''Legendary'' DSLRs

jamiebonline

jamiebonline

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It's quite easy to talk about classic analogue cameras. Ones that have stood the test of time even over many decades and are highly regarded to this day.. but what about digital cameras? Technology advances very quickly which makes it even harder for a classic to emerge. At least with 35mm film, resolution didn't improve every 2 years with the next model. There was slower production and surely fewer changes in terms of IQ. Now it's hard to keep up...

What do you regard as the modern classics? What are the best digital cameras that have been made so far since digital came into being? Ones that were built to last, still produce great results or have something special about them that later models have lost. Do you use any of these still even though you could afford something more recent?


Jamie
 
The Nikon D70 and EOS 300D both deserve a place somewhere in the list since they were the first "affordable" (sub £1000) DSLRs available. I was on the point of going down the Canon route (although I found the 300D very uncomfortable to use) when the D70 appeared and saved me!!!
 
The Sony DSC R1 has to be on that list, even though it's a bridge camera rather than a DSLR because (a) it looks like a DSLR, (b) it has a better lens than most DSLRs were fitted with at the time (c) its APS sensor was as good as anything available in a DSLR on introduction and better than most, (d) it's the only APS sensor camera yet to be available with a "proper" waist level finder. I passed mine on a while back but it gave me many years of good use.

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I think just about every non compact digital camera I've owned is memorable or noteworthy, not sure about classic though but who knows...

Fuji Finepix S602, Canon 300D, 10D, 20D and 5D all had their fans and arguably moved the game on somehow in their own little ways and in more modern times I'd say that the Panasonic GF1 and G1 were significant as is/was the Sony A7.

Of the cameras I've owned I think that maybe the 5D, the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras and the Sony A7 are the most noteworthy. I may be wrong but being able to adapt lenses to bodies may be a thing of the future that we're just seeing the birth of today.

I'm not too sure I'd consider cameras built to last and one thing that I worry slightly about is the electronic components and how they age. Thinking back to when the RoHS and WEEE directives came about I was working in manufacturing at the time and there were worries about the early compliant components and solders and I wonder how that translated into reliability and longevity.
 
jamiebonline said:
Ones that were built to last, still produce great results or have something special about them that later models have lost. Do you use any of these still even though you could afford something more recent?


Jamie
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Easy. Most industry leaders will point to 1Ds mkII and to a lesser extent the original 1Ds. These were the first bodies that put the 35mm film firmly where it belongs - in the recycle can - and allowed the industry to move to digital with no regrets. Detailed large files and top notch AF were unrivalled till the arrival of D3 and D3x many years later and are still very much acceptable by todays standards.
 
D700 - full frame for the masses, and much better than the 5D and even the 5D2 and still relevant in some 'what camera' threads vs brand new cameras.

5D2 for bringing acceptable video to DSLRs

The Kodak thing that was the invention of digital cameras.
 
My Fuji S2 pro still takes amazing images and is a classic but the Fuji S3 and S5 are also legendary in the world of digital DSLR's in my opinion, using film bodies for digital. :)
 
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For me it's the Canon 350D and Nikon D40 these were the first affordable DSLRs to me anyway
I bought the 350D and still have mine it's very battered but still works though I use a 7D nowadays those Canon and Nikon Camera's got a lot of people into photography including me
It gets said a lot that the entry level models are not up to rugged use like the metal bodied pro models but my 350D and the 550D that followed it have had a lot of use in all weathers and never let me down
I only use the 7D mk 1 and 2 now for the better controls and auto focus
 
I can't see any of them being legendary. I wouldn't be surprised if we're on the cusp of a major development in digital photography which will make them all old hat.
 
rjbell said:
I can't see any of them being legendary. I wouldn't be surprised if we're on the cusp of a major development in digital photography which will make them all old hat.
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Yup.

One thing that strikes me is that digital photography is relatively new so things are only going to develop. Actually I think it's also surprising that some things from the film days are also relatively new such as auto focus. It wasn't that long ago that auto focus would have seemed like voodoo.

Maybe in the future we'll see pixel level metering giving the effect of great dynamic range, flat lenses and who knows what... :D

I do think that adapting bits from one system to fit another could be one big thing that we're just seeing the beginning of now.
 
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Don't forget that ALL lenses actually focus sharply at all distances from very near to very far at the same time.

The reason we have to focus is that they don't come to a sharp focus in the same plane at the same time.

Maybe in the future we will have thick Gigapixel layered sensors so we no longer have to focus and instead will change the focus and DOF on our PCs.

Imagine a 50 Gigapixel sensor - makes the Canon 5Ds look a bit crap doesn't it! :LOL:
.
 
jamiebonline said:
It's quite easy to talk about classic analogue cameras. Ones that have stood the test of time even over many decades and are highly regarded to this day.. but what about digital cameras? Technology advances very quickly which makes it even harder for a classic to emerge. At least with 35mm film, resolution didn't improve every 2 years with the next model. There was slower production and surely fewer changes in terms of IQ. Now it's hard to keep up...

What do you regard as the modern classics? What are the best digital cameras that have been made so far since digital came into being? Ones that were built to last, still produce great results or have something special about them that later models have lost. Do you use any of these still even though you could afford something more recent?
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Well I've recently bought the Canon 1D MKIIN (8MP) and the Canon 40D (10MP) and posted the results from shooting with those with the Canon 70-300mm L lens:

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/lucky-capture-heron.632445/

LCPete said:
For me it's the Canon 350D and Nikon D40 these were the first affordable DSLRs to me anyway
I bought the 350D and still have mine it's very battered
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Mine on the other hand is in almost mint condition and I have been using it the last few days:


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These were all taken on the 350D (8MP) using either the Canon 28-135mm IS USM lens or the Canon 70-300MM L lens.

This shows that you don't need the most modern camera to produce reasonable results and a good 350D, 40D etc can still produce great pictures.
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Canon 1D MKiiN - probably had the best Canon AF system - which is equalled (maybe just improved) with the new 1DX mkII.
If I could have had the increase in ISO handling of the 1D mkIV / 1DX ... in a 1D MKiiN ... I would probably swap back to it in a flash.
For taking pictures in well light situations, for me.. I often still wish I would have my old MKiiN handy :)
Lots of tech does improve slightly from model to model.. but that for me would be my 'modern classic' ...
 
woof woof said:
Yup.

One thing that strikes me is that digital photography is relatively new so things are only going to develop. Actually I think it's also surprising that some things from the film days are also relatively new such as auto focus. It wasn't that long ago that auto focus would have seemed like voodoo.

Maybe in the future we'll see pixel level metering giving the effect of great dynamic range, flat lenses and who knows what... :D

I do think that adapting bits from one system to fit another could be one big thing that we're just seeing the beginning of now.
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Yeah I wonder about the future tech too. I imagine it should be possible to have amazing low light capabilities and high detail and dynamic range from tiny sensors. I think the physical size of the sensor being so important, where bigger is usually better, is rather simplistic. There will be a way to bypass this. We are already seeing signs of this I guess.
 
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jamiebonline said:
Yeah I wonder about the future tech too. I imagine it should be possible to have amazing low light capabilities and high detail and dynamic range from tiny sensors. I think the physical size of the sensor being so important, where bigger is usually better, is rather simplistic. There will be a way to bypass this. We are already seeing signs of this I guess.
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Yup. But I think that your original post is still an interesting talking point as some cameras have moved the game on... there was a time when AF didn't exist... there was a time when there wasn't an even vaguely consumer affordable 35mm equivalent digital camera and there was a time when you couldn't mount a Canon/Nikon lens on a Sony body and get it to AF :D You can even get a manual focus lens to AF these days. There are milestones cameras in the past and no doubt there'll be more in the future as I'm pretty sure that we're still in the relative infancy of digital photography with so much being carried over from the days of film.
 
'Legendary' DSLRs...

Nikon D90 - first DSLR to have video
Nikon D700/Canon 5D (classic) - Accessible Full Frame
1DIIN - one of my favourite cameras ever owned. As mentioned, amazing AF
D3s - the original king of high ISO
Canon 350D - opening up DSLRs to everyone
 
D700 would be my choice. I'm Biased I guess as I owned one, but I used one again the other day alongside my D810 and had forgotten just how good it was (released 2008 I think).
 
I've still got a d700 as back up and it still surprises me! But my all time best would be my Yashica MG-1 as it was my first as a 10 year old! Still got it!!!
 
Olympus Evolt E330
First dSLR with Live View and a Flip out screen
Bearing in mind this was 2006, ten years ago!
 
+1 for the canon 350D - first affordable dslr as I recall
 
I look back on the Panasonic DMC-L1 with its kit 2.8 Lumix/Leica lens with manual aperture ring very fondly. I won't ever sell it. (In fact you can see it in the photo above my name despite now owning a D7200 with lens that are worth far more then the old boy)
 
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As a non dslr how about the Fuji f30fd it really kick started the quality compact market and ended the mega pixel race!
 
jamiebonline said:
Yeah I wonder about the future tech too. I imagine it should be possible to have amazing low light capabilities and high detail and dynamic range from tiny sensors. I think the physical size of the sensor being so important, where bigger is usually better, is rather simplistic. There will be a way to bypass this. We are already seeing signs of this I guess.
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It's not just sensor tech though, lens MTF theory shows that a bigger sensor is better (basically less magnification is required which is good for a number of reasons) so unless you're going to re-write lens physics then bigger will always be 'better' (image quality) all other things being equal.

A more pertinent point is when do small sensors and lenses become good enough for pretty much any situation?
 
Impspeed said:
'Legendary' DSLRs...

Nikon D90 - first DSLR to have video
Nikon D700/Canon 5D (classic) - Accessible Full Frame
1DIIN - one of my favourite cameras ever owned. As mentioned, amazing AF
D3s - the original king of high ISO
Canon 350D - opening up DSLRs to everyone
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newbie1 said:
+1 for the canon 350D - first affordable dslr as I recall
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Nope that'd be the Canon 300D. Say what you will about Canon, the 300D opened the world of DSLR's to the masses
 
woof woof said:
Yup. But I think that your original post is still an interesting talking point as some cameras have moved the game on... there was a time when AF didn't exist... there was a time when there wasn't an even vaguely consumer affordable 35mm equivalent digital camera and there was a time when you couldn't mount a Canon/Nikon lens on a Sony body and get it to AF :D You can even get a manual focus lens to AF these days. There are milestones cameras in the past and no doubt there'll be more in the future as I'm pretty sure that we're still in the relative infancy of digital photography with so much being carried over from the days of film.
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Can you please expand on the " you can even get manual focus lenses to AF these days " that sounds interesting ???
 
jakeblu said:
Nope that'd be the Canon 300D. Say what you will about Canon, the 300D opened the world of DSLR's to the masses
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Ah, 350 must have been the first affordable for me...I was totally skint when the 300 came out.
 
Legendary? The Leica rangefinders and the Nikon F/F2 were legendary (iconic?) to me anyway, but I'm not so sure about the DSLRs. I'd probably pick the Canon 300D and the Nikon D70 because they made DSLR photography far more affordable than any of their predecessors.

I wanted a DSLR back in the early 2000s but they were way out of reach for me, and South African prices were far above the UK. I eventually bought a Minolta Dimage 7i which was a good camera, but the 300D came out shortly afterwards for about the same price, which ticked me off pretty badly! It worked out well enough in the end though. I didn't like the small body and lack of a second control dial, and I bought a 30D a few years later.
 
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the black fox said:
Can you please expand on the " you can even get manual focus lenses to AF these days " that sounds interesting ???
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It's a company that has made adapter for m mount lenses to af on a e-mount. They're planning other mounts.
 
the black fox said:
Can you please expand on the " you can even get manual focus lenses to AF these days " that sounds interesting ???
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metabones and kipon have brought out af adapters to use canon eos lenses on m43 bodies and sony ones too.
A while back pentax launched an af converter allowing the elements to be focused in it while having a mf pentax lens on the front.

Olympus E1 for the list, i also remember my minolta dimage 7i too, I enjoyed using that.
 
the black fox said:
Can you please expand on the "you can even get manual focus lenses to AF these days " that sounds interesting ???
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Nikon introduced the TC-16 tele-converter with the F3AF in the early 80s that allowed auto focus with their manual lenses.
 
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