In recent months, I have noticed a small bliptick (blip + uptick) of interest in old digital cameras in some quarters of the internet. From what I can gather, this nano-flurry of activity is being driven by some combination of nostalgia and the age old quest by photographers to achieve a unique 'look' to their images. I am far from immune to such forces, or FOMO either for that matter, and so, have been dabbling in digicams a little bit myself of late. Plus, at the moment, these old relics are a hell of a lot cheaper than old film cameras, not to mention film. You may even have one or two of these dinosaurs lurking at the bottom of a drawer or at the back of a shelf.
All that said, it is hard to quantify the 'photographic look' of a digital file. It is what the geneticists would call a multifactorial issue. A lot of room to explore, in other words.
With that in mind, I am happy to report that the Olympus E-500 ($50) is producing files, that to my eye at least, stand out noticeably from those produced by modern digital sensors. It would be a reasonable place to start your digicam journey, should you be so inclined. Why? It's multifactorial, baby. But CCD sensor, poor dynamic range, low megapixel count, primitive color filter array. This little guy has it all.
Welcome to the funhouse!
Tasting notes: Olympus E-500, 25 mm f/2.8 lens.
