Old school camera wanted...in a digital form.

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com

 Hi Photographer friends,

Digital cameras are getting more sophisticated every year. It's great and the quality of the images that we capture is so much better than the film based photography of yesteryear's. Nowadays, it's almost too easy. We can shoot an unlimited amount of pictures, (depending of the memory card), we can view the images immediately, we have machine-gun fast shooting capability, we have auto-everything, heck...the cameras can almost take the pictures by itself.

I'm enjoying this just like everyone else. In this century, everything is face paced. We take pictures with our smart phones and we send them to friends and family in minutes or post them on Facebook for the world to see. We can't wait for anything. Manufacturers keep making the camera easier to use and soon there won't be much difference between still  and video cameras. Each frame will be of the highest quality and we will be able to choose the best images amongst dozens, if not hundreds of images differentiated by just a fraction of a second of recording.

It's so great, that I don't feel like I'm a photographer anymore. The camera tells me if I'm in focus, it can  choose the aperture, the sensitivity (ISO) and the shutter speed for me. Most cameras even have little icons of various shooting situations, like a face at close up view for portraits, mountains for infinity landscape shooting, a little man  running for fast action , etc,.  HRD allows capturing images with a wider latitude than what the human eyes can see, and you can make panoramic images directly in-camera by stitching several images together.

If you're picky, there are the Photoshop and Aperture software of the world to correct the images after the take. It's all so wonderful.

I, for one, would like to go back to the basics...to some basics anyway. You see, yesteryear's cameras  were so slow and the film so costly, that you were forced to really make sure that the scene you were about to take a photo of, was as perfect as possible. There was no instant viewing, no auto-everything, you had to figure out all of that by yourself and you had to really think about your composition. Shooting two rolls of "36's" Kodachrome was a big thing for a weekend of shooting and costly, might I say.

So, camera manufacturers, take notes. I know I'm not the only one feeling that way and the success of the Fuji X10 and X100 is a good example that "Old School" cameras could be a good niche for any camera manufacturer. I'm not talking about the mirror-less "flavor of the day" type of cameras. I'm talking about a great "all manual" cameras. Okay, maybe all manual with confirmation. It could be a Single Lens Reflex or a Range Finder camera, it doesn't matter.

I don't really need a 24 megapixels sensor, I just need image quality. Here's the description of this new "Old School" camera:

I need 10 to 14 megapixels at most. I don't need the so-called "full frame", hell... they're all full frames in their own format. An APS-C sensor would be just fine. I don't need autofocus, I just need focus confirmation (maybe, 'cause my eyes won't be getting any better with time). You don't have to make the camera think for me, I want to choose the aperture, the ISO and the shutter speed myself, after all I'm a photographer and I know what's required.

I don't want an LCD screen, it makes me hurry up and I don't take the time to study the scene. I'll have plenty of time later at home to review my images on my computer. Yes...my computer. It's not that I want to go back in time, I'm a photographer and I know how to take pictures. I can certainly do without the chemicals involved in developing films and I do like the modern way to print and view my images.

I need a manual preview button that closes down the lens to the chosen aperture, so that I can see the depth of field, although it's not an essential feature. I can calculate the depth of field myself, but your lenses no longer show the distances that are in focus. (front and back). I'm a photographer and I know when I press the shutter what the results will be.

I'm okay with the built-in exposure metering systems, otherwise I would have to carry a hand-held light meter. I would appreciate a small LCD screen, on the top side of the camera, to let me know the battery's condition and to set some of the important functions such as white balance, etc,. I know that a digital camera has to have power.  (Solar or light power someday would be a great advancement that would not interfere with my photographic experience.)

Do I need in-camera or in-lens shake reduction? No. If I need to, I can use a tripod or other simple form of stabilization. It's pretty simple...make sure the camera doesn't move during exposure. I can do that.

We can recognise the inspiration of this photoshopped camera, but just imagine an all manual one.

Now, are you still listening camera manufacturers? Such camera would cut your costs tremendously and would create a new segment in the photographic world. I'm a photographer and I know how to take pictures,...and so are thousands and thousands of other photographers.

Thanks for reading, and maybe listening,

Yvon Bourque

Is it easier to build a Pentax DSLR today than it was building a Pentax 35mm SLR in the 70's?

Hi Pentaxian friends,

Is it easier to build a Pentax DSLR today than it was building a Pentax 35mm SLR in the 70's? I know, I wrote Pentax in the title, but now that I have your attention, of course this applies to any brand.

I have an old Asahi Pentax K2 (circa 1975-1977) that was no longer functional. It wasn't worth repairing, so I decided to take it apart. It took me several weeks to take it apart, working on it a little every night. Actually, I didn't completely take all the parts off. Some cluster of gears, levers, springs and circuit boards were left intact. I wanted to conserve the intricate mechanism that were incorporated in these older 35mm cameras.

These cameras were precise and built just like a fine watch. I actually wore protective eyeglass during this project, as I never knew when a spring would fly off. Can you imagine designing one of these? Today's engineers all have computer aided drafting tools like Auto Cad, 3D modeling software, animation, etc. In those days, all design and drawings were carefully and precisely hand drawn to a larger scale, on paper. Some were even drawn in ink on special paper. I didn't count, but I took at least 100 tiny screws off. The camera had to be built manually, for the most part, as there was no way to build with that precision using the automation technology that existed back then.

Note that the frame was all metal, the prism was pure solid glass, there were no computer chips and the circuit boards were simple current conductors, used in lieu of wires.

These cameras are still used today by many photographers and hobbyists. It seems that every home had a Pentax camera during the 60's and the 70's. Built like tanks, an SLR from those days was expected to last twenty years or more. There was no "New Models" coming out every year.

Were they better than today's DSLRs? Well...No, just different and technologically limited to what was available at the time. The concept of digital cameras wasn't even imaginable. Like the old TV ad said, "We've come a long way baby!".

Now, about the question of whether today's DSLRs are easier to build than the 35mm SLR cameras of Yesteryears, I don't know the answer. I don't know the answer because I'm not about to dismantle any of my Pentax DSLRs. However, I suspect that it is indeed easier. More molded plastic parts are used, electronics and computer chips take little space and are all pre-assembled with some kind of automation. There are much less mechanical parts. I'm pretty sure that you will not find as many tiny screws holding parts together.

Will the current DSLRs last for twenty years? I think not. On one hand, too many models are being introduced, with new features, and the current generation of upcoming photographers want all the gadgets. On the other hand, technology is expanding at an exponential rate and who knows what next year alone will bring!

We live in a great Century, and taking pictures has never been easier...and more complicated than today, all at the same time.

Thank you for reading.

Yvon Bourque

I wonder who had this Contax camera when it was new.

Although I have gone completely digital with my photography endeavors, I still have this special interest for the 35mm SLR cameras. They were a marvel of engineering precision. Yes, digital is wonderful and I can do things with my Pentax K10D that I could only have dreamed of, just a few years ago. You know, it will get better still and in the years up ahead, we will likely say that the newer new digital revolution is bringing photography to levels that we could only have dreamed of. Of course, the up and coming generation of that time will only see that as normal. The evolution cycle will no doubt continue.

This past weekend, while I was glancing through the tables and the stuff laid down on the ground at the local flea market, here in Southern California, I found a vendor with a bunch of old camera equipment. Actually, most of the cameras were in real bad shape and some of them were broken. I spotted an old camera bag and peeped into it.There it was; a like-new Contax 139 quartz camera with the Contax 50 Years anniversary TLA20 flash, a Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/1.7 prime lens, the original Contax winder, all manuals, a 70-200mm Vivitar Series 1 telephoto and a very rare Vivitar 2x Macro Focusing Teleconverter. I got all excited but tried to act innocent about it. “How much do you want for this old dusty camera?” I asked. “Lets see, one hundred dollars” said the gentleman. Will you take $75.00?” The answer was a quick “no, this is a good camera”. “Okay then, I guess I will pass”. I know how these flea market sellers operate and I had not walked tree steps, when I heard, “I will make a deal just for you, I will take $80.00 no less”.

So the short of it...the camera has a new owner. I knew it was worth a lot more. Like a little kid, I couldn't wait to get home. Once I returned home, I logged on Ebay and checked the prices of recent completed auctions for all the same items sold individually. Surprise, surprise…the total of all items, in fair condition mind you, were sold for nearly $800.00. I would say that my Contax is in excellent condition so it’s an even better deal. The seals are like new, the glass is perfect, everything works like new. The meter is right on.

I wonder who had the camera when it was new? I wonder who used it last? Wouldn't you like to see what a camera like that recorded on film through the years? I know I would. How did it end up for sale at a flea market by someone who didn't know the difference between a Contax SLR and a Polaroid camera? I will probably never know.

I don’t really need this mid-1970's camera. The last thing I need is another camera. I should sell it on Ebay. On the other hand, I do love the claping sound of the shutter, the wizzing noise of the motor drive, the ease of manual focusing with the split center screen and the simplicity of it all. The Carl Zeiss lens is solidly made of aluminum with numbers engraved instead of stamped on the frame. It still is a great lens by any standard. How could I sell this great camera? It reminds me of when I was a younger man and still dreaming of becoming a National Geographic photographer. Ah! those were the good years.

Well...I’m not selling it, I have decided. I have a piece of history in my hands, and it’s a keeper. I do have dozens of old 35mm cameras like Nikon, Pentax, Canon, Minolta, Miranda, Kodak, but I didn’t have a Contax. Now I have one, and it's my first Contax at that. I will keep it until it’s my turn to push up daisies, and someday, perhaps with some luck or destiny, someone will get excited with their great find; an old Contax camera found at a flea market, garage sale or at a storage facility auction. Like me, they will be proud of their purchase and will wonder what the camera recorded on film through the years? How did it find its way for sale at a flea market by someone who didn't know the difference between a Contax and a Polaroid camera? They may never know. By the way, my wife likes the simplicity of the camera and will use the camera with film soon.

Thank you for reading,

Yvon Bourque