Have you ever watched that gif from Saving Private Ryan where Matt Damon is 50 years old in seconds? That’s how I feel when I know that teens start buying DSLRs and digital cameras early because they like vintage-style results. I guess that’s how the generations before me felt when I started filming! However, I am increasingly curious to see what the early DSLRs could do. Although I had one – pretty early, not right from the start – the only negative traits I can recall are softness and lack of dynamic range; didn’t add much “character” to my skeptical eyes.
In this video, we see Eli Infante finding and buying a $35 (~£30) Rebel XT from around 2005 and doing a portrait shoot. While the quality can be poor when the image is enlarged or you view a pixel file, the results are truly impressive. It seems that the real difference when shooting with an early DSLR compared to a modern mirrorless camera is primarily a quality of life that complements the technology, such as Eye AF, face shape, AF point, AF tracking, etc. For those who want to start taking pictures, perhaps a cheap DSLR is the best starting point!
