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Then and NowA brief history and comparison of digicams then, and now.
If you're a novice to the world of digital photography, you might not be aware that consumer level digital cameras have only been around for a few short years. As a matter of fact, it was only around seven years ago that Casio introduced the "QV-10" digital camera to the general public. It offered a maximum resolution of only 320 x 240 pixels, had internal memory only (no memory cards) and did not have a built-in flash. Image quality was pretty darn bad, but it did offer one of the first color LCD screens on a consumer digital camera at the time. The price? A whopping $500.00! Still, a number of these units were sold, and from time to time you can even find them on Ebay being sold to "collectors" for as little as $20.00. Back then, Kodak offered a couple of models in the $1,000.00 range, as Sony introduced one of the first floppy disk "Mavica" camera (model FD-5), and Epson cranked out the first "PhotoPC" for under $500.00, a first in consumer digital camera pricing. A year or so later, the first 1 to 1.3 megapixel models were being introduced at the same price point, and this time, Olympus began to take the lead in terms of image quality and camera features. Sony kept on their heels, with Kodak and Nikon picking up speed. Casio and Epson seemed to have stalled out for a bit during this early stage, keeping models few and far between, though later each would begin to crank out higher spec cameras. Forward to today. So, what do you get for your hard-earned money NOW, that you could only dream about THEN? Just for the fun of it, let's compare two digital cameras that have both been considered to be "state of the art" cameras during their time. The Sony D770 (left) was a state of the art powerhouse of the late 1990s. It offered a then "whopping" 1.5 megapixel resolution, long zoom, and a huge lens. The Sony F707 (right) is one of todays powerhouses, offering a 5 megapixel image and laser focusing (a new model F717 with a few extra bells and whistles has recently replaced this model). Take a look...
I'm going to use two above mentioned Sony models for comparison. Both were targeted at the photo-enthusiast when they were first released, or what is now called the "prosumer" market. Let's compare what you get now as opposed to then:
Today, the Sony D-770 (when you can find it online for sale in an auction) goes for as little as $325.00 with all of the accessories and features of it's time. The Sony F707 has recently had a retail price drop to around $750.00, since the newer F717 hit the scene. Consumer level digital cameras too, have dropped just as dramatically in these few short years. What would once cost you nearly $500.00 for a sub-megapixel nonzoom camera, you can now pick up off the shelf for under $100.00 at your local discount store. One of the most frequent questions I get in email, is "should I buy a digital camera now, or wait for prices to drop?". Well, as you can tell from this article, prices drop and features change so quickly in this new technology, I answer, "No, do not wait". Buy what you need now, and what will serve you now, because like the rest of us, you'll get "the bug" and want to upgrade someday anyway. See you in five years at the store...
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