Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18, Living Colors

CCD Resurgence: Images with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18, a super-zoom digital bridge camera with an 8.1MP CCD sensor, an 18x optical zoom lens (28-504mm equivalent), manual exposure controls, and RAW format support.

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Top and backlighted images from just outside my door were captured with the vintage Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18, a super zoom bridge camera with a 1/2.5" 8.3MP CCD sensor, an 18x (28-504mm equivalent) zoom lens, and is also capable of doing images with a 1cm macro mode.

The camera was launched in 2007 and has a 188,000 pixels EVF and A 2.5" 207,000 pixels LCD monitor, switchable to function only alternatively. The function, which can be confusing at times, is controlled by a button switch located near the thumb rest area (when holding the camera up to the eye) on the upper part of the back of the camera.

The camera itself, compact and lightweight, weighs 360 grams without battery and measures 117.6 x 75.3 x 88.2 mm. The low pixel count from both the EVF and LCD monitor (by today's standards) is insufficient to give you a thorough image of the frame you are looking at, but believe me, the proof will be in the images themselves, which will blow your mind away. CCD sensors have a following among photographers who prefer the images' different look and feel, which are high-quality, low-noise images that some say are almost film-like.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18

If you are wary about the ever-spiraling cost of film and the equally high cost of acquiring new high-end digital camera products, vintage cameras with CCD sensors are more than adequate to cater to your interests. Even though CCD sensors on digital cameras have virtually been replaced by CMOS sensors, there is still a following among photographers who prefer the images from these sensors that have a different look and feel, with some saying they are almost film-like. CCD sensors are more sensitive to dynamic range and lower noise output, with more vibrant colors.

Photax T-Mount Preset 400mm f/6.3, Take II

Cameras and Lenses: Images with a Photax T-Mount Preset 400mm f/6.3, a fully manual long-tube vintage telephoto lens with retro accolades for its 4-element design, built-in tripod mount, and nostalgic charm, an 800mm full-frame equivalent on the Olympus PEN E-P5, Take II.

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The T-Mount Photax 400mm f/6.3 Preset Telephoto Lens, sometimes just referred to simply as a long tube lens, dates back to the 1960s, is a low-cost commonplace lens, and can be found under a variety of brand names such as Astranar, Impakt, Photax, D&N, Prinz-Galaxy, Paragon, Sirius, Ensinor, Quantaray, Optomax, Kenlock, Praotor, Hanimex, and more.

Typically, these are 4 elements of front-end focus T-mount lenses with a two-ring preset aperture and a very convenient built-in tripod mount. The unit I tested weighs 741 grams, minus the soft velvet pouch and the 340mm hard faux leather sheath it comes in.

Olympus PEN E-P5, Photax T-Mount Preset 400mm f/6.3

Images shot here with the lens mounted on the 2x crop sensor Olympus PEN E-P5 are at the equivalent focal length of an 800 mm lens on a full-frame camera.

SMC Pentax-A 50mm 1:1.4, Pastel Art II

Cameras and Lenses: Images with a vintage legacy SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, acclaimed for its exceptional build quality, sharp optical performance, and advanced SMC (Super Multi-Coating), a bright 100mm full-frame equivalent on the Olympus PEN E-P5, Take II.

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Pentax SMC (Super-Multi-Coated) lenses were introduced in the early 1970s, at the end of the M42-mount era, when it was launched with the introduction of Pentax K-mount lenses.

Though not designated officially as the K-series, the lenses are usually given this designation to distinguish them from later K-mount lenses (such as the M, A, F, FA, and DA series). K-mount lenses were exclusively manual focus lenses with no electronic features.

The K-series was followed by the manual focus M-series, which is again without any electronic features, though they are generally smaller in size to match the more compact bodies of the Pentax M-series 35mm SLR film camera bodies that were being produced then. The A series of lenses saw the introduction of "automatic" aperture settings. The lenses had an aperture ring that could be set manually, and a click-button "A" mode setting, which allowed the camera to control the aperture automatically.

SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4

Like all A-series lenses, this very fast standard lens supports P and Tv exposure modes in addition to Av and M, and is adaptable to all K-mount Pentax SLR cameras, including digital. It is slightly softer at 1:1.4 but reaches excellent figures from 2.8 downward. The lens is also recommended for portrait photography on digital cameras and produces soft images with smooth out-of-focus blurring. These images were shot with the lens mounted on an Olympus PEN E-P5.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18, Up And Running Again

CCD Resurgence: Images with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18, a super-zoom digital bridge camera with an 8.1MP CCD sensor, an 18x optical zoom lens (28-504mm equivalent), manual exposure controls, and RAW format support.

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I asked Bing to write me a fun story to read, and the AI language model came back with a story about a boy, Jack, who found a door on a magical tree. Jack opened the door and stepped inside, and to his surprise, he found himself in a magical world filled with talking animals, fairies, and other magical creatures.

Jack spent the next few days exploring this magical world, making new friends, and having all sorts of adventures. He even helped a group of fairies who were out looking for their lost treasures. Eventually, it was time for Jack to return home.

He said goodbye to all of his new friends and promised to come back and visit soon. As he stepped out of the magical tree, he found himself back in his own world.

The story is reflective of me as well, as I went trudging through the storage bin and picked up the Lumix DMC-FZ18, last used 10 years back, put away because the battery was not holding its charge anymore.

I ordered a pair of new batteries online, had the battery installed, and Walla!, the camera came back to life just like it was switched off only a few minutes ago. Took the camera out to the porch for the trial re-run, had the few shots post-processed on the digital tabletop, and went head over heels for the excellent quality images.

Images like these are preferred by some photographers because of their look and feel, which are different from those of earlier digital cameras.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18

Is this my magical door, then? An opening to the days of the old, and a chance to re-live images captured with the CCD sensor? Let's stay on and find out what happens.