Sony DSC-R1: Unsung Cameras Of Yesteryear
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
- Back in 2005, right before Sony started the Alpha series of interchangeable lens cameras, they released a weird bridge camera with an outstanding lens and enormous APS-C sensor. Is this camera the great grandparent of modern mirrorless cameras? TCSTV's Chris Niccolls took the Sony R1 out on the streets of New York City to find out.
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Special thanks to Mark Weir and Gordon Laing
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Shot and edited by Jordan Drake
Shot on the Panasonic GH5
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Great video guys, and not just because I'm in it too! As you know, I loved the R1, and its predecessors, the F series. A 2017 edition with a modern sensor, EVF, high res screen, wifi and movies would be great!
Gordon Laing indeed. We have to wait for the Sony "crazy" time, which happens every few years when Sony gets comfortable and release a "crazy" camera design which ends up being genius.
Gordon Laing Totally appreciate you being a part of our show Gordon. Can't wait to see you next time.
Chris@TCSTV
Bjn
more coffie gordie you will never be as dry as a bone ..jeff..
"A 2017 edition with a modern sensor, EVF, high res screen, wifi and movies would be great!" - it exists and is called RX10 Mark IV ;)
We can all agree that we want more vintage digital review
Props for Gordon's cameo! I remember a friend getting this when we only shot old analog cameras... we had our jaws on the floor. Cool video, a nice ride down nostalgia lane :)
Cheers! I loved that camera!
Gordon hasn't aged a day!
His outfit hasn't aged either! :P
Ha ha! Those shots were not too far apart!
Yeah, that was my impression too. Maybe it's because of the lower res of Sony? Or maybe we should take selfies with older cameras and always look like we did back then... 😂
I heard about this camera a while ago on throwback thursday on dpreview, such a unique thing. Can't wait to watch this and thanks for keeping this segment going, they are my favourite videos you guys produce.
We love shooting this series as well! Thanks for watching!
Jordan @ TCSTV
Thanks for the great and fun to watch review! I have my R1 since 2008 and still have it today. And the R1 is all i'll ever need! ❤
Sony always ahead of its time
This was my first Sony camera and I LOVED it. Still have it. Super camera for portraits.
Is that... Gordon? Worlds are colliding!
It's like comics where Batman met Superman, or films where Frankenstein encounters Dracula. Compelling but somehow all wrong.
Yeah, it's like Marvel Avengers!
Or is it Watchmen?
Who's Gordon?
Just picked up a boxed mint condition R1 today, the camera I always wanted but never owned till today..it's absolutely gorgeous camera and can't wait to test it..I'm only 18 years late.. 😀
Two of my favorite review channels in one video. Good stuff.
I bought mine Mint from Japan in 2006. Love mine. Still using it to this day.
Gordon have extensive knowledge and good memory..
"We are in New York, as you can see it's not snowing"
That was awesome having Gordon Laing surprisingly become part of the episode. That was really cool of him to join in. One of the best episodes yet.
Thanks for that. Still have mine, R1. It and a Sony F828 were my goto cameras. Some of my best were captured with those 2 Sonys.
Gordon grew a nice beanie in the last 12 years.
i love my R1. Still using it.
Parth Savyasachi same here. While it's not my go to camera, I still love shooting with it. I personally love the lcd. I'm a hip shooter and it's just where I want it. I really have to make due with the lcd on my om-d 5 mark 2.
same reasons here. Top LCD and silent shooting. Plus great lens.
Hi, can you please guide me how can i transfer pics from R1 to my computer with USB cable. my card reader gave up and i am in remote area. I'd be grateful to you. i tried connecting to the computer but it just says "USB Mode Connection CF Card"
please help me
i want to buy is it good in 2019?
My dream is to visit calgary and have Chris and Jordan sell me a camera at TCS! Great video yet again. I'm a huge fan.
I started out with the canon 350d as my first digital camera, but It ended up on my shelf and I barely used it. The Sony dsc-r1 was the one that really made me start loving photography, being smaller than a dslr with lense yet having this incredible sharp and versatile lense.
The colors and tones are gorgeous.
I had a DSC-F828 and loved it. It was absolutely great for its time, and a few of the shots I took with it I've yet to recreate with a DSLR/mirrorless.
It still takes nice pictures!
it's fab to see you both chilling' in NYC... peace and thanks for the fab vid.
The old camera nerd in me got very excited to see a Zeiss Contax III and a Deardorff V8 in the intro. Those where serious professional cameras back in the day.
I bought an R1 not long after it came out and it was a fantastic camera. The only reason I sold it is because I had a Canon DSLR at the time and the R1 didn't really do anything that my Canon didn't - there was no size advantage or photo quality advantage so I sold it. I really wish I hadn't because aside from the high ISO performance, it is obviously still a very capable camera.
Love the yesteryear concept - keep 'em coming!
This brings back memories! I still have mine. I’d bought mine second hand in mint condition not long after they were released. The previous owner sold in frustration as they hadn’t read up on the quirks and ways to approach this special beast. Never regretted it one little bit. Beautiful colours SOOC. I had the Sony flash as well, it was just as fabulous. My entry into photography. I moved on to Olympus and their Zuiko lenses. Loved living and shooting on the fringe back in the day ;-) This has prompted me to pull mine out of storage and fire her up :-) Thanks for the memories!
Nice video and great memory! Back in the day, I complained on the low light situation occasionally! But after I saw your photo, I do like the noise in those !SO 3200! kinda like a film looking! Thanks you so much! I think I will pick up mine one and take some picture!
I think Chris Tickles read my mind last week. I was wishing you guys would do some older reviews, maybe film or medium format. I hope they expand on this series.
You got me nostalgic Chris! I still have the camera and love it. Thanks for the video :)
Spot-on review. I had that camera and used it as a travel camera (for my personal stills) when I was on the road shooting videos for a non-profit. I love it despite the negatives from cameras during that early digital age. The lens and APSC sensor were a great combo!
I still have one of those!! Took great shots.
Holy cow, I have this camera, but I didn't know it has an APS-C sensor. Thanks, Chris, for this nostalgic review of a great camera. It's nice to see Gordon here.
Love the video as always :) Would've been nice to see some portrait shots though.
Nice to see the R1 get some of the credit it deserves. Owning 2 along with the Tele and WA mutars in addition to close up lenses I have yet to find a camera that I like better. Strange statement I know, but 5 decades of Sinars P 8x10s , Hasselblads, Rollies GX, Nikons and over 90 hand selected lenses gives me the right to call this little camera in a Gem. I am waiting for a 40+MP FF Mirror-less Leica with a Leitz zoom to maybe replace it. It is not about money. A couple of notes about the camera. First off the lens was specifically designed by Zeiss for this sensor and is many times sharper than needed, even when shooting Wide Open. As a result even though the camera has an internal IR filter the lens is so sharp the circles of confusion actually give this sensor the performance of about 14MP. The Sonnar design is sharp Corner to Corner ( except if you find one of a few that are known to have a centering problem during early production). Distortion is almost non existent. Camera can take a 32GB stick DUO at the same time as a 16GB Flash Drive....plenty of RAW file room. The Raw files are large because these are NOT COMPRESSED. The camera Zoom is a dream with just the right touch. When shooting portraits assemble the optional adapter and 3 pound Tele Mutar and shoot wide in Marco or regular focus and you will see the Zeiss Look along with a creamy Bokeh with round circles. To correct the red magenta cast before shooting you will have to manually place a white calibration filter in front of the lens and activate the manual white balance calibration for the camera. Now I shoot everthing RAW at 160ASA ( never higher) . Download the instruction manual and study and UNDERSTAND it before shooting. Camera has a great layout and balance for me. Obviously the camera has to be worked around but as long as you use it within its capabilities you will probably pick this camera up more often than you ever thought. I always liked the ability to view an image from the top like the Rollie 2 1/4 and this gives you that option. Since the camera has no stabilization you need to be higher in shutter speed or rock steady in your technique to really see the results. You cannot be sloppy with this unlike Newer more forgiving cameras. 20 x 30 looks very good but nowhere like a medium format Leica or Hasselblad. Tweek the RAW images in Photoshop or Capture 1 version 10 and you may be surprised. The Lens is outstanding and has been tested at all apertures and 5 focal lengths. Build quality is VG to Excellent. Obviously you realize I am a bit biased but I do handle the newest Sony 40+ MP cameras and wish they would get Porsche to help with the Robot Box look and feel. If you know how to compose so you do not have to crop your images will approach comparison to a cropped 20MP sensor. Learn the Camera.......
Loved the vid! I used to own the DSC-R1, but moved on to the Panasonic DMC-LX3 for the weight, size and video functionality. Yes, if it had the R1 had video as well, it would have been amazing, hah! Thanks so much for the modern review!
man this footage's color looks so good. reminds me a lot of the Leica SL-2 video. did jordan use a voigtlander for this episode?
You are right! I also got these camera in 2005 and I loved the R1 very much too!
Amazing street photos!
Love it ... still shoots great images
Hey guys, love these yester-year camera reviews, please make more! Also, what bag is Chris using? Thanks!
Love this series of Unsung Cameras Of Yesteryear. Thk you so much
I considered this camera to buy, but could not afford it... I was impressed by the design and the specs. I bought DMC-FZ30 from Panasonic, which was way cheaper and with better reach I still could use manual zoom, which for me was and still is crucial. Thanks for the review - brought back some good memories!
We had that camera back in the day and thought we were just hot damn! Very interesting to see how well it holds up. Great video!
That was my dream camera when i was kid..
Missed this first comment...:(
But still wanna say thanks to guys giving me so many wonderful camera reviews
I LOVED my R1 and I liked the position of the LCD screen. It was fantastic for accurately aiming.
I'm 100% sure that I didn't shoot more pictures with any camera than the R1 and I do have lots of cameras. One point you have forgot it was 2005 the big year of Microstock and the agencies have been very picky about sensor dust with the R1 you didn't have any and you could upload and forget with all other APS-C cameras there was no sensor-cleaning at this time and you could spend countless hours with spots-removal in Photoshop with the R1 you could simply upload and forget. I did make a living from my R1 for some time considering the investment this was huge nowadays I do still make some bucks from it (about a lower three digits amount) but considering my investment this is still awesome! The zoomrange of the R1 is pretty much perfect. I did love to see Gordon in this clip much appreciated. And the picture from you with the guy and his smartphone between the trains and puddles is just iconic. Thanks a lot for a reminder of a great time wow time is flying fast, it really does!
Seriously, could someone PLEASE buy Gordon a coffee.
Gordon once bought me a coffee. It felt wrong.
Jordan @ TCSTV
I could really do with one right now!
Next time I come to Brighton!
I'd love to see more retro-perspectives like this!
I still use mine since I bought it new, I now have two in case one breaks down, a fantastic lens, you can lock focus by using a side button, very useful.
you're so right Jordan. Sony missed the mark here for video/photo hybrid, but holy crap did they catch up! Also Kudos for mentioning the D90. I feel the same way when someone mentions the A7S. I'm like hey....what about the previous low light king, the D4S? lol
Ahh Gordon!!! I learned how to shoot from his old quailty blog! Amen brother
My old quality blog has become my new quality blog! Check it out!
You’re right about the shutter release, it’s very sensitive, but as they say, practice makes perfect. Great review.
I had the R1 and paid full retail for it. Loved that camera! My biggest regret was selling it.
I still have a first gen Digital Rebel on the shelf, it is fun to shoot with sometimes to remember those days.
I'm still using this camera after 10 years! It's terrible in low light and for any subject that actually moves, but the lens is excellent. The 24mm equivalent wide-angle was virtually unheard of at the time - most digital cameras with fixed lenses started at ~35 mm.
Awesome camera for the times! I always wondered if Sony would bring back the R1, but it appears the rx10 series is the compromise... maybe one day it will return ;)
Thank you, TCS, for giving the R1 its due. I bought an R1 because it was the cheapest way to get my hands on that fabulous Zeiss glass. (Even without the camera attached to it, a similar quality Zeiss lens would otherwise cost more than double!) But I soon came to realize that the camera itself was remarkable, and in some ways better than more up-to-date digital bodies I owned. I even came to love its quirky ergonomics. On one hand I so respect Sony for taking innovative risks and (occasionally) hitting one out of the park; on the other hand, I get so frustrated by their haphazard scattershot approach to product development, which results in cameras like these left out to whither on the vine, without any updates or follow through.
i use my R1 as a waist-level, using THUMB on the shutter and a modified Nikon SB-28 flash (basically removed all the pins in the foot except the central one), and works brilliantly! it's perfect for candids and a more pleasing angle or point of view. no issues dumping images onto a 16G CF card, and replacement batteries on eBay are perfect. 13 years, still without a single hiccup.
i had one and i go back to look at the pictures back then. it was and still has one of the best pictures ive taken. does anyone who used to own it have any recommendation of any other models that produces pics like that? ive been looking for years.
Great review, the camera was a milestone and other than no video and High ISO noise there is little to complain, even today.
I am today in 2020 still using the Sony R1 for professional work in Brasil like product shots in studio, portraits and mainly for Restaurants exterior and interior shots plus food shots.
Since most pictures are used today in internet and otherwise to print Pamphlets the 10MP are sufficient. the camera is a joy to use, completely silent and here you are always in danger to get mugged, not a big financial loss. But I am very protective of this camera, it was a gift from my mother in 2005.
The only thing I changed is that I use a Metz 45 flash, since the Sony one is weak and slow.
BTW my other cameras are Canon 5DM3 (the fast one), Sigma SDQH (the Resolution one) and DP0 (the Arcitecture & travel one), each for it's purpose.
I'm curious to know whether/how that pigeon got out of that trash bin.
Wonderful review. Haven't entertained and informed for a while :)
Also for you information; I was a uni. student in Turku (Finland) in 2005. And right now at this moment, I am at Oulu (Finland) helping my wife in my free day. She is collecting dry laudry from the rope :D
That flip up screen to waist level finder is superb. I wish i bought one of these when i got my 1st dslr (canon 350d).
Awesome review. Love these camera's of yesteryear vids. Looking forward to the next installment.
One thing I do not miss from the early digitals are the stickers the marketing department would slap on the body, I guess looking at it now it gives the cameras that retro vibe ;-)
You could remove the sticker, but the sample Mark sent us had barely been touched!
Jordan @ TCSTV
I had one of these and I loved it... I took some amazing photo's with it.
Great Video as always. I really hope you gonna do a "Worst&Best Gear Of The Year 2017" video :)
Oh, we will!
I want to buy this camera now
same hear
Cardinal15Photography Yeah. Me to. It ugly as hell but for a twelve year old camera it's way a head of that time. I would totally own that!
Mine is 11 years old and it still works flawless. The battery is past his long life, but still usable. The only thing that got broken was the LCD screen when the camera plunged down the stairs. Even after replacing the screen, everything still works like it did before!
What I really like: the HUGE grip. I can really fold my fingers around it and HOLD the camera.
The viewfinder has a very nice long eyepiece which makes it possible to 'dig' it into your face when you need to.
I was so disappointed when I got hold of a very expensive Canon DSLR body and could not fit my fingers around the grip... and then I forget about the eyepiece... which is quite useless on most canon DSLR's and will make you buy some kind of accesory...
I'm not someone who replaces something because there is something new so I will probably be using it till it dies. The only downside I can think of is the time it takes to write an image to the CF-card, but that could be down to a card that is just as old (I bought it when I bought the camera)
I was buy brand new R1 before few months :)
Cardinal15Photography ... got a MINT one for sale here in the Uk ... used it very sparingly and kept in a pristine condition ;))
Outstanding episode 😁
I bought the R1 when it came out. Still have it, and it still works great. It's the reason I bought the RX100, and then the RX100M3 later.
If they made a RX10M5 with a APSC sensor I'd buy that so quick.
I just bought this camera for 17 Euro in a thrift store :D :D Great to see such a positive review and it makes me believe that I had a good deal today!
Wow very good deal and a great camera
Mr. Gordon does not get old.
At least his hair doesn't go grey.
Great video! Love this series!
This is one of those cameras that you still see people using happily at airshow's, zoo's, concerts, ETC. today, almost as if it hasn't aged! i almost kind of want one!
Darn if I knew you were in new york I would have come said hi lol I know the spot where you shot this vid inwas there a few times lol .... I was there for photo plus and a shoot with Keydrin franklin and manny ortiz ... I'm from Saskatchewan .. I go to Calgary a lot for shoots and for fun have to meet up some time for a drink
I still have my R-1 in mint condition,also a F828,I have a few H series cameras too and SLR’s in my collection,I love retro cameras,but Sonys timeless looks and design make there equipment look good years on,when I first saw the R-1 I thought it was inspired by hasselblad,just the chunky design of it,I agree with everything you found in the video,but it was great for the time,and perfectly useable now,to the untrained camera critic eye it looks as modern as anything out there,just my opinion,I love it and it will be part of my collection always,great review
Image quality is shockingly good for such an old camera.
My first digital camera in 2002 was a HP Photosmart 435, a mars bar sized silver compact camera, massive 3.1mp, 1 FPS, live view... Coming right from a canon av-1, the HP was a revolution for me, despite how basic it was, it opened my eyes to digital and eventually i bought a brand new canon 350d, which lasted me until 2011. I used an early version of photoshop on this massive desktop pc, and i thought it was the tits, and while the camera now seems extremely dated, ill always have a place in my heart for that little HP =)
Great to see when my favourite TH-camrs get together!
I love doing stuff with the TCSTV guys!
I always love this series. How about Olympus E1 next time?
i still have a working Sony DSC-F707, wich have the Nightshot function, and id can shoot Video XD
...had one...loved it so much, kept it & bought a second (just in case)....love both, maybe I'll buy a third (just in case).....
Really like these...I wish you guys would do the 2003 Olympus E1.
+Jack McKechnie If anyone can get one to us, we totally would...
Oh how I wish current bridge cameras like the Panasonic FZ1000 or Sony RX10 had a mechanically linked zoom. I had the FZ1000 for some time and liked it a lot ecxept for the electrical zoom. Drove me nuts so I bought an interchangeable lens camera again.
I went from the Sony Cybershot 505V to the 717. The DSC-R1 replaced the 828, iirc. But by then I was already on the Canon 20D which I had as my main camera for several years.
I remember I had just purchased my very first DSLR (Nikon D1H) and my cousin showed me this thing he'd just bought. I couldn't get over how odd it looked for the time, but in retrospect it's pretty cool camera.
You should have gone to the Sony representative at the launch and asked them when's the next firmware upgrade is coming.
_"The last update for my R1 was over 10 years ago. Surely it won't take much longer for the update to go live, right?"_
I bought my R1 new. You somewhat glossed over the very best feature of the camera - the gorgeous Carl Zeiss T* lens. As much as I never cared for Phil Askey, he did say one thing that I totally agreed with and that was that the $1,000 cost of the camera was less than the lens alone was worth.
Jordan was right, and it was a big issue with some at the time - the fact that Sony did not include a video function. Speculation was that they did not want to cannibalize their camcorder sales. With the flip-up LCD, it could have made a great vlogging camera. ;-p
You really should have mentioned the, goofy-by-any-standards, wide angle and telephoto add-on lenses. I have both, and other than the Olympus E10/E20 add-on telephoto lens, I've never seen another setup quite like them, plus, the wide angle lens was huge!
One of the few cameras by ATG that can outperformed today top cameras.
HSS flash sync practically from any flash /or strobe up to 2000.
Can't do that on Canon EOS-1D C, Nikon D5, Sony SLT-A99, Olympus OM-D E-M1 II.
5:55 that feature is something I really miss. Mechanical coupling is the best thing for photography. Screw powered zoom.
I started digital with a Sony DSC-F505v. I later updraged to the DSC-F717, and I still have it. But it does now show it's age. Pictures are now slightly out of focus, resolution is low, white balance is always a little off, colors are flat, batteries are near death, etc. I used it for years and years. I did look at the then new alfa-100 at the time, after Sony ate Minolta. But I decided I coulnd't justify the > €1000 purchase. And it didn't have the swivel body, and seemed to be missing other features as well. Instead I got an SD-card adapter for the F717.
I never saw the DSC-R1 in stores, I must have missed it. But how would it have compared to that A100? I'm thinking I would have preferred the R1 over the A100. One of the best things about the F717 was that laser grid projection. It had no trouble focusing whatever the lighting conditions. And it scared the crap out of people! So they would stay out of your frame!
I still regret not buying that one - it came a little too quick after the DSC-F828 which I used for a few years - I waited just a little longer and took the (still occasionally used) NEX-5N instead. For the moment I don't see any reason to upgrade from my A6000
Very interesting. Thank you. Subbed.
I always have this camera in my bag along with my Nikon DSLR. I use it with a 32gb CF card. And have used it with the popup flash shooting at 1/2 second or slower. The color is amazing, better than my Nikon. I never shoot higher than 160ISO and always with a tripod. The macro setting is great, very sharp with incredible depth of field. And all the controls are at one's finger tips, never have to take my eye away from the view finder. Oh, I forgot to say, I own 3 of them and one in Mint condition is very difficult to find on Ebay.
I was actually looking to buy this camera last week
Chris great video
Nice video. How about one on my favorite camera that was just prevideo era. In fact the entire Canon EOS line came out of the Body Style. This is the Canon T90. I have one and still love it. It even had a couple of features that the EOS line never quite implemented. I will enjoy the video to come.
How much did one of these dogs sell for back in the day? I've got a Sony DV camcorder from 2002 that could make 640x480 images which looks archaic compared to this. I've also got a Sony a65 that clearly traces its roots back to this DSC. Still takes great pics if you don't mind lugging it around!