On the surface, this could be considered a joke video. But I was thinking about it, and actually, the top rated and most reviewed cameras and lenses have all gotten so good that at lot of newer photographers might not fully understand or have seen what some quality problems actually look like. This video looks at gear so bad that it’s a great illustration of the problems you don’t want to see: This is what chromatic aberration looks like. This is what soft corners look like. This is what rolling shutter looks like. So, this could be an educational video after all!

Jordan must be a wizard because this video looked better than I expected. And then he started walking and taking.

@jmtphotographymedia

5 ай бұрын

That's when it felll apart. Rolling shutter fail city lol

@falsemcnuggethope

5 ай бұрын

The mismatched frame rate (and the fast shutter speed?) made all movement look garbage while in monopod also.

Those crap cameras sadly pop up at high prices in amazon searches for actual products, scamming less experienced buyers out of money.

@TL-xw6fh

5 ай бұрын

At least you do not live in China. They get bombarded with online garbage 24/7.

@ej_tech

5 ай бұрын

I searched "camera" on Amazon and it is filled (no actually, severely infested) with no name e-waste cameras. The only brand name ones were a Canon T7, a Fujifim Instax, and near the bottom is a LEICA M11 because nothing makes sense anymore!

@GungKrisna12

5 ай бұрын

​@@ej_techmaybe they might rely on their SEO

It would have been epic if that lens actually did have an arca dovetail in the tripod mount.

@morcjul

5 ай бұрын

Hahah nice one

@peterhoehsl

5 ай бұрын

The weight of the camera would break the mount on the lens. 🤣

@jlwilliams

5 ай бұрын

Five minutes with a flat file and it COULD have had an Arca dovetail. What would you have to lose?

This is what KZread footage looked like in 2010.

@pacheaco727

5 ай бұрын

And what Bigfoot/UFO footage looks like today

@jan.tichavsky

5 ай бұрын

This is what cheap Android phones in 2010 looked like.

@harryvlogs7833

5 ай бұрын

​@jan.tichavsky nah what iPhone looked like in 2010

@robmcd

5 ай бұрын

Watch the new Tom Nicholas Essay on holding the microphone. Internet Ugly js a thing.

@dasaen

5 ай бұрын

haha before big money came in to replace dad’s old recorder.

I think a gimbal would really unlock the full potential of the nbd camera

@yuxuanhuang3523

5 ай бұрын

That is just a crappy dashcam or surveillance camera in a plastic case that looks like a mirrorless. The flash is usually three white LEDs and I am surprised it has autofocus. These things got popular because some (cuss word) "bloggers" started boasting about how you get a dreamy film-like look with a old CCD compact camera. the CCD cameras are already junk enough costs like 200bucks now, and people started making these 30 buck garbage and selling them to scam people. (I know this because when I shop for second-hand gear on Taobao, these scammers always claim to be "Sony" and gunk up my search results when I want to find something like a nex5 or a5000)

The Sony a7R V: “Don’t attach that to me.. I could catch a camera disease… “ 😆

LOL at Chris being worried about autofocus when everything from 2 ft to infinity is in focus 😂

If less fps is most cinematic, this is the most cinematic thing I've seen all year!

@robertvarner9519

5 ай бұрын

It won't be cinematic. kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZHt3s9CNgKmaj9I.htmlsi=c38EI-YANVc53YO7

While at first thinking the NBD didn't look so terrible, I began to feel ill as soon as there was any movement.

Your pain making this was worth it. I appreciated every moment.

The fact that I watch every video you guys release is due to Chris and Jordan's subtle humor and charisma. I wish (don't curse me for this) you'd do even more fun and nonsense videos like this 😆

@keithswindell6212

5 ай бұрын

They have done lots over the years... the "Camera Wars" series comes to mind kzread.info/dash/bejne/k6ulm5J6gKi8l9o.html

This is proof I would watch Chris and Jordan no matter what they decided to make videos about.

@rem792

5 ай бұрын

It's called star power 😅

@geopapa80

5 ай бұрын

Exactly man I too endured to the end and that's saying a lot..

@pgricar

5 ай бұрын

Right. They are stars. I couldn't resist but watching all the way till the end. In fact, with a considerable amount of interest. They are awesome, no matter what they test and show. I enjoyed this little punishment for the Christmas. Merry Christmas to both.

@geopapa80

5 ай бұрын

@@pgricar Chris stops recording if the wind spoils the hair. Star attitude for sure 😁

@alfred3066

5 ай бұрын

thanks for your sevice, to be honest I can not bear the video shoot by No Big Deal camera.

TBH the NBD camera was better than I expected... until any movement happens Merry Christmas guys!

“Digital zoom lens” 😂😂😂

@andrewdrone

5 ай бұрын

I lol'd at that too haha

Aww, I was hoping you’d open up the camera, curious to see how little was inside of it.

@ProbablyAnAmateur

5 ай бұрын

ashens did exactly that!

@terrygoyan3022

5 ай бұрын

Probably old cell phones hauled out of the dumps. They may be doing us a favor by recycling e-waste!

It's so funny that Jordan's B&W photo was perhaps the best he's ever looked.

@PetaPixel

5 ай бұрын

A lack of resolution seems to help… - Jordan

@siskygod44

5 ай бұрын

@@PetaPixel Don't put yourself down, man. 🤣 And Merry Christmas from Japan 🇯🇵

That portrait is probably Jordan's best portrait ever. 🎉

@falsemcnuggethope

5 ай бұрын

It perfectly captures the agony of shooting this video.

@fabipuello

5 ай бұрын

@@falsemcnuggethope 😂😂😂

@domenicozauber206

5 ай бұрын

It's funny because it's true!

I'm impressed by how much image quality you guys squeezed out of this gear.

“Someone should be arrested for it”😂😂😂😂. This video is my 2023 best Xmas present!!!! Thank you Santa Chris and Jordan

That NBD camera is not as bad as I was expecting, as long as the light is good and it's not moving.

@yuxuanhuang3523

5 ай бұрын

save yourself some money and get a cheap dashcam, because that is what that thing basically is.

@MrRoosterx

4 ай бұрын

Watching this on my computer monitor almost gave me a headache. Reminded me of really old smartphones. Terrible.

Your Westcott sponsor segment actually demonstrates how important good lighting is. That's impressive.

Kudos to Jordan, who actually made the footage look almost acceptable. I wish you Merry Christmals and a good start into 2024.

This was a really funny episode. In the early days I had a digital camera the size of a lipstick. 2MP. When you filmed it was max 240x160 resolution. You could not see faces or figures. Just blurry shapes. It was also bright blue. Photos were better though.

Am I the only one who didn't hate the sample photos... some of Chris' best work.

@niccollsvideo

5 ай бұрын

Whoa now! No need to be mean. It’s Christmas! 😊

@samohara5187

5 ай бұрын

I thought the tunnel shot at 5:00 was actually very good considering the lens quality.

@Ozy_x

5 ай бұрын

@@samohara5187 thats exactly what i came down to see if anybody else has noticed but that tunnel shot was quite how to put it (full of soul) in it which just show you how a skilled photographer like Chris you could deliver amazing images with the crappiest tools

@ej_tech

5 ай бұрын

@@niccollsvideo Some of my most creative and favorite shots were taken on either my smartphone or my old 15 year old compact camera. "Inferior" camera equipment forces you to change your strategy compared to how you normally take photos on a mirrorless or DSLR.

i would love to see videos on old lenses, one of my favorite things to do for photography. nowadays namebrand lenses are just all "pretty good", but even 20 years ago companies had to make a lot of sacrifices to hit the pricepoint. leads to very interesting results

I hate to admit it, but - watching on a mobile device - I really didn't mind the footage from the NBD camera as long as it was locked down and in good light. And Chris did manage to get a couple of nice shots out of the weird lens. Either it's a Christmas miracle or Jordan is a genius DP and Chris knows how to make the best of a bad situation (which of course he does, being a fisherman…)

@niccollsvideo

5 ай бұрын

Awe JL! The Christmas spirit is getting to ya! I appreciate the kind words and legitimately wish you the best.

The camera bag made by "WTF" can't be far behind. (probably still in development) --- Great fun Chris and Jordan!!

Anyone else get motion sickness from that NBD video whenever they started walking 😂

This is one of your best ever episodes. I literally felt travel sick after the walk and talk.

I'm "Blaire Witch seasick" after watching some of that video! Worst piece of gear I ever bought was a 400/f5.6 Vivitar for my Nikon N6006, ~1989, $100. It was manual focus, but in a different direction from all my shorter Nikkors, which really screwed me up for a couple years. IQ was about the same as your lens, but usably fast. Sold it in ~1992, $100. It got me out of the house often, at least... Happy Holidays, guys!

My mom bought me a camcorder for Christmas one year. It was a Canasonic brand, 24.3 Gigapixel (printed on the box). The video resolution was a weird odd number, something like 787x435. And it was in a file format that nothing I used for editing video would recognize. It was funny! It was sold at a big box hardware store!

It's honestly cool to see someone review those super cheap telephoto lenses you sometimes see online. I figured they're bad but i was still curious how they would actually do

I think the portrait looked good, actually. It kind of had a No Country for Old Men look to it. Could be just a regular guy or a guy with an air powered cattle sleeping aid. But aside from the kidding, there is room for less than perfect glass. Lomo etc. So.... maybe....

8:51 I think someone has a new social media & dating profile photo, lol 🤣

I couldn’t decide if this video was better for Christmas or April Fool’s day. Loved it!!

Thanks for multiple laughs on what had to have been a painful exercise to produce!

That video again told me that a. Lighting is super important, b. sound is super important for video. Despite the rolling shutter it wasn't as bad as it could be.

That pic of Jordan is beautiful. Thanks for making this video, my mom was considering buying one of these knock off cameras. Im going to send her this video.

I have actually challenged myself with shooting the moon with the black version of the Lightdow 420-800mm lol

@pacheaco727

5 ай бұрын

Photographers version of cutting? Stop the self harm.

In the 70s, they called such image quality, "gritty" and "edgy". All you need is a sketchy old parking structure and some cat in the shadows sporting a leisure suit, huffing on a whole pack of cigarettes in a span of 5 minutes. You could reboot a really bad era in filmmaking.

Sometimes i wonder how you can remain so committed to reviewing the product instead of bursting out in laughter.

Hilarious guys! Great Christmas gift…! And I agree with someone else that the still pictures were half decent… tells you the composition and person behind the lens is what plays a big part in photography…

Absolutely loved this one! It was the first video I watched from KZread today, on Christmas Eve, and I had a good laugh. Thanks and Merry Christmas guys!

I actually like crappy lenses. They’re niche, but you can make great art when using flawed optics. As long as you know what the limitations are, you can still do a lot of cool things.

@happylemming6343

4 ай бұрын

I agree, my Nikon D800 (which I just got) and the Tamron 80-250mm(m42 mount, which I had for quite a bit now) are producing some of the best looking photos I've ever taken

@dog4mike

4 ай бұрын

That's cool to hear, @@happylemming6343. A D800 is an awesome camera even by today's standards, except you can get them for a song now days. So why not pick one up and just have some fun with it? Glad you're focusing on what matters.

Wow that “4K” camera is disgustingly sharp. Look at the lines of Chris’ hair. 😆

"Santa's being a fucking asshole." First time I've ever heard that. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

There is honestly one situation for which I can imagine the tele: To simulate an old large-format camera from the turn of the century. The picture of Jordan reminds me a lot of the old photos from the 19th century.

This Video perfectly shows why audio is more important than video quality

We need more of these throughout the year!

30.3 fps is wild. Forget drop-frame. How about extra-frame!?

The telephoto lens is so horrific that it may be a useful creative tool for recreating the 1920s flat low resolution look, or even farther back to the days of Lincoln. LOL

Well that vlogging camera smoothed out Chris's skin to doll like quality, meanwhile his hair was digitally dancing like a Michael Flatly Irish Riverdance. Thanks guys I now have to sit in a darkened room suffering from motion sickness akin to the worst rollercoaster ride I have ever experienced. But hey guys, it made you look like you were as young as you were in those first videos behind the counter of The Cameras Store. I liken the footage to the CCTV camera footage we see here in the UK on the news when someone has been naughty and not nice.

Oof! That camera really is No Big Deal and the lens is stunningly awful too. Thanks for doing this so we don't have to. 😂

Jordan suddenly found himself missing the Pentax K-01.

Not sure if it was intentional or not, but the most outstanding part of this vide was the juxtaposition of the unimaginative Sony body against the eerily similar no big deal camera body made me chuckle.

Welcome to the Chris & Jordan comedy hour!

Camera is totally usable for artistic needs, flasback videos, horror, like hallucinations. Chris also looks younger, no wrinkles. 😅

The NBD is the digital equivalent of those "free" 35mm SLR cameras that companies like Readers Digest used to give to new subscribers in the early 90's! I remember getting one and thinking it was a joke, but technically it could take photos!

@bwc1976

5 ай бұрын

Yup, they put chunks of lead or concrete inside to make them feel more substantial and professional than they really were!

The worst piece of garbage I have ever used has to be the Gary Fong Light Diffuser Sphere thingy. If you want to turn your subjects yellow, that’s the way to go…

Can you buy a bundle of these two? A bit surprised that you two didn't do a drinking review with these gems.

Damn, I'm watching this video at 3.30 AM after i got back home, and decided to watch this video for no reason and then come this part 4:21 and im telling you the trip was wild. Talking about jet lag sleep paralysis and hungover trip. That is wild.

This was hilarious and difficult to watch when you were both moving. The worst lens I’ve ever bought was a low price 500mm mirror lens that gave similar results to the lens Chris reviewed. Thanks for making me laugh.

@12symmo

5 ай бұрын

Yes! I love my m39 mount 500 f/8 mirror lens. That donut bokeh is crazy.

@Tugela60

5 ай бұрын

I bought one of those once, returned it because it could not focus on anything 😂

@12symmo

5 ай бұрын

@@Tugela60 it’s definitely possible, just really really difficult, even with focus peaking. Not really worth the effort unless you’re really bored!

Great stuff as always guys. The photos were terrible but way better than the video. I was getting see sick watching it 😂.

When I was in grade school (1960s) a friend of mine had a "2000x" microscope. I noticed that the objective lens was plastic, not glass, and not terrifically transparent. I can only say that it was impossible to observe anything with this *cough* somewhat microscope shaped "instrument". I have never tried one but the "scamera" Canon DL-9000 is pretty famous.

Once a month you should do crap stuff reviews, they are very entertaining !

OMG, I had to take a seasick tablet after watching the walk & talk sections of the video. And LOL @ Chris's "somebody should be arrested for this"!

Do you think that 420-800mm would be able to effectively resolve the 40mp sensor on the X-T5? 😁

The only thing missing from this is being able to mount the lens to the camera to see what it looks like!

That Jordan portrait made him look like a Boston tough guy from a Ben Affleck movie 😅

Chris, when you start your fishing channel, your first review should be the Popeil Pocket Fisherman. Ronco products are making a huge comeback and clearly at least on par, quality-wise, with that fantastic lens.

When they started the rolling shutter test I started laughing so hard. This is amazing.

"yucky puddding, yogurt kinda look" lmao I'm gonna use that now

These are the types of videos we love from you! Funny, different and perturbing! 🤗🤗🤗

Yes, an old Tamron lens I got for $35.00 at MPB and I love that lens. Great for my plane watching.

@yawningmarmot

5 ай бұрын

Which one is that?

“I wouldn’t consider it a camera with a viewfinder, I would consider it a camera with a hole in it.” Almost spit out my coffee haha

I never thought I'd cringe at a Chris and Jordan video, but these "subjects" put that theory to the test. First time I'm seeing you guys on PP. I've missed your humor since the DPR days. Super excited to go back through the catalog now! Happy New Year!

I kind of like the new colour grading. The images are likely the most cinematic you guys have done 😆

Major props for making the best of a bad situation! Your commentary was hilarious, and the portrait was actually really good.

When you talked about the out-of-focus areas - I wasn't quite sure what was not in the oof areas...

So what I’ve learned is that gear IS important. 🙂

I hope everyone gets a Pentax camera this Christmas.

Content is king. Even with a NBD camera, it’s still a great video.

omg i loved the 420mm B&W portrait. Amazing!

“The case is nice”… LOL! I completely lost it… Cool Video!

I bought a Holga lens to play with this fall, thinking it was the worst lens you could buy. It gave me some cool effects and was kind of fun. I now see that I was wrong about bad lenses. At least the Holga gives you what you're looking for. As for the NBD camera... well, yeah. It was actually better than I thought it would be.

12/23/23 Your right on that bad zoom lenses, going with an older digital setup. I went with a Sony SLT digital camera from around 2013 with an A mount that I can use a whole range of AF Minolta Maxxum lenses , prime, zoom and the beer can lenses all a lot smaller then the ones used in your video, showing that vintage lenses can be purchased quite cheap with more than just manual features that cost a whole lot less than new computer glass prices while giving pretty decent results.

Santa has had it with some of these camera reviewers especially when they try to explain newbie topics like crop factors while reviewing G master lenses. Seems Santa has some of that common sense after all. 😂

This is a very useful review because some of us might consider such low cost equipment.

I am seeing used GH5 selling for under $500 right now on ebay, hard to beat for a bargain camera.

@niccollsvideo

5 ай бұрын

Exactly!

These would be good for 'oops I smashed my gear!' clips... 😂

I’m surprised at how good the video is. It’s very bad, obviously, but not as bad as I anticipated when the kit was being unpacked.

The quality of that 4k camera seems on par with a key-chain camera I once bought on Aliexpress.

This is a perfect hipster camera. Perfect for the retro / let's make the image look as horrible and old as possible folks

You just got to embrace the lomography. Vignetting is fun, LoCas are laughter, and aberrations are awesome. Sharpness is the real enemy.

From a film making perspective I think that LightDow lens looks pretty close to perfect. I might buy it for the soft look alone

Even when the video camera was perfectly still something in the footage was making me nausiated, like motion sickness. You two are soooo funny and I'm so glad you found a new home so we can keep enjoying your weird holiday stuff.

@4:57 Wow how magnificent! Goch is trembling in midair that's a cool feature.

Loved the Morten Hilmer on a bicycle shot!

That lens can be garbage, but Chris photography skills are not: some of those pictures look amazing!