This $3,000 Camera Shouldn't Exist
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- It's almost impossible to find this camera now, but I got my hands on one. For better or worse.
Have you heard of the V mount? Yeah, I didn't think so. Me neither, until recently when I was searching dead lens mounts and saw that there was ONE digital camera produced for this mount. Here's my Minolta RD-3000, a dual CCD DSLR released in 1999. It's just about the strangest camera system decision made by a large manufacturer.
But it's grown on me. The images are some of the most film like from a digital camera I've used yet. Part CCD sensors, part lenses with some characteristics (flaws, hah).
Viewers let me know of an autofocus adapter for Sony E mount for $250 😲 Still cool though. Adapter will cost money, but the lenses are dirt cheap.
www.monsteradapter.com/
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#photography #camera - Фільми й анімація
Check out this cheap CCD camera that is actually still usable today - ua-cam.com/video/VE0ZgjIi7Jg/v-deo.html
There's an RD-175 with THREE ccd's.
Dude, with all the toxicity in UA-cam photography, thanks for being a positive space to get away from all the negative noise. Keep doing your thing 🤘
Thanks Nathan :)
Ive Never Seen toxicity and negativity on photography channels…?
What??? Wheres the toxicity??? I want some😂
Amen!
Love the chill vibes from this channel. But I'm curious like the others, wheres the toxicity on youtube?
I saw a listing on eBay for this camera and three lenses - it was like 5 years ago and the seller wanted 1,200 euros for it. One thousand two hundred euros. Of course the description was full of words like ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME, COLLECTOR'S ITEM, PRISTINE CONDITION, etc. I remember checking back 3 years later and the listing was still there, price unchanged. Lol. Cheers! //Rick
Lol, yup! I always wonder about that strategy to price something outrageous and just hope, versus selling it for bid and moving on with your life.
Okay... so based on the images, i think the issue is definitely something in the optical path... the image out of the sensor itself seems reasonable... when CCDs fail, you get much more digital looking artifacts (usually, weird digital smears, pink splotches, etc), but this is a very analog looking issue... My guess is that the prism or mirror that splits the image might have a coating on it that delaminated. Perhaps a front-surface mirror that has tarnished or has become slightly unaffixed... The alignment seems good, as the image coming through is lined up... it's just out of focus/dark, which makes me think it's something with a coating... It might be repairable. Not sure without looking at it.
Also, this video was suggested to me by youtube. I just subscribed. :D
You're becoming the Techmoan of digital cameras!
Haha, indeed! Techmoan is another great channel.
I am into digital photography ever since 2003 and I must say that I really enjoy watching your videos about these old cameras. It brings back good memories.
Thanks! I enjoy making them! :)
@@snappiness Great. Just don't stop making them :)
Just a reminder to everyone out there. There is much more to a camera than just the sensor type. I have many cameras with CCD and CMOS sensors and the CCD sensor ones don't always look better or have a film look. They just do the exact same thing but in a different way. The quality of the sensor, lens, and camera is way more important than the type of sensor it uses. Different models and manufacturers have different color science too. Sensors are important but are just one of the many hundreds of components in a camera.
Its all a bout the CFA = Colour Filter Array which dictates which colours enters the sensor.
Old cameras tended to have thicker CFA to compensate for lack of dynamic range but also introduced a ton of noise, thats why cameras before 2008 really struggled to do more than 400 ISO.
Modern cameras, post 2012, uses thinner CFA to allow MORE light in turn, allows for higher ISO, beyond 1600 and up to 6400 and even 12800, this was because sensor technology evolved, allowing more dynamic range and less need for thick CFA, but this also meant colours are flatter, less vibrant and accurate, there is in general, less colour information being captured in a 2023 camera, then a 2003 camera, which is rather ironic.
The way CFA is design matters too, Canon 400D and 1000D have trichromatic colour response meaning all peaks of Green, Blue and Red are almost symmetrical, allowing excellent colour information to be captured, while in-body processing is lackcluster, post-processing is needed to make old camera colours shine, you can push RAW files from Canon 400D to insane limits in terms of vibrancy without colours breaking down, just like shadows and highlights, colours too have dynamic range and Canon 400D can have slide film like colours, it truly is mesmerising to take a picture of what otherwise would be a boring forest with a modern camera, but with an old camera you get so many variations of colours in that forest, there myriads of different greens and bits of warmth to them too which makes it far more interesting to look at.
Another sensor to look out for is the Sigma Foveon ones, they are extremely tricky to work with however and requires a huge deal of time to get right in post-production, in a lot of ways its like working with old 35mm film rolls, except you wont have to deal with the cancer inducing chemicals.
@@SMGJohn There are other factors too though. I compared my old camera from 2005 with a CCD sensor to my new mirrorless camera and the new one had much nicer colors. The older CCD sensor wasn't better at skin tones and color accuracy in portrait shots either, they looked identical. I was also able to make landscape shots from the old camera look identical to a smartphone. There are too many variables and different cameras handle differently in different situations. I've been able to get a nice film look and modern digital look with both cameras as well. The biggest factors are the photographer and lenses. CCD and CMOS do the same thing but in different ways. I can change my route to work but at the end of the day I get the same result.
@@SMGJohnwhat do you think about fujifilm x trans sensors?
@@user-kx6om4xm5v
I never used them, I only ever owned the Fujifilm S5 Pro.
It was a decent camera but very difficult to work with professionally.
From what I seen Fujifilm however do use thinner CFA then normally, but I cannot say they produce better or worse image quality without having owned one, I only ever worked with the RAW files a few times.
Very interesting to see this strange beast. I was into Minolta film and Konica Minolta digital cameras and this is the first time I heard of this model. They were such an innovative company and often did things differently but they really turned off the main road, down a side road, then onto a dead-end dirt track with this camera. The Maxxum/Dynax 7D that came along 5 years or so later was a genuinely brilliant tool and an almost conventional one (compared to this RD-3000, you could even say it was boring!), but had IBIS and a great CCD sensor and image processor producing beautiful images with great colours (at least to my eye). We really lost something when Minolta exited the camera industry.
Agreed. I would have loved to see them today. They always packed so much cool tech into their cameras. And gave us IBIS, which is pretty useful ;)
Agree that the Minolta colors seemed accurate and soothing and like a touch of autumn leaves with the first chill in the air. It's amazing that a company with such a user friendly, high tech camera as the original Maxxum would make such a weird and ugly camera as this one.
I loved my Dynax 7D until it developed a fault while I was on holiday. I think it was a mirror failure of some kind. I got it repaired when I got home but it developed the fault again. The Sony A700 was it's spiritual successor which I still have to this day.
Love your channel and love these cameras ~ so interesting seeing the different looks you're getting out of these old digicams
I just discovered your UA-cam site, excellent start.
The Minolta Minolta RD-3000 is one of my favorite cameras.
I found my copy in 2006 and paid $150 US and still works great.
And I made several comparisons with other DSLRs in my collection (80 cameras)
I can't wait to see your video with the Mamiya ZD 22MP
Fascinating! I love everything about this. Minoltas dedication to such a weird camera and yours to the weird cameras. 😊
Agreed. Very cool :)
I’ve just love Minolta designs of 80s-2000s, they were a fun company, I wish Sony could come with a funny design like them.
I'm a big fan as well :)
i collect cameras and by far the most fun are the 1980-2000 designs, when AF kicked off and LCD started to feature.
I like your passion for old things and finding value where others don’t. It’s the perfect tonic to endless consumerism. It’s therapeutic, thank you for sharing.
Thanks, that's very kind :)
Such a good video-really well done! I've sold a few vectis film cameras for pennies on the dollar, but have never seen a digital cam using this mount. Cool stuff.
Yeah, wild. Had no idea.
Great video! As part of my job on magazines in the 90's, I was reviewing pretty much every new digital camera that came out, BUT we never got hold of this one, so it's great to see your video all about this rare oddity! PS - in a long moment of denial, the APSC film format seduced me from 35mm in the 90s and ruined several holiday's worth of snaps before I happily replaced it for a 3 Megapixel Sony S70 in 2000! Keep up the good work!
Great video! I'm always fascinated by old and obscure cameras.
Trivia: there's actually an adapter made to adapt Minolta V lenses to Sony E mount, made by a company named Monster Adapter. I doubt if the adapter makes business sense, but I'm glad something like this exists.
Someone just let me know about that one too! Yeah, I'm not paying $250 for one, but it is cool nonetheless. If it was cheaper it would be fun to play with.
Unfortunately CCD sensors weren’t known for reliability. They were extremely sensitive to humidity, prolonged vibration, temperature variations, intense light and degradation over time too.
Minolta, Canon and Fujifilm CCD sensors during the early to mid 2000s had a fairly high failure rate up to around 2006. I had several fujifilm S3 and S5 pro cameras (On a side note they were interesting as they had a nikon F mount teamed with a CCD which had much higher dynamic range compared to the CMOS based competition along with Fuji colour science which I’ve always been a fan of) the S3’s all had issues over time I’d imagine if I’d kept the S5’s long enough they would have too.
I had a phase one CCD from the early 2000s a P45+ up until a couple of years ago for use with a Mamiya RZ67 which never had issues but then you’d hope not at its original RRP!
Most medium format backs up until much more recently were CCDs and haven’t been known for the issues much smaller sensors have.
Maybe as they were produced in much smaller numbers for a niche market it’s less publicised?
I always wondered why CMOS took over when CCDs already made nice images. Thank you for finally answering that mystery.
@@editingsecretsCMOS was cheaper and easier to produce, which makes sense that they fail early if not made correctly. The Hubble and James Webb telescope are CCD however, so they are technically slightly better sensors when you get to the nitgrit.
I remember the Vectis lenses from when I sold cameras in the 90s and early 2Ks, and I also recall the Minolta rep swinging by with this camera to show it off, maybe hoping for us to put pressure on the buyer to take a run on this one. Didn't work, as far as I recall. Man, the weird shapes and functions that came out of companies trying to figure out what to do with digital were a real funhouse.
Brilliant video and fascinating camera. Would love to see a fully working one, but wow! the design is so chunky, but I like it. Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t thought about that camera in many years! What a flashback! I was a diehard Minolta loyalist in the 90’s & early 2k’s and I remember a phone call from my local camera shop at the time all excited wanting me to come check out this "cutting edge" camera. I’ll admit I was very intrigued when demoing it at the the shop, but $3k + the astronomical cost of the lenses was a LOT of money in 2000. In hindsight I’m glad I didn’t pull the trigger on it. But it still had some serious cool factor back then!
New sub! Great content and delivery.
The V-mount was created for the S100 APS SLR camera. I still have my S100 and a number of the V lenses, and my RD-3000. I bought my RD-3000 to allow digital use of the V lenses I owned. I really liked both cameras. My RD-3000 unfortunately took a dive to the pavement from the roof of my van. It landed on the shutter button and damaged it. It would still power up at the time. The CCD's gave the images a very special look. I even have a Vectis flash. My favorite lens was the 22-80. It was pricey at the time, but a good lens. BTW, crop factor was 1.25, the 22-80 was the Vectis mount equivalent of Minolta's standard A-mount kit lens, the 28-100mm.
Would love to see images from this with the sensors/prism working correctly. The side of the photo that wasn't distorted looked really good. Can you recommend any other channels that are exploring vintage digital - I just picked up a Leica X1 and am really enjoying your content (and a few other channels) focusing on these fun and fascinating camera systems. Thanks for the video!
I know I really want to as well .. I may be brave enough to open it up and see if I can't figure it out.
Ali at OneMonthTwoCameras is really consistent in uploading reviews on older digital cameras. There are several channels that are popping up in the space that are less consistent but I have high hopes for. If you join Ali's discord and scan through there you'll find some cool people there.
@@snappiness Excellent. Thanks for the rec - I just subscribed to Ali's channel a few days ago and have been going through it all. Love her content. Good point on the consistency - certainly love when channels are consistent. I'll check out her Discord 🤘
The quirks of some early digital cameras are fascinating. Would love to add something like this to my collection some day. Hopefully it's fixable, great video!
That's funny I actually came across the konica minolta Dimage A1 when doing some research in my last video and thought you might like that camera. Loving the new setup you've got going on mate, it looks really good!
Thanks, Lee! I actually recently picked up the A2, so you're right on the money xD Still getting my new setup dialed in. Video is hard...
If it’s a prism that splits the light onto the two sensors, is there a chance that the prism is desilvered/tarnished? I have a Sigma S7A (I think that’s what it is) that didn’t use a pentaprism in its assembly, but rather very cheap mirrors. They’ve all tarnished to the point where it looks like I’m using a yellow filter no matter what.
Yes, he might have to send the camera to Japan for service as it seems that you can get a prism resilvered there pretty easily versus in the USA.
thats interesting about APS, we had a couple of APS cameras growing up. the prints came in these awesome boxes. My mum still has loads at her house
I was getting into photography around 1995. I bought a Kodak point abs Shoot APS camera. I shot about 7 rolls of APS film in its three varies formats. I actually liked it. But never gor anything more advanced to shoot the film. I still have my plastic clamshell case that holds the rolls of film and it's index thumbnail card. When I got my first DSLR. The term APS-C sensor didn't click right away until I read an article on how that sensor size was based on the old APS format. I learned my photography using my Dad's old 35mm SLR cameras with the MD mount. I've adapted those lenses to my Canon DSLRS. To bad these lenses wouldn't adapt well to my Canon DSLRS or my R7 mirrorless. I live old camera tech like this you're showing us. It's very cool.
I hope you can get this beauty working at it’s full potential!
"there was several cameras that, by the time they were released were already behind the time. The RnD that it took to get out a working prototype and then get it out there and released... if you weren't fast enough and you didn't be on exactly the right technologies, you ended up releasing a camera that was obsolete byt the time you released it"
Man, I really felt that ! Got myself a Nikon D2H late last year and been playing with it since, really fun camera to use and the images are turning out to be fantastic if you're not a pixel peeper (4MP club where you at). I got it for 100 bucks, was is very rough shape (like the grip tapes were off, replaced with cloth gaffer tape and such... made the camera quite comfy to hold actually) and as far as I could tell, it was the only time ever that I saw a D2H online, to a point that I thought that the D2X was the only D2 camera that ever existed.
So I did a little bit of research and it appears that the "it was already obsolete when it came out" and "they didn't bet on the right technologies" are the two things that killed the D2H. In 2001, Nikon was the only camera maker that was making profesionnal DSLRs, and their absolute flagship for sports, the D1H, was pretty well loved... until Canon came in with the EOS 1D late 2001. Had almost double the resolution, a larger APS-H (instead of APS-C) sensor and a little under twice the frame rate. Right before the winter olympics.
So Nikon doubled down on their research for the D1 series successor, using the JFET sensor they have been developping to try to match the EOS 1D, and they did... except it was 2 years late coming in 2003. And by that time, not only Canon would have released the 11.1MP full frame EOS 1DS, but also in 2004 they would release the 8.5MP EOS 1D mk II, which both had better and larger sensors. Hell, even Nikon would see that this JFET thing was not going to last cause they released the 12MP CMOS D2X in 2005 effectively killing the D2H forever
And that's a shame cause the D2H not only is a super nice camera to use with loads of glass for it, but it's also cheap and produces images like no other camera I've ever touched ! And unlike the D1 series, you can find batteries for it, and the CF to SD cards adapter work completely fine with it.
I don't know if I was just lucky with my purchase or if D2H are really that cheap though. I have never been able to find another one again.
I hadn't even heard of the D2H! That's an interesting write up. I donthinj you were lucky to find one for that price and working! Cool camera.
@@snappinessd2hs - another version of “fast” nikon series)
Wow, I've seen the Vectis mount but had no idea there was a digital body. Now I want one.
Minolta leveraged the technology of that camera into the Dimage D7i and D7Hi in 2001. The D7Hi was my third digital camera - after AppleQuickTake100 (1994) and Kodak DC290 (2000) - and was very advanced for the time with 2568 × 1928 5MP sensor and the ability to capture stills in RAW, JPG and TIFF and video with a very good 28-200 equiv. zoom lens running on 4AA batteries. It had an EVF and rear screen with live histogram and could sync flash up to the max shutter speed of 1/8000th. Its primary drawback was its small sensor which made it difficult to capture photos with shallow DOF, even at its largest aperture. I took a lot of great photos with it because of its focal length range and it being small and light enough to carry around everywhere.
I bought a Vectis S1 and a couple of lenses a few months ago, because it's one of the most beautiful sci-fi looking cameras ever made, and I couldn't afford one at the time. It's loaded with expired APS film and I will shoot it with it over the next few weeks. APS was a very underrated format. The magnetic strip encoded all the exposure details which was then used in post processing to optimise the prints. Which meant better exposed prints, and I think it worked pretty well.
APS was not a good format. With film, it's the surface area which makes the difference. 8"x10", 4"x5", 70mm... 35mm by comparison was appalling but a careful user could get decent results. APS is just over half the area of 35mm and anything smaller than 35mm will be worse than 35mm because the emulsions and processing are the same. it was an expensive downgrade which anticipated smaller cameras coming to dominate the market but did not anticipate the death of film as a medium.
@@Psycandy did you ever use it? I did and IMHO it got an undeserved bad press. Unfortunately most people will never know because the process is not reproducible.
@@Psycandy It did anticipate the masses being satisfied with good-enough snapshots as in today's abundance of dirt cheap phones.
There is the LA-VE2 adapter for Vectis-Lenses to Sony E-Mount APS-C cameras. The V22-80, the 50mm Macro and the 400mm Reflex are working quite well on my A6500.
Hey, that's cool! And expensive 😬 that's the same company that made the auto Pentax K to e mount adapter, but I haven't had the heart to buy one. What was the driving factor for you to pick it up?
@@snappiness Just to be able to use the lenses on modern cameras and see what they are capable of.
I like to be able to use my collection as much as possible.
And of course a lot of gadgetry... 😄
@@haraldlenz7263 Well I can definitely understand that :) Very cool and unique setup!
I have an unhealthy obsession with the V mount lenses. This comes from my nostalgia of my first real camera and SLR, my Minolta Vectis S1. It was an APS camera and I have adapted the lenses to Sony E mount utilizing a Monsteradapter. I enjoy the quality of the lenses and feel like they actually do a decent job on my modern ZV-E 10. Spec wise they are nothing to call home about, but have a unique 90s ,00s look with now, autofocus on my adapted Sony. Nice to see a video of what was a first attempt at real digital use of the V lenses.
Haha, that's awesome! Makes your setup super unique. Someone in the comments here first let me know about that monster adapter. It's really tempting but so much... But cool you have that personal connection to them. I love quirky special setups like that.
The only thing left of APS film is APS sensors, which are on many consumer DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. The sensor size is more or less the same as an APS negative. In fact, the first interchangeable-lens digital cameras, which were $20,000 models designed for news photographers, used APS sensors. The Minolta Dimage was one of the first digital interchangeable lens cameras designed for consumers.
APS didn't work because the smaller negative it produced simply wasn't up to the quality of 35mm film. Also, when negatives came back from the lab, they were stored inside the oddly-shaped and unstackable film canister, making storage and handling awkward.
For a moment I thought you bought a Hasselblad X1D because it looked so bricky from afar 😂
Kinda does look like it from the thumbnail size.
I have an Olympus E-10 from 2000 that still works. Great optics. Processor is slow for sure. Still love this old camera. Have had many cameras since.
I'm so old to remember the world befor digital photography and even the existence of aps format. It's only around 2010 that digital reached a decent quality: before it was just an expensive toy for geeks, and this camera proves it.
I need to see a review on that ZD. That's such a rare and obscure camera and, because of that, there's almost no reviews about it
Ah, good eyes :)
I like the SCSI connector - reminds me of good old times ❤❤
The only V mount I knew about until now was Hasselblad's. What a quirky thing, takes me back to the time when camera manufacturers were actually out there trying (with varying degrees of success) radically new concepts and ideas rather than copying each other and trying to just come up with the most impressive specs spreadsheet.
Yes *sigh* so much crazy innovation and trying new things
Wow! I thought Hasselblad's whole point of existence was the big medium format and big lenses. I never heard of their detour into tiny APS-C land!
Super cool video! I am getting into old digital cameras since a couple of years ago when I found a cheap mint Nikon D1. Then I kept my eyes open for more and found a Kodak DCS760 which was super luckily still working, I just needed to buy a 3rd party battery (which is amazing that it still exists). The colours needed calibrating in a RAW editor but otherwise super fun. Then I found a Minolta RD-175. That was really difficult to get working, but I did eventually manage it. I needed to get someone to send me a pre-formatted CF card, which blew my mind that anyone still had :D. These old cameras are so much fun! :)
Awesome set of cameras! Some of those early FF Kodak's are on my list and the rd175 as well. I've heard similar things about being a little tricky to get working. I have a follow up video in the works on this Minolta with some cool new stuff :)
@@snappiness Nice! Looking forward to it. I'm keeping my eyes on the local auction for any of the older Kodaks. That would be pretty awesome to try out.
my mother used to have an aps film camera. You could change the crop ratio on it, could do panoramas on it. It was very co.
The V system has one lens that I've always wanted to try. 400mm F8 AF mirror lens. That and the Minolta 500mm f8 mirror lens for A-mount are the only autofocus mirror lenses ever made.
Interesting fact I did not know!
@@snappiness maybe a lens worth seeing?
I remember when APS when they came out it was a combined with serveral film and camera companies . Had some great ideas shuch as print index etc on negatives you got a card index ie small pictures and when you changed film 1/2 throught film the leader went into the canaster but put it back in the camera and it would retrieve the leader just never took off
I remember this camera back in the day. I saw it more of a concept camera at the time because its design was very awkward and very unlike the typical Minolta camera. It was basically a digital version of the Minolta Vectis S-1 APS film camera. Those lenses were originally launched with the film camera. The APS format died an early death due to the fast paced development of digital camera and the V mount died with it. The 'DiMage' brand lived on via the 7 series cameras (Dimage 7, 7i, 7Hi) and then the A series cameras until Sony bought the camera imaging department of Konica Minolta.
I burst out laughing on the first sample
🤣
MonsterAdapter LA-VE2 is an electronic lens adapter to mount Minolta Vectis interchangeable lenses to Sony E-mount cameras with Autofocus enabled. It is an upgraded version of the previous MonsterAdapter LA-VE1, which is only MF capable.
Shooting with a Minolta? Subscribed.
Hey man i love your channel and old cameras. I was just wondering, what’s up with the overexposed video when your recording yourself?
Do the highlights look crushed to you? Video is hard :/ The histogram looked good and on my editor it looked clean. Still gotta dial in this new space and lighting setup.
To be fair, this was really in the "first wave" of DSLR which weren't hand-made by Nikon, Kodak and NASA all working together, so Minolta's solution to the "tiny sensor problem" was perhaps the best they could do in the late 1990's. The penalty for being one of the first is the distinct possibility of diving headlong down a blind alley, which this turned out to be.
Also: the $3000 price-tag from 1999 is comparable to a top-end $5000~$6000 DSLR today, which this RD3000 most definitely was, back its day.
Can I say "brick".
I challenge another camera to try and out brick this one!
Most bricks are not that big 😂
1:52 What camera is that on the right side of the screen in the background?
0:47 I had both a 110 cartridge camera then replaced it with an APS cartridge camera. The only difference was, after taking the cartridge to the chemist to be developed, the 110 photos would come back with a strip of brown coloured negatives, if you wanted to re-order any prints. While the APS came back with a card of colour thumbnail pictures.
This was in a time before iPhones and UA-cam. Back then if someone told me they could take a high quality instant photograph with a telephone and instantly send it all the way across the Atlantic for free, I’d have laughed.
Cool video, camera looks like an early cinema camera at first glance it’s so cube like.
3:12 It's tough so say definitively that it's a prism or optical issue, as it may also that one of the two sensors is either failing, or its supporting circuitry has degraded. It could be something fairly straightforward like capacitor replacement, or it could be something impossible like a faulty sensor. In my opinion, glass (the prism / mirrors in this case) don't degrade with time ... unless they have a reflecting coating which contains metal that may have corroded. Even this would be extremely difficult to remedy, as the prism or glass would need to be re-coated to a very high level of quality.
I'm sorry I don't have much more suggest. Once thing is for certain however; this is a fascinating piece of digital camera history, and I'm so glad you showcased it. Even with the visual defect, the images have an undeniable charm to them.
I'm opening it up soon, so I guess we'll find out if it's something obvious or not. Worth a shot.
Hi there, loving the thorough explanation and sober examination of obscure and un-documented hardware. Though, could you please fix your audio setup? The hum/buzz from what I assume is your microphone feed is atrocious to the point that I stopped the video after 3 minutes since I couldn't bare it anymore.
Distinct 90s aesthetic like the blair witch Project. You should try going to a local popular skate park with that camera system.
I'm too dorky to pass as a hipster, as much as I try :(
It looks either like a mirror drag or maybe the secondary sensor is bad?
You could make some really cool stories with this camera. like I could see some RPGs with images like this. it's very unique.
like I could imagine in this hypothetical game that you can't quite remember someone's face, so you use this camera and take an image of them with the dark part at the top as a memory.
WOW! I still have a Minolta Vectis SLR for this APS film format and two lenses. Sorry to hear the format was discontinued, but I suppose it had to happen.
I assume you haven't been able to find a service manual for it, you might have to pay a website depending. Beyond this I would expect there might be mold or some other issue in part of the Optics. I would start with a really good quality jewelers screwdriver set and start small exploratory investigations / dissembles learning about how its put together and making sure to take many photos and / or video. This could take a week or more depending on the complexity of the internals. I've taken apart and repaired digital cameras of this age, but also a lot of vintage film camera's without manuals. It's all about being slow and steady and not forcing anything or baking yourself into a corner etc :) Kind of wish I had one now :D
Built in SCSI port? Now that is crazy
I didn't read all the comments but did you try a split nd filter as a hack to even out the exposure before opening the unit and seeing about cleaning the light path.
My last film camera was a Minolta Vectis S 1. I also have 4 lenses. With no film it's retired. Next camera was Pentax K110D.
The APS film format gave its name to APS-C, as they are roughly the same size.
Although I hated APS, I did like using my Vectis SLR. The lenses were pretty decent.
Yhe camera i took with me to israel for 2 years was an APS system csmera. And u are right it was supposed to be the next big thing. Loved my aps camera.
Very cool. NO idea that camera existed! I'll bet forays like this probably contributed to Minolta's demise. Pentax did similar things, but survived ( if you want to say "survived" ) .
Everything in the images looks like they line up okay, is there something obscuring the prism or sensor? Or is one of the sensors burnt?
Man this camera is a funky boi 😅
Hi. Cool video but I do steer clear of Minoltas. I think, being a piece of pre 2000s electronics, chances are that it is a Capacitor problem. If you have it re-capped, I am sure it would be fine. The problem is that with electrolytic capacitors, they have a damp piece of substrate between the virtual plates (which hold the charge) and the substrate not surprisingly, dries out with time. New electrolytic capacitors are pennies and the even better news is that as the camera is so large, it probably has some full sized (cheap to replace) capacitors inside. If you open the camera up, look for blown capacitors. They have a scored aluminium cap on top which when they dry out splits into a slight conical shape. They need to be replaced.
Good tip, thanks!
I wonder if that camera has anything to do with minolta's line of legendary film scanners, as they both have the "dimage" nomenclature. Perhaps the same sensor technology?
this video reminded me of the nikon/fujifilm e-series (not to be confused with series e) digital cameras.
it also has chunky ass body like the minolta. however this one uses the f mount mount with a telecompressor and a smaller sensor to get about 4 more stops of light while retaining the equivalent 35mm focal length.
i can't find them anywhere but it'd be really cool if you could get your hands on that somehow.
I know what you're talking about, I've seen those before.
Take an OOF photo of a bright featureless surface; a full screen notepad on your PC monitor will do- see if the black tint is still present.
APS lives on and has lived on in size and in the form of crop sensors similar to how 35mm is full frame.
LOL i saw that big ol Mamiya in the back , I have the AFDII and thought about that one to use with my existing lenses.
Which lenses do you have and like? I'm new to the system :)
@@snappiness I got the 45, 80 and 150, I like them all and when I got them they were very affordable.
@@maxwellwellmax878 awesome. I have the 55 and the 120 macro (which is manual focus even though it's from the AF series I think). I'm looking at the 80 next and maybe the 150 in the future!
@@snappiness I also have the 80 f/1.9 manual focus, a friend of mine who does Weddings recommended it to me.
@@maxwellwellmax878 oooo that would be a really cool one to try on this digital body! I'll put it on my list!
I spot a Mamiya ZD. Iirc you have never done a review of that bizarre camera, looking forward to seeing it soon.
Yes, that's a new one I'm very excited about :)
I can imaging it being almost as heavy as a hasselblad from the size
I used an APS camera in the '90's and still have a Canon APS SLR which I have a roll of film for.
since the one CCD sensor array is OK and the other has a fault, why not mask off the screen/viewfinder and use only the working half. it halves the resolution but gives you perfectly acceptable images. you could also carve a sensor from a broken camera (like the samsung NX, which bricks itself but has a 4K array).
Currently electronic adapter is available for adapting to Sony e mount, you should try it
Somebody told me about it... what a wild setup that would be on a modern sony.
APS lives on in the APS-c digital format which is the same dimensions.
Absolutely cursed construction. But best CCD they could get in 1998-1999 is 2/3" size.
Whole point of APS film cameras was to make them smol. So imagine you bought into an APS interchangeable lens system, and then you get offered THIS monstrosity.
Hahaha, exactly!
I guess that one of the sensors was long time exposed to sunlight and therefore burnt out, the only thing i could see bring a lasting effect is replacing the damaged sensor, what would probably be a mirracle in itself.
One thing that might could be an other cause is that an internal exposure controll gotten out of tune and would have to be reset/cleaned/whatever it needs, if this would be the case you would not have to doo that much but i can't see that beeing the true problem here
_Most people haven't heard of the APS film format_ ? Well I expect they do know of the APS digital format which uses a sensor size the same (more or less) as the image area of the old APS film. The width of APS film is the same as film for 35mm cameras, but some of the width is taken by an information strip. I remember film APS being introduced : everyone (except Kodak) knew it was dead in the water, because digital was coming.
Yeah I think it would've stood a chance if it was ten years earlier. It had some cool tech associated with it.
I too am a fan of dead systems. Just rounded out a nice collection of four thirds gear.
Very cool. I just have my Olympus e300 which I love. Finally found the 50mm f2 and the 25mm f2.8 for decent prices after a lot of patience. One day I want to pick up one the Panasonic equivalent.
Lol I have this problem maybe you’re familiar with but when I’m looking for something obscure and waiting for it to pop up I’ll end up with multiple. When it rains it pours. Which reminds me I need to offload this pana Leica 25/1.4 four thirds lens. Do you think I should list on eBay with a low starting price or mark it slightly less than market and put up on a forum? It’s always tricky with these low volume high value items.
Kodak had a 14 mgpxl CMOS they had installed in a Nikon body . . . great camera, $4000 . . . Kodak Pro DCS-14n, released in 2002.
I'd love to see Snappinsess find one and test it.
heh, i had to send a roll of aps film i shot back in 2004 for development. took over a month for that to happen. aps film size is roughly the same as aps-c sensors.
The issue with the second sensor being dark likely has to do with one of the split prisms / mirrors desilvering.
Not something thats easy to fix
So fantastically fantastic.
😁
I HAVE all those lenses and the camera (APS) I have a thing for APS
Now I need to find this Minolta RD-3000
Hey when you were doing your homework on this thing did you ever find any images of how the insides are laid out? How those reducer lenses, prism and sensors are setup?
I have not. I am looking for one for when I open this thing up.
Are you really gonna pop it open? That would be hella cool
If Possible Please Make One Video How To Open Nikon P1000 Camera Lens??? Please 🙏
Is that a SCSI port? For tethering, I presume.
I think that one sensor has some problems with capturing the light so i tink that a sensor swap is needed but there obviusly isn't a sensor that fits that camera
That's funny, my wife made exactly the same comment the other day "she's grown quite fond of this really big guy 🤙😂" jokes aside, I've never heard of the camera. Great video as always.
Aww 🤣
APS film never went anywhere, but APS-C is a popular size for digital cameras today from several of the big manufacturers, for people who like a smaller than full-frame camera. Not a surprise that Minolta tried it. But this giant, ugly camera seems to defeat the point of APS as compact and fun. The film Vectris cameras look like small and cute pocket snapshot machines.
When you got this camera, the Dimage was already done. Can you open it up and see if there's just a layer of dust on one side of the prism? The manual says to use Bulb mode to access the relay lens and clean it gently with blower brush or cotton swabs.
Seems you could take a picture of an evenly lit sheet of paper, correct for the dark half in Photoshop, and then apply that correction to all your shots.
I see online mentions of converters to put these lenses on a Sony E mount body, and to use Maxxum/E lenses on this body.
I don't see the appeal of such an ugly, oversize camera. Aren't there still-working APS-C kits with nice, compact cameras and popular lens mounts and nostalgic looking CCDs?
I still use my Minolta Dimage S414 4.1 MP Bridge Camera, which I bought in 2004. We all thought that 4MP in 2004 was amazing and I have to admit, the photos taken with it even today are not that bad.
Only 2.7 mpix for this combined image