Canon PowerShot Pro1: 18 YEARS later! RETRO review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- Looking back at the Canon PowerShot Pro1 18 years after it was launched!
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Those early "superzooms" certainly were a lot better than what we saw later with the successors.
These were true bridge cameras, really between compacts and DSLRs. Later ones were just superzooms.
@@okaro6595 The superzoom ones made by Nikon, fuji, et all were crap until Panasonic and Sony up their games with models bigger sensors combined with brighter glasses.
18 years?!? I worked at a camera shop in the early 2000s, and it sure doesn't feel like that long ago. These cameras were little beasts. I remember being amazed by the Pro1, especially the famous red ring. Thanks for the great review!
You're welcome, and sorry to be the bearer of bad news over the dates!
Time flies mate. Such a cliche
My favorite camera! Only recently discovered it and immediately bought two.
Nice one! How much did you pay?
My first digital camera was one of the competitors: the Konica-Minolta DiMAGE A2. It was also packed with dials and buttons, anti-shake (today known as in body image stabilisation), a 28-200mm F2.8-3.5 APO lens with manual zoom and a manual focus ring. Unlike the Canon, the lens had a 49mm filter thread, so you could screw filters and converters onto the lens itself. It had the same wireless flash system as the Minolta SLRs, using the built-in pop-up flash as wireless controller. All in all, a very powerful little camera, which had more bells and whistles than the low end DSLRs of the time. I could not part with it and kept it in a working condition all these years.
If it wasn't for the mediocre sensor performance (by current standards), it still would be a great camera today.
My 1st digital Camera was a Olympus (don't have the model right into my mind) with 1.3 MP, afaik. Later, then came the Olympus C-2000Z with 2.1 MP, then the C-3040, C-5050, C-8080Z. Sony DSC V1, DSC-V3, F828, R1. 2003 EOS 10D, Nikon D100, D50, D70S, D40, D60, D80, D90 & D700, D7000 finally. Canon 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D & 50D, EOS 5D. Since then, no more DSLRs. I wasted too much money with GAS, back into the day.
@@marcp.1752Wow. That was some serious GAS you had back then.
@@Democratiser Yes, seriously. 🙂
Oh man, this brings me back the memories. Thank you for this review. I wish I still had mine. Such a gem.
You can probably pick one up 2nd hand for less than 100 if you're feeling super-nostalgic!
The R5 from back in the days at 2 frames per hour. Watching the whole review it truly was ab amazing camera for the time. Thanks 😊 for the throwback.
You're welcome!
HP Photosmart 945 -> Sony a300 -> Sony a580 -> Present day Sony A7II
The ISO performance really made huge improvements from 2004 and just five years on wards.
Thanks for another great video.
You're welcome!
I own an SX20IS to this day. I love the ability to just grab it and take it with me, along with the G10 I still own and run. There ARE places for DSLR's, and I do have a couple, but when you need something that just works without taking bags and bags of lenses, a good bridge camera gets it done.
I remember reviewing it!
Minolta Dimage A2 user here! very similar specs. I even used that camera this year, shooting speedway race, when my telephoto lens broke down. Had to use DeNoise AI for processing the RAWs though
As expected, I enjoyed the hell out of this! Such a wonderful series.
Thankyou Jordan, I make them all for you! Which is your favourite old camera I should cover?
@@DinoBytes Kodak 570!
@@thatjordandrake I'm fined it surprisingly hard to track down many Kodak cameras, considering the enormous number they sold.
I have several generations of the PowerShot cameras, starting with the S1 IS up to the SX60. The S1 is how I first came across your channel oh so long ago, back in 2005. I remember watching reviews on your channel and CNet. In 2018, I bought the RP, the first ILC I purchased. I was given a T5 a few months prior to that, and I struggled because I was so used to a Flippy and and EVF. So I got the RP as soon as it was available, and am still loving it today. Oddly enough, even though I am sure I watched your video on the RP 3 years ago, because I watched a bunch of reviews, I remember much more clearly your review of the S1 IS from over 10 years earlier. 🙂
Hah! So long as you've watched all of mine, that's ok!
Good fun, it is always interesting to take a walk in the past and I have several cameras from that era that I use from time to time and you are right, if nothing else they do show how far technically we have come in so many ways.
I was tempted, but never owned the Pro1. Went for the KM A2 in stead which IMO had a better feature set, particularly for video, but the EVF was also much better. It would be interesting to see how the 8MP sensor do now on high ISO with RAW and the latest noise reduction software.
Just bought this from someone at a ham radio show for only $40 with everything included even the box, just started using it for skateboarding photography and it looks really good!
Nice one! Glad it works...
Those were the golden years for non professional digital cameras. I owned the Sony DSC- F717. That was my first digital camera and the beginning of my obsession with photography
I loved the F717 and will definitely be covering it, as well as the 505 and 828
Those pics are absolutely usable today. Looks like somewhere between compact digicam, old dslr and film camera due to some strange noise in shadows, but also warm reflected lights. Love those pics.
these cameras were the pro-sumer grade back then, i had the Dimage A1 and it took fantastic photos. we are spoiled by 50 megapixels and 20fps.
Great series of videos.
I remember the early 2000's - there was literally a new digital camera being launched every week. I loved Canon and owned several including the S30, G3 and then the Pro1 shown in this video. Those were great times !
Hope you get to check out some of my other videos here!
Gordon I am loving your series on old digitalis so much. I got into photography around the time my daughter was born in 1999 and my first camera was an Olympus D340R. Over the next several years I went a bit camera crazy and would buy a camera, use it for a few months, then sell it on EBay and buy another. In a 6-8 year period I owned easily 30 digital cameras. I truly miss the days of innovation in design, features, and user experience in the digital camera market. A couple of my favorites were the Sony R1 and the Olympus E20. I would love for you to cover one or both of those if you have the opportunity. I moved from the E20 to a Canon 10D when digital SLRs became more affordable and have been using them since with my current being a Panasonic G85. Sure the cameras of today are much more capable than they were 20 years ago but they surely aren’t nearly as fun :-)
If you'd kept those, you'd have quite the museum now! Good news! I have an R1 for a future video, and also an E10 - not the E20, but close!
@@DinoBytes excellent! Can't wait for both of those :-)
There's something very organic about the pictures, the colours vivid yet not overly processed. Would you say that it is as good as or better than any mobile phone cameras out there? Yes, I jumped directly to DSLR. Still have my canon 300D.
It's not better, just different!
i love bridge camers, i have a Nikon coolpix L120, a Sony cybershot DSE H200, and a Fujifilm Finepix S 5600, they all work great and are very robust.
Owned this super little camera for many years
Thanks Gordon. I appreciate these journeys into the not so distant past.
One of my first ventures into the digital world after decades of using a Canon A1. I was sold on that L series lens and have not regretted it. Bought in 2010 for a sailing trip to the Med, and now, hundreds of pictures, 4 months of sea air and 12 years later, still works like new be it with a few scratches. Testament to it's build quality and robust nature. Spectacular image quality and colour rendition even when viewed on a 32 inch screen. If you want good video, buy a video camera. Well placed functions and a high degree of control. But oh how I hate that viewfinder!!
Best for me was the Kodak P880 with its 24-140mm equiv lens and mini DSLR style form factor, I recently picked one up on Ebay for £20 and its still great, handles well, a button for everything, good battery life and a nice looking camera, lovely image quality too, so the Kodak P880 gets my vote for sure
Thanks for another great video! I found my Pro1 last year, still in its original box with everything and all paperwork. It cost $9 at a local thrift store. Awesome little camera, even today. The filter adapter design it a bit rediculous, though.
$9!!! That's amazing!
I recently found a Canon PowerShot G1 in a thrift for $5. No box or manual, but with a new battery and an old Compactflash I had laying around, it takes surprisingly good pictures. Came with a protective screw on lens cover thing and a uv filter.
Cool camera!
I like how the battery is the one that is used for the DSLR:s!
Keep up the good work!
Have a good week!
Thanks, and always nice to see your comments!
Another great retro review. I really enjoy these. So, keep them coming!
And yes, I miss these kind of cameras today, too. It´s all about smartphones and very expensive ILC systems now, but nothing inbetween.
Had the Panasonic FZ2000 for a while, but while it was ok for video it was lackluster vor photos. Also, big and heavy. So I sold it later.
Thanks, glad you're enjoying them!
@@DinoBytes Yes! Would like to see retro reviews of the original Rebel aka 300D and Nikon D1, just suggesting 😁
@@UdoKrawallo they are all on my list!
Never owned one. There were a lot of drawbacks at the time when I could get far better results from film and DSLRs clearly on the horizon. But I was impressed with the features. Am I remembering that the Minolta Dimage was a very early camera to have sensor based stabilisation? If I'm remembering right, that seemed like game-changing tech.
Yep, Minolta had sensor stabilisation which was then acquired by Konica and then Sony
Those outdoor pictures showed really good image quality.
Love your videos dude, such a nice trip down memory lane, revisiting tech most could only dream about at the time. Also I wholeheartedly agree, there was something so exciting about tech back then and how companies built things!
Thanks! Hope you get to watch a few more of them!
Wow! I can’t believe how much that cost back then! I remember a 1gb compact flash costing nearly £80 for my Olympus E series four thirds, which had a high resolution 8mp sensor and terrible iso performance! I watched your reviews back then which were superb! I’m amazed at the quality you got from this.
Thanks!
I love these videos. Thanks Gordon. I agonized choosing between the Canon Pro70 and the Olympus C-2100UZ on my meager college student budget finally settling for the Oly. Within a year or two digital cameras advanced so quickly that I saved money to upgrade to my first DSLR Canon 10D. Since then the advancements have been nice but not game changing for someone not interested in videos like me.
Yes, the biggest changes have been with video and AF
Definitely agree that these were unique cameras that were fun to use and even still relevant today.
I owned, used, and greatly enjoyed my Canon Pro1. I took it on several vacations and shows. I still have it but don't use it these days.
Wow a camera way ahead of its time it's handling looks really interesting and easy to use.
Awesome review, just love when older tech gets used again and other than a few minor issues, they can still be enjoyed today!
It's fun to bring them back to life!
It was interesting to see how the stills held
Up but when the clips of the videos were it, it was as if you traveled back in time lol that low res with the low frame rate really gives it a nostalgic factor and is quite interesting.
I was so glad to see this pop up on my feed. I still have my original Pro1, in pristine condition. I take it out every couple years and it also feels still as modern as when new. It was an exciting camera, just as you said. It was also my gateway camera to the 300D Rebel. I did go full circle into the world of DSLR and after several I landed right back into pro-sumer to make life easier again. I bought what I feel was the reincarnation of the Pro1 a few years back, the G3x. With exception of the L series lens, it really seems to be a more modern version of the Pro1.
Glad you found the video!
I still have my pristine Pro1 and a G3x too. Wish they would have updated the G with a mark ii. Both are still great fun to use.
Great video! Would love to see you revisiting the Sony DSC-V1, my first digital camera.
Possibly!
It's cameras like this that always made me wonder what took so long for bigger sensors to show up in mirrorless cameras, especially considering that optical viewfinders and mirror mechanisms cost both money and bulk. My suspicion is that it had to do with marketing ... "serious" cameras = physically bigger.
Hi Gordon, really enjoying this invaluable series. I too have the Canon Powershot Pro 1, in beautiful mint condition, and I just love using it, the glass and battery certainly give this beauty some heft. The Pro 1 forms a central part of my own collection of early /vintage digital cameras. Thanks for a great review of this timeless Canon camera.
Glad you enjoyed it and are still using the camera!
That was great to watch! I did not own one, but did pick up a 300D in the spring/summer of 2004. Still have it!
Do you still use it?
@@DinoBytes I haven't for a few years. The battery is toast, just need to get a new one. I've since purchased a 6D, M50 and am trading in my RP as we speak for an R6...
Still taking great photos and in many ways the photos look better than what you get from a modern camera.
There's definitely a different look to them
I stumbled across this camera last week and tried it, and it's a bit of a head scratcher. All these high-end features hamstrung by a tiny sensor and disappointing L-branded lens which shows some severe colour fringing. The biggest dealbreaker is the lagginess, from the zoom-by-wire, the fact that the screen becomes inactive while focusing, and the painfully slow image review, it feels like you're fighting the machine just to take photos.
I really enjoyed the video and photos taken. Seems to be taken years ago. The areas shot also help fool you into thinking its old footage from a year a while ago
Yes, I love the way they give it that vintage look and feel!
That color fringing is a bit rough for an L lens. I don't think it s really an L class lens. But regardless the technical gripe, its still a fantastic shooter even for today. $70 on ebay rn very cool.
Yeah, I see them selling for quite a lot I think because of the L reputation even though it's not an amazing lens in practice. I'd be happier spending less than 50 on it.
I wanted that pro1 soo badly!! /I have the G2 and G9 (and a whole army of other Canons, large and small.....). Great video, very nostalgic. 😊
Thanks! Have you seen my Pro1 review?
@@DinoBytes I don't believe I have. I will look it up. Thanks
@@laika25 here you go: th-cam.com/video/lHO9Y-F_rgU/w-d-xo.html
I love these reviews. So intertaining. 😀👍
Such a great review! I love the L lens intention canon has made back then. Similar to the Sony RX1.
I think its time for a second round. Canon full frame bridge camera with a prime 50mm L 1.4 anyone?
Yes! Great idea!
This was actually my first camera, given to my by a family member as and old thing they didn't use anymore around 2014/2015. Funny enough, the main time I used it was on a trip to Brighton in 2016 or so
Hah! Do we have the same photos?
@@DinoBytes heh I had found them and put together a link of them to post here though it seems that links are getting removed. But it was an aesthetic foggy day!
Great video. I had and still have a pro 1 and a konica Minolta A200. The Minolta had their great 28-200 mechanical zoom which I preferred but both were great image makers. The Minolta had ibis as well great little camera. The canons .across mode was pretty impressive. Thanks again.
I hope to do the minolta soon
The same year as my EOS20D ! Still going strong!
Ah yes, the 20D was a nice tough model!
I owned one of these and loved using it. But the 10D blew its doors off in terms of image quality, especially at higher ISO settings.
Love Gordon !!!
Thanks!
I got a KonicaMinolta A200 back in the days. And although I then got a Canon 350D then a Nikon D300, I was still using my A200 quite a bit for family stuff and... video !! As the first dSLRs were just uncapable of any video at all, and they remained bulky compared to the A200.
I enjoyed the old KM models...
Thanks for the video! Just scored one on ebay. Not super cheap but I want to try CCD sensors :)
Nice one! How much did you pay?
@@DinoBytes too much. But in mint condition $100
Comparing the Pro1 with other 8MP bridge cameras is a mixed bag. I love the size, feel, & features. It produces nice images under the right conditions and writes RAW files much more quickly than the others I have (Sony F828 & Nikon 8700). Sony's mechanical zoom is so much better than the electronic zoom of the 8700 & Pro1. Focus speed on the Pro1 & 8700 are depressingly slow so you better be shooting a static subject. The F828 isn't great in that regard either but it feels quicker than the other two to me. Where the Pro1 really falls short is macro. Many of these old digital cameras have great macro modes with super close focusing capabilities. By comparison, the Pro1's macro mode is laughable. Even with the closeup lens it's not great. The Nikon 9XX models had great macro capabilities too.
Yep, I loved the closeups on the Nikon 900 series. Many people used them to scan 35mm film!
Fantastic video! Thank you Gordon! Me personally, I was amazed by a bit later Powershot A610 Series, which had most of the features Pro1 had. Love those cameras and still have its small baby sister - the A590IS!
FINALLY!!
😁
Just for you!
I also loved bridge cameras. Still have my Powershot S3IS , pushed it to its limits also installed that firmware "hack" ( forgot it's name ).
Magic Lantern?
CHDK?
@@sagnost Thats the one.
This or camera phone?
Got one of these for $20 a few years ago. Obvs enticed by the red L lens mark. The pictures are usually fantastic despite resolution. when used right. In some scenarios, better than newer prosooomer cameras and new iPhone sensors. When I see my old pics with it and I am compelled to use it again. It blows the iPhone 13 pro outta the park... if it is day time or flash snapshots are acceptable.
End of day I dont like carrying a big camera, film rangerfinder at most. Like most folk, I just use my phone unless planning ahead. That said i've sold all my other digital cameras lol so this is all I have.
I think the flash pics look great on this camera, and the more zoomed parts of lens look best, wide shots are often tired compared to phone pic.
Nice vid!
tldr= it looks best with sun light or flash, otherwise might as well use your phone. The lens is pretty decent, way better than the stock zoom than came with entry level dslrs in the 2000s. Also its 8mp = ~4k uncropped, so..
I went from film to a 350D in 2005.
Really love those example shots, rich colors etc. Might be a bit late to ask, but are those pictures sooc or have shot in raw and tweaked them in LR ?
I always only post OOC JPEGS on all my reviews. No need for RAW for most photos.
My first digital camera was the Powershot G3. An excellent camera with many features but infuriating shutter delay which drove me to upgrade to a 20D.
Have you watched my video about the G1? May be some memories there for you!
@@DinoBytes yes, I watched it a couple of months ago, thanks.
Thanks Gordon - I Liked the Olympus C8080 the best , it had the best fast lens optically IMO and from the ones I used better sample consistency for the lens too .. it was a faster camera to start up and use but the card write times were horrendous, RAW was a 20 seconds per shot experience compared to the Pro-1's real time RAW shooting . Oly weren`t alone there, Nikon`s fantastic Coolpix 8800VR (with its awesome Quality 10X lens) was that slow at writing RAWs I was convinced that it was deliberately crippled to stop it taking sales from the D70 and I believe also you could change a plate in a View camera before a CP8800 could save 1 RAW image ! . yeah loved these true bridge cameras too , they all had their faults but the Pro1, C8080, F828, CP8800VR, KM A2, Samsung Pro-815 and Fuji S9000 were superb given good samples of the lenses - C8080 for me despite the RAW wait time for the AF speed, Luscious JPG colour handling, RAW quality and build..
I really hope to retest all the models I mentioned in the video including the 8080!
Yeah, it`l lbe excellent - the Samsung Pro815 was a late comer and a real strange camera, the Kreuznach lens was very good indeed but needed stellar light because of no IS and 15X zoom , also was a slow RAW writer..none of these cameras seemed to have buffers capable of RAW and most couldn`t write fast - the Pro1 was unique in its fast enough write times , even the Pinnacle of these cameras, the newer Sony R1 with its near APS_C sensor (it used the D2X sensor cropped to 10Mp) had to use MEM-Stick Pros to be usable in RAW ..
I wanted this camera badly back in the day, but couldn't afford it. Ended up settling on an Olympus 8080 at the time and have been an Oly fan ever since.
I'd love to do the 8080 again
@@DinoBytes I actually proposed to my wife with that camera. :)
@@Marco_Chiappetta Olympus guarantees results!
2004? i still use this as my normal camera 😅
The Mr just found his old one (18 years?! Gosh!) and I was looking to get into photography as a hobby for starters. Would this be worth buying a new charger and memory card for? Or should I just invest in something new? I don't know much of anything when it comes to cameras lol
Weeell, depends how much the charger and card will cost you. I wouldn't spend more than 30 getting it working.
I like that video😂❤
Man, you’re making me want one. Off to eBay after this video. LOL.
Pretty few available and those that are available are in what I’d call pretty ropey condition. Shame.
Hope you find one...
@@calvinchann1996 For what its worth, i bought mine from goodwill all beat up, no lens cap, havent treated it much better myself, and it works like a champ still. = good build quality
Hi Gordon. Which PC advisor magazine did you review it as I would like to get a copy. I have just bought the camera on you know...
Now that's a good question, I can't remember other than the actual date of the file as a guideline - April 2004, so probably published in June / July timeframe? BUT my review would have been 400-800 words long vs around 2000 for the script here, so my video will have gone into much more detail than we ever did in the magazine reviews.
I wonder if you can find and review the ultra weird and mega-rare Canon MV1 😎
It's a challenge to find many of the more common cameras in working order, but there can be surprises!
Great review, as usual! What is the book to your right in the video? I have the Atari book and love it.
Is it Digital Retro by me?
@@DinoBytes Did not know that existed, thanks! You've managed to sell me two books with one video, looking forward to digging into In Camera while on vacation. Cheers.
@@traviswolfe2457 cheers! My old Digital Retro book is out of print, but you may find a second hand one!
@@DinoBytes We're going to be narrowboating in Wales in two weeks - there is a cool little used bookstore in Langlellan (sp?), and we are hitting booksellers alley in London before we fly back to Canada, so I guess I have a side quest now!
@@traviswolfe2457 good luck!
@0:50 - I hope you cleaned that lens before you made your posting imaging! It appears quite a bit less than optimal...
it's not as bad as it looks, the lighting and res I film my product shots with reveals a lot of dust on every lens!
Hi, how did you pass the photos to your computer? Because I also have a Powershot Pro 1. Answer me please!!!
I took the memory card out of the camera and put it in a USB reader.
I just picked one up today for 50 $ 😮😊
Not bad, they can go for a lot more...
I have one camera like this and i want to know wat card i can use with it
I show you in the video
I had this camera for a month...I bought second hand...trade it for the G10...big mistake...
Hello, can you help me? 🙏I have this camera yet, but it has a black screen problem. I do not know where this problem comes from
Sorry I dont know. Does the viewfinder work? Can it take photos? Are the image files OK?
How to fix red light on foto
You mean a red dot? That's a problem with the sensor
I’d love to see a review of its competitor - the Olympus C-8080WZ!
Me too! I intend to review all those rivals I mentioned, but getting hold of them is not easy.
@@DinoBytes Sounds great! The Olympus C-8080WZ was my first camera, that I bought with my own money. I wish I'd kept it!
@@DinoBytes Hi again! I just managed to purchase an almost mint condition C-8080WZ. I’d be happy to lend it to you if you’d like to make a review!
@@Scratchen2 thanks! It's a little on the newer side of things for this channel, but I'm not ruling it out! Whereabouts are you based and may I ask where you got it?
@@DinoBytes I live in Sweden, so it would have to involve some shipping of course. I bought it at "Tradera" (kind of a Swedish eBay) for 1260SEK, which is about £103.
I still have my Pro1. I remember thinking it was the coolest thing ever when I saw you could get a point and shoot with an L series lens. Then I picked one up long after for ~$100. I actually still have a lot of love for it, but the auto focus is TERRIBLE. To the point where I stopped using it. Constantly refusing to lock on or saying it locked on and did nothing (keep mind much cheaper Canon's worked way better).
I even have the hilariously large 1.5x teleconveter.
Yes, the lens converters for all these cameras were huge!
I have one but I have never been able to turn it on apparently the battery no longer works and I have not been able to get another
The Pro1 uses the BP-511 Lithium Ion pack that was widely deployed by Canon up to 2008, so while it is discontinued now, replacements remain readily available.
@@DinoBytes Do you know any shops that sell them?
@@katerinnecorado4065 yep, just search for BP511 on Amazon and buy one of the better-rated third party models. If you've lost the Canon charger, buy one that comes with a charger.
@@katerinnecorado4065 I bought a bunch on amazon or ebay with a charger for like $25.
имел такой. украли. прекрасная цветопередачей, удобный. супермакро с возможностью зуммирования. флюоритовая линза.
I didn't knows that a Canon compact camera had an L lens.
It is probably marketing trick
It's the only one
It's ... almost L quality. Sometimes it looks really fantastic, but usually not fantastic.
wait the photos are good, better than cheap smartphones now, but the video? how come so bad?
Good video requires sensors with fast readout speed and that was really hard back then.
People today are rushing to buy premium $1000+ point & shoot film cameras while these early capable digital cameras costs literally one pack of film now.
Doesnt have a ccd look