New Year, New (to me) Camera

What better way to start 2021 than assembling a new camera kit? Some months ago I noticed that there were bare spots on my bedroom wall that might benefit from some pictures. I decide to make some small scene/landscapes to fill the spaces Maybe 8X10 frames matted to 5X7 photos. And why not a new camera to take them?

My first thought was a Leica CL2 but after considering my age account and bank account I thought I would shop around. I stumbled across a mention of a Nikon Coolpix A which was completely off my radar and googled up some reviews and descriptions. The Coolpix was apparently the guts of a DSLR stuffed into a metal point and shoot body.

After reading several glowing articles I decided this was the way to go and looked them up on Ebay. (They were discontinued in 2016.) At the beginning of a week I put in a low bid of $150 for a used Coolpix A just to have Ebay notify me how the bidding was going. At the time most were selling for $550 to $700.To my surprise on Thursday I was notified that the Nikon was mine for $136 The auction hd ended on Wednesday. (Who ends an auction on Wednesday?)

There were a few small scratches but otherwise it seemed OK. But for some reason I checked the internet again and found a new in box one for a buy now price of $108. I hesitated - could I resell the $136 one for at least that much?- for about 1/100 of a second and bought the second one. I received a letter the next day from the seller saying the price quoted was a typo, it should have been $1080

(Nikons original MSRP).

So i shopped around for a users manual, a battery and charger and an eye level viewfinder. (The manual is 257 pages long and weighs 13 ozs, The camera with neck strap and battery weighs 10.5 ozs.) When the weather improves I hope to be able to fill some spaces on the wall.

Best wishes and belated Healthy and happy New Year. to all.

I don't know much about the Coolpix A, although I expect that image quality is great. Leica's X1 and X2 cameras suffered from terrible AF, but apparently they were otherwise terrific cameras. And the price you got it for is pretty darned good, too.

 

Forgive me for seeming critical, although I assure you I say this in a spirit of encouragement: you need more ambition as far as photo placement is concerned! May I ask why you only want these on your bedroom wall, as opposed to elsewhere on the premises where others can appreciate them? I think it's a little sad that the photos won't be seen by as many people as possible. I also believe that the prints should be larger than 5x7 if they're going to be displayed. Partly because that big sensor can deliver so much more. All IMHO, of course. :-)

A fixed-lens camera wouldn't have been my first choice, but you did well at that price.

 

Good luck with it!

 

Some years ago I bought a used Coolpix P6000 - similar styling, but with a smaller sensor and 3x zoom. It's still a capable little thing and has delivered me some good pictures.

 

This is one of my favourites:

Thanks fr all the encouragement. I should have added to the description that the camera supports Pictbridge which allows images to b sent directly from camera to printer without having to go through a computer if both are compatible. This would make the photo process similar to using Kodachrom (which I used for years) in that all the editing had to be done before pressing the shutter. We'll see.

I should have added to the description that the camera supports Pictbridge which allows images to b sent directly from camera to printer.....

That's a common feature found on dozens of camera models, and has been around for well over a decade. In fact it's probably rarer to find a camera that doesn't support it!

(The manual is 257 pages long and weighs 13 ozs,

 

I'm sure that you can find a pdf version on line.

Forgive me for seeming critical

 

Some people consider filling their house with pictures taken by themselves by them as ostentatious and pretentious. I tend to agree. Rather akin to Trump having fake Time covers at Mar-el-Lago (I exaggerate...). A few is OK, but there are many other great things by other people that you can use to decorate your house which should probably stimulate you and your guests more.

Forgive me for seeming critical

Some people consider filling their house with pictures taken by themselves by them as ostentatious and pretentious.

I respectfully disagree. You don't take photos to not show them. Of course a mix is good. I recall that on the Leica forum some years ago, there were print swaps that took place regularly. I'd prefer it that your photos are good rather than mediocre, but still, they're your photos, they give you pleasure, you have fun putting them up. Go for it.

Forgive me for seeming critical

 

Some people consider filling their house with pictures taken by themselves by them as ostentatious and pretentious. I tend to agree. Rather akin to Trump having fake Time covers at Mar-el-Lago (I exaggerate...). A few is OK, but there are many other great things by other people that you can use to decorate your house which should probably stimulate you and your guests more.

 

Thankfully, I don't generally care what other people think of how I choose to decorate my space.

I had the Coolpix A for a while. The virtue of the fixed-lens design is that the lens can be perfectly matched to the sensor - that seems to be the case with the CPA because the image quality was wonderful.

Unfortunately the fixed lens also has its drawbacks and I found the 28mm (equivalent) FOV restricting, and eventually sold it on.

But if the FOV works for you, it's unbeatable.

That is indeed a good thing for you.

I remember being torn between the Coolpix A and the Ricoh GR1.

So was I. Price and the verdict of a few reviews I watched and read swayed me in the direction of the Ricoh GR.