Why Every Photographer Should Own an Old DSLR

Old DSLRs might seem outdated, but they still have a lot to offer. If you’re just starting out or looking for a way to refresh your photography, picking up one of these affordable, chunky cameras can be a great decision.

Coming to you from James Warner of snappiness, this engaging video highlights why an old DSLR might deserve a spot in your camera bag. Warner points out that these cameras are incredibly budget-friendly. Models from the 10-megapixel era, like those with Canon EF, Nikon F, or Pentax K mounts, can often be found for around $100. Despite their age, these cameras deliver excellent results in well-lit conditions and can produce prints suitable for walls, books, or personal projects.

For beginners, these cameras are ideal tools for learning photography. They offer full manual and priority modes with physical dials, which help you understand how shutter speed, aperture, and ISO interact. While phones can simulate manual controls, Warner explains that tactile buttons and dials are often easier for learners. Mastering these basics on an old DSLR ensures you’re prepared to step up to more advanced gear later.

For experienced users with modern mirrorless cameras, old DSLRs still have unique benefits. Warner highlights their distinct image quality, particularly from models with CCD sensors. These sensors create a look reminiscent of the era they were made in, with a certain character and tonal quality that many find appealing. While color science plays a bigger role than the sensor itself, these cameras evoke a style that’s becoming increasingly rare.

One of the standout features of old DSLRs is their optical viewfinder. Unlike electronic viewfinders, optical ones let you see light directly through the lens without a screen. Warner explains that this analog experience can feel like a detox from the constant screen exposure of modern life. Spending hours each day looking at digital screens can be overwhelming, and using an optical viewfinder offers a refreshing break while reconnecting you with the tactile side of photography.

Using an old DSLR can also reignite your creativity. Warner suggests that switching tools can help you get out of a creative slump. The limitations and quirks of older cameras often encourage you to think differently about your shots. Whether it’s the slower performance, the need to adapt to older features, or the nostalgic feel of the images, these cameras can challenge and inspire you in new ways. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Warner.

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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9 Comments

Every photographer should own an old ) SLR , an⁸d know how to use 8photographers used to do. I love my Minolta SRT 101 and the photos it takes.

I still have and occasionally use my 2005-ish Olympus E500...it has the 8MP Kodak CCD sensor which gives beautiful colour rendition and contrast ratios...slow as a wet week to process RAW images so buffering times are high...no live view on the rear LCD so all framing done via the optical viewfinder which I prefer, except for doing those low or high angle shots! It has some foibles of age with metering now becoming somewhat of a lottery. Terrible in low light but I still love using it when the conditions are right.I have two canon 60D's, a Canon 6Dmkii and a Fuji X-S10...and a vintage Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2 so I have a very varied set of tools to play with

I love my two DSLR canon EOS 80D and 90D the upgrade to the 90D with some of the same functions as the 80D but what makes them different is the sensor size and 4k. I love my ovf over the evf. I can't honestly look at that all day. Some of the mirrorsless cameras features make me feel less of a photographer. With all the pre shoot and tracking mode, I really don't need. I shot everything from sports to wildlife, landscape, portrait, street art ect. The battery life in my 80D and 90D out last most mirrorsless cameras. Some are not weather sealed and others a missing the top widow. Not I really can't just because I came from the rebels but they was my learning tools. Till I got the 80D. At work now with my 90D I bought for the focus pecking and other reasons. I was light weight tell I add the battery grip

I still have my 1st DSLR a canon 20D and my 2nd a 70D, which I still use on occasion.

My current main shooter is a Pentax K-1.

So I guess all I shoot with are old DSLRs.

I can't imagine why I'd go ever back. I realized I much preferred my point and shoot Canon G10 once I did finally buy a DSLR - and didn't blink an eye when that DSLR was stolen. Mirrorless made so much more sense. Let the computer have constant access to the data in real time allowing it to do the heavy lifting. My eye seeing the photons in real time was clearly unnecessary.

Dragging out my 4x5? Yes. A neanderthal stone age ancestor of my mirrorless? I think not.

I still love my Canon 90D & R62 this is all I'll need for the next 10 years.

Personally, I think every photographer should own and use an 8x10 view camera.

Here’s why this is a romantic fallacy- either pushed to the front of the line by high end pros with LOTS of time, or “photographists” who don’t actually use the camera to pay the bills

The reason is OBSOLESCENCE, the “D” in DSLR is for digital, unlike an analog film camera, or the clever realization of Hasseblad to make digital backs for their film cameras, ALL DSLR will die a death of worn out shutters, interior focusing elements or software that will never be updated or supported- the parts needed for repair, the ecosystem to produce those parts, and techs capable of doing it, dwindle every year- the media for many of them, compact flash- while robust (i STILL prefer CF to SD) are equally in danger of when, not if, their innards become corrupt-

encouraging purchases to tech that has been ignored, left behind, or simply discarded by their original manufacturer is a romantic dream that has less based on output than film does, while film cameras are definitely “vintage” their very build style comes with a degree of robustness - and even with the ecological doomsday of chemicals needed to process film- it is a less corruption prone medium because it is physical (analog for the young’uns) whereas DSLR are simply paperweights looking for a good recycling system that can extract the best from them and reuse in other products

No, other than holding papers (who ever still uses that) in a strong breeze- DSLR’s are the running trophies from years gone by, collecting dust, lots of stories about using them, but always a brisk walk away from a full knee replacement

One reason for amateurs to own a dslr is to continue to use the lenses that we have accumulated over the years. Even if we have begun to switch to mirrorless, replacement of lenses is a gradual process due to the expense. Some lenses have no affordable mirrorless equivalent, like manual focus super telephoto primes, such as the 400mm Nikkor f2.8 or 500mm Nikkor f.4. Pros need reliable tools to “pay the bills.” Hobbyists have different priorities.