The "Island of Misfit Toys" was always my favorite scene from the animated Christmas show, "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Many of us naturally tend to pull for the underdog, which is why these scenes exist in the first place, I suppose. In a similar vein, I've developed an interest in what I'll call underdog cameras, in particular, quirky old digital cameras from a decade or so ago. It is a good theme for me to base a collection on, since the cost of entry is pretty low and I prefer a cheap hobby. I have all the serious photography tools I need at the moment, if I'm honest, but, who doesn't like playing with cameras and lenses from time to time? So, misfit cameras it is.
One of the first misfits I picked up was a Canon Powershot G1x from 2012. It is slow in operation, clunky in handling, sports a rubbish optical viewfinder, and must be set to macro mode to make a portrait! The key with these misfits, however, is to overlook their (often numerous) failings and focus instead on what they do well, even if it is only a single thing. What makes the G1x special is that it packs a relatively large sensor in a compact body, and, in spite of its slow clunkiness, makes a pretty great portable slow photography camera.
