Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 D, Early Morning Crops

The CCD Sensor: Morning crops from the garden with the 10MP CCD Nikon D200 and an AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 D.

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It was such a nice day that I had to take these two out for a quick spin in the garden. The D200, a weather-sealed workhorse from Nikon, built around a magnesium alloy chassis, was introduced in 2006. The camera was the last in the series of semi-professional bodies from Nikon with a CCD sensor and was highly praised as a very competent and capable camera. The 10MP CCD D200 was replaced in 2007 by the D300 which has a 12.2MP CMOS sensor. The AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4, just as well, is Nikon's fastest and least expensive super-speed lens and is highly regarded as a super select for low-light photography.

CCDs, as we know them, were the standard for camera sensors from the early 80s till the late 2000s, and as we see the resurgence of film for film photography petering away due to the ever-increasing cost of film, CCDs are now the go-to option for enthusiast for low-noise and high-quality film-like renderings the sensors are acknowledged for. Though cameras with CCD sensors are now delegated to the vintage genre, with the sensors replaced with the CMOS variety, CCDs are still used in areas of specialized photography including Optical Microscopy, Space Photography, and Near-Infrared Imaging

Nikon D200, AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 D

Cameras with CCD sensors, with a whole range of makes and models to pick and choose from, are readily available both from online auction sites and brick-and-mortar stores. At prices for the asking, these cameras will cost you only a fraction of what you will pay when compared to the technically more advanced and up-to-date models that are on the market today. Enjoying a new lease of photography with these lightweight vintages will not break the bank or your back.

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SMC Pentax A 35-70mm 1:4, Walking The Zoom

The CCD Sensor: Image making with an SMC Pentax-A Zoom 35-70mm 1:4 on a 10MP CCD Pentax K-m, walking the zoom.

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The SMC Pentax-A Zoom 35-70mm 1:4 is the only zoom lens within Pentax's inventory of K-mount lenses that has a fixed aperture. The twin-ring zoom was produced from 1984 to 1985 for the Pentax Series-A and Series-P 35mm SLR film cameras. The A-series lenses, which saw the introduction of 'automatic' aperture settings on K-mount lenses have both an aperture ring that lets the lens aperture be set manually, and also an 'A' setting which allows the aperture to be controlled by the camera automatically.

The solid and well-built lens, with 7 elements in 7 groups and 6 aperture blades, was produced from 1984 to 1985, and came with a minimum focusing distance of 0.25 meters, measures 80mm long with a diameter of 65mm, takes 58mm filter sizes, and weighs 330 grams, The lens weighs 330 grams. Divided between accolades and brickbats, the lens enjoys a Sharpness rating of 8.3, Aberrations at 7.9, Bokeh at 8.1, Handling at 8.5, and Value at 8.9, on PentaxForums.

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax A 3-70mm 1:4

I took the opportunity of mounting the lens on the 10MP CCD Pentax K-m (Pentax K2000 in the US) recently and took the camera to the community field across from the road to grab these walking-the-zoom shots against the backdrop of the rising sun. The snug-fit lens felt comfortable in the hand, easy to work with, and was flawless with the lens set to the 'A' aperture setting and the camera working in Program mode. On the equally vintage Pentax K-m, the lens is equivalent to a 50-105mm short tele on a 35mm full-frame camera, a good range for snapshots, portraiture, a walk-around lens, and street photography.

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Konica II B, Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400, A Belated Update

Film photography favorites, analog diary, image making with a Konica II B, and an expired roll of Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400.

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Took these images a while back, a real while back, almost a year ago, on a roll of expired Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400 which I did not have the chance to take to the lab for processing until only recently. While these images from the expired film images were marvelous, this first outing with the Konica II B was a real test of resilience as I was still a complete novice with fully manual exposures. The shoot, though enjoyable, was a real hit-or-miss session where I ended with more under and over-exposed, and a couple that are out of focus, image frames.

The Konica II B, a model from a well-built series of fixed-lens, leaf-shuttered Konica 35mm rangefinder cameras built from 1950 to 1959, with its extremely acknowledged super bright viewfinder, was a joy to use. Its exquisite ornate body shape with a curvaceous body panel design mimics the outline of the hands when the camera is held to the eye, is a hefty body weight of 681 grams without film, and does not have shoulder strap lugs either. Carrying it around is best in the camera's own leather case, or a container pouch.

Konica II B

While I still do relish the moments I spent with a good or an excellent film camera, the ever-increasing cost of film for film photography, and the timeline of its associated services, is the lament that is pushing me more towards the CCD image genre as the new alternative. Digital cameras with CCD sensors do not incur recurring costs or additional charges when acquired, and are readily available at prices for the asking, may, as some are saying, resurrect itself as the new film.

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Olympus SP-510UZ, First Impression

The CCD Sensor: Low-noise night images with a 7.1MP CCD Olympus SP510UZ, a low-cost option for CCD enthusiasts.

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The Olympus SP510UZ, a 7.1MP CCD digital bridge camera, is another interesting low-cost buy for CCD enthusiasts. The SP510UZ, introduced by Olympus in 2005, comes fitted with a 6.3-63mm Olympus ED lens, and it was the last model of the SP-series (Special Performance) that used the 10x optical zoom lens. The model was later succeeded by the SP550UZ, which has a bigger 18x zoom lens, and the SP-590UZ, which features a larger still 26x optical zoom lens. The camera stores images on xD-Picture cards or its own 21MB of internal memory.

The SP510UZ is powered by a set of 4 x AA batteries, features an EV (electronic viewfinder), a 2.5-inch LCD display, a 10x zoom lens (equivalent to 38-380mm in 35mm photography), and 5x digital zoom in a compact and lightweight plastic body. The camera is also capable of capturing images in RAW format and features Olympus's BrightCapture technology with ISO sensitivity ranging from 50 to 4,000 (though at ISO 2,500 and above the camera's resolution drops to 3 megapixels), and a shutter speed range from 15 to 1/1000 second, and Bulb.

Olympus SP-510UZ

In addition to the range of fully automatic settings that include a suite of 21 beginner-friendly scene modes, the camera offers Aperture and Shutter Priority modes for more advanced photographers. While the camera does not have true hardware-based optical image stabilization, it offers a Digital Image Stabilization mode instead. The system uses a gyro sensor to detect the amount of camera shake and then employs software to select a higher ISO and a faster shutter speed while tweaking sharpening to reduce blur.

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