Xiaohongshu’s popular CCD camera, you can shoot it, but it can’t shoot you

Original link: https://www.ifanr.com/app/1494141

Guess which one of the above two photos was taken with a mobile phone after retouching, and which one was taken with a CCD card camera that was released more than ten years ago and now sells for 100 yuan?

CCD from the past is on fire today

I am ashamed to say that as a young person, I have only recently started using the “lifestyle platform for young people” “Little Red Book”, and it did not dislike me for being late. Every morning, noon and evening, it came to me like an old friend. to chat with. Of course, I will not live up to its enthusiasm, and I will soon be addicted to the app and unable to extricate myself. And the hundred-yuan CCD card machine appeared in my information flow at this time.

Celebrity models, 100-yuan good items, anti-pit guides, retro tones, soul mates… Today’s CCD card machines priced at 100 yuan are almost a fashion must-have item in the recommendation of “Little Red Book”. In the popular notes related to digital products, we often see its selection guide.

Many young ladies posted photos taken with a 100-yuan CCD camera in “Little Red Book”. They are really exquisite and retro, and there are stories between the frowns and smiles, which makes my heart skip a beat – of course, I mean the camera.

However, as an editor, I still have an occupational disease: is the effect of an old camera so many years old really so unique? If you use a mobile app to set a filter, can you achieve a similar effect? Before answering the question, we must first popularize what is a CCD camera.

CCD (Charge coupled Device), a charge coupled device, can be called a CCD image sensor. There are many neatly arranged capacitors on it, which can sense light, convert the image into a digital signal, and take a photo.

However, with the advent of CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) with low manufacturing cost, wide adaptability and similar performance, CCD has been gradually replaced.

Among the camera makers we are familiar with, Sony abandoned CCD after Sony A390 (2010), Canon seems to have only Canon 1D (2001) using CCD, and Nikon’s last camera with CCD sensor is Nikon D80 (2006) . Today, in addition to astronomy-specific CCD cameras, low-power, high-sensitivity, and constantly improving CMOS have almost made CCD sensors withdraw from the historical stage of personal cameras.

The 100-yuan CCD camera that became popular in “Little Red Book” does not represent the highest strength of CCD cameras, so I’m not comparing CCD and CMOS, but I’m just curious about these 100-yuan CCD cameras. However… it is no longer possible to buy the camera recommended in the “Xiaohongshu” notes for 100 yuan.

For example, in a note, I saw bloggers recommend Nikon S200 (90 yuan), Fuji z10 (80 yuan), Sony T5 (95 yuan), Sony T9 (80 yuan), Polaroid DVF-720 (50 yuan) Yuan). Search for these machines in the e-commerce platform, and you will find that the price is low, or only the host, the quality is unknown, and I don’t know how many hands have passed. The price is high, three hundred and five hundred and anything.

Having promised the editor-in-chief a “budget of 100 yuan”, I fell into contemplation. It is somewhat extravagant to buy an old machine at a higher price. If I don’t buy it, the plan for promotion and salary increase will have to be pushed back. Fortunately, my colleague has a Sony DSC-P100 that I used many years ago, CCD sensor, 5.1 million effective pixels, Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar lens, 3x optical zoom. Small and exquisite, rich in functions. Only, the memory card and battery are broken.

I had to buy the battery (48 yuan), memory card (58 yuan) and card reader (6 yuan) of Sony DSC-P100 (hereinafter referred to as P100) on the e-commerce platform – I do have relatively little experience in online shopping, and I really look for it. If I didn’t get the cheap way, in the end, I only spent the budget on buying accessories.

From being abandoned by major camera manufacturers, it has become popular again now. The CCD card machine that impresses me with its “100 yuan price” gives me the first impression that it is expensive.

Turn on the camera to take pictures, how is the experience of this machine?

If I only talk about the experience, the P100 is an existence that makes me feel complicated.

In the purchase and experience notes of the 100-yuan CCD card machine in “Little Red Book”, it is always mentioned that it is very portable and suitable for going out, and this P100 is no exception. The compact body makes it easy to fit in your pocket.

Of course, this is only a feature of CCD card cameras. As an image sensor, many SLR cameras used to use CCD. For example, the Sony α580 we used in this shoot, compared to today’s protagonist P100, what do you think it has to do with portability?

I am an unprofessional photography enthusiast. I only used the DSC-F88 for the Sony camera in 2004, and I have no impression of the P100 released in the same year. Now almost 20 years have passed, let alone P100, the usage of DSC-F88 is almost forgotten.

After getting used to the mirrorless operation design of the Sony A7 series, the 100-yuan CCD card machine with fewer buttons and simpler control mode needs to adapt. Like the P100, except for the PASM dial, there is no control interface for other dials, and it is a bit difficult to adjust a parameter.

Moreover, in addition to the automatic and SCN scene modes, the P100 only provides two modes that I am more familiar with, P and M. But when I wanted to control the exposure in the M file, I was stunned on the spot because there was no turntable. I didn’t apologize until the young lady froze with laughter and switched back to the automatic file.

Different from my feelings, the lady who experienced P100 for the first time said that the defects in my eyes are advantages in her hands. After all, the new camera full of scroll wheels is very persuasive. The design of the P100 allows you to quickly figure out how to use it, even for the first time.

However, rather than saying that portability and easy operation are the advantages of the 100-yuan CCD card machine, it is better to say that this is the characteristic of the card machine. These years ago, the CCD card machine wins in positioning, not the times. Remove the advantages of positioning, the rest is the issue of the times.

If it is said that I am too hypocritical to criticize the manipulation, then the screen of the P100 must be the problem. First of all, the viewing angle of the screen is very limited, and there is no flip screen design, so the viewfinder is much more limited. The low-position shooting is lying on the ground, and the high-position shooting is all reversed. Even when facing the screen, it is not easy to see the focus point.

In addition, the poor screen also affects the preview, which lays a hidden danger in the post-processing of the pictures.

When Sony brought the flip-lens design to the F-series digital cameras, it was also to liberate photographers from the limitations of framing.

At the shooting stage, the performance and response problems of the P100 were exposed to us again.

The first is focusing. Aside from the deep key travel of the shutter button, the machine takes too long to consider focusing. It always makes me toss between “Did I not press it properly?” and “Why did I shoot?” On the screen that I complained about earlier, I can’t even judge whether it is in focus or not.

This opens a difficult mode for street photography and snapshots. If you have disliked the focus of the Ricoh GR3, you must try the P100.

When I experienced this, I suddenly realized. Some netizens shared that the photos of the bar at night are slightly blurred, and you can feel a bit of intoxication from the picture. I thought it was a special shooting technique, but now that I think about it, his hands are shaking.

The baptism of years has not only damaged the memory card and battery of this P100, but the interface of the charger is also full of traces. What, why do you ask me to change the charging cable together? On the one hand, this line can be used even now, on the other hand, I really don’t know the name of this interface.

Moreover, because the memory card used in the P100 is different from what we commonly see today, not only did my MacBook Pro with an SD card slot ate up, but the C-mount docking station for tablets and mobile phones was also powerless.

Today, almost a Type-C cable can go all over the world, the 100-yuan CCD card machine is somewhat old-fashioned in terms of storage methods, charging accessories, and preview screens. Oh no, it was originally an old object.

Of course, it is somewhat excessive to judge digital products from 20 years ago with today’s eyes. At that time, its performance was still worthy of the price. If you have such a usable “heirloom”, occasionally take it out to recharge it, and look for the happiness of the year. It is a feeling and a commemoration.

Last but not least, I’m not evaluating CCD cameras, but the CCD card cameras that suddenly became popular in “Little Red Book” and were released earlier. For example, the Sony APS-C digital SLR α580 I am using is also a CCD  The sensor, while the sensor size is larger and the body performance is better, also has the control advantages that the SLR camera should have.

If you have a lens with the same mount, the shooting effect is much better than these 100 yuan CCD cameras, and of course, it is more expensive.

Retro texture? In fact… the app may be more suitable

If the effect taken by the 100-yuan CCD card camera is really like the notes in “Little Red Book”, it has a retro texture, exquisite elegance, and the operating experience is slightly worse, so what’s the harm?

Since we want to compare the shooting, we have to invite the opponent of the P100: the iPhone 13 Pro using the LoFi Cam .

LoFi Cam is a camera app that simulates the shooting effect of a CCD camera. Now it supports the simulation of 8 retro CCD cameras including T10, FX7, GR D, SS22, etc. From the operation interface to the photo filter, it even does not display photos for half a second after shooting The stuttering is exactly the same as the old CCD camera.

After downloading the LoFi Cam , you can directly use the Sony T10 camera filter. Others need to be unlocked by paying. The pictures in this article are all shot with the Sony T10 filter. If you like this filter, you can directly download the app and use it.

In addition to the iPhone 13 Pro and P100 for comparison, we also brought the aforementioned Sony APS-C digital SLR α580 and Sony ILCE-7M3 (α7 III) equipped with CCD sensors for recording and as a standard reference.

From my personal impression, the CCD camera filter simulated by LoFi Cam is closer to the photo style in the notes of “Little Red Book” than the shooting effect of P100.

This has to mention the screen of the P100 again. The 100-yuan CCD card machine’s signboard and common cold colors do not appear when it is exported to a computer or mobile phone for viewing. The camera filter simulated by LoFi Cam is the kind of cool color we see through the 100-yuan CCD camera screen.

For portraits, do you prefer the straight-out effect of the 100-yuan CCD card machine, or the effect simulated by the LoFi Cam ? Of course I like them all. After all, the three elements of photographing people are “good-looking, good-looking, and good-looking”, which I keep in mind.

To sum up briefly, the photos simulated by the LoFi Cam are obviously higher in resolution, and the shooting process is more pleasant. It is convenient to communicate with the model. If you don’t like it, just delete it at any time. Because of the screen of the P100, you can see it through it. It’s a good effect, but it’s not the same when you switch to a mobile computer.

Taking pictures of beautiful women makes my heart warm, but no matter how warm my heart is, when I see the photos opened on the computer, I will cry out: What about my cool colors?

The P100 without a flip screen is actually not suitable for taking selfies. On the one hand, you can’t see the picture when taking a selfie. The longer response time will also affect the finished film. The young lady in the front of the phone is beautiful and natural. On the P100, it is somewhat ” What am I doing?” I was confused. What, you ask me why I don’t have the P100’s straight-out selfie? It’s very simple, because next time I want to ask the young lady to take pictures.

If it is said that in the natural environment during the day, the “CCD” of the P100 is not enough, then the night scene is the performance of the standard 100-yuan CCD: characteristic, low resolution and blurry. The effect of the LoFi Cam simulation is obviously to put a layer of filter on the high-resolution night scene photos.

An old photo where you can see the Smart HDR effect is sharp and clear, and it doesn’t taste that much all of a sudden.

In addition to photographing people, daily recording of life is also a frequent scene in the notes of “Little Red Book”. We also took a few pictures for comparison. This kind of style and atmosphere of old photos can be grasped by a 100-yuan CCD card machine. LoFi Cam filter Not much fell.

Of course, LoFi Cam is just an example, other apps can also achieve similar effects. The retro and film feeling brought by the 100-yuan CCD card machine is simply a low image quality and a lot of dry points. Just find a photo editing app, add a film filter, add some dry special effects, and simulate the style is enough.

If you like the shooting style of the 100-yuan CCD camera and don’t want to use the app to simulate it, you can also shoot directly with your mobile phone like the comparison picture at the beginning of the article, and then import it into Lr and other photo editing software for color correction. We made a Lr The default used, if you want to try it, please follow the WeChat public account APPSO, reply “CCD” to get the default file.

By the way, the comparison picture at the beginning of the article was taken with a 100-yuan CCD card camera on the right.

After the shooting, we were also thinking about whether this P100 itself is not good. After all, it was not recommended in the popular notes (at least I didn’t see it), so the effect is not as good as the one shown in “Little Red Book”. Then a bold idea came up: Is it possible that the beautiful photos in the notes were taken and put into the computer for post-production?

If this is the case, there is no card camera in RAW format, which is inconvenient when retouching pictures. If you put a filter on, it feels a bit sloppy, and if you operate it carefully, it is difficult to grasp – and, with such a camera, After going through bad preparation, shooting process, importing computer/mobile phone to retouch pictures, and then sharing, it is also… It takes too much trouble.

It can’t be said to be a waste of money, but it is really not recommended to start

When I wanted to label the 100-yuan CCD card machine as “wasted money”, the young lady beside me reminded me: Are you too straight? Wii, CCD camera, iPod, the popularity of these old devices has never been because of performance. Although the notes always talk about their usefulness, it is unreasonable to talk about the usefulness of a obsolete or soon-to-be-obsolete product.

In the past two days, I also found an interesting note in “Little Red Book”, a friend made a CCD photo frame template, and you can import the photos from the mobile phone. The comment area was topped as the most popular, and a friend asked, how did the sisters adjust the high-definition picture quality?

Maybe… everyone’s demand for popularity is higher than the actual effect.

Therefore, the conclusion I can give is: if you think the photos taken by the CCD camera on “Little Red Book” are very appealing to you, but this kind of effect can be achieved through the mobile app and post-processing, you should buy a CCD at a premium. The card camera is not a “family-friendly” choice; but if you just like the look of a CCD camera, and can put up with old equipment, difficult-to-use accessories, and prices far exceeding the prices listed in the notes, then buy it, like it more than anything else .

At the end of the article, share a short story.

In the old memory card of this P100, I accidentally found an old photo of my colleague’s dog ten years ago. This photo with no shooting skills and poor lighting composition made my colleagues sigh: “I miss that dog so much, I didn’t think there was another photo.”

The reason why he misses this photo is definitely not the unique texture of the CCD camera, but the joy related to the past that has passed through more than ten years. We can imitate the style of the camera, but the memories in the photo cannot be imitated.

If I could, I would like to have a clearer recollection.

This article is reprinted from: https://www.ifanr.com/app/1494141
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