When I became serious about developing skills in photography, I was drawn to the practice of contemplative photography with small and simple cameras in Auto mode. The idea that I can re-frame the world and see it with fresh eyes is attractive because it anchors the mind in the moment. There’s no struggle with too many buttons or camera settings in Auto, and there’s no complex exposure puzzle to solve because the camera does the heavy lifting.

When I purchased my first DSLR – a Nikon D5100 – I was thrust into the world of camera gear. My formerly simple photo walks turned into knotted thoughts about dynamic range, sharpness, and aperture settings. I sought out videos and online forums so I could learn. I purchased even more gear, knowing all the while that people were making great photos with primitive boxes over a century ago.

There’s a joy in this sort of learning curve, and it’s important, but there’s also a cognitive load that removes some of the pleasure of inhabiting the moment – at least for me. Others, I suppose, may find sustainable joy in complexity.

So, how can I re-enter the moment with camera in hand? This is where old digital cameras are useful. Enter the Fuji Finepix S7000 – a prosumer camera announced in 2003 that features full auto and manual modes, a fixed zoom lens with a maximum aperture of 2.8, great ergonomics, a nice EVF, and Fujifilm’s take on the digital CCD sensor: a 6.3 megapixel Super CCD generation IV sensor.

Super CCD – the secret sauce?

Before CMOS digital sensors went mainstream, CCD sensors could be found in most older digital cameras. Most camera reviews at the time focussed on whether colours out of the camera were natural or over-saturated, providing clues as to how camera makers programmed their on-board software to make JPG photos more vibrant and attractive to buyers. There’s a current trend where some people believe that CCD sensors contain “techno-magical” properties and produce film-like results, but as someone who grew up with film cameras – only film looks like film. I suspect that those who believe this are young enough to think they missed out on a digital technology that offers long-lost superiority over current camera output. Frankly, there were plenty of trashy, low quality CCD sensor cameras back then too.

The Fujifilm Finepix S7000 features a Super CCD sensor with a honeycomb patterned Colour Filter Array (CFA) overlaid. Some people think CCD sensors create better colours than CMOS sensors, but people who know a lot more than me are pretty certain they don’t. Anyway, there are other reasons to use old cameras like the S7000.

Using the S7000

I purchased the S7000 for a fraction of its original retail price. Here in Australia, it would have been a top-shelf digital camera at the time of release – the likes of which I’d not have been able to afford. Back then, I’d only just moved on from my first digital camera: a boxy Kodak DSC with 1 megapixel, an awfully tiny LCD screen, no manual controls, and the worst battery life I’ve ever encountered in any modern electrical device.

Oh, what a camera I’d missed! The S7000 is pleasingly ergonomic. The grip is comfortable and the myriad buttons are within easy reach. What surprises me is the EVF – a pretty immersive experience, even by today’s standards, despite comparatively low resolution. Honestly, I had no idea that a 20 year old digital camera could be this advanced! This is mirrorless before we had modern mirrorless.

OK, the camera has some annoying quirks: the slow start-up time, washed out LCD and EVF, the tinny start-up sound I’d forgotten about on these old devices, the photo playback button located on the power switch, 2 separate menu buttons, a maximum shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second unless in full manual mode (where it’s a whopping 1/10000th), and the screen that nags you to update the date/time. You can turn off the tinny sounds, including the focus beep and the fake shutter sound, but when you change the 4xAA batteries, the camera forgets all user settings and you have to go in and do it all again. So, I just leave the annoying camera sounds on now.

SOOC – Straight out of the camera

I usually set all my cameras to RAW and edit the photos later, but in the interests of removing cognitive load, enjoying the moment, and exploring the manufacturer baked-in colour profiles of the S7000, I set it to the Fujichrome colour setting at 12 megapixel, Fine JPG. It’s the best way, I think, to experience what most people used at the time and just enjoy a day out.

All of the photos on this page are the S7000’s JPG output. In F-chrome mode the output is high contrast, high colour saturation, and a green bias in the white balance. I think they look pretty nice. In fact, I think the output is remarkable from a 2003 digital camera.

Older CCD sensors aren’t great when it comes to strong highlights in high dynamic range scenes, so I made most of these photos between -0.3 and -1.0 exposure compensation, just to protect the highlights. As you can see on the hulls of the boats above, the detail is preserved well. I do wish the giant black solar panel wasn’t blocking the boat at the back, but that’s life.

Blues and greens are especially nice using the Fujichrome setting, and the contrast is punchy. I barely touched these images in Lightroom – some cropping when required, some image straightening, and the barest highlight recovery and black point. Not that JPGs provide much latitude for recovering shadows or highlights, but I’m happy with that because it means I don’t need to mess around much in editing after enjoying the day out.

For such an old camera, the resolution and detail is excellent, though pixel peeping reveals the sort of softness that most modern photographers would be seriously troubled by. There’s also visible chromatic aberration around strong contrast areas. Still, there’s a pleasantness and immediacy to the images I can’t deny. They’re sharp enough without making the eyes water.

The S7000, through clever software and the honeycomb structure of the CFA, interpolates 6 megapixels to a 12 megapixel output, though you can choose 1, 3, or 6 megapixels if required. It can also output CCD RAW files at 12 megapixels only. I set it to 12 MP Fine JPG setting, as this seemed to be the preferred setting of many users at the time.

A surprising performer

The Fujifilm Finepix S7000 ticks a lot of boxes for me: it’s easy to use, has advanced settings if I want, has fantastic Macro and Super Macro modes (I’d forgotten about the dedicated macro button featuring the cute flower symbol on these old cameras), and satisfies the itch to stop thinking about settings too much and instead focus on the world and the image. The 12 megapixel output is certainly usable, even today, and would easily yield a good 8×10 inch print. It would have been an amazing camera at the time of release and I’m sure it would have blown my mind in 2003. It also proves that today’s complex mirrorless cameras had perfectly capable precedents.