These are a few shots I captured Uptown at the top of a CPCC parking garage that I thought turned out really well, I hope y'all like em! Also, a cloud I thought was pretty.
All images were captured on an Olympus E-20N with a 62mm Sunpak CPOL filter + lens hood.
I'd been wanted to pick up either an E-10 or E-20 for quite some time as I felt ready to graduate from point and shoots to be able to make more in-depth edits to the pictures I love to take. Finally managed to pick one up (with a fantastic Sportspak camera bag, as well as two filters!) All three of these shots were taken from about 55-60ft up at the top of a parking deck in Uptown Charlotte, NC, with a 62mm Sunpak CPOL filter. The edits were mostly minor color normalizations, though I did mess around with the gamma and brightness of the cloud image. I also managed to snag a TCON-300S with all original parts, so I am *extremely* excited to learn how to use that properly! I plan on gathering together the last couple of lens mounts that released for these cameras (WCON-08B, TCON-14B) in the coming weeks, and I already have the FL-40 external flash as well as an MCON-35 macro lens on the way. If you have any tips for editing please let me know! I use digiKam and the .ORF RAW format to edit and capture images.
Twice I've posted about this issue, and twice it's been removed. The mods of /r/Charlotte won't respond to me. They are deleting valid anger over racism in a majority immigrant community. Clearly they prefer the racists to the immigrants.
Edit: One of their mods did respond to my other post calling them out for this by saying that "posting a literal hate poster" wasn't a good idea. If I were posting it with zero context or critique, yeah I'd agree. That being said, I am a member of one of the communities these people have targeted for months on end. Hand wringing about a minority posting visual proof of what she's experiencing is not the same as just posting a hate poster with no context. I am deeply disappointed in the moderators of that subreddit.
To the person who keeping putting these up and tagging out community donation box on John Kirk:
Stop putting this shit up. The community here is watching for you, and we will post your face(s) as soon as we get a photo of you in the act. You have been doing this for months now, and the last time I tried to post about this it got removed so let me be a little more civil with my post: We are sick of you and the months long temper tantrum you've been throwing. You are a small little person who clearly doesn't have much going on if you're able to get up at all wee hours of the night to print off AI generated trash to harass people who don't look or live like you, nevermind the inordinate amounts you're clearly wasting on ink and spray paint to keep this shit up for this long. Does this make you feel brave? Big? Strong? Do you feel like the great White Man you clearly believe you are? Then come post something like this in broad daylight coward. Leave our communities alone or man up and step out into the sun.
A few days ago I decided to take a day to photo-walk around Charlotte, North Carolina, to take a series of comparative photographs between my three digicams. All images are unedited, and the settings are as they would be out of the box:
The final set of photographs is each subject captured by my modern Pixel 10 Pro XL cell phone camera, just to give a comparison to something that isn't uncommon right now. Below are my experiences with one of each camera, my thoughts on them, and my rating 1-5 for Fun Factor.
The 2090: The smaller, quieter, older brother of the humongous 4090, the PV-DC2090 shipped with the same CCD sensor a year prior. I think there might be some difference caused by age between the two, however, as the 2090's images come off as flatter and a touch grainier to my eye. Then again, it could just be my individual cameras having lived very different lives. The 2090 lacks the mechanical charm of the 4090 in more ways than one: while there is obviously no diskette drive, there is *also* no lens cover (mechanical or otherwise). It does boast several notable advantages over its behemoth younger sibling, however, in that it is half the size and runs on standard off-the-shelf AA batteries while also being notably cheaper (in the US). Another is that it includes a true viewfinder, one that even zooms in and out with the lens. Yet another still? The solid-state nature of the storage means that mechanically far fewer things can go wrong.
The PV-DC2090 does have one interesting quirk that I have only really seen discussed in the one YouTube review (shout out to Danalog) of this camera that I can find: while it does boast two CompactFlash card slots, these slots do not automatically switch over once one is full. In order to make full use of both cards, should you have two available that are compatible, you have to go into the menu and manually switch the card being used. This might be a headache if you're using an 8MB card, though 16MB and above cards are readily available. As far as I can tell, the 2090 caps out compatibility at 128MB and even then it's a bit of a gamble.
I truly, truly love this camera. Once I received it my 4090 found itself relegated to only occasionally coming out when more than one digicam is needed, and even then less and less so as I worry about wearing out its internal drive mechanisms. Sure, the photos don't "pop" in exactly the same way my 4090's do, but again that's probably more down to differences between the individual cameras rather than genuine model differences. For all intents and purposes they are the same, differing only in size and storage medium.
Unlike the 4090, the 2090 is a pure brick in the hand. It is as square as a camera can be, dense in a reassuring way thanks to the usage of AAs, and man does it ever feel like it was meant to be picked up and carried around without thought to fragility. I wouldn't call it uncomfortable, but I definitely wouldn't call it comfortable either. It makes me think that it is what a child would draw if you asked them to draw a digital camera. Simple, to the point, brick.
A blank 64MB CF card can store 121 images at the highest available quality.
Fun Factor Score: 4/5, smaller, quieter, and cheaper than the 4090, the 2090 definitely has its charms. It has certainly charmed me. Images capture nearly the same "vibe" as the 4090, but in actual use the 2090 is much more quiet and feels less like a machine to be hefted around than it does a tool to be sensitive with. With both CF slots filled you can capture loads of pictures at the highest quality, and the ubiquity of AA batteries means you'll struggle to find yourself out of luck when yours die. The only reason it loses a point is because it's just not as mechanically satisfying.
Final Thoughts: I started collecting "vintage" digital cameras in earnest probably a decade ago with an Apple QuickTake 150 that I'm certain is somewhere in my storage unit if only I could find it, and fond memories of my mother and father taking photos while on vacation as a child with a hulking floppy disk using Mavica. As I started putting together the collection I have now, I started considering more seriously what kind of images I wanted to take. I don't use social media, unless you consider Reddit to be that, so any pictures I take are purely for myself, my family, or my friends enjoyment. Finding this community really reignited my love of point-and-shoot digital photography, and boy does my wallet ever hate me for it.
It's obvious that the Cyber-shot is leaps and bounds ahead of the PalmCams, and it should be, it has a higher resolution sensor, it's two years newer at the low end, and it's a Sony. Yet, the charm of the PalmCams sticks to me like pine tar, so much so I still use the 2090 just as much as I do the P71. I love these cameras, I love the feelings they evoke in me, I love the deliberate nature of having to unzip my holster-case, power on the camera, wait, aim, and FINALLY take the shot. It's more than nostalgia, it's almost therapeutic. It forces me to slow down, to consider, to think about my shot and subject.
Comparing these three cameras originally was something I wanted to do because I wanted to be able to let someone see the types of pictures they took side by side without having to search around and have multiple windows or tabs open. As I've sat here writing this for the past couple hours, though, it's become more for the sake of giving them the love and respect they deserve. It became less about comparing them and more about writing a love letter to them, and to this place. This community has given so many old cameras the chance to show off their stuff, to demonstrate their capabilities, where otherwise there might never have been a photo easily found due either to obscurity of the machine or else age of the site it was originally on.
Thanks for your time everyone.
A few days ago I decided to take a day to photo-walk around Charlotte, North Carolina, to take a series of comparative photographs between my three digicams. All images are unedited, and the settings are as they would be out of the box:
The final set of photographs is each subject captured by my modern Pixel 10 Pro XL cell phone camera, just to give a comparison to something that isn't uncommon right now. Below are my experiences with one of each camera, my thoughts on them, and my rating 1-5 for Fun Factor.
The 4090: The first of these cameras which I purchased was the 4090, and for obvious reasons as far as I am concerned: SuperDisk is just plain weird and cool. I had one when I was in school about a decade ago, but unfortunately the lens cover (which opens and closes mechanically via a switch on the side) came free at some point, and I couldn't repair it. With a replacement purchased a couple years ago that came with a good bag, extra disks and a still working battery, the 4090 became my go-to for deliberate photography. I even managed to find a couple of new batteries of a higher capacity than the originals, so now I can fill an entire disk without worrying about whether it'll die mid-save!
The PV-DC4090 comes with a 1.3 Megapixel sensor, a proper flash directly above the lens, and a decent amount of settings to mess with on its two-inch LCD screen. That LCD is all-important with the 4090: the camera lacks a dedicated viewfinder, and while the LCD is bright enough most of the time it can still be washed out in bright sunlight very easily. The image quality can be accurately estimated from said LCD, and, as demonstrated from the above photos, when taken in proper lighting or when you're really working with the sensor you can get some truly pleasant colors. That being said, bright colors (whites, blues, etc) can get very easily blown out as demonstrated by the image of the white flower (this will be a recurrent theme).
There is something insanely satisfying about hearing the disk spin up and get written to every time you take a photo with the 4090. Yes SuperDisk is slow as molasses and increasingly uncommon to find, but the entire experience is in a class of it's own. The second you open the manual lens cover and switch the dial to "MANUAL REC" you are greeted with a cacophony of whirs, grinds, and clicks that will be incredibly nostalgic to anyone who grew up using floppy disks. The camera's body is respectably enormous in the hand to accommodate the disk drive (which also reads standard floppy disks, I might add) and, despite a nearly all-plastic construction, it's hefty. It's probably a solid pound-and-a-half to two-pounds; it truly does feel like a brick.
That isn't to say it isn't comfortable to use, no, far from it in fact. The PV-DC4090 has one of the most reassuring hand grips I can remember. When held, one's fingers naturally deposit themselves in the face's deep-set trench while the index finger naturally falls right onto the two-stage shutter button. Supported by the left hand, this provides a remarkably comfortable and steady shooting experience.
For anyone interested the 4090 is still very common and affordable (for the most part), and batteries, though definitely pricey, are still available new today!
A freshly wiped SuperDisk will hold around 285 images at the highest available quality.
Fun Factor Score: 5/5, if you love disk-based cameras this one is definitely one to look for. The image quality gives a seriously charming early-Aughts vibe, and the noisy mechanical nature of the whole thing is just an absolute delight.
A few days ago I decided to take a day to photo-walk around Charlotte, North Carolina, to take a series of comparative photographs between my three digicams. All images are unedited, and the settings are as they would be out of the box:
The final set of photographs is each subject captured by my modern Pixel 10 Pro XL cell phone camera, just to give a comparison to something that isn't uncommon right now. Below are my experiences with one of each camera, my thoughts on them, and my rating 1-5 for Fun Factor.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P71: This is the newest of the bunch by two and three years, respectively, and boy does it show. Whereas the PV-DC2090 uses four AA batteries, the P71 only requires two; the CCD sensor comes in at a whopping 3.2MPs compared to 1.3MP for the Panasonics, and absolutely chews low and high light situations with ease; and last, and least, it is by far the lightest of the bunch. The P71 also makes use of Sony's proprietary Memory Stick media format for storage, which can make for quite a headache if you don't know which is compatible with yours or if you end up with a counterfeit. Clearly this should be the easy choice of the bunch, right?
Well, that depends on you. For me the P71 is a daily carry right alongside my 2090. The mood of the moment determines which I use. Is it a camping trip with friends deep in the night? I'll probably choose the 2090, even if I know the image will be flatter in terms of color. A beautiful sunny day cycling with my partner? The P71 captures her smile against the bright greens of the trees perfectly to my eye. Then again, perhaps the mood calls for the reverse. My point is that the DSC-P71 is a brilliant little camera that has captured my heart in much the same way my mother's Mavica did when I was a child: it takes the picture exactly as I want it to, almost every single time.
There is something delightful about the chirps and beeps these old Sony digicams make when you're using them, too. It adds a bit of whimsy to an experience that you've already decided to capture, lends it an auditory anchor in your memory. The color scheme, too, certainly reminds me that the camera is meant to be fun when it's used. The Panasonic cameras, no matter how much I love them, are bricks of black and gray with some silver thrown in for posterity. The P71 is a sleek blue and silver with the left side being semicircular to accommodate the sensor and lens; it just looks more inviting.
In the hands the Cyber-shot again distinguishes itself by being very, very comfortable to use. When one brings the viewfinder to their eye, their left hand tends to cup the curve of the sensor housing that makes up the left flank of the camera. This makes for an a seriously comfortable grip situation that delivers equal parts comfort and control. Its lightness in comparison to the other two is also very, very noticeable, and helps contribute to the sense of comfort when in use. I would be lying if I didn't admit that, though used in equal amounts, I find myself reaching for the P71 before my 2090 when I simply want to snap a photo and be certain that it will look good.
A 128MB Memory Stick will hold 80 images at 2038*1536 "Fine" quality.
Fun Factor Score: 5/5, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone but Sony's Cyber-shot cameras are phenomenally fun little things. Light, bright, and full of chirping personality, the P71 brings a smile to my face every single time I click the shutter and hear the little "do-dodo-do" it plays when it captures the moment.