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What's the oldest digital camera you have ready for shooting?
  • karlkarl

    While contemplating the fate of several unharmed yet no longer usable digital cameras I own, all of which just suffer from a lack of still usable proprietary batteries which are not sold anymore, I wondered what is the oldest digital camera that I own that is still "ready for shooting" at any time.

    For me it is actually a Konica Minolta A2, for which I was clever enough to buy the 6-AA-battery accessory while it was still available. The A2's original LiIon battery has long died, but using the standard batteries the A2 is still a quite usable 8 MPixel camera to take where you wouldn't take anything of too much value with you. And the A2 is also one of the few digital cameras that are so "analog-camera-like-to-operate" that you can hand them even to 80+ aged people to take a photo with.

    What's your oldest digital camera still ready for shooting?

  • 26 Replies sorted by
  • CFreakCFreak

    Video: "Canon ZR25 MC" SD travel handy cam. DV w/firewire out. I bought it when I moved overseas to PAL land in 2001. I digitized all important projects onto it's NTSC DV tapes to take with me. It has sat for a long time and I got it out last month for a client requesting SD 4:3 video. I revitalized the battery, but it wasn't the right tool for the job. Still works perfectly. The original battery lasts about 70 minutes in standby.

    Stills: Nikon D200. I waited on the digital camera front, I wasn't satisfied by the shutter lag on the pocket point & shoots at the time, and the DSLRs were too expensive. I got the D200 (used) ca. 2007 and it feels like a real camera. I have a KatzEye split field ground glass in it for manual focusing all my MF Nikkor AIS glass. The D200 was the 1st affordable camera from Nikon that utilized the AI glass' aperture ring to communicate with the body, what the F-stop manually set on the lens is. It also has a MF focus confirmation dot, for those without the special ground glass. I am using it on 2 still shoots later this month. While the sensor isn't the best in low light period, I added a SB-700 flash last year and that has given it new legs.

  • radikalfilmradikalfilm

    2 x DVX100 I routinely use for live event production. No intention to upgrade. I capture the composite signal out with Blackmagic Decklink cards and then do live mixing out to VGA (1024x768) projectors. PAL SD widescreen can be uprezzed to 720p with reasonable quality so that's my upgrade path if/when I encounter 720p projectors. There is deployed infrastructure in conference venues/hotels (wall cabling, projector cabinets in the ceiling) that will not be upgraded before it breaks. Why should I upgrade.

  • johnnymossvillejohnnymossville

    I still have a fujifilm s602zoom I'm not even sure how it old it is at this point, but it still takes nice pictures for what it is.

  • SunscreenSunscreen

    Video: Sony VX1000 ... Still works & is built like a tank. Aftermarket batteries can still be found for sale on Ebay Photo: Canon Powershot A630 ... Great little 8MP camera! Runs on double A's!

  • maxrmaxr

    photo - the pillow aka Nikon Coolpix2000 with a (are you holding to something?) whooping 2Mp sensor, just realizing it's gonna survive me
    video - Panasonic GS400 3X 1/4.7" CCD with a very nice OISed 37.6 - 451mm f1.6-2.8 lens, ripped off LCD and a hiccup once in a while, but working steady

    @MarcioK that Hv9x is a little box of miracles, mine has leukemia (broken LCD) but spits proud&high, je je

  • karlkarl

    I already included the battery issue in my "question to GH developers" posting.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    there is only a tiny fraction of dealers still selling GH2 batteries - and when asked, they basically admitted that the ones they still have in stock are pretty old

    Btw, it is good idea to add this thing to the questions to GH developers.

  • goannagoanna

    there is only a tiny fraction of dealers still selling GH2 batteries - and when asked, they basically admitted that the ones they still have in stock are pretty old ..

    Worrisome

  • MRfannyMRfanny

    Hewlett Packard 2mega pixel runs on double AA's. chunky mo fo

  • karlkarl

    @kurth: Not sure whether the situation is actually different in the US than it is here - but if I look at the offerings of GH2 batteries in Europe, there is only a tiny fraction of dealers still selling GH2 batteries - and when asked, they basically admitted that the ones they still have in stock are pretty old (and LiPoly batteries do age, even when not in use, over time).

  • kurthkurth

    @karl ....then what's this ...oops a panasonic gh2 battery at the most logical place to look -

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/761043-REG/Panasonic_DMW_BLC12_DMW_BLC12_Rechargeable_Lithium_ion_Battery.html

  • karlkarl

    @mpgxsvcd: I see that the Canon A5 used good old NiMh batteries - which are still easy to buy. No wonder you can still use it :-)

    @paulhouston: Original, fresh batteries for the GH2 seem to not be sold anymore... so let's see how long our dear GH2s can survive on 3rd party power.

    @cantsin: Given Youtube's (and its viewers) attitude regarding "bandwidths considered appropriate", the Sony Mavica FD-88 still qualifies as a perfectly modern video camera. Heck, Youtube would surely welcome 4k videos encoded at rates one can write to 3.5" floppies...

    It seems as of 2040, a digital camera museum will easily be filled with working devices from the 1990s - while the 2010+ models will just sit there as unpowered shades of their former self... unless somebody bothers to crack their battery dongles.

  • haavardhaavard

    I keep the Pentax K10D handy for the times when I need a robust and weather sealed camera. Nothing is better for bringing out in the wild, I don't think any of my Canon or Panasonic would be able to take the same kind of beating.

  • BurnetRhoadesBurnetRhoades

    Sony DCR-PC110E

    I had the DCR-PC100 until selling it last year. I think I still got nearly $300 for it + the Sony wide angle adapter.

  • WhiteRabbitWhiteRabbit

    Sony DCR-PC110E. Not used to shoot in years, only to review some old footage on mini-DV tape from time to time. There is night vision feature on this camera, hehe. Good form factor for a small camera, the hand strap with a small drop down support, a mini handle for your pinky.

  • kurthkurth

    sony tr3300 hi8 with adjustable shutter speed and 16/9. Put it in stretch mode, b&w, and max gain, and it's great for degraded imagery. My first video camera...among far too many !

  • cantsincantsin

    Sony Mavica FD-88. The only digital camera series that records pictures and video (MPEG-1 up to 320x240 pixels) to floppy disks.

  • MarcioKMarcioK

    Kodak Zi8 for video, Sony HX9V for stills.

  • kellar42kellar42

    GH1...works...not really sure what to do with it. Would give it to a younger filmmaker except he/she would need lenses.

  • Mark_the_HarpMark_the_Harp

    My oldest still functioning is the Sony TRV950 3CCD, nice big LCD screen, anamorphic adaptor (might sell that!) as it had native 4x3 chips. Most recently used in 2010 as part of a Livestream multicamera thing because of its FireWire output. Produces beautiful colour images if a bit noisy. It's quite chunky and with the lens hood attached, would probably appeal to hipsters!

  • paulhoustonpaulhouston

    GH2, it is my oldest.

  • BurnetRhoadesBurnetRhoades

    Canon A1 Digital ~1994...well, it's got digital in the title.

  • mpgxsvcdmpgxsvcd

    Canon A5 Zoom. Circa 1999.

  • maranfilmsmaranfilms

    For video I have Panasonics early pvdv-710, one their first digital camcorders (palm sized) funny thing is, it still works as well as it did the day I bought it. I used that thing to shoot a commercial for the Air National Guard filming F-15 fighter jests, and it did damn well with it's CCD chip. I also used an XL-1 with it. WOW! the good old days, if you were shooting digital you were the shit and considered cutting edge. Funny thing is some of the old beta cams still had a better image.

  • neokooneokoo

    Sony R1 from 2005. Helps that it uses widely available battery type. Old sensor and sluggish operation, but the integrated lens is good, and the camera is still useful at low ISO in slow-paced work. Its 3888x2592 images seem just enough for 4k/UHD age, so I'll probably keep it in use for years.

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