You are ready to purchase your dream SLR digital camera, and like most people, you are unsure where to start. If you want to maximize your fun and creativity, capturing images that will make your family, your friends, and yourself proud, it is crucial you conduct the proper research before making the investment. You are thinking about comparing hundreds of online product reviews, but you know that may very well become tiring and ultimately be unhelpful. You must first have a good understanding of how your hobbies or profession relate to your photography needs.
Back in the late 1980's to early 1990's, while I was still a working newspaper photographer/reporter, we began hearing about digital devices referred to as 'Digital Film". These were basically a sensor that one placed in the film plane, replacing the traditional film. They were terrible, offering low resolution, really poor battery life, cumbersome and awkward cords and such, and, they were EXPENSIVE! Only the best-healed newspaper photographers could afford to play with them.
The good thing was, one could use really good optics, fast shutters with NO LAG, and one could always go back to film.
What I would like to see is this idea revisited, but with today's far better electronics. I still have several film only cameras that I would like to use more often, but just can't afford to. With the far better lenses and zero lag time of the shutters, I think that today's sensors could breathe new life into these film only cameras. And doing so would offer advantages: I already own the cameras and accessories. I already know how to use them. I know what to expect from them in terms of performance, optical quality, etc.
If I could buy a reasonably priced sensor package that could be fitted to several 'standard' 35mm film cameras, I would but it today!
We also have better batteries now. Back in my day, we had never heard of rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries small enough for cameras. In fact, Metal Nickle Hydride was pretty much unknown. We thought that Nicads were state of the art, and thought nothing of using SLA's for our flashes. (Well, I used them, anyways. Heavy, yea, but they WORKED) I had a couple of Canon bodies that I could shoot up to about 3-4 frames per second with. Now, even (some) cheap kiddie cameras can do 30 fps! It's been almost 20 years since I was in the business. The advances in cameras and related electronics boggles the mind. If we had had that back then... Shots I could have gotten that got away.. Sigh.
I want to see a new sensor package that takes what's good about today's digital cameras, and make it work with what was good about yesterdays cameras. Fast, quality lenses. And, fast no-lag shutters. Battery free operation. OK, that last won't happen, but at least all the battery juice can go to the sensor, not the entire camera. And the cameras fit the hand, had heft, which helps with shake at slower shutter speeds/low light, and had REAL tripod sockets. And real hot shoes for flashes that had some OOMPH!
What I could do with such a combo today! Anybody listening out there in Japan, Korea, China, or wherever? Anyone else want one of these? Or am I alone in this thinking?
Junkman
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Zooming In on the Right Digital SLR Camera
Posted by: Brandon Leibowitz March 10, 2009 04:00 AMYou are ready to purchase your dream SLR digital camera, and like most people, you are unsure where to start. If you want to maximize your fun and creativity, capturing images that will make your family, your friends, and yourself proud, it is crucial you conduct the proper research before making the investment. You are thinking about comparing hundreds of online product reviews, but you know that may very well become tiring and ultimately be unhelpful. You must first have a good understanding of how your hobbies or profession relate to your photography needs.
The good thing was, one could use really good optics, fast shutters with NO LAG, and one could always go back to film.
What I would like to see is this idea revisited, but with today's far better electronics. I still have several film only cameras that I would like to use more often, but just can't afford to. With the far better lenses and zero lag time of the shutters, I think that today's sensors could breathe new life into these film only cameras. And doing so would offer advantages: I already own the cameras and accessories. I already know how to use them. I know what to expect from them in terms of performance, optical quality, etc.
If I could buy a reasonably priced sensor package that could be fitted to several 'standard' 35mm film cameras, I would but it today!
We also have better batteries now. Back in my day, we had never heard of rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries small enough for cameras. In fact, Metal Nickle Hydride was pretty much unknown. We thought that Nicads were state of the art, and thought nothing of using SLA's for our flashes. (Well, I used them, anyways. Heavy, yea, but they WORKED) I had a couple of Canon bodies that I could shoot up to about 3-4 frames per second with. Now, even (some) cheap kiddie cameras can do 30 fps! It's been almost 20 years since I was in the business. The advances in cameras and related electronics boggles the mind. If we had had that back then... Shots I could have gotten that got away.. Sigh.
I want to see a new sensor package that takes what's good about today's digital cameras, and make it work with what was good about yesterdays cameras. Fast, quality lenses. And, fast no-lag shutters. Battery free operation. OK, that last won't happen, but at least all the battery juice can go to the sensor, not the entire camera. And the cameras fit the hand, had heft, which helps with shake at slower shutter speeds/low light, and had REAL tripod sockets. And real hot shoes for flashes that had some OOMPH!
What I could do with such a combo today! Anybody listening out there in Japan, Korea, China, or wherever? Anyone else want one of these? Or am I alone in this thinking?
Junkman