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The Unpredictable Power Of The YouTube Algorithm

Good morning you awesome, vicious, and delicious camera geeks! Usually I’m here to tell you guys about my latest YouTube video.

Now there’s no real set goal as far as views are concerned but in my experience, it seems like 1000 views is the bare minimum one should reach. It’s like a magical number in that, after 1000 views people new to the channel are likely to view the video more but if it’s lower people tend to get the impression, often falsely, that it’s not a worthwhile video to watch.

So getting back to my latest video, which was uploaded 2-3 days ago, I didn’t even promote it here yet when I noticed it had already hit that “magical” 1000 view criteria!

Here is the video…

Now you may think it’s because I’m using one of those catchy YouTube titles “NO ONE Knows This Lens But…” 😂

But I tell you, that’s not the case! Well yes, I did use that kind of title but I’ve used titles like that before and the videos still struggled to get views.

And when I use a title like that, I mean it! In the case of my latest video I would say probably five out of a hundred people would know this amazing bargain “Noctilux KILLER” lens.

Now I don’t think the content or the photos were any better than any of my other videos. And I didn’t do any other promotion on it other than my usual Instagram and Facebook.

And in addition, it doesn’t have that many likes or comments which usually help spike up video views. So what could it be?

In my opinion, it’s the raw, unmitigated power of the YouTube algorithm at work. In my view, there’s no other explanation for it.

If the YouTube algorithm is in your favor it pushes the video to be seen by the countless numbers of people who watch YouTube around the world.

But if the YouTube algorithm is not in your favor, your videos will suffer a sad fate of being pushed into oblivion.

So many of my videos have started with low views that stayed that way for months and months until it was actually discovered by viewers who liked it, with no help from the YouTube algorithm.

Here’s a good example of a video that started off very slowly but is now one of the more popular videos on my channel.

Unless you’re a very large and popular channel, of which mine is not, the YouTube algorithm can be quite unpredictable.

I’ve seen many wonderful smaller channels with low views but great content and it made me wonder how much the YouTube algorithm actually hindered their growth by not pushing the content.

Now as far as my own channel is concerned, I’m not saying every video is great. In fact, I know my production values suck compared to many other channels. I know some videos are long and boring. I know not everyone is a fan of the shades 😎😂 I take responsibility for it and am trying to improve the overall experience for the viewers.

But the bottom line for me has always been to provide camera freaks and geeks with the best information and pictures that I can.

Another thing I’ve learned is never to become complacent. You’re only as good as your last video on YouTube and just because today’s video does well doesn’t mean the next one will do any good.

My best advice for anyone with a small YouTube channel is this…

Believe in your content above all else. Yes, it’s a competitive world and production values are important. Video quality is important. Lighting is important. Audio is super important. But if you don’t have content that you’re passionate about, content that you believe in, all that production is just fluff.

If you have a YouTube channel I would love to hear your thoughts, tips, and advice! Thanks for reading and have an amazing day you guys! 😍📸❤️👍

This Camera Was So Good…No Need To Upgrade!

Good morning you viciously delicious camera geeks! Continuing to keep you guys in the loop!Today we have what is undoubtedly one of the greatest digital point and shoot cameras ever created. The Camera Legend we’re talking about today is the original Sony RX100!

Now the whole series, the concept, the cameras, they’re all legends in their own way but today I’m focusing on the original RX100 because it’s the only one I ever bought.

I already have a review of this camera going back to over ten years ago. Here’s the link to the original review…

https://cameralegend.com/tag/rx100/

Ten years later, the camera is still cranking out great pictures that doesn’t seem to lack anything when compared to the most recent RX100 models.

For a camera released in 2012, its image quality is amazing and it is one of the few point and shoots from that era whose IQ, in my opinion, does not look dated. I’ve included some of my better photos with the RX100 here and even more in the video.

In today’s world, the phone camera is the universal standard bearer of image quality for the masses, whether we like it or not. The Sony RX100 was truly one of the first point and shoot cameras that had “modern phone” image quality and it can indeed hold its own against, and perhaps even supercede,
many of today’s best phones.

To compare it against modern phone cameras is not an insult. For a tiny point and shoot from 2012, that’s a very high complement!

It’s so good in fact, that I’ve never upgraded from this camera. In this video, I will tell AND show you why. I will try to make my case. If you disagree, I would love to hear your reasons. Let’s have a great discussion!

Now if you have one of the other RX100 models, I’m in no way saying the original is better. What I can say is, whatever model you have, they’re all great and you need not upgrade (or downgrade) if image quality is your priority because in my opinion, they all have very similar output. The lenses may be different. Some may have better LCD screens. Some may be better for video. But in terms of pure image quality, I don’t believe much has changed since the original RX100 that was released more than a decade ago.

Thanks for watching and if you’re on YouTube leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!Thank you for your support! 😍📸👍

#sonyrx100 #sony #pointandshoot

Nikon’s SPACE RACE Cousin 😍

Good morning you awesome, delirious, and mysterious camera geeks! Today for your Monday Mystery Camera, I present to you a camera from the heart of the Space Race. Coming from 1964, the camera is the Nikon Auto 35.

I can’t seem to embed this YouTube Shorts but here’s the link…

https://youtube.com/shorts/7gT6zCaQcH8?si=s_BxsQX1AexX0XVr

Today’s video features a mystery camera I thought of reviewing but I don’t think it would be worth my time to do so. So I’m putting these “would have been” reviews on the Reels and Shorts of the social media world 😍

I call it Nikon’s “SPACE RACE” camera due to its looks as I explain in the video. Nikon’s official pages calls this camera a “cousin” and I discuss its mysterious origins in this video.

Source: Wikipedia
Source: Nasa

Just for your knowledge, this camera is a shutter priority camera and it has automatic exposure due to its “electric eye” metering system. It can also be found as the Nikkorex Auto 35.

Nikon’s official pages explains everything better than I can but it’s still somewhat confusing 😂

Nikon link: https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/information/chronicle/cousins04-e/

Just like other “Electric Eye” cameras from the 60s and 70s, this camera has not aged well and they are most likely to be found in non working condition. I’ve had about three copies and two of them have jammed shutters. This one has a working shutter as you’ll hear!

However I deemed it to be inaccurate and not good enough for me to waste expensive film on. That unusual 48mm f/2 lens seems tempting though! I’ve seen people mess up the camera by trying to take the lens off to transplant onto other cameras. Apparently it’s not a simple swap. Don’t bother.

Fortunately, the camera itself can be found between $30-100 if you’d like to take a chance. Actually I wouldn’t recommend anyone paying anywhere close to $100! The Nikon version just looks cooler 😎❤️👍

Nonetheless, this is a very cool looking camera! If you want one for your collection, they’re cheap. Better even if you have a working one, I would love to hear about it!

Thanks for reading and have a great day you guys! 😎📸❤️👍

The Beauty & Enigma Of The Nikon DF 😍

Good morning you awesome blog reading camera geeks! I have so much catching up to do! I just came back from a trip about a month ago and I haven’t moved since 😂 I don’t know where to begin so I might as well start with my latest video and it is a video review of Nikon’s legendary and perhaps infamous Retro DSLR…the Nikon DF ❤️

The Nikon DF was introduced in 2013 and even though there was a lot of hype and fanfare around its introduction, the Nikon DF was received with mixed reviews.

Even today, it is a camera that some people love and some people hate.

When it came out in 2013, many people thought of this camera as “SUS” 😂 as the kids today say. That means, we were “suspicious” of its retro looks, I guess the way many people see the new “Yashica” branded retro looking digicams which are dressed up like DSLRs but have tiny sensors.

The Nikon DF however is the real thing! It looks retro but plays the part with a top level, Nikon D4 full frame sensor.

This was a dream camera for me for some time. I’ve only mentioned to a couple of you guys here that I had it 😂

But I’ve had it since 2020 and this review was long overdue.

To me, it is what I call a “Beautiful Monstrosity” 😍 It is a 16mp Full Frame CMOS Sensor camera that seemed like the by product of an experiment in Frankenstein’s lab! It has the body and chassis of a Nikon D600 and the heart or sensor from a Nikon D4.

Even though it shares the parts of these two cameras, it has its own unique features which are the knobs and dials, apparently inspired by the film camera legends the Nikon FE and/or FM.

It is a unique camera as it’s the only “Retro Inspired” DSLR in Nikon’s now discontinued DSLR lineup. The Z mount system however has two retro cameras in the ZFC and the ZF.

In fact, it was my desire to get a ZF, or shall I say my desire to talk myself out of it that inspired this video 😂

In this video I go over all of this as well as give you my opinion on whether or not it’s worth the (still) relatively high prices.

I may update this article with pictures and other information so don’t be surprised if you see that.

Thanks for reading, watching, and I hope to be back with you soon!

Best, Sam

The CONTAX 645 Digital!

Just keeping you guys in the loop with my latest video. It is my digital dream camera come true!

In 2008 I found a great deal on the Contax 645, 80mm f/2 Zeiss Planar, prism, 120 back, the whole outfit. I was a new father with a baby girl of only a few months old and as a Contax super fan, I’ve always wanted a Contax 645. I wanted the best camera to document my daughter’s life. To me, the Contax 645 is among the tops!

The Contax 645 was introduced in 1999 by Kyocera. It is a medium format camera that shoots 6×4.5 120 film. But it can also shoot digital with an appropriate digital back.

It is a highly desirable camera, even today, for its autofocus and ability to take film or digital backs. Something only a few medium format cameras can do.

My dream was to shoot the Contax 645 digitally. The only way to do that is with a digital back.

Now back in the early 2000s medium format digital backs were extremely expensive and they always seem tailor made for the ultra rich and super professional photographers.

Today, their prices have come down but they’re still relatively expensive and are still rather esoteric.

In 2022, quite by random, I came across a Kodak DCS Pro Back for the Contax 645 for only $149! It was listed as a “Parts/Repair” unit. Untested. No battery, no cables, no nothing but the back. But the back is the most important thing and knowing how rare this was, especially as this price, I bought it right away!

Now, I didn’t know if this back would work or not but I had to figure it out for myself and I document this incredible journey on this video.

I was thinking of taking a break from YouTube. The AdSense problem I mentioned a few months ago has worked out and I’m making money but not really enough to make it worth the effort.

I’ll probably be back but I wanted to dedicate this video to my OG Camera Legend watchers and gave them one of my very best. I hope you guys enjoy this video. Thanks in advance for watching and have an awesome day you guys! 😍📸👍

PS: I’m shooting almost all my videos now on this amazing little device, the DJI Pocket 3!

https://amzn.to/3FqEJgq


This awesome little “vlogging” camera can do it all! I was skeptical at first, but now I’m convinced this will be my main YouTube camera for a good while!

Nikon’s Sleeper Camera Is A Hidden GEM!

Just keep you guys in the loop with our latest video and it’s about a camera a lot of people may not have heard of, or remember. It is a humble but feature packed compact camera that is currently still a bargain.

The camera is a Nikon Coolpix P300. Introduced in 2011, this camera sports a 12.2mp BSI 1/2.3″ CMOS Sensor.

The tactile feel and controls of an old digicam is something modern cell phone cameras still cannot fully duplicate.

Now in today’s world why would anyone choose to shoot with a 14 year old digicam instead of your modern iPhone or Android? Beats me! 😂

Believe it or not, there are plenty of people who still enjoy using old digicams. As many of you guys know old digicams have become more popular than ever thanks to YouTube and social media.

It seems to me there are many factors going on. One, the audience for these older cameras are generally young people, primarily Gen Z. There’s a nostalgia factor going on. A longing to experience a time when they were very young or even a time before they were born. It’s a generational thing. I cannot blame them. I’ve been there before. We all have.

The Nikon Coolpix P300 produces rich color and tonality.

There’s also the hipsters who once caught on to film and drove the film camera prices up but have abandoned film due to rising prices and difficulties in getting the film developed.

But there’s also a real physical factor involved too. The fact that most modern cell phone cameras still lack the dials and buttons. It’s the tactile feel and experience that the youngsters crave to experience.

Check out the video for details, but the Nikon Coolpix P300 fits the bill perfectly. And it was largely overlooked by critics and hipsters alike who unfairly compared the camera to cameras like the amazing but at one time, cheap, Canon PowerShot S95 which did go on to become one of those cameras embraced by YouTube hipsters, thus raising the prices significantly.

This camera creates images with rich color and tones reminiscent of Nikon digital slrs. However, its ace of spades is the remarkable ability to create dramatic and beautiful black and white files, in-camera. It’s so good, I think it can easily rival my old favorite Ricoh GRD original which I’ve done many articles on. That’s not easy for me to admit because I’ve been a champion of the Ricoh GRD for years.

The camera creates rich b&w images with surprising depth and tones, especially for a small sensor. A friend said it looked like I cut and pasted this lady onto the picture. I said, well then this is what you might call “pop” in a pic! 😍
Dark, dramatic, tones reminiscent of the original Ricoh GRD, one of my all time favorite b&w cameras.

Check out the video and let me know what you think! And if you become interested in the Nikon it’s probably best to pick it up sooner rather than later before some bigger YouTubers make it hip but remember you found out how good it was on Camera Legend 😍

Thanks for reading and have an awesome rest of the weekend you guys! 😎📸❤️👍

The Leica SL Typ 601 In 2025! Or Just Get A Sony Instead?!

Good morning you awesome war torn WordPress camera geeks! Keeping you guys in the loop, as promised. With the sheer amount of gear that I’ve reviewed here over the years, it would be easy to think that I’ve had this camera for a while but no…

Today’s Camera Legend is the Leica SL Typ 601. It is a 24mp Full Frame digital mirrorless camera introduced by Leica in 2015.

With the Leica SL Typ 601 at Photo Plus Expo 2015. Also seen is the big beefy Leica 28-90mm lens.

I first got to play with the SL at the Photo Plus Expo show in NYC in 2015. At the time, I thought it was another cool, overpriced Leica toy. I assumed it had the same 24mp Sony sensor as the then current Sony A7. As it turns out, it’s a different sensor as my video points out.

Leica SL Typ 601 & Mystery Lens ❤️ To be revealed in future episodes!

This is a camera I didn’t expect to get, but as I explain in my video, the best cameras come to me when least expected.

To prevent it from being extraneous or superfluous, it is replacing my Sony A7R as my platform for adapting all my old manual lenses. I only have one AF lens for it. It’s a Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN. Photo samples below. It was one of the cheaper lenses I could get. The native Leica SL lenses are very expensive and I have no money left 😂

Anyway, this is a very cool and interesting camera that I look forward to trying it out! Bear in mind folks, I’m keeping it real. While the SL is fantastic, there’s no reason to think a ten year old camera is any better than your modern equivalent. Just saying! Have a great weekend and thanks guys! 😍❤️👍

How Google Killed My Motivation

Good morning awesome camera geeks! Today’s post is a little bit of a rant but please bear with me as I’ll share some insights and information so that hopefully you won’t run into the same situation. You would think that after getting a (mostly) good response from my last full length video, which is the video about the legend of the Nikon D3, that I would follow it up with something to keep up the momentum right?

Well, today’s article is about how YouTube and specifically mother Google killed my motivation.

Now, before we continue, I’ll admit that I made some mistakes here too, but the majority of the problems came from the YouTube and Google Bots and I’ll explain.

Above you see what my current AdSense situation is. I didn’t know I had two AdSense accounts. I thought that was cleared earlier. So I closed one AdSense account but I have another one that was already linked to the channel but for some reason I am unable to reconnect it to YouTube.

The screenshot that you’re seeing in this posting basically says that I am not currently being monetized. Before we get to the current situation, it’s important to understand the whole situation right from the start.

Ok, so the story goes, in December I was monetized after being accepted into the YouTube Partner Program months earlier. Without making a long story even longer, just know that to be monetized you have to have at least 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours and I reached the 4000 watch hour threshold so they started to monetized my videos.

This is the message I got in December 2024 upon being finally monetized on YouTube.

Now before you think that this can change you from rags to riches overnight, I’m here to tell you that it won’t. We’re talking about literal cents per video.

My earnings through December of 2024.

But the good thing is that it adds up and I enjoyed looking at those metrics. It helped me to see which videos were doing good and what topics people actually wanted to see.

Flash forward to the end of January. I noticed that my monetization seemed to stop and I didn’t know why. There was no clear reason given, no notifications on YouTube.

Here’s the part where I think I messed up. In messing around trying to figure out the problem, I found that I had a second AdSense account. Now if you’re not aware, you can have multiple channels but only ONE AdSense account. Now I had an AdSense account from like 20 years back, of which I had no idea which email it was linked to and this was supposedly cleared when I started the Camera Legend AdSense account so I don’t know how I had this new account.

It is possible that I my panic mode I may have clicked on something that created another account. I don’t know for sure because I messed with a lot of settings.

The sad reality is this…

Through my own research I found out that the monetization wasn’t actually stopped, it was paused. The reason for that is because at some point Google sends a physical snail mail PIN to verify your home address.

Well, dumb me cause I DIDN’T KNOW THAT!! Had I known they’d be sending me a PIN I wouldn’t have messed with any settings. But nobody tells you this! At least I don’t remember hearing anything about having to wait for Google to send a PIN for me to verify.

So long story short, after numerous chats with tech support, I deleted the second AdSense account and am two weeks into the 32 day wait time that the system requires for me to reapply for AdSense.

I’m sharing this story for anyone who’s been recently monetized or looking to get monetized so that they don’t run into the same issues. You will receive a PIN from Google through snail mail at some point. Wait for it.

My real rant comes from the fact that while Google is seen as the cutting edge when it comes to tech stuff, their AdSense system is ridiculously old and antiquated. Anyone who has run into AdSense problems I think can testify to this. When problems occur, there’s no clear explanations, no clear links to correct things. Most “help” links will send you straight to these outdated pages that seem like they were written in the early 2000s.

It reminds me of the US Postal where you go into the post office and still see antiquated machines being used by the most unenthusiastic workers ever. Sorry if you’re an enthusiastic USPS employee reading this 😂 I admire your hard work, this is not about you.

There’s actually a lot more to this story, but I’ll give you a last and good example. When the Bot found that I supposedly had two AdSense accounts it said “You already have an AdSense account. Use that one or delete your other account.”

Fair enough but there were no links, no way for me to put the channel back on the correct AdSense account, which is still open. Since it was already linked to YouTube, one would think the machine would automatically do it or at least give me a link to do it, but no. Nothing.

So I’ll wait out the 32 days. I have no choice. That’s supposedly for security. Ok I get it. But my fear is if after 32 days, if things don’t go smoothly, I’m afraid I’ll be in this cycle of trying to figure out how to get the AdSense account back to my YouTube channel.

This is a major motivation killer. Like I said earlier, I wasn’t making any real money on YouTube but the potential was there. I didn’t start YouTube with the motivation of making money. If I did, I would have done everything I could to get to monetization much quicker than I did.

However, once the Pandora’s box opened, I’d be lying if I didn’t say it felt good to see a little bit of money growing every day.

Now I already had the monetization paused by YouTube when I posted my latest full length video on the Nikon D3, which was (for me) a well received video, so that video would have earned a little but I put it out anyway because I thought people might get something out of it.

But honestly, making these videos take a lot of time and effort. Not to mention a lot of research and editing. Especially harder for a family man with two growing kids. Without the motivation, what’s the use in putting precious time and effort into this?

If anyone of you guys reading have been in this situation I would love to hear from you. Maybe you could help me in a way the Google customer service reps simply couldn’t or wouldn’t and I’d greatly appreciate it!

Sorry for the rant but thank you all for taking the time to read it! 😍🙏👍

Nikon’s Cheapest PRO Camera May Be Their GREATEST!

Good February morning you awesome camera geeks! Just keeping you guys in the loop with my latest YouTube video.

Today is the story of the camera Nikon said they would never make, the Nikon D3, their first Full Frame Digital SLR.

The Nikon D3 was introduced in 2007 and it was quite a sensation when it came out because for years and years Nikon had insisted that they wouldn’t be going full frame. But they did it with the D3!

Now had the D3 not delivered on image quality then it wouldn’t still be revered today, as it is,  because as you’ll see in the video, full frame alone is not enough to guarantee image quality. But the D3 in many ways over delivered with what I consider really amazing image quality. Image quality that stands up amazingly well even with today’s cameras.

The word “legend” gets thrown around a lot, especially on this channel, but when it comes to digital cameras there are really very few legends.

The D3 is one of the rare few. It set a new standard for image quality and gave rebirth to the legend of Nikon. It rejuvenated the company and breathed new life into the company putting it on a strong and steady path forward.

In this video you’ll also see a brief history of the earliest full frame cameras and you’ll see how the D3 changed Nikon’s trajectory and how it changed the game for Nikon.

There was a time in my life when I “tried” to be a professional photographer. I shot weddings, I did stage and concert photography, I got a paparazzi gig. I might be in the minority but I never liked being a “pro” photographer. I didn’t like the pressure of having to “deliver” to clients and magazines. I liked getting paid though 😂

You’ll see some of my rarely posted paid work on this video. I’ll admit, I didn’t like the hustle but it did keep me on my A game!

Thanks for watching, and reading this, and have a wonderful weekend you guys! 😍📸👍

The 2024 Wrap Up! 😍

Good day you awesome YouTube camera geeks! I thought I did all the videos for 2024 but somehow I managed to eek one more out for you guys! 😍

In this #podcast style video, I will share with you guys my thoughts as well as a few photos from the hot new Viltrox 28mm f/4.5 pancake lens. I hesitate to do a full review because there are so many reviews already but if you think I should let me know in the comments!

I recently became monetized! I’ve made enough to buy lunch lol so it’s no road to riches but the potential is there. Thanks to you guys for making this possible 🙏🙏  So as a way of saying #thankyou I will help YOU get monetized with three easy steps.

Learn from my mistakes! You WILL get monetized much faster than I did if you follow these simple guidelines. If you are starting out on YouTube or are struggling with a small channel like I still am, I believe following these simple steps will help you make better videos and get monetized faster than I did!

Lastly in this video, we preview what’s ahead for 2025! 2024 was a great year for this channel thanks to you but it can only get better. I pledge to continue bringing you guys the greatest Camera Legends of all time while being as straight forward and honest as always. Thanks for your support and HAPPY HOLIDAYS you guys! 🙏❤️👍

Items in this video:
1) Viltrox 28mm f/4.5 Pancake Lens https://amzn.to/3Pj6mcI
2) Cheap but good lighting https://amzn.to/3PhPPWJ

Items on my own to do list:
3) Better Lighting https://amzn.to/3PcjTD0
4) A Decent Microphone https://amzn.to/3PeyrSM
5) One of the best Podcast Microphones! Now on sale! https://amzn.to/3DtoSfW

Buying from these links help to support this channel and will not cost you anything extra. Thanks for your support!