Would you buy this camera?

[Uneternal]

This is the EOS R5 II - Retro Edition.

Canon did something similar in the past but only with the EOS RP (Gold Edition). 

[SignifDigits]

Yeah, that mentality is just plain wrong, I agree.  I just bought a printer so now at least I hope that I will be thinking "is this a shot I'm excited enough enough to be willing to spend the time and money to print?"

But I have to say shooting 30 or 40 FPS isn't something I could trade for film.  When shooting action of animals or birds (or people or cars too, I'm sure, but not what I usually do) my skill of capturing that "perfect moment" will, I think, never be good enough.  It sure makes me appreciate those that worked that magic in the past on film.

I somehow doubt there is a market for a retro "manual only mode" (ok, maybe autofocus and SLR type metering) digital camera that holds only 36 shots.  If that were cheap enough, though, maybe?  I think I'll order one of those $20 thermal paper kids cameras and see how it compares to my first camera - Polaroid Swinger.  I wonder how many of us oldsters started with a Swinger.

[SignifDigits]

I had a Minolta Maxxum 7000 and a bunch of Minolta lenses.  I thought single point autofocus was MAGICAL.  If I were to shoot film again a Maxxum (maybe the 7, though I like that the 7000 is so darned ugly!) be my choice just for the sake of nostalgia.  That said, I moved onto Nikon and because of lenses went digital with Nikon even though Canon clearly quickly (if not from the beginning) was superior.  I finally switched to Canon and full-frame with an EOS R kit with the 24-240 and haven't looked back .

[LeeP]

In addition to digital I shoot with:

Pentax 17, K1000, KM, K2, MX ME, MV, and MG. I got the ME when I was 17, the K1000 when I was 23, and acquired the rest more recently with advantageous pricing.

I am a diehard Pentax user, but once they went autofocus, they produced cheap, low-quality trash in my opinion.

My Nikon F and FM are advantageous purchases in the last two years.

Minolta SRT202 (what a stupidly designed camera) was $8 and is in perfect condition, but the design is not wonderful.

My Mamiya RB67 and 645 were acquired probably 25 years ago.

I want an A1 though. 🙂

When it went to digital I got rid of my Elan IIe and my 7e. The 7e was a wonderful camera.

[SignifDigits]

I'm old and forgetful.  My first mirrorless was a first gen A7.  It was great, but my son started taking camera classes and it quickly transitioned to his camera.  I had forgotten that I owned that one.  I've given away or donated, etc. everything from the past.  He really has a better "eye" than I do.  That's when I transitioned to Canon.  I used a Pentax of a friend in high school a bit (belonged to the small town newspaper), and borrowed a Hasselblad medium format to shoot for a brochure I did where I worked.  Shortly after that I had to own cameras to be happy - shot my own engagement shot, etc.  Sadly I'm just now learning the basics that I wish I'd learned then.  I could never get into my pea brain the inverse relationship of the f-stops to light and the depth of field.  I mean, I could get it and take a test but not "GET" it when shooting.  I just didn't shoot enough, really.  I hope to take some classes soon.  And I'm looking forward to making prints.  I hope that will make me a better photographer.  They say it's never too late to learn - I hope that's true.

[justadude]

"But I have to say shooting 30 or 40 FPS isn't something I could trade for film.  When shooting action of animals or birds (or people or cars too, I'm sure, but not what I usually do) my skill of capturing that "perfect moment" will, I think, never be good enough.  It sure makes me appreciate those that worked that magic in the past on film."


While I know many of you love the 40 FPS of these cameras, I guess I'm different.  I often get hired to shoot the finish line at marathons and triathlons, as well as out on the course at times.  While the goal is to catch every single runner as they cross the line, and hopefully with both feet off the ground as they run, I still find single shot shooting the best (three rapid fire shots).  I guess I look at it as at the end of the day, I'd rather go home and cull through 5,000 - 8,000 photos after a 10 hour event, unlike a few of the pros I shoot with who go home with 40,000 shots (most of the others shoot around the same as I do).  When you have a two day turn time by contract to cull, edit, and upload photos, those guys that shoot 40,000 must not sleep.  

Polaroid Swinger... I remember my uncle showing off his new camera to my dad, the other uncles and us kids.  The light meter, as you recall, said either "yes" or "no".  My dad and uncles: "What's it say, John?"  Uncle John: "It says No", he turns and points it at some of the other cousins "What's it say now?"... "It says No."  Turns again... "What's it say now?"... "It says Hell No!"  Us kids thought it was hilarious.  😅

[justadude]

"They say it's never too late to learn - I hope that's true."

It is true.  The important thing is to have fun, and learn from your mistakes.  Mostly, have fun!

[zakslm]

"Polaroid Swinger... I remember my uncle showing off his new camera to my dad, the other uncles and us kids.  The light meter, as you recall, said either "yes" or "no"."

  Oh my goodness!  I had a Polaroid Swinger!  I think I was around 12 years old and got it as a birthday gift.  I remember turning the little knob until it said "yes", having to coat the black and white photos that were peeled off with the solution in the tube with the provided swab (included with every film pack) and putting in individual AG-1 flash bulbs for flash photography.   What a fun camera!  

[SignifDigits]

It WAS fun.  I was just about to say that it was also awful in how bad they bleached out or stuck to something, but I looked into my old keepsakes and there are 20 or 30 pics still there from over 50 years ago in decent shape!  Some are still in the fold-out official holder that must have come with the camera.  A couple shots look nearly new - amazing.  I think my parents stopped buying me film and that that that for the Swinger.

The phone cameras today are, I guess the "fun" thing.   I mean, I can't really think of a way to make things more "fun" today.  I guess there is still the appeal of instant film, and for around $200 ($19.95 1965 Swinger price - I can still hear the jingle in my head - in today's $$) you can get some nice ones.  I did buy a $20 thermal kids camera to try out that I hope is fun.  If it's not awful I think we'll pass it around and let folks take pics with it for Christmas. 

[zakslm]

"I guess there is still the appeal of instant film"

I think you're right.  I'm not at all familiar with them but aren't Fuji Instax cameras very popular?