スマホに押されていた古いデジカメやレンズ　レトロな描写で人気

Recently, taking photos with smartphones has become the norm, and cameras and interchangeable lenses are said to be declining in sales. However, on the other hand, older cameras and lenses are quietly gaining popularity, as they are able to capture retro images that are difficult to achieve with smartphones. Matsue Castle was visited by many tourists during the New Year holidays. Naturally, the tool of choice for commemorative photos was a smartphone...but... Hasegawa Yukihiko "(Q: You're using an old lens. Why?) It's something I've recently found interesting." The man taking photos of the castle was holding a lens that's about half a century old. Of course, the focus was manual. Hasegawa Yukihiko "It's a 50mm, F1.4. The edges are a bit blurry, how can I put it? 'Emotional,' I guess." When he showed me the photos, they had a soft, impressionist-like quality, with streaks of light streaming out from the sun, creating an artistic finish. Yukihiko Hasegawa "With modern lenses, you often get crisp photos, right? If the lens is good, it creates a soft, blurry look. That's what I like about this." However, the camera with the old lens is a digital SLR. Yukihiko Hasegawa "It's expensive, but film is expensive. So I'm using this one." When I asked about current best-selling items at a camera store in Matsue, I was directed to the used camera section. Junji Takita, Manager of Camera Kitamura Matsue Store "Compact digital cameras. Most of them are over 10 years old, so they're considered used, but they're extremely popular." Lined up in the display window are old digital compact cameras. Until a few years ago, these types of cameras were completely out of stock due to smartphones, but they've suddenly become popular, with some older models selling for nearly 20,000 yen. Junji Takita, Manager of Kitamura Camera Matsue Store "Film cameras themselves are still popular, but the main issues are the limited availability, price, and cost of film. These are some of the barriers, and there's a trend toward digital cameras. Some used digital cameras have seen their prices increase five to ten times in the past few years." Film's retro image quality and ease of use remain popular, and last year saw the release of the first new film camera in over a decade. However, as smartphones have become more popular and production has plummeted, film has become very expensive, and depending on the type, developing can take a very long time, making it a challenging process. For this reason, people who want to enjoy film-like photography more easily are seeking out old digital cameras and old interchangeable lenses. Junji Takita, Manager of Kitamura Camera Matsue Store "Many people come into our store after seeing photos taken with these cameras on social media. They say that this old-fashioned image quality feels fresh to them. The image quality is inferior to that of modern cameras, with a lot of noise, blown-out highlights, and crushed shadows. But that's what's so appealing about them. We actually get orders online from overseas. I think they're popular (overseas, too)." Comparing photos taken with compact digital cameras from back then, which were technologically underdeveloped and had low pixel counts, to those taken with modern smartphones, the images taken with digital cameras tend to be a little more basic than those taken with smartphones, which produce sharper images. Mirrorless cameras, which have no mirror in the lens attachment area, have a wide variety of adapters available for lenses from various manufacturers, making it easier than ever to shoot with older lenses. Junji Takita, Manager of Kitamura Camera Matsue Store "I hope it will continue as a long-lasting part of our culture, rather than just being a fad." It's similar to nostalgia for the burnt crusts of rice cooked in a traditional Japanese stove, but when it comes to enjoying something, the latest trends may not always be the best. [BSS News] https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/list/bss [TBS NEWS DIG] https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/