Wired Cola

This photo was taken in 2004, using a Sony DSC-V1. It was a five-megapixel compact camera (introduced in 2003, MSRP US$700):

Pretty good, huh? That's a low-light situation, so the camera took this photo at 1/15 shutter speed. Of course, I also had ISO 100 set. I can't remember if that was because it was hard to change the ISO on that camera, or because high-ISO performance was not its forte.

For some time I've been mooting the creation of Classic Digital Photography, meant as a magazine-ish website documenting the early days of digicams.

Arguably, DP Review's archive does a good job of this already, reaching back to 1998, but my hope is to highlight the historically interesting cameras (the early Canon D30, the Kodak DCS100, FD Mavicas, and so forth). I also want to put these cameras in context, comparing them with what is available today (not least because I want to settle a few technical questions about megapixel mythology and sensor sensitivity), and also with an eye to the use and preservation of these cameras today. Some of these early units are starting to wear out in the usual ways, and a great many of them also had sufficiently proprietary (and now obsolete) battery packs that continuing to use them may get a bit tricky. I also want to document some of the interesting dead ends, like the cleverly packaged twisting Nikons, including my beloved Coolpix E2500, which made this image:

Mmm. Warbird.

There are some others out there. DigiCamHistory is cataloguing the history of these machines fairly well, but they're really just listing the cameras and marking the milestones. I want to discuss these cameras in their historical context, but also with an eye to using them today: how and why.

So here's how you can help. I need interest, assistance, and cameras. Let me know what you think, let me know if you want to write or shoot for it, and let me know if you are wiling to lend me your early digital camera (or better yet, write up a review of it yourself). Amuse yourself in the comments, or more discreetly at the usual email address.