Nikon N8008 (or Canon equivalent) vs. the DSLRs of today

Random musing. Was feeling nostalgic, and I remembered the very first SLR camera my family ever had was the Nikon N8008 (F-801 in non-US markets according to wiki) that my dad purchased in the early 90s.

I remember he wasn't into photography at all, just thought that the SLR would give him better pictures of our family, but when he realized the complexity that went into it (plus helpful forums like this weren't around back then ), it didn't get much use. These days even if we look through family pictures no idea which ones were from which camera.

Maybe this is an impossible and ridiculous question I'm asking, because it also involves film vs digital. But wiki seems to imply that the N8008 was probably akin to something like a D5100 now (so Canon T3i level). How far have cameras come in the 20 years or so? What would be the IQ difference/ improvement in a 4X6 printed photo from a Canon T3i vs the Nikon N8008 (or Canon equivalent) of yesteryear?

Well it would also come down to the film that was run through the camera at the time. Film doesnt have resolution that is as clearly defined as pixels, but some quality films will resolve slightly more than others.

Im sure that perceived sharpness and perceived IQ could be much more boosted in digital files compared with the analog and film counterparts blown up to larger sizes, but then we get into film scans into post and that all gets a bit muddled again. Can't really compare them all too easily.

LiberationFrequency wrote in post #14981829
Well it would also come down to the film that was run through the camera at the time. Film doesnt have resolution that is as clearly defined as pixels, but some quality films will resolve slightly more than others.

Im sure that perceived sharpness and perceived IQ could be much more boosted in digital files compared with the analog and film counterparts blown up to larger sizes, but then we get into film scans into post and that all gets a bit muddled again. Can't really compare them all too easily.

Interesting, thanks for that insight. I didn't even realize there were different qualities of film at that time. I think the last film camera I took semi-seriously was in 1992 when I was 10. After that for some reason I just didn't feel a great desire to go around taking a lot of pictures, and had a disposable camera (embarrassing I know) phase for a while before going digital in 2000.

8008s (8008 with spot meter) was my first AF SLR. I remember I paid $650 for it (new). I sold it around 10 years ago. Anyway, I assume the af will be much slower and only have center focus point. 15-20 years ago, nikon af is much slower than canon eos even with f4 and f5. The meter mode (5 zone matrix) is a joke compare to latest dslr.

with dslr, you can capture beautiful photo much easier

Prior to digital, the difference between a basic camera like the pentax k-1000 and the most advanced EOS was the control system. As now, lenses made a huge difference, but effectively with the film being an equalizing factor in place of a sensor the differences were in controls. Metering systems, auto systems, and frame rate were all things that differentiated one camera from another.