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 sensor images 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.
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 interest. Even though CCD sensors on digital cameras have virtually been replaced by CMOS sensors, there is still a following among photographers who prefer the images from these sensors that have a different look and feel, with some saying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.
