Here is a tabular history of the cameras and lenses that I have owned. My progression looks like this:
Canon EF July 9, 1974 to 1981
Minox 35EL 1978 to 1981
Leica M2 1981
Canon New F-1 1982
Leica R3 1983
Canon EOS 650 Mar 1987 to Dec 1988
Nikon N8008 Nov 9, 1988 to Nov 1989
Canon EOS RT Dec 1989 to Jan 1991
Canon T90 May 7, 1990 to Jan 1991
Nikon N6006 Nov 27, 1990 to Mar 1992
Canon EOS Elan Dec 24, 1991 to the present (a film camera if needed)
Canon EOS-1N May 16, 1998 to Aug 15, 2002
Kodak DC-280 Dec 6, 1999 to Jun 23, 2001
Pentax 6x7 II Mar 20, 2000 to Aug 15, 2002
Kodak DC-4800 Mar 7, 2001 to Nov 1, 2003
Canon PowerShot G3 Nov 6, 2002 to Apr 12, 2009
Nikon D70 Apr 29, 2004 to May 30, 2008
Canon PowerShot S410 Apr 12, 2005 to May 8, 2005
Canon PowerShot S500 May 27, 2005 to Sep 10, 2007
Nikon D200 Nov 14, 2006 to May 30, 2008
Canon PowerShot SD870 Sep 11, 2007 to Apr 21, 2009
Apple iPhone Feb 27, 2008 to Sep 8, 2010 (retired)
Canon EOS 40D Jun 19, 2008 to the present (still use it once in a while)
Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Apr 22, 2009 to Dec 27, 2009 (retired)
Panasonic Lumix ZS3 Dec 30, 2009 to Jul 5, 2012 (retired)
Apple iPhone 4 Sep 8, 2010 to Oct 15, 2011 (retired)
Nikon FM2 Aug 2, 2011 to the present (my father's film camera)
Apple iPhone 4S Oct 15, 2011 to Sep 23, 2014 (retired)
Panasonic Lumix ZS10 Jul 23, 2012 to Dec 12, 2016 (dust on the sensor precludes using it any more)
GoPro Hero 3 Black Ed Mar 28, 2014 to the present (the worst UI of any modern product; I hate using it!)
Apple iPhone 6 Sep 23, 2014 to Feb 22, 2018 (retired)
Nikon W300 Dec 25, 2017 to the present (batteries often dead, rarely used)
Apple iPhone 7 Plus Feb 22, 2018 to Sep 24, 2019 (still use it rarely)
Nikon D3400 Jul 8, 2018 to the present (great images, small viewfinder)
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Sep 24, 2019 to the present (most used)
Canon EOS R May 4, 2021 to the present (excellent colors, beautiful large viewfinder & screen, horrible autofocus)
15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Canon FD - 1974 to 1981
15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Canon EF - Jan 11, 2000 to Aug 15, 2002
24mm f/2.8 Canon FD - 1974 to 1981
28mm f/2.8 Canon FD - 2: 1974; May 7, 1990 to Jan 1991
28mm f/2.8 Elmarit Leica R - 1983
35mm f/1.8 G Nikon AF-S DX - May 5, 2020 to present
35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM Canon RF - Dec 24, 2021 to present
35mm f/2.0 Summicron Leica M - 1981
35mm f/2.8 Canon FD - 1982
45mm f/2.8 TS-E Canon EF - May 14, 1998 to Aug 15, 2002
50mm f/1.4 Canon FD - 2: 1982; May 7, 1990 to Jan 1991
50mm f/1.4 Summilux Leica M - 1981
50mm f/1.4 D Nikkor Nikon AF - April 29, 2004 to May 30, 2008
50mm f/1.8 Canon EF - 2: 1987-1988; Jul 1, 1992 to present
50mm f/1.8 Nikon AI - 2011 to present
50mm f/1.8 STM Canon RF - May 4, 2021 to present
50mm f/3.5 Macro Canon FD - 1974 to 1981
55mm f/4.0 Pentax 67 - Mar 30, 2000 to Aug 15, 2002
60mm f/2.8 Micro Nikon AF - Nov 27, 1990 to 1992
60mm f/2.8 Macro Canon EF-S - 2008 to present
85mm f/1.2 L Canon FD - May 7, 1990 to Jan 1991
85mm f/1.8 USM Canon EF - May 16, 1998 to present (AF died 8/2016)
85mm f/1.8 Nikon AF - 2: Nov 9, 1988 to 1989; Mar 19, 1991 to 1992
85mm f/1.8 Canon FD - 1974 to 1981
85mm f/2.8 PC Nikkor Nikon AI - Aug 30, 2005 to May 30, 2008
90mm f/2.0 Summicron Leica R - 1983
90mm f/2.8 Elmar Leica M - 1981
100mm f/2.0 USM Canon EF - Apr 14, 1992 to 1998
100mm f/2.8 Canon FD - 1974 to 1975
105mm f/2.4 Pentax 67 - Mar 20, 2000 to Aug 15, 2002
135mm f/2.0 L USM Canon EF - April 27, 2021 to present
300mm f/2.8 L USM Canon EF - Mar 9, 1999 to Aug 15, 2002
300mm f/4.0 ED-IF Nikon AF - May 8, 1989 to 1992
300mm f/5.6 Canon FD - 1982
450mm f/8 Soligor FD - 1974 to 1981
500mm f/8 Mirror Tamron FD - 1988 to 1990
12-24mm f/4.0 G ED Nikon AF-S DX - Nov 7, 2006 to May 30, 2008
17-35mm f/2.8 L USM Canon EF - May 4, 2000 to Aug 15, 2002
17-55mm f/2.8 USM Canon EF-S - Jun 19, 2008 to present
18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Nikon AF-P DX - Jul 18, 2018 to present
18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED Nikon AF-S DX - Apr 29, 2004 to May 30, 2008
18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR Nikon AF-S DX - 2006 to May 30, 2008
20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Canon EF - Jul 11, 1996 - May 26, 2000
24-50mm f/3.3-4.5 Nikon AF - Nov 9, 1988 to 1992
24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM Canon RF - May 4, 2021 to present
28-70mm f/2.8 L USM Canon EF - May 17, 2000 to Aug 15, 2002
28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 II Canon EF - Dec 21, 1989 to Jan 1991
28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Canon EF - Dec 24, 1991 to present
35-70mm f/3.3-4.5 Nikon AF - Dec 1, 1990 to 1992
35-105mm f/3.5-4.5 Canon EF - Dec 1989 to Jan 1991
35-135mm f/3.5-4.5 Nikon AF - May 8, 1989 to 1992
50-135mm f/3.5 Canon FD - May 30, 1990 to Jan 1991
50-135mm f/3.5 Nikon AI - 2011 to present
55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II Nikon AF-S DX - Jul 18, 2018 to present
55-250mm f/4.5-5.6 IS Canon EF-S - Jun 19, 2008 to present
70-200mm f/2.8L USM Canon EF - Jun 29, 1996 to Aug 15, 2002
70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 D ED Nikon AF - Apr 29, 2004 to May 30, 2008
75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Nikon AF - Dec 1, 1990 to 1992
100-300mm f/5.6 L Canon EF - 2: 1989 to 1991; Apr 30, 2021 to present
100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS Canon RF - May 20, 2022 to present
From most to least used, by year, updated Jan 8, 2023: Shots Taken 2004 1031 : AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED 456 : AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED 133 : AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D Shots Taken 2005 1615 : AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED 318 : AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED 281 : AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED 165 : PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D 39 : AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D Shots Taken 2006 2532 : AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED 140 : AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D 84 : AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED 75 : AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED 48 : PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D 3 : AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED Shots Taken 2007 1094 : AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED 892 : AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED 416 : AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED 173 : AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED 110 : AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED 86 : AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D 50 : PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D Shots Taken 2008 448 : AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED 170 : AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED 50 : AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED 43 : AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED 1 : AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D 1 : PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D Shots Taken 2008 909 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 832 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 210 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM 53 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 31 : Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 USM 14 : Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Shots Taken 2009 6000 : Panasonic TZ5 411 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 382 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 66 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM 36 : Panasonic ZS3 Shots Taken 2010 3724 : Panasonic ZS3 1234 : Apple iPhone 4 204 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 185 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 45 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM 15 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Shots Taken 2011 2795 : Panasonic ZS3 2602 : Apple iPhone 4 1089 : Apple iPhone 4S 45 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 41 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 31 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 4 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Shots Taken 2012 4184 : Apple iPhone 4S 3662 : Panasonic ZS10 1022 : Panasonic ZS3 132 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 34 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 4 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Shots Taken 2013 2892 : Apple iPhone 4S 1679 : Panasonic ZS10 233 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 103 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Shots Taken 2014 2340 : Apple iPhone 4S 1065 : Panasonic ZS10 661 : Apple iPhone 6 13 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 9 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 1 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Shots Taken 2015 2642 : Apple iPhone 6 655 : Panasonic ZS10 186 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 63 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM 45 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 9 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 4 : Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM 1 : Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Shots Taken 2016 2571 : Apple iPhone 6 705 : Panasonic ZS10 696 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 130 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 21 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM 18 : Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 USM 13 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 7 : Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Shots Taken 2017 2790 : Apple iPhone 6 326 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 99 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 93 : Nikon W300 9 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM 9 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Shots Taken 2018 2436 : Apple iPhone 7 Plus 1026 : AF-S DX Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II 550 : Nikon W300 488 : AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR 144 : Apple iPhone 6 23 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 10 : Apple iPad Air 8 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Shots Taken 2019 1960 : Apple iPhone 11 Pro 1696 : Apple iPhone 7 Plus 365 : AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR 121 : Nikon W300 47 : AF-S DX Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II 39 : Apple iPad Pro 18 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 2 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Shots Taken 2020 2665 : Apple iPhone 11 Pro 163 : AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G 112 : AF-S DX Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II 50 : AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G 39 : Nikon W300 16 : Apple iPhone 7 Plus 4 : Apple iPad Pro Shots Taken 2021 2003 : Apple iPhone 11 Pro 557 : Canon RF 24-105mm f4L IS USM 182 : AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G 73 : AF-S DX Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II 52 : Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM 42 : Nikon W300 31 : Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM 27 : Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM 26 : Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L 23 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 21 : AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G 16 : Apple iPhone 7 Plus 10 : Apple iPad Pro 10 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 1 : Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Shots Taken 2022 1672 : Apple iPhone 11 Pro 301 : Canon RF 24-105mm f4L IS USM 166 : Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM 92 : Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM 69 : AF-S DX Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II 39 : Nikon W300 27 : Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM 17 : Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L 8 : AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G 6 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 4 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM 3 : Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM Note to self - these stats generated by: cd ~/Docs/Picts/Digital ls 2023*/iPhone11_* | wc ls 2023*/NikonW* | wc exiftool 2023*/NikonD* | grep 'Lens ID' | topten -c exiftool 2023*/Canon* | grep 'Lens ID' | topten -c
I think about the new 100 megapixel Hasselblad X2D more and more. Perhaps I should just sell the EOS outfit and get a Blad...
I was really quite saddened earlier this year when I learned of great lenses being discontinued, such as the EF 135mm f/2.0L USM, so I bought one. The EF 300mm f/2.8L IS is also gone, and the Nikon AF-S 200mm f/2, both phenomenal lenses. No modern replacements have been announced, which might mean the era of fast large glass is also over. The EF and AF-S worlds are dying. Sigh.
So I am moving into the mirrorless age. I will need a long-tele at some point, perhaps the RF 100-500mm, but I can use another recent aquisition, a used EF 100-300mm f/5.6L in the meantime.
The Nikon photos are better when there is a lot of light, but the iPhone 11 Pro is terrific in low-light now, and while its three cameras offer 14mm f/2.4, 26mm f/1.8, and 52mm f/2.0, it can also digitally zoom to 270mm. There is a lot of noise in the zoomed shots. The ultra-wide 14mm is not very sharp outside of the center. The 26mm and 52mm however are really quite good. I wish the iPhone had an optical 300mm rather than the 14mm.
The handwriting is on the wall for DSLRs as smartphone cameras get better and better. The crux of the issue is that DSLRs are too big and cumbersome. Canon & Nikon need to make a small multi-lens camera that blows away the iPhone. 12 megapixels are not enough for me. The Nikon's 24 megapixel images look a lot sharper on my 5K monitor. My dream would be a camera with 24mm f/2.0, 50mm f/1.4, 100mm f/2.0, and 300mm f/5.6.
The 6000 x 4000 pixel (24 megapixel) images are nice!
If I could have a cost no-object current system, I'd have:
That is a $17,350 camera outfit! However, this is too expensive for my real needs, so I am considering a different outfit:
That is $2,905 out of pocket, or a total of $4,700. Perhaps still too much, but better. This would upgrade my 8 year old EOS 40D camera nicely, but adding 3 more EF-S lenses that will not work with a full-frame body like the 5D may not be the best route. If I don't plan to do much video work, then many of these lenses are not needed. The EF-S 10-18, EF-S 24mm, EF 50/f1.8 STM, and EF-S 18-135 lenses offer silent focusing which is useful for video work. Utilizing what I already have leaves a modestly upgraded outfit:
This requires an outlay of only $1,350 and I have the basics covered, to wit:
The rest of this web page is here for historical context. It was written in 2001-2003.
In 1999 I owned an amazing Canon EOS-1n system with the following lenses:
But I do not shoot film anymore! I sold the Canon outfit and the 6x7 in August of 2002, and I've gone digital.
Note: pixels per inch (PPI), lines per inch (LPI), and dots per inch (DPI) are sometimes treated the same, but othertimes they are very different. See this article for more info. A line of resolution generally requires 2X the number of pixels.Example: Kodachrome delivers 4000 lines of resolution vertically in 24mm, the height of a 35mm slide.
4000 lines / 24mm = 166 lines / mm resolution
166 lines / mm * 2 pixels / line = 333 pixels / mm required to scan for printing
333 pixels / mm * 25.4 mm / inch = 8466 pixels / inch required to scan a slide accurately
Do you want to see a large 1494 x 1024 pixel JPEG (256KB) which gives you a taste of what a slide scanner can achieve? Click here. (It is a picture of the Endeavour replica ship that I took with my EOS-1 and EF 300mm f/2.8L.) The actual uncompressed image with 36-bit color is a file over 50 MB in size!Note:Kodachrome 25 was discontinued in December 2001.
2016 Note: now – decades later – a 1494 x 1024 pixel image seems tiny. How times change...
Click here for more information on how to process and publish digital photos.
After considering digital, I eventually bought a 2 megapixel (MP) camera, a Kodak DC-280.
I paid $750 in December of 1999.
When they stopped making it in early 2001 they sold for $350. How does it stack up to my five points?
My second digital camera was the champagne colored Kodak DC-4800. I paid $500 after a $100 Kodak rebate. Let's see how
it stacked up:
In November of 2002 I got a new camera. The DC-4800 was great, but I wanted a stronger flash, better close up photography,
an intervalometer, panoramic photo stiching, a faster lens, and higher quality photos. All of this and more came in Canon's
third generation Canon PowerShot G3, a 4 megapixel camera. Let's see how it does.
Created: 12 Jun 2001 Modified: 1 Dec 2022