Mechanical Nostalgia in a Digital World: Trend or Staying Power

[Originally written February 2014 for Technaddict (now defunct). Formatting and images have been removed for copyright reasons.]

by Brian Gooding

The digital camera world’s fascination with mechanical-style cameras continues as Fujifilm announced the X-T1, an interchangeable lens compact (ILC) with all mechanical controls and Olympus announced the OM-D E-M10, a Micro Four Thirds body modeled after the classic Olympus OM film camera. These are the second and third serious enthusiast/professional cameras to be announced in within the last three months, Nikon’s Df being the other.

I’ll admit that the retro look on these cameras pulled me in initially…but the the experience and feel of using old-school controls is what sold me. Because of this, I recently bought a Fujifilm X100s (in the same series as the Fujifilm X-T1) for fun since it is a great street photography focal length and size. These new cameras are all for users of different expertise levels and range in price from $699 to $2746, not including a lens. With their current popularity rising it is worth wondering whether the retro design is just a phase, or a style that will last.

I am someone who grew up and learned on a point-and-shoot digital, migrated to film for more control and interchangeable lenses and then back to digital once digital with advanced controls and interchangeable lens-capability was affordable. I still remember how cool I felt when I first got a film camera and turned the knobs to adjust the shutter—somehow it just felt more real.

Old-school knobs feel more tactile, more solid in my hands; I seem to think more about the shot and what I’m doing when I use them. Numbered knobs, as the ones on the Nikon Df and Fujifilm X-T1 are great for learning because when the user looks at the camera to adjust settings they will reconfirm the setting in another place besides just seeing it in the viewfinder.

The experience of shooting, for me at least, becomes so much more visceral when using a camera like the X-T1—I actually want to shoot even more. This could be just me being a romantic…but I doubt it due to the positive reception so far.

To be able to have the beauty and classic styling of older film cameras with the capabilities of modern digital cameras…it’s a good time to be a photographer, and with newer technologies coming it’s only going to get better!