Modern cameras in retro style. Now the bird will fly out Budget cameras in retro style

This month, Nikon introduced the new Nikon 1 V3, a professional camera with a retro body. Our material is about this and other cameras with modern filling and retro look.

The Model 1 V3 is marketed as a camera "for serious photographers who want to travel light and who place high demands on speed, power and reliability." This claim is based on an impressive baseline: the camera is equipped with an 18.4-megapixel CX-format (13.2x8.8mm) CMOS sensor that produces superb images with a high degree of detail even in low-light conditions. The effective sensitivity range is ISO 160-12800.

Anchors & Anvils

Enthusiasts at Anchors & Anvils are doing a very useful job: looking for old film camera bodies, restoring some of the mechanisms and adding modern stuffing. The body of the camera is also undergoing a major revision: in the case of the latest brainchild of the company, this metal and walnut.

The quite compact, elegant Nikon Df camera in a retro case has attracted the attention of photographers of all levels and stripes for a long time. The pentaprism as an optic, the abundance of purely mechanical settings such as shutter speed and exposure, the PASM dial makes the Nikon Df a truly welcome addition to the collection. Actually, in addition to this, the internal filling, on the contrary, is very modern. By and large, it differs little from one of the company's flagships - Nikon D4. Luxurious retro design does not prevent the body from being waterproof and shockproof - in general, chic, not a camera.

Fuji X-E2

The specs of the camera are very impressive: ultra-fast autofocus, a 16-megapixel APS-C format X-Trans CMOS II sensor (23.6 x 15.6 mm) with built-in phase detection autofocus sensors and an EXR II processor - a class of mirrorless cameras did not damage the performance of Fuji at all X-E2. She can shoot video, of course, in Full HD and even has a Wi-Fi module. All this is neatly packaged in a very stylish case, the appearance of which refers to the most successful models of the company at the end of the 20th century.

Fuji X-T1


Another retro model from Fuji. In fact, the Fuji X-T1 is a very recent release and boasts some of the most advanced features, but the look of the camera is the most retro; this corresponds not only to the soft, slightly angular contours of the case, but also to its very texture. By the way, the body of the Fuji X-T1 is made of magnesium alloy, so the camera has both dust and moisture protection.

Retro cameras are back in trend and are popular. If you see a camera for sale made in the style of the last century, then be sure that you have a technological device that performs most of the functions of a modern digital camera. Why is the fashion for retro cameras back again? How to choose a stylish retro camera? Let's try to figure it out.

Oddly enough, but the modern digital camera market is experiencing a boom in retro cameras. Such cameras are primarily distinguished by their appearance, which copies the cameras of the last century. The characteristic features of such devices are a compact body with metal and leather inserts for comfortable holding in the hand, a set of machined dials for selecting shooting modes and exposure compensation, a zoom switch, a built-in flash and other characteristic features. In the features of such cameras, film cameras of the last century are no doubt guessed, such as the Leica M3 series of cameras, Soviet-made FED cameras, as well as compact rangefinder devices manufactured by Canon, Olympus and others.

There are brands like Hasselblad, Leica that specialize in retro style cameras. As a rule, these are premium-class devices, which differ not only in excellent technical characteristics, but also in the use of high-quality case materials.

Modern possibilities of retro cameras

It is also worth dividing retro cameras into cameras that have the capabilities of modern digital cameras and devices that create monochrome pictures, like cameras from the middle of the last century. The latter include the Leica M Monochrom camera, which, although it works on the basis of an 18-megapixel matrix, takes only black and white pictures. You can use light filters, but you still won’t achieve colors in the photographs.

The products of the German company Leica enjoy well-deserved popularity due to the excellent quality of products, which has been proven by 100 years of experience in use around the world. Many war correspondents during World War II used Leica cameras and appreciated them for their ease of operation, quality and reliability. It is worth noting that such devices are correspondingly not cheap.

Fujifilm X100

The Fujifilm X100 model is one of the cameras that took only the appearance from the cameras of the last century, but have the functionality of modern digital devices. So the Fujifilm X100 quickly became a bestseller despite costing over $1,000. The manufacturer even stopped accepting pre-orders for this device, as the camera simply did not have time to reach store shelves. Outwardly, the device is very similar to film cameras, and only the liquid crystal display gives it a modern camera model. Unlike modern "soap dishes", the Fujifilm X100 is a rather massive camera, since metal is used in the body, not plastic. The package includes a stylish strap to wear around the neck, like photographers of the last century.

The viewfinder mode switching lever also looks characteristic, which looks very similar to the cocking lever of the shutter button. Despite the looks, it has a 12.2-megapixel sensor, ISO 100-12800 range, and RAW shooting capability. That is, in fact, this is a modern digital camera in a retro case.

The return to old forms and the popularity of such cameras only at first glance look like random events. Manufacturers play on the feelings of photographers who associate the appearance of such cameras with the quality of film photography. At the same time, the modern buyer has become reverent about the retro style, and it has simply become fashionable to have such a camera. Well, if such a device also has impressive technical characteristics, then why not go back in time with cameras?

Nikon has announced a new type of digital SLR camera called Df, designed exclusively for photography. The device has a Nikon-style design for 35mm film cameras and technical innovations inherent in the latest professional models.

The Df is based on the same 16.2-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor (full frame, 36.0 x 23.9 mm) and the same EXPEED 3 image processor as the Nikon D4 professional camera. ISO range is 100-12800 ISO, expandable to 204800. This results in highly detailed images with minimal noise even in low light conditions.

The camera turn-on time is approximately 0.14 seconds and the shutter lag is only 0.052 seconds. High-speed continuous shooting in FX and DX formats at up to 5.5 frames per second is possible.

The novelty uses a highly reliable shutter mechanism, tested for 150,000 cycles at the fastest shutter speed of 1/4000 s and flash synchronization up to 1/200 s. The sensor self-cleaning module reduces the accumulation of dust in front of the photosensor.

The camera, as already mentioned, is designed exclusively for photography: the developers have gone beyond the traditional boundaries of the modern digital SLR market, equipping the novelty with a unique retractable metering linkage lever that allows you to attach even vintage NIKKOR lenses without AI. When shooting in A (aperture-priority) or M (manual) mode, the Df camera allows exposure to be metered wide open (as with AI lenses).

The device features highly sensitive autofocus using a 39-point Multi-CAM 4800 AF system. Sensitivity down to -1 EV, compatibility with lenses up to f/8, and a choice of four AF-area modes (including 3D tracking) provide fast and accurate coverage of the entire frame, even in low light conditions.

The camera's image sensor and its 2016-pixel RGB sensor provide accurate data to the Scene Recognition System, which optimizes exposure, autofocus and white balance just before the shutter button is pressed for crisp images.

The Df model is equipped with a glass pentaprism viewfinder that provides near 100% frame coverage and 0.7x magnification. There is a display with a diagonal of 3.2 inches, a slot for SD / SDHC / SDXC cards, HDMI and USB interfaces. Dimensions are 144x110x67 mm, weight - 760 g.

The retro Df camera will go on sale in late November for $2,750 without a lens or $3,000 with a 50mm F1.8 lens.

Olympus PEN E-P5

This is the fourth digital camera from the PEN series released by Olympus. It was about her that was discussed at the beginning of the material.

PEN is a very old series, which, in fact, glorified Olympus in the distant 60s of the last century. PEN cameras were incredibly (at the time) compact and could take 72 frames on standard 35mm film. In 2009, the company updated this series with the E-P1 model, the innovation of which, on the one hand, was that it repeated the design of old cameras, and on the other hand, it used the latest Micro 4/3 format, was just as compact, but along with so interchangeable lenses came to her. This is how a whole class of "system" mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses appeared.

The advantages of this technology are obvious: the amateur photographer gets a camera two or three times lighter than a DSLR, but with practically the same characteristics and with the ability to select a lens for different shooting conditions. The only problem was that the first system cameras did not differ in the quality of the resulting image, and serious photographers began to treat them as expensive and useless toys.

A lot of time has passed since then. Today, Micro 4/3 format cameras have caught up and are already in some places superior to SLRs of the lower and middle price levels. At the same time, they can boast of an interesting design, which received a proper response in the hearts of amateur photographers and connoisseurs of stylish things.

So, the Olympus PEN E-P5 has a 16 MP sensor, a 5-axis stabilizer with the ability to take correct panoramic photos, shoots at up to 9 frames per second, takes HDR pictures and looks exactly like it was made in 1960. The rotary touch screen allows you to shoot from various uncomfortable positions - even from below, even from above, even from around the corner, and the stabilizer allows you to get a stable image behind the display screen and in the picture even at the strongest zoom using a telephoto lens. The E-P5 also has built-in Wi-Fi for transferring images directly to a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

As for the retro design, in addition to the aesthetic component, convenience and high-quality materials (metal, leather), it allows you to use the camera with maximum convenience: all controls are in place, the hand grips the body comfortably, the camera is fully balanced, and taking pictures with it is a pleasure .

However, in 2013 it's not enough to just release a camera with a stylish design and hope for success. Therefore, Olympus PEN E-P5 not only knows how to beautifully photograph and shoot videos in Full HD, but also has a whole bunch of different chips. The camera has a lot of art filters that imitate, like Instagram, many different styles of photography, but, unlike Instagram, they do it very high quality and in full size - pictures can be sent directly from the camera to large-format printing and hung in huge frames on wall. Moreover, in any of these filters, you can make a collage of several shots (a function also similar to Instagram, but more advanced - there are many more variations and effects) and save it, while each of the frames will remain in its original form and high resolution format RAW.

Using a dedicated app for iPhone and Android, you can take pictures remotely and immediately save them to your smartphone's memory. You can even send a picture to several smartphones at once - the camera can work as a media server with the ability to manually select which pictures will be available to your friends and which not.

Fujifilm X-M1

Another oldest Japanese company, Fujifilm, released at the beginning of 2013 a camera no less worthy than the Olympus PEN E-P5 - X-M1. This is also not the first Fujifilm model in retro design, the X series already has 9 models in different price categories. The first camera in the series was the Fujifilm X100, which was released in 2010.

The just-announced and most interesting Fujifilm X-M1 camera to date also has a 16 megapixel sensor - though of a different standard and slightly larger than the Olympus PEN E-P5. It uses Fujifilm's own CMOS APS-C sensor, similar in characteristics to those used in mid-range models from Canon and Nikon. In many ways, the X-M1 is similar to the E-P5: interchangeable lenses, Full HD video recording, built-in Wi-Fi… Unlike older Fujifilm models, this camera is easier to use: there are many automatic modes, there are art filters that simulate various views film, and the controls are intuitive in a way that Fujifilm has never before been able to boast.

What makes the Fujifilm X-M1 stand out is the design, which nods to the company's glorious past while still looking quite modern, like the latest Porsche 911. While the X-M1 is not the Porsche Carrera of digital cameras, it is most definitely the Porsche Boxter. . A small, compact and incredibly stylish camera with a very decent performance and history, the Fujifilm X-M1 in light brown leather will look like an expensive accessory in your hands, which also knows how to photograph well.

Pentax MX-1

Quite from another opera Pentax MX-1 is a camera for amateurs, but advanced lovers. This is the first experience of Pentax, also a very respected and old Japanese company, in the field of retro design. But here, unlike Olympus and Fujifilm, there is a fixed, although very good 5x zoom lens, a simpler 12 MP sensor, no flash or microphone jack (although both are built in), and there are also not enough controls for full manual shooting. However, handheld RAW shooting, Full HD movie shooting, real metal and leather, excellent image quality and beautiful design are available. Plus half the price than Olympus and Fujifilm.

Cameras in retro design are becoming a real trend. If in the year before last and last year they caused a skeptical smile from professionals and an enchanted smile from girls passing by, this year retro cameras have grown a lot both in terms of quality and technology. With their help, you get really great photos and videos, it’s convenient and easy to shoot with them, and they will raise your image to such a height that even the most advanced “DSLR” never dreamed of.

Filmed by Ruslan Shebukov