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History of my Cameras

Updated on July 14, 2017
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Before retiring, Jack worked at IBM for over 28 years. His articles have over 120,000 views.

The History of My Cameras

I have been an amature photographer since the late 1960's. Over the years, I have owned numerous cameras. I decided to create this hub to trace the history of my past cameras. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.

- Jun. 2008

Here is my list...

My cameras from a Kodak to a Lumix...and iPhone. My cameras span from 1960s to present, over 40 years. I started with film cameras and now is completely digital. My work at IBM Research deals with high end digital capture for museums and libraries. I also have expertise with image processing techniques. One of my pet peeves is the business of image resolution. In most cases, you don't need a high resolution camera. A 5 MPEL camera is sufficient for up to 8x10 prints. Any higher resolution will only mean bigger file size for storage and transmission. In most cases, you will throw away the data at the output anyway. Most people view the images on a PC screen or iPad or iPhone...

Here is the bottom line. Don't worry about having the highest resolution. What matters is the signal to noise ratio. You want to get a camera with a CCD sensor that is low in noise especially in the shadow area.

  1. Kodak Brownie box camera. 1965? Cost $20.
  2. Yashica SLR film camera - 1969.

    35mm and interchangeable lens. I bought it second hand in a pawn shop in San Francisco for $250. It was a great SLR camera and the only one I've owned. Unfortunately, it was stolen from me in a house break-in.

  3. Minolta 110 instamatic half frame camera - 1978. Cost approx. $30. Poor quality but very small and easy to carry around.
  4. Canon Sureshot 35mm film camera - 1985. Cost $150. One of the best point and shoot camera every made. Great lens. I had it for many years and finally the battery lid broke off. The rest of the camera still works fine.
  5. Leica Z2X 35mm film camera - 1999. It was a gift from my brother (cost approx. $300) with 2X optical zoom. Great picture for a point and shoot camera. I sold it on eBay recently.
  6. Olympus C-800L Digital Camera - 2000. Also a gift (cost approx. $250) 2 MPEL. Poor resolution and lack of software support made it useless after Windows XP released.
  7. Canon A75 Digital Camera - 2004. Cost $200. 3 MPEL, 3X optical zoom.

    Great macro feature for taking close ups. It broke after two and a half years of use. The automatic lens mechanism jammed.

  8. Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1K - 2007. Cost $219. 5 MPEL, 10X optical zoom. My newest acquisition after much research. So far, I am very happy with the quality and features. The black finish is great and does not cause reflection artifacts with close shots. The 10X zoom is amazing. The Leica lens is excellent. The video mode quality (640x480) 30 fps is great and you can zoom while taking the video. There is also a burst mode for taking action shots.

9. The iPhone 5 - a pretty decent all purpose camera and video. I use it for the times when I don't have my Lumix handy. It is also instantaneous. I can take a photo and send it via email attachment or message it anywhere. On the Lumix, I needed to get home and connect to my Mac and download the images before sending.

Summary

My love affair with cameras is long lasting. My expertise in image processing helps me make the best out of the photos I take. I am also a strong believer in history and preservation. Documenting our past through images is one way to preserve them for future generations.

© 2016 Jack Lee

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