Bare bones digital camera (Page 6): Looks like my first Vivitar I bought in 2000 from Fry's for $100 - it was a real challenge with the simple PP program. LOL...

Harvey Loc: Pioneer, CA

Looks like my first Vivitar I bought in 2000 from Fry's for $100 - it was a real challenge with the simple PP program. LOL

rmalarz wrote:

Here's one I found at Walgreens for $10.00. It's as bare bones as you can get.
--Bob

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

burkphoto wrote:

Many bought Canon AE-1 Program cameras, however, and got pretty awfully exposed images due to not knowing how to use the automation.

Knowing how to use any tool does seem to matter!

asiafish Loc: Bakersfield, CA

awana wrote:

I would like a camera with only the basic features that are necessary with digital imaging. Manual control, no video,no image manipulation features etc. any ideas?

Leica M-D, doesn't even have an LCD screen on the back. I'm very tempted, but the screens on the back of my current Leica M-E (M9) and M Monochrom (ver 1) are so bad as to be useless anyway.

BebuLamar

Peterff wrote:

Knowing how to use any tool does seem to matter!

I used to run a photolab in the early 80's and noticed that customers with the AE-1 tend to have underexposed film. I thought the AE-1 metering system isn't very good. Since recently I bought an AE-1, and AE-1P and an A-1 and the meters all are accurate as well as the shutter.

asiafish Loc: Bakersfield, CA

BebuLamar wrote:

I used to run a photolab in the early 80's and noticed that customers with the AE-1 tend to have underexposed film. I thought the AE-1 metering system isn't very good. Since recently I bought an AE-1, and AE-1P and an A-1 and the meters all are accurate as well as the shutter.

They have simple meters, and most people don't understand how a bright sky affects the rest of the image.

shagbat Loc: London

daldds wrote:

Why? Seriously?

Honestly, I only use manual but more recently have flirted with aperture priority, in advancing years, I find it convenient. I can 'bracket' to suit my requirements, much faster than messing with buttons and menus on a sunny day. My choice, whatever suits others is best for them.

asiafish Loc: Bakersfield, CA

shagbat wrote:

Honestly, I only use manual but more recently have flirted with aperture priority, in advancing years, I find it convenient. I can 'bracket' to suit my requirements, much faster than messing with buttons and menus on a sunny day. My choice, whatever suits others is best for them.

No menus and very few buttons on the Leica M-D. Of course almost any DSLR can be configured for dials to control aperture and shutter speed, and shooting RAW all you need to worry about in the menu is ISO.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

asiafish wrote:

They have simple meters, and most people don't understand how a bright sky affects the rest of the image.

True dat! Although an improvement over my Zenit E. We sometimes forget how much technology has advanced and improved. The ability to selectively choose metering modes was a huge advance at the time. I never found that I had a problem personally, each camera was an improvement over the previous one, but understanding how to use the camera was the most important thing.

asiafish Loc: Bakersfield, CA

Peterff wrote:

True dat! Although an improvement over my Zenit E. We sometimes forget how much technology has advanced and improved. The ability to selectively choose metering modes was a huge advance at the time. I never found that I had a problem personally, each camera was an improvement over the previous one, but understanding how to use the camera was the most important thing.

I've been going backwards in technology, both film and digital. Current weapons of choice are Leica M Monochrom and a pair of film Leicas, M2 and M5.

Al Freeedman

asiafish,

Me too. Some of the best photo's I've taken has been with a Minox 35 GT, everything manual. The lens I was told was made by Leica.
full frame, and the smallest vest pocket camera at the time. It was expensive but you can pick one up at a fraction of the original
price.from ebay, Amazon and others who deal in used camera equipment.

Captain Al

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

asiafish wrote:

I've been going backwards in technology, both film and digital. Current weapons of choice are Leica M Monochrom and a pair of film Leicas, M2 and M5.

If talking about 'weapons of choice' I might be tempted to say a rapier, - it's downstairs, sharp, and well balanced - but from a camera perspective it's my basic Canon DSLR. My Zenit E, Canon AE-1, Contax, and T90 are all within reach, as is film if it isn't already loaded. The tool doesn't really matter, but the ability to use it does.

Lock and load, go shoot! Or at least take a decent stab at it!

LBuddG

1st off z I agree with some previous posts. You're just not likely to find many THAT bare-bones. I'm a retired pro, & the last 'above amateur' camera I still have is a DSLR...a Nikon D200. I don't really follow that much of the newest, but I think the closest to what you seek (in the Nikon DSLR line) is the original version ofa D300. Could be wrong (no surprise there) but I think they updated that 300 by adding a few things to it including video, and its name to "D300s(?). Those older DSLRs are all available used at lowering prices, (esp. if you already have the lenses you want). They also have manual settings...even manual focus is pretty simple (I don't recall you saying if that's important.) The MAIN problem with this is older usually will equate with lower pixel counts. (My D200 I think is 10.8(?) MP's) so you're casting off resolution - which means less cropping/& more crop in camera when shooting...8 assume a zoom lens is OK. Well that's my 2 cents...& maybe that's all it's worth.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Peterff wrote:

Rehess, remember that you are responding to my comment "most modern digital cameras can do basic stuff, you just have to ignore the rest of the options.". The salient words are 1) 'Most' and 2) 'Modern'. If you remember Scott McNealy - founder and longtime CEO of Sun Microsystems - one of his pithy insights was that "Technology has the shelf life of a banana."

Yes, I was surprised that you gave the S400 as an example of a camera that uses a dial to select "manual mode", but since you did, I felt that clarifying the meaning of "manual mode" in Elphland was appropriate. I'm guessing that all the later Elphs are like the two I have, with a button ushering you into the manual mode which seems to give you direct control of just about everything except shutter speed and aperture.

Peterff wrote:

We have more options now than we have ever had historically, and relatively speaking for much less money in comparison to average income. This is an interesting discussion, but I fail to see why people are not satisfied with the choices in front of them.

We totally agree on this point. Incidentally, at the Pentax Forum, the most common complaint I hear is wanting better video; I'm more in favor of getting a camera specialized to do video if video is important to someone, but that's just me I guess.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

rehess wrote:

Yes, I was surprised that you gave the S400 as an ... (show quote)

I guess my memory about the S400 was compromised, and I don't even know if I still have one, although I was impressed with just how capable a camera it was for 2003. Maybe I just stopped living in Elphland too many years ago to recall the details. But, yes, I think we are in agreement!

photon56 Loc: North America

Most of the basic digital camera's today are mini studio's. The lower cost camera's are cheaply made compared to the expense camera's that are made for wear and tear in the field.