Pocket Cameras

[UB 40]

Please explain me something.

See that tiny lens, on a tiny camera?

Why can’t optical engineers today design the same tiny lenses and bodies for exactly the same size digital sensor as they did film sensors sixty years ago?

Leica still makes tiny full frame lenses.

Why can’t others?

The Rollei Sonnar 2.8/40 mm Lens is stunning. It’s so tiny because it’s a fix focal length and all functions like focussing or setting the aperture is done by hand. And it had to fit into the concept of one of the most tiniest 35mm cameras ever built.

When it comes to Leica we are talking about another dog. Yes they also produce all the best for professionals, and their small lenses are still the best. But when it comes to digital they are outdated by those that made the best of sensors and computing resources.

And most people don’t want to carry around a lot of heavy equipment. So if two more bulky zoom lenses with build in autofocus function, electronics most of the time is all you need, why get into several fixed focal length lenses, which in summary weight as much.

And why still photographing film? The approach is different, slower, maybe more thoughtful, more composing, more to make the best out of “only” 36 shots you’ll get with one roll of film. Or only 12 exposures if you move on to 6x6. It comes to questioning what do I want to show and Is it worth it anyways.

It’s more about sensibility and imagination than getting involved in the speed of digital processing.

When it comes to quality you can blow up a 25x36mm negative to wall like pictures in it’s own cloudy structured grain quality of course and limited sharpness. For me it is a change to my professional work, which is exhaustively done digital.

 

[UB 40]

I had several pocket cameras perfect for travel with no extra lenses or other gear, just that little package that fit under my jacket on a strap and took great pictures. I confess, digital ended my photography obsession. I guess I was addicted to celluloid, the smell, the shutter snap, the rewinding, the wait to see the results. Apparently all that was part of the magic of the images. Now that everyone photographs everything and a billion images ascend to the cloud ... it isn't the same product or experience. I just flip through the photo album of my brain and enjoy that. I see "photos" all the time; I just don't take them.

You do almost the same as I do. The magic and obsession I felt ended all with digital imaging, Now it’s more just to get the job done right, as fast as possible.

Ok it opened up endless possibilities especially when it comes to available light photography, but still I don’t enjoy the hours watching a 1000 exposures on the screen I probably shot at one event.

 

[Briar Lee]

Here’s the problem every camera manufacturer has today:



I own a T5i with a kit lens and it’s a wonderfully competent camera, though ten years old. The newer ones are no doubt a little better.

Canon EOS 700D/Rebel T5i In-Depth Review

June 2013: The Canon EOS 700D / Rebel T5i replaces the very short-lived Canon EOS 650D / T4i but is almost indistinguishable from it in terms of design, operation and specification. Our tests have found the image quality and performance of both cameras to be identical and they use the same...

m.dpreview.com

And just like my Sony a5000 like new with less than a thousand clicks a decade later, the vast majority will wind up sleeping in drawers and maybe come out a few times for graduations and proms and birthdays.

To make any real money, a manufacturer must get a customer hooked on their system.

And a $325 Canon Rebel is a mighty capable camera to compete against.

 

[danish]

I haven't had so many cameras since I bought my first SLR with several lenses in 1978, when still a schoolboy and learning about photography, processing etc. in primary school. But I quickly realized that I too often didn't want to bring my big camera gear with me, so I downsized to a Rollei 35, which gave me some stunning results, and then much later in the digital age, an Olympus EP-1 with a fixed pancake or short zoom. I still use the latter camera, when my phone is too limiting. I like the 'out of camera' jpegs from this Olympus camera and still have no need for 'upgrades' or more photo toys. I just wish my phone was not that wide angled but more like the Rollei (35-40mm-ish).