2023 marks 20 years since I converted from film to digital. My first digital was 2 megapixels and the photos look horrible by todays standards. The videos had no sound and won’t play on the modem Mac OS but played perfectly on Mac OS 9 in 2003. When did you convert from film to digital? Back then very few had digital cameras. Boy has tech changed allot in 20 years.
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20 years of owning a digital camera
- Thread starter jwolf6589
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I've never "converted" from film and have never stopped using it. In fact I just ran a roll through a Nikon F2 last night, and shot a roll in my Hasselblad a few weeks ago. My film use has been down this year, mostly because I don't have easy access to a darkroom(hope that's changing this year-something is in the works).
I've had digital cameras since the mid 2000s and used it a lot more when I got a cheap Canon Rebel DSLR in 2010, but didn't declare myself totally happy with the results until I got my Nikon D800 in 2017.
I've also sort of started collecting in a weird, perverse way early digital cameras, which at least for a while were quite inexpensive(hard to say now with the way some stuff has gone stupid in price). I post photos here on occasion taken with a Nikon D1(1999), and honestly they hold up decently well and you might not know unless I said or you looked at the EXIF.
I've had digital cameras since the mid 2000s and used it a lot more when I got a cheap Canon Rebel DSLR in 2010, but didn't declare myself totally happy with the results until I got my Nikon D800 in 2017.
I've also sort of started collecting in a weird, perverse way early digital cameras, which at least for a while were quite inexpensive(hard to say now with the way some stuff has gone stupid in price). I post photos here on occasion taken with a Nikon D1(1999), and honestly they hold up decently well and you might not know unless I said or you looked at the EXIF.
I remember in 2003 drug stores, Costco, among many other places had 1-hour photo for film based cameras in those days. Long gone these days.
My first was a Nikon CoolPix 900 in 1999. Had a couple other fixed lens Nikons until my first DSLR, a Nikon D80. Three or four years ago, it finally died (siezed up shutter) and I have just been using my iPhone since then. I would love to get another DSLR (to use all my lenses) but just can't justify the cost for the amount of use it would get.
I started developing my own film and making black and white prints around 1962 in the little basement darkroom that my father set up. First SLR was some kind of inexpensive Minolta from a pawn shop, got a Nikkormat in 1966 and was taking pictures of high school sports, some of which the local papers published. In college I got a Nikon with the big "Photomic" (?) TTL meter. It was stolen from my car on a visit to NYC in my senior year.
I continued using my Nikkormat FTN until I went digital.
My father collected cameras and I have a small trunk up in the attic with all kinds of novelties such as Leica, Rollei, Zeiss-Ikon, a Speed Graphic, couple of Minox "spy cameras" and more. So, I've "been there" when it comes to film and just don't see the point anymore. I feel pretty much the same about vinyl records and other "retro" stuff, digital suits me just fine.
I started developing my own film and making black and white prints around 1962 in the little basement darkroom that my father set up. First SLR was some kind of inexpensive Minolta from a pawn shop, got a Nikkormat in 1966 and was taking pictures of high school sports, some of which the local papers published. In college I got a Nikon with the big "Photomic" (?) TTL meter. It was stolen from my car on a visit to NYC in my senior year.
I continued using my Nikkormat FTN until I went digital.My father collected cameras and I have a small trunk up in the attic with all kinds of novelties such as Leica, Rollei, Zeiss-Ikon, a Speed Graphic, couple of Minox "spy cameras" and more. So, I've "been there" when it comes to film and just don't see the point anymore. I feel pretty much the same about vinyl records and other "retro" stuff, digital suits me just fine.
For me, it's the enjoyment of the process and especially the use of the associated equipment.
My D850 is objectively superb, but it's soul-less.
A Nikon F2 is a mechanical jewel that does everything I need and nothing I don't.
A Hasselblad 500C is a horrendously complicated Swedish mousetrap that's still ultimately satisfying to use and gives me results I have a hard time getting with anything other than another 6x6 camera.
I love working in the darkroom in particular. I love pulling the film out of the reels and seeing it finally. I especially love dropping paper in the tray and watching the image come up(and then doing it again and again until I get it exactly right, although with practice and consistent exposure techniques I got to where I could often get it close the first time).
That's just me, but certainly to each their own. Some only care about results, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm one who, for a hobby, cares as much about how I get there.
I had a Praktica slr when I was young - something I got from a second hand store. That disappeared at some point as I didn’t really get on with it. Then in 2003 I got a Sony DSC-P5 and mildly ignited my interest in photography having always thought of it as something for rich people to do.
Then shortly after our first daughter was born, I got a Canon DSLR - the new dad starter kit and found that I really enjoyed it. Since then I have become somewhat obsessed having explored a few camera systems.
Then shortly after our first daughter was born, I got a Canon DSLR - the new dad starter kit and found that I really enjoyed it. Since then I have become somewhat obsessed having explored a few camera systems.
I never truly embraced digital until the cameras were good enough to support it. Probably 2008 is when I decided it was good enough.
1998 or 99 when we went full into internet/website advertising/information. Started with a huge Sony, as time went on cameras became smaller. I loved it because my company bought me what I needed, and since I was the only real tech in the company, I got what I wanted.
I still do.
I still do.
They were useless. Battery life was horrible. Picture quality was equally as bad. The format took years to mature.
My first proper digital camera was an Olympus C-760 Ultra Zoom from 2004, which at the time had an incredible 10x zoom paired with a 3.2 megapixel sensor. It took great photos for the time. I still have it somewhere. Today my main camera is an Olympus E-M1II with a range of lenses. In my Photos library I have about 91,000 photos and a few thousand movies, every photo I've taken since buying that C-760.
That said, I still shoot film and enjoy the process of developing my own film. I used to scan the negatives with a flatbed scanner but have moved on to digitizing using my mirrorless camera and a macro lens, which gives results far superior to what I could achieve with my scanner.
That said, I still shoot film and enjoy the process of developing my own film. I used to scan the negatives with a flatbed scanner but have moved on to digitizing using my mirrorless camera and a macro lens, which gives results far superior to what I could achieve with my scanner.
Mike wrote:
"My first proper digital camera was an Olympus C-760 Ultra Zoom from 2004, which at the time had an incredible 10x zoom paired with a 3.2 megapixel sensor. It took great photos for the time."
I started "digital" with an Olympus "Super Zoom", too.
Mine was the C2100UZ.
Still have it, sitting in the closet in the original box.
"My first proper digital camera was an Olympus C-760 Ultra Zoom from 2004, which at the time had an incredible 10x zoom paired with a 3.2 megapixel sensor. It took great photos for the time."
I started "digital" with an Olympus "Super Zoom", too.
Mine was the C2100UZ.
Still have it, sitting in the closet in the original box.
2007 was the year for me: first iMac, first high-speed internetz, first cellphone, and first digital camera, the Nikon D-200 (which I still use for food photography). Its since been supplemented with a D-500 and the dF, which mimics my beloved FM-2 film camera, and I use in Manual with manual focusing only.
While I kinda miss the anticipation of getting my slides back, laying them out on the light table, and flipping the switch, I don't miss throwing 32 of the 36 slides into the trash (I'm a ruthless editor) after paying $7.50 for the film and $8.00 for the processing. I still shoot as if I'm using film, I'm not a "spray-n-pray" type shooter.
While I kinda miss the anticipation of getting my slides back, laying them out on the light table, and flipping the switch, I don't miss throwing 32 of the 36 slides into the trash (I'm a ruthless editor) after paying $7.50 for the film and $8.00 for the processing. I still shoot as if I'm using film, I'm not a "spray-n-pray" type shooter.
I bought a Nikon D200 in late 2012, and upgraded to a D600 a few months later (I'd had a Ricoh Caplio GX8 but that was a bit crap really, a snappy cam that was bettered quite quickly by 'phone cams). The D200 was bought to get me back into photography, after quite a long hiatus brought on mainly by a lack of self-processing resources and rising material costs. I'd come from film photography using Nikon equipment, so a Nikon DSLR was the obvious choice really. The D200 proved limited because of the crop factor (I prefer wide angle lenses over long teles, mainly). The D600 was a revelation; image quality was superb (still is). Low light capability is excellent. I got quite into shooting gigs and events, so often in very low/poor lighting. I bought a Z6 in 2019, and that is another level again.
Personally, I feel digital photography 'matured' around 2010, as full frame cams such as the Canon 1D and 5 series, and the Nikon Dx series and D700 had improved image quality to a point at least matching, and then exceeding film. Prior to that point, blown out highlights and a relatively limited dynamic range were stumbling blocks for digital. The D600 offered an 'affordable' entry to full frame digital. My own feelings are that digital now exceeded film in terms of absolute image quality, and definitely for lower light photography. I could shoot at 6400 ISO and get excellent results. AF systems were far superior to any film cams. The potential offered by digital files far exceeded what you could achieve with film. I was a relatively late 'converter', but I never looked back. My Z6 can shoot in light so low that ISO 51,200 is needed, even with fast primes. This is nothing short of amazing. I can get acceptable useable results from such conditions. As for professional work; digital is a no-brainer. No more dashing across London to get films developed, no more stress wondering if they'll come out ok. I still love my film cams, but for nostalgic reasons, nothing else.
Personally, I feel digital photography 'matured' around 2010, as full frame cams such as the Canon 1D and 5 series, and the Nikon Dx series and D700 had improved image quality to a point at least matching, and then exceeding film. Prior to that point, blown out highlights and a relatively limited dynamic range were stumbling blocks for digital. The D600 offered an 'affordable' entry to full frame digital. My own feelings are that digital now exceeded film in terms of absolute image quality, and definitely for lower light photography. I could shoot at 6400 ISO and get excellent results. AF systems were far superior to any film cams. The potential offered by digital files far exceeded what you could achieve with film. I was a relatively late 'converter', but I never looked back. My Z6 can shoot in light so low that ISO 51,200 is needed, even with fast primes. This is nothing short of amazing. I can get acceptable useable results from such conditions. As for professional work; digital is a no-brainer. No more dashing across London to get films developed, no more stress wondering if they'll come out ok. I still love my film cams, but for nostalgic reasons, nothing else.
Tell me about it. Photos from 2003 look horrid by todays standards.
Although even worse are my old Palm Pilot and Blackberry photos.
The Hottest Gen Z Gadget Is a 20-Year-Old Digital Camera (Published 2023)
Young people are opting for point-and-shoots and blurry photos.
Looks like these old cameras are in fashion again.
Seems to be a bit of a fad. It's a result of fashion trends, more than anything. They'll soon get bored of it and move onto the next Big Thing™ that whatever celebrity they follow decides is 'cool'. As long as it's easy and instantly disposable; I doubt we'll see many young people taking up pottery because a Kardashian has thrown a few pots. Far too much like hard work.
Un-remembered film "point & shoot" cameras
Canon EOS-300
I went digital in 2001
What a nice change. I could take multiple photos of the same thing, trying out different apertures, shutter speeds, ISO values etc without having to wait ages for my roll of 36 to be developed and returned. If a photo I took didn't look good, I just took it again! And I could email them to friends and family.
Canon Powershot S30
Canon Powershot S60
Canon EOS 40D
Canon Powershot S90
I loved the 40D but it wasn't fun as a travel camera. Body and two lenses, plus people would freeze and stare, or pull a silly smile, if I tried to take their photo when travelling. Due to something about exchange rates to the JPY and the new higher price of the 50D, I sold my 40D 18 months after buying it for more than I paid.
Made a loss on all the other cameras
I went to phone only in 2014
On a cycling holiday in Asia, I decided to only take my phone. Reasons being (1) I would be taking my phone anyway, (2) one less thing to worry about being stolen/lost, (3) vibrations on the bike might corrupt the SD card (it happened once a few years before), (4) iPhone backs photos up to the cloud so in the event of theft/loss I still have my photos. I never went back to using a camera.
iPhone 5S
iPhone 6S
iPhone 11 (today)
Canon EOS-300
I went digital in 2001
What a nice change. I could take multiple photos of the same thing, trying out different apertures, shutter speeds, ISO values etc without having to wait ages for my roll of 36 to be developed and returned. If a photo I took didn't look good, I just took it again! And I could email them to friends and family.
Canon Powershot S30
Canon Powershot S60
Canon EOS 40D
Canon Powershot S90
I loved the 40D but it wasn't fun as a travel camera. Body and two lenses, plus people would freeze and stare, or pull a silly smile, if I tried to take their photo when travelling. Due to something about exchange rates to the JPY and the new higher price of the 50D, I sold my 40D 18 months after buying it for more than I paid.
Made a loss on all the other cameras
I went to phone only in 2014
On a cycling holiday in Asia, I decided to only take my phone. Reasons being (1) I would be taking my phone anyway, (2) one less thing to worry about being stolen/lost, (3) vibrations on the bike might corrupt the SD card (it happened once a few years before), (4) iPhone backs photos up to the cloud so in the event of theft/loss I still have my photos. I never went back to using a camera.
iPhone 5S
iPhone 6S
iPhone 11 (today)
I was born in the 90s and "came of age" right as digital was maturing. My brother, 2 years older than me, took a photography class in high school, which was done with film. When I got there was the first year they switched to digital. I don't really have any experience "working" with film. Though I still have the Nikon FM my parents bought for my brother's class.
All my family photos before I was a teenager were on film, from my dad's P&S. My parents still have boxes and boxes of those photos. My brother and I convinced my parents to go digital for the "family camera" around 2004-5 with an Olympus C-765 UltraZoom. The image quality is not great looking back, but it was awesome for my education and enjoyment to be able to practice with as many shots as I wanted, and we didn't have to wait for CVS to develop the photos. My parents will lament that they were "no longer able" to get packs of photos from various trips and events like they could with their film camera.
My first DSLR was an Olympus E500. I loved that thing. I still have it, but it doesn't work anymore. After I got my next DSLR I started tinkering with the old one, and couldn't get it back together correctly. That next one was a Nikon D200. Also love it, also still have it. I started to resent photography in high school when I joined the newspaper. Would do things differently in retrospect, but I was mostly doing sports which I had no interest in and also didn't have any guidance for developing skills as a photojournalist.
After college the sting faded and tech had developed a long ways since the D200. Bought my third (and maybe last?) DSLR, a D750. Love that thing and the things I've been able to do with it. I just love holding it sometimes, too. Now I'm mostly on Fuji, which I also love. If you hadn't caught on yet, I am a hoarder, particularly when it comes to cameras & tech. I still have every computer and camera I've ever owned. And I don't expect to get rid of any of them anytime soon 😂
But in any case, I love digital. I am curious to pop a roll of film into my FM, but I haven't quite figured out what to do with it yet. Maybe some portraits of my recent niece and nephew. I have no particular interest in using a darkroom. I would do it so infrequently that it doesn't seem worth it, and there's plenty more for me to learn with digital yet.
All my family photos before I was a teenager were on film, from my dad's P&S. My parents still have boxes and boxes of those photos. My brother and I convinced my parents to go digital for the "family camera" around 2004-5 with an Olympus C-765 UltraZoom. The image quality is not great looking back, but it was awesome for my education and enjoyment to be able to practice with as many shots as I wanted, and we didn't have to wait for CVS to develop the photos. My parents will lament that they were "no longer able" to get packs of photos from various trips and events like they could with their film camera.
My first DSLR was an Olympus E500. I loved that thing. I still have it, but it doesn't work anymore. After I got my next DSLR I started tinkering with the old one, and couldn't get it back together correctly. That next one was a Nikon D200. Also love it, also still have it. I started to resent photography in high school when I joined the newspaper. Would do things differently in retrospect, but I was mostly doing sports which I had no interest in and also didn't have any guidance for developing skills as a photojournalist.
After college the sting faded and tech had developed a long ways since the D200. Bought my third (and maybe last?) DSLR, a D750. Love that thing and the things I've been able to do with it. I just love holding it sometimes, too. Now I'm mostly on Fuji, which I also love. If you hadn't caught on yet, I am a hoarder, particularly when it comes to cameras & tech. I still have every computer and camera I've ever owned. And I don't expect to get rid of any of them anytime soon 😂
But in any case, I love digital. I am curious to pop a roll of film into my FM, but I haven't quite figured out what to do with it yet. Maybe some portraits of my recent niece and nephew. I have no particular interest in using a darkroom. I would do it so infrequently that it doesn't seem worth it, and there's plenty more for me to learn with digital yet.
Memory lane: my first personal digital camera was a free one Fall 2000. Signed up for dial up modem service 56k speed provider , they gave us a 480x640 digital camera that took .. hold on … like 30 images max, with cable to transfer.
Used it for this image, Nov-28-2000.
Bought 2.5 acres property, built our home on it.
Used it for this image, Nov-28-2000.
Bought 2.5 acres property, built our home on it.
My first digital camera was a Nikon Coolpix 880, with a tiny sensor. Used it more for party snapshots and so on, I was still using film for serious photos. The Coolpix is the kind of camera mentioned in the link @headlessmike posted above. That was sometime in 2000.
After that I got a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1, which was a joint project with Panasonic & Leica. It had a giant and fast 28-90mm (35mm equivalent) Vario-Summicron lens, which in retrospect was overkill for the 5 megapixel CCD sensor. But I loved it at the time, as it was built like a tank and had fully manual controls - including an actual aperture ring on the lens! - plus auto. I admit that I bought it in part because it had more of a Leica look and feel than other digital cameras did at the time. And I wasn't ready to switch from film entirely, if it meant using a camera that felt like a toy.
Shot with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1 in Kyoto Station, 2004.
When I moved up to a DSLR in 2007, I got a Canon 30D, which had an APS-C sensor. After that I got a 7D. Then I moved to full-frame Canon DSLRs.
It's been a while since I shot film, but - surprise twist! - I am doing some pinhole photography now, exposing directly on paper.
After that I got a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1, which was a joint project with Panasonic & Leica. It had a giant and fast 28-90mm (35mm equivalent) Vario-Summicron lens, which in retrospect was overkill for the 5 megapixel CCD sensor. But I loved it at the time, as it was built like a tank and had fully manual controls - including an actual aperture ring on the lens! - plus auto. I admit that I bought it in part because it had more of a Leica look and feel than other digital cameras did at the time. And I wasn't ready to switch from film entirely, if it meant using a camera that felt like a toy.
Shot with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1 in Kyoto Station, 2004.
When I moved up to a DSLR in 2007, I got a Canon 30D, which had an APS-C sensor. After that I got a 7D. Then I moved to full-frame Canon DSLRs.
It's been a while since I shot film, but - surprise twist! - I am doing some pinhole photography now, exposing directly on paper.
Can't say that I converted from film to digital as first digital would better be termed "upgrading." As such, I upgraded the P&S to a Sony P72 in 2003. However, I continued to use the film SLR, Canon AE-1 and T-70 bodies, until upgrading to a Nikon D40 in 2007, upgrading with Nikon and eventually full frame until I went mirrorless with Sony in 2016. I still have the AE-1 and T-70 bodies and shoot film for fun.
This is funny. While Costco was the go-to when had kiosk but didn't use the mail order until needed a couple of 5x7, so ordered them. It came to $0.57 with free shipping. I did have to wait for it to arrive in FL, as was printed in Washington State.