Classic Digital

Hello Again Hello

Good morning you awesome camera geeks! An old song once said “Hello stranger, it seems like a mighty long time!” Well today it’s more like Neil Diamond with “Hello Again” Hello 😂

I would like to thank my friend Frank B. from upstate NY for this post because he reminded me that I haven’t posted anything on the blog since last October! Wow, has it been that long?

On a recent flight to the Philippines.

I spent the last month traveling in the Philippines and Thailand. On this trip I decided to bring less gear but really focus on a few key Camera Legend cameras, some of which you’ll see in this post.

Multi-Tasking in Bangkok with the Minolta TC-1. I don’t multitask well but somehow I did it for this shot 😅

The trip may explain my inactivity for last month but what about the rest of the year you might ask? 😂

Well first of all let me apologize to all the great bloggers who I follow, who I haven’t dropped by to leave a comment or two. I have come to realize that I simply cannot multitask! And it gets worse the older I get.

It originally started out with me wanting to concentrate on my YouTube channel. Then my phone filled up and it automatically offloaded some key apps like WordPress and since I wasn’t posting much anyway, I very nearly forgot about it! I suck I know! 😂

Anyway with my regular day job, with Instagram and Facebook and YouTube I simply got burnt out. I apologize and I have the deepest respect for you guys who do this on a daily basis 🙏🙏

I got to a thousand subscribers on YouTube but I’m still not making any money off it. They keep upping the ante like you need a certain amount of watch time, certain amount of subs, etc. Honestly I hate making videos and I don’t really recommend it unless you’re a video-centric person.

But among the legendary cameras I took on this trip, my two most used were the Minolta TC-1 and the Leica M9.

The Minolta TC-1 and CatLabs X Film 320.
Classic car spotted in Manila, Philippines. Anyone know what make/model this is? Shot with the Minolta TC-1 and CatLabs X Film 320 developed in HC-110 developer

I found myself using the TC-1 a lot on this trip. Its tiny diminutive size was a plus! I’ve written about the TC-1 here before but have yet to do a full review either here or on YouTube. I hope to once I get all my film developed.

The Leica M9 is a legendary digital Leica introduced in 2009. I actually picked up mine in 2020. I got a great deal on the camera and I used the extra money I made during the COVID-19 pandemic to pay for it.

As a user of the older M8 since 2010, I felt right at home with the M9. Even though the M8 is APS-H (1.3x Crop Factor) and the M9 is full frame, they produce (mostly) similar looking files.

“Chillin'” 2023. Leica M9 and 40mm f/2 Summicron-C.
“Pa Jian” A 91 year old lady in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. She reveals her secret to long life in my latest video. Shot with a Leica M9 and 40mm f/2 Summicron-C.
Kodakchrome like colors are one of the hallmarks of the Leica M9.
Does anyone besides me miss those cute COVID masks? 😍 Shot in the fall of 2020 with the Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton
Halloween 2022. Is it almost time for Halloween again? Time moves fast my friends and I’m making up for lost time! Leica M9 and Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton.
The Leica M9 is a fantastic image maker even in 2023 but is it worth the risk? To me it is but only you can decide whether a camera from 2009 is still worth buying.

I’ve heard people describe the M9 as having an upscaled version of the M8 sensor and they indeed produce similar looking images for the most part. Although I’m not anywhere ready to write a full M9 review what I can say is imagine all the things you like about the M8 but make them better. That’s what the M9 is. Better color correction, better resolution, plus making full use of your lenses with the full frame sensor. But it has one major flaw. Sensor Corrosion!

Here’s my latest YouTube video which is part travel, part review. It’s not a complete M9 review but I think you’ll find out almost everything you need if you’re considering buying an M9.

I dedicate this video to the memory of Anthony Bourdain whose food and travel videos were an inspiration to me. In fact, although I don’t advocate smoking, I included the smoking scenes as a tribute to him, particularly the early Bourdain. I think that rawness was part of his charm.

I have been watching his shows since he was on the Travel Channel with “No Reservations.” Then he moved to CNN and did “Parts Unknown” for many years. Then seemingly at the height of his fame, he took his own life in 2018. A sad ending for a man who brought a lot of joy to many many people.

Anyway that’s it for today! I just wanted to say hi and try to get a post in. I appreciate anyone reading this. Thank you very much!

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Flashback Friday: The Nikon Coolpix 100, The First Nikon Coolpix Camera

UPDATE 11/01/15: Just want to pass along some info for our Nikon fans out there that I have been informed of HUGE instant rebates going on for a limited time. You can check out all the Nikon deals HERE. From what I can see some of the instant savings are up to as high as $1100!! on certain Nikon camera/lens combos. If you’re looking to buy new Nikon stuff, this is the time to do it!

You may also find the Nikon deals HERE. While browsing/dreaming, I was amazed at the deals and wish I had the funds! For example, you can now get a new Nikon D7100 for close to the price of a USED D7000. This is a screamin’ deal for some of Nikon’s hottest cameras and lenses.

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“Retro Thang.” The Nikon Coolpix 100, released in 1997, is Nikon’s first camera under the “Coolpix” banner.

The Nikon Coolpix 100 is a .03mp digital camera introduced by Nikon Corporation in 1997. It is the first Nikon Coolpix camera and the first Nikon digital aimed at the general public.

The Coolpix 100 featured 52mm f/4 fixed lens and a whopping .03mp resolution, proving a maximum of 512×480 in Fine mode on a 1/3″ sensor.

The camera takes no media card as it is built around an old school PCMCIA serial connection and has a built-in memory which holds a maximum of 19 images in Fine mode and 37 images in Normal mode.

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The Coolpix 100 is a long and funky camera. The camera is built around a PCMCIA device and takes no flash media. Instead it has built0in memory for very limited storage of images.

I found this camera for…59 cents!! The camera was in “As Is/Parts” condition. At first it didn’t seem to work, but after fiddling with the battery compartment, it came back to life.

However, I can’t show you any pictures from it because I have been unable to locate my oldest computer which might have a PCMCIA slot.

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The Coolpix 100 with its “jeans” off revealing its PCMCIA computer connection.

Information is scarce on this camera. In fact, if you search “Nikon Coolpix 100” what comes up is a more recent “Coolpix P100” camera.

That said, this camera, as with many from the dawn of digital are not worth much if anything. It is only valuable to me as a collector, but financially it’s worth almost nothing.

Despite its low value and (now) low tech, the Nikon Coolpix 100 is indeed Nikon’s first ever consumer digicam under the “Coolpix” label and therefore has its place as a Camera Legend.