My move to re-live and embrace the CCD sensor as a means to maintain and pursue my interest in still photography came about when I realized that the ever-increasing film cost for film photography, and the limited access to its associated services, was progressively hampering and slowing me down. The move started with a couple of low-end buys, which grew into a collection of make and models that have kept me going.
CCD sensors, as we know them, were the standard for digital cameras from the early 80s till the late 2000s, and were acknowledged for their high-quality low-noise images, with emulations that some say, were almost film-like. CCD cameras, or digicams, as they were known then, are considered vintage today as they were in production more than 15 years ago with technology that has been bypassed and considered redundant.
Though not altogether dead, but replaced by the CMOS variety on digital cameras, CCD sensors are still sought after and are currently used in areas of specialized photography including Optical Microscopy, Space Photography, and Near-Infrared Imaging. CCD sensors are inherently more expensive to manufacture, consume more power, and have the tendency to smear and bloom when overexposed.
As compared to acquiring a vintage digital camera with a CMOS sensor from the early years of their production run, an equally vintage digital camera with a CCD sensor from the final years of their product development, is to me, the better proposition to look at. Getting one at the price equivalent to a few rolls of film for cameras, with no recurring cost aside from maintaining the lap- or desktop digital image editor you already have, adds the icing to the cake.
Well, if you are on the move to the CCD grail as I am, welcome to the challenge, and while you are at it, take a look at these 5 digital CCDs, each with a couple images, which I am recommending:
Nikon D200
The Nikon D200, seen here mounted with an AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 D, was launched in 2005, comes with a 10.2 MP CCD sensor, a shutter speed range from 30 to 1/8,000 seconds, an ISO range from 100 to 1,600, a top LCD panel for display of operating parameters, a very bright and sharp 2.5 inch 230,00 pixels rear LCD, 7 area AF, operates in Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, and Manual modes, and captures images in JPEG and (NEF) RAW.
Designated as a professional model, the D200 is very robust and well-built with a magnesium alloy chassis, environmental seals, and an excellent user interface. The D200 can be used as well with Ai manual focus and essentially all other Nikkor lenses manufactured from 1977 onward. The camera has an intervalometer for time-lapse photography.
Though slightly heavy by today's standard, the D200 is a hefty 830 grams without a battery, memory card, body cap, or monitor cover. The power supply for the camera is a Nikon EN-ELe3 Lithium battery pack, which also powers the Nikon D50, D70, D70s, D80, D90, D100, D300S, and D300.
Nikon D80
The Nikon D80, seen here mounted with an AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8 D, an enthusiast-grade DSLR launched by Nikon in 2006, features a 10.2 MP DX-format CCD sensor, the metering sensor from the D50, an image processing engine similar to D200/D2X, a 420-pixel sensor 3D Color Matrix Metering II as found on the D50, an 11-area AF system similar to D200.
The camera has an electronically controlled vertical-travel focal plane shutter with a shutter speed range from 30 to 1/4000 second, plus Bulb. ISO sensitivity is from 100 to 1,600 (up to ISO 3200 with boost). Metering options include 3D Color Matrix II, Center-Weighted, and Spot. Image storage is on SD/SD-HC cards.
Exposure modes on the D80 include Program AE, Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Vari-program scene modes which include Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night landscape, and Night Portrait. Another cue taken from the Nikon D50 is the AF-A mode, which automatically switches from AF-S (single autofocus) to AF-C (continuous autofocus) if subject movement is detected.
Pentax K-m (K2000)
The Pentax K-m (K2000 in the US), introduced in 2008, is a compact entry-level digital SLR camera fitted with a 10MP APS-C-sized CCD sensor. The camera, seen here with a Sigma Asph. IF Zoom 28-105mm 1:3.8~5.6 UC-III, is lighter than and comes without the weather sealing of the 10MP CCD K200D or the 14.6 CMOS K20D, though it shares the same viewfinder and LCD screen with both. The K-m is powered by 4 AA Lithium, Ni-MH Rechargeable, or Alkaline batteries.
The camera is fitted with a Pentax KAF2 lens mount, designed to be adaptable to the plastic mount Pentax DA-L-series lightweight kit lenses. The KAF2-mount, a follow-up from the KF, KA, and KAF mounts, was Pentax's development sequence for adding auto-focus features to its lenses. The first KA-mount, for example, allows the lens's aperture to be set by the body, which enables shutter priority and program auto exposure modes.
The K-m is easy and straightforward to operate and comes with a deep and relatively narrow hand grip. All button controls located are located on the camera back, to the right of the LCD screen. Aside from the arrow joystick pad, there are the Play, Info, Menu, and Delete buttons, and directly above the Play button is an ‘e-dial’ for adjusting aperture, shutter speed, sensitivity, and EV compensation settings.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 (DMC-FZ35 in some markets), introduced by Panasonic in 2009, a highly recommended 12.1MP CCD sensor superzoom bridge digital camera, is an update to the 10.1 MP CCD DMC-FZ28 launched in 2008, which itself is an update of the 8MP CCD DMC-FZ18 launched in 2007. Having been through the series as well, up to the DMZ-100, the FZ35/38 is my choice for its optimal performance.
The FZ35/38 is fitted with a 1:2.8~4.4 18X optical zoom 27mm Leica DC Vario-Elmarit wide-angle lens (27-486mm equivalent), 201,000 pixels in-line Electronic Viewfinder (EV), a 2.7-inch 230,000 pixels live view TFT LCD, a shutter speed range from 60 seconds to 1/2000th second, Power O.I.S image stabilizer, a faster Venus Engine HD processor, and a Quick AF system twice as fast than that of its predecessor, the FZ-28.
The digital bridge cameras, some with very advanced features, share the ultimate advantage of being just a single SLR-like camera with a long and powerful, fixed and non-interchangeable lens that can replace the need for you to have heavily laden SLRs with multiple lenses to port around. Having one with your preferred sensor type, on a low-cost entry buy, adds to the saving and convenience of use.
FijiFilm Finepix BigJob HD-3W
One of my more exciting recent acquisitions is the FujiFilm Finepix BigJob HD-3W, a 6MP CCD ruggedized all-weather digital camera built for the construction and engineering industry. The camera, a rather plain and boxy brickbat, comes with a 3x wide-angle Fujinon 4.7-14.1 (28-84mm equivalent) lens, has a shutter speed range from 2 to 1/2000 second, a 3-inch LCD with reinforced glass coating, hotshoe, ISO 1600 capability, and a body that is water, shock and dustproof.
Operation of the autoexposure camera is simple with easy access buttons, mode dial, and menu systems that are accessible even for users with gloves. The camera is also programmed with a Shot Date function. The ruggedized body, and its 28-84mm equivalent lens it has, are equally suitable for the rough and tough outdoors, making it a robust and potentially well-liked adventure camera.
On its own, the BigJob HD-3W is accredited with two world firsts, a Detection Manipulation feature that highlights any tampering to images after the photo has been taken (via viewer software on a computer), and a CALS mode that shoots images at 1MP, for attaching and distribution via email
A Chance Outsider
A chance outsider for this listing is the ultra-compact 16MP CCD Panasonic Lumix DMC-S5, the camera I am using for my current product shoots, which includes all the camera images for this listing. I have been using the camera since early 2023, which is equally good as a general shoot camera, as a replacement for a faulty DSLR, and I haven't looked back since.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-S5, introduced in 2012, is a follow-up of the DMC-S series which includes the DMC-S1 (2011), DMC-S3 (2011), and DMC-S2 (2012). The S5 is updated with a new, higher-resolution image sensor, autofocus system, a modest improvement in battery life, a reduction in burst-shooting speed, and an updated software package. The camera retains the same F3.1~9.0 at wide angle, and from F6.5~f/20.0 at telephoto Lumix DC Vario 4x optical zoom lens as found on the DMC-S3.
The camera also features a true optical image stabilization system to counter blur caused by camera shake, shoots full-resolution images at 1.4 frames per second, has a 2.7-inch 230,000 dot resolution LCD display, and a 23-point multi-area autofocus system which also includes a single-point focusing mode, and face detection. ISO sensitivity is rated from 100 to 1,600, expandable to 6,400 in High Sensitivity mode. Shutter speeds are from 8 seconds to 1/1600 seconds.
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