Abandoned Cameras

Cancellation is not quite the same as abandonment, but I still regret the cancellation of the Nikon DL series of premium compacts, particularly the DL 18-50.

-R

[I have an unused OM2 in the house]

I'm with you. Those were the last cameras I was really looking forward to.
 
I'll add the Fuji X10 line to this. I think it is officially discontinued. I always hoped/expected they'd throw a 1" sensor in to that line and really up the ante. I pulled my X10 out earlier this evening and charged it up for the first time in a while. Still a great camera to shoot with and great pics.
 
I'll add the Fuji X10 line to this. I think it is officially discontinued. I always hoped/expected they'd throw a 1" sensor in to that line and really up the ante. I pulled my X10 out earlier this evening and charged it up for the first time in a while. Still a great camera to shoot with and great pics.

I agree. An X10 was my very first Fuji X (I'd had compacts and MF before). It got me hooked; the handling and the direct vision in particular; it was a camera not a games console (bear in mind that at the time I was heavily into Leica - film Leica...) I sold it long ago then snagged an X20 which is a better camera in every way. The X30 was frankly a disappointment and I think it killed the line. The uniqueness of the X10/20 was lost and the 30 was just a bulky, slightly behind the curve, me-too offering.

I'd love to see an X40 based on the X20 with a 24mp sensor... Sort of like a lightweight X100F with a mechanical zoom...
 
When I bought my RX100 I was torn between that and the Fuji X10. I preferred the look and feel of the X10 but there was no getting away from the fundamental issue of sensor size, and so I went with the Sony. I always thought that if Fuji had somehow managed to shoehorn a 1" sensor into the X20 or X30 that would have been the perfect camera for me, but ye cannae change the laws of physics and all that. I think it was the rise of cameras with 1" sensors from Sony and Canon which did for the X10/X20/X30 line - that and increased competition from smartphones from below.

-R
 
Panasonic GM series...

I got a cheap GM1 as a backup body for travel, skipped the GM5 but was looking forward to the next version, hoping it would bring IBIS to the table, when they discontinued the GM5...
 
Actually since my post I have changed my mind. Not that I dont want it, but rather that I want to wait til next year and see what bugs etc people might find over the next 12 months. I dont *need* a new phone. I really dont. I may be more likely to update my apple watch. Not sure yet.

What's this word 'need' of which you speak;)
 
If by 'abandoned' cameras we can mean cameras which have been discontinued or somehow orphaned or supposedly replaced by newer-and-better-but-actually-different-and-sometimes-worse models - then the two I would have to add to the list are the Lumix LX-7 - and the Olympus C-8080 Wide.

The LX7, with its small sensor, its fast Leica-designed lens, its thoughtful controls, its usability - and above all, its insanely great Macro capabilities - kind of stands alone in my memory. I wish I hadn't sold mine (which I bought, years ago, from Ray Sachs, when he was moving on to another compact camera). Possibly some aspects of it might be duplicated by some of the earlier small sensor Ricohs - especially the GRD III - but the LX7 really ticked many boxes for me. It also had a brilliant add-on external EVF which still is one of the best electronic viewfinders I've ever used on any digital camera. Of course, the Leica D-Lux 6 is its functional twin so that probably should be on the list as well. To my way of thinking the larger, heavier, supposedly more capable and supposedly better Lumix LX100 was really a completely different camera - and never delivered on the cool potential of an LX7 upgrade.

Hmmmm....I may have to buy another one.

The C-8080 was plagued by laughably slow processing and a tiny little rear screen, only good for viewing taken shots or exposures - and by modern standards it was on the clunky side - but damn, what a beautifully built camera - and what a great photographic tool. It also had, for the epoch, a fantastic lens. I'm not the only former C-8080 user to have complained about its demise and wished for something resembling a successor - but Olympus went in many interesting different directions and dropped, as far as I'm concerned, the concept of a built-more-heavily-than-a-tank all-in-one digital camera which could survive wars and still deliver amazing shots.

Abandoned...but not forgotten.
 
In my opinion, Nikon should never have abandoned (or rather, "superceded") the Nikon D*0 line. My D90 was (in fact, still is) a very nice and reliable camera to shoot with - and I often wish my D5500 had the same kind of controls; don't get me wrong, the D5500 takes better images and is a more modern camera in all regards. And of course, the D7200 and D7500 *do* offer similar controls - but they're considerably more up-market models in many ways, including size and price. The D90 is enthusiast-friendly without being semi-pro - okay, it doesn't have a couple of important features (weather sealing, for instance), but it's considerably smaller and lighter than the D7*** bodies, but still feels more serious than the D5*** line. If Nikon brought out that kind of body with the innards of the D5500 (or D5600, more like), I think I would find it hard to resist. As it is, it's the D90 that I consider to be the backup camera for the D750 - the D5500 is more of a sidekick ... (but a very good one - it still delivers the best IQ I've seen from an APS-C body).

M.
 
The C-8080 was plagued by laughably slow processing and a tiny little rear screen, only good for viewing taken shots or exposures - and by modern standards it was on the clunky side - but damn, what a beautifully built camera - and what a great photographic tool. It also had, for the epoch, a fantastic lens. I'm not the only former C-8080 user to have complained about its demise and wished for something resembling a successor - but Olympus went in many interesting different directions and dropped, as far as I'm concerned, the concept of a built-more-heavily-than-a-tank all-in-one digital camera which could survive wars and still deliver amazing shots.

:2thumbs: :thiagree: :2thumbs:

I won one in a subscription comp. with a local photo mag just after they were released (selling for just over $2000 AUD) and it was a turning point in my photography. I used it hard for many years and even after I bought my GF1, only retiring it when the screen and evf started to play up and display diagonal lines...
 
The Stylus is a stand alone camera so stop at least there is little investment. I imagine the four thirds shooters were really ticked at Olympus.

Yes, I certainly won't buy Olympus anymore and that is one of the reasons, in fact probably the main reason. At least I had waited until the E-1 had reached the end of production as so obtained one cheaply, however I do have some nice lenses collecting dust, and they weren't cheap.

Barrie
 
Old thread, resurrecting. Times change.

Like others, I wish that Stylus series had been continued. I still hang onto my XZ-1 (it came under the Stylus banner) and have often wished for a 1" sensor version, but the CCD is still excellent. I wanted a Stylus 1s but left it too long.

The Nikon 1 series is still good for me, I still like it, but use it less often than I did, at first. I was all set to buy into the DLs but there ya go, never got a chance. I do wonder what on earth Nikon is thinking at times. I wouldnt touch the Z series with a 10 foot bargepole, they are likely to abandon that in a year or two.

Still hanging onto my Ricoh GRD3, and really, ricoh could have continued with those, as well as creating the GR series. I really like CCD, cant help it. So, I guess, overall, I bemoan the disappearance of the CCD sensor from cameras I can afford.

And I no longer want a different iPhone. I still have my 6S and it will do for the forseeable, ditto my Apple Watch.
 
Still hanging onto my Ricoh GRD3, and really, ricoh could have continued with those, as well as creating the GR series. I really like CCD, cant help it. So, I guess, overall, I bemoan the disappearance of the CCD sensor from cameras I can afford.
That's a major part in my hanging on to the minuscule Canon S95 - in good light, it still delivers, and then some ...

M.
 
Leica New Jersey just Emailed me that the M9 was on it's way back to me. It should have a new CCD in it, I also have the new CCD in the M Monochrom. My M8 is still going strong. I also like the look of the CCD, and know them well enough to write my own software for processing files. CCD images have an absolute minimum of in-camera processing applied to them. I prefer having a true unprocessed image to start with.
 
It appears Olympus is set to abandon the Pen-F line after one shot. It's my main shooter except when I need weather sealing, when I use my 1st generation E-M5. Olympus also gave up on the Stylus-1/1s shooters, a camera I've loved since the first moment I shot with it. Maybe the small sensor did it in. But though I like their cameras and lenses, OLympus keeps burning me. It abandoned the film OM line and replaced it with gizmos. I also lament the X10/X20 Fuji line. I owned and loved both. The X30 with the same old EVF everyone else was providing killed the joy of it for me. I have a D-lux 7 on the way, so that Panasonic/Leica twin line will probably go bottoms up too. (By the way, I prefer the shape and handling of the Leica models and the Leica jpegs, and got a new open box for $950, so choosing the model I prefer was a no brainer. Despite the thunderous proclamations announcing that preferring the Leica version is all just snobbery, it's not, not necessarily. I drive an 8 year old Chevy Cobalt, for God's sake. And live in a mobile home!)
 
It appears Olympus is set to abandon the Pen-F line after one shot. It's my main shooter except when I need weather sealing, when I use my 1st generation E-M5. Olympus also gave up on the Stylus-1/1s shooters, a camera I've loved since the first moment I shot with it. Maybe the small sensor did it in. But though I like their cameras and lenses, OLympus keeps burning me. It abandoned the film OM line and replaced it with gizmos. I also lament the X10/X20 Fuji line. I owned and loved both. The X30 with the same old EVF everyone else was providing killed the joy of it for me. I have a D-lux 7 on the way, so that Panasonic/Leica twin line will probably go bottoms up too. (By the way, I prefer the shape and handling of the Leica models and the Leica jpegs, and got a new open box for $950, so choosing the model I prefer was a no brainer. Despite the thunderous proclamations announcing that preferring the Leica version is all just snobbery, it's not, not necessarily. I drive an 8 year old Chevy Cobalt, for God's sake. And live in a mobile home!)
I’m amazed that they appear to be abandoning the Pen F line this quickly. To be fair, I essentially replaced mine with the Fuji XE3.
 
I’m amazed that they appear to be abandoning the Pen F line this quickly. To be fair, I essentially replaced mine with the Fuji XE3.
I've gone back and forth deciding between Fuji and Olympus. I loved the optical hybrid finder in the X-Pro, but finally, because of my investment in m43, I stayed with it. If my Pen-F bit the dust, I might well migrate to Fuji; I do love an optical VF, and the new electronic RF makes the Fujis that have it very appealing to me.
 
Rereading this old but very entertaining thread and I realized, in many ways, I have been - and still am - quite a fan of a number of abandoned Cameras. And quite a few more than the Lumix LX7 and the Olympus C-8080 I mentioned in a post a few years back. My list of favorite abandoned cameras has to include:

* the tiny Panasonic GM1 and GM5 ("jewel-like" is an adjective that comes to mind). Truly exceptional little picture-making tools.

* the smaller Ricoh GRD's. Arguably they weren't so much abandoned as superseded or replaced by the newer, larger, and larger-sensored APS-C GR models - next to which my GRDiii was truly tiny.

* the tiny Pentax Q and its more capable sibling the Q7. Insanely tiny and, as those of us who've followed and admired John Flores's work for years know, insanely capable small mirrorless camera systems. Confession: I have one of each and still use them.

* the smaller-sensored Fuji X10/20/30 series. Unlike some other posters here, my favorite is the last of this line, the X30 - which in spite of its modernized lines, is still a remarkable smallish camera. 2nd Confession: I still own one, and have come to appreciate its small but eminently useful EVF.

* the Olympus Stylus 1 / 1s. There truly is nothing like this camera, with the extreme telephoto end of its zoom, its smallish but thoughtfully designed body (which is close to being a clone of the E-M5's), and the not-surprising quality of its Zuiko lens. 3rd Confession: I've been wanting one for years, and am trying to buy one now.

I think my fondness for abandoned cameras is only equalled by my fondness for abandoned cars. My personal list includes a Corvair, a Triumph Spitfire, a Saab 96, a VW Karman Ghia and a Suzuki Swift, but the ones I truly miss are the VW and the Suzuki, since they both ran well and without problems...as opposed to the others which often spent more time not running or being endlessly repaired, then actually getting driven.

Anyone else have any other recently abandoned cameras to add to the list?
 
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Rereading this old but very entertaining thread and I realized, in many ways, I have been - and still am - quite a fan of a number of abandoned Cameras. And quite a few more than the Lumix LX7 and the Olympus C-8080 I mentioned in a post a few years back. My list of favorite abandoned cameras has to include:

* the tiny Panasonic GM1 and GM5 ("jewel-like" is an adjective that comes to mind). Truly exceptional little picture-making tools.

* the smaller Ricoh GRD's. Arguably they weren't so much abandoned as superseded or replaced by the newer, larger, and larger-sensored APS-C GR models - next to which my GRDiii was truly tiny.

* the tiny Pentax Q and its more capable sibling the Q7. Insanely tiny and, as those of us who've followed and admired John Flores's work for years know, insanely capable small mirrorless camera systems. Confession: I have one of each and still use them.

* the smaller-sensored Fuji X10/20/30 series. Unlike some other posters here, my favorite is the last of this line, the X30 - which in spite of its modernized lines, is still a remarkable smallish camera. 2nd Confession: I still own one, and have come to appreciate its small but eminently useful EVF.

* the Olympus Stylus 1 / 1s. There truly is nothing like this camera, with the extreme telephoto end of its zoom, its smallish but thoughtfully designed body (which is close to being a clone of the E-M5's), and the not-surprising quality of its Zuiko lens. 3rd Confession: I've been wanting one for years, and am trying to buy one now.

I think my fondness for abandoned cameras is only equalled by my fondness for abandoned cars. My personal list includes a Corvair, a Triumph Spitfire, a Saab 96, a VW Karman Ghia and a Suzuki Swift, but the ones I truly miss are the VW and the Suzuki, since they both ran well and without problems...as opposed to the others which often spent more time not running or being endlessly repaired, then actually getting driven.

Anyone else have any other recently abandoned cameras to add to the list?
The Stylus 1 1s is one of my favorite cameras, and really one of a kind. The bigger sensor all in one's that won the day are too big. At the size they weigh in you may as well take the E-M5 and the 14-150. I ALWAYS bring the Stylus 1s when I travel. Last trip to Laos in 2019 it was that and the Leica d-lux 109. So a big thumbs up for that little gem. I also loved the C-8080. I let it go to get the E-510 but missed it almost immediately. One other camera I let go of and then had to get again is the Leica X113. The Sony RX-1 that replaced gives files that are technically better, I guess, but I never bonded with it.
 
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The Stylus 1 1s is one of my favorite cameras, and really one of a kind. The bigger sensor all in one's that won the day are too big. At the size they weigh in you may as well take the E-M5 and the 14-150. I ALWAYS bring the Stylus 1s when I travel. Last trip to Laos in 2019 it was that and the Leica d-lux 109. So a big thumbs up for that little gem. I also loved the C-8080. I let it go to get the E-510 but missed it almost immediately. One other camera I let go of and then had to get again is the Leica X113. The Sony RX-1 that replaced gives files that are technically better, I guess, but I never bonded with it.
Its funny how important it is: the aspect of "bonding" with a camera. I've bought a few that I bonded with and didn't realise until after they went away... My first K200D, for example. I bought another second hand but it just doesnt feel the same, although the images it produces are just as good as the previous. Perhaps it was because it was my first digital SLR.

And I still wish for a Stylus 1s. And I still get my XZ out from time to time, and likewise the Nikon 1 lot. Interestingly I have never bonded with the J5. *shrug*... V1 and J1 for me, for simplicity and great images.
 
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