better flash, plus the extra battery power of using the cam and not your phone. But... I, like Grant, I want a bit better camera, so with the money from the digicams I sold I bought a Olympus Pen E-P5 with the Lumix 20 1.7 as my "point and shoot". And a Mamiya 6.
