[Closed] Photography fans: What's your favourite camera/s?

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It got nicked, I was completely gutted

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Now with my media/photography studies student nephew who has to do a module on film. He has my russian portable briefcase enlarger too.

[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8378/8403115419_565e6697da_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8378/8403115419_565e6697da_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/65448995@N05/8403115419/ ]The World's Fastest SLR - Minolta Maxxum 9ti[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/65448995@N05/ ]Utchat[/url], on Flickr

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Bob - I have one of those (AE-1), passed on to me by my now deceased great uncle. Keep meaning to get some film and have a play with it.

I had a Practika (sp?) as a kid, cost me a fortune in pocket money for film and processing. Took it to South Africa with me when I was 10 and again to New York when I was 15. No idea what happened to it.

Now I have a Nikon D300 which is great, but something seems to be lacking (motivation, knowledge, belief, I dunno) as I don't get the same feeling I did with my old film camera of 20 years ago.

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Went 'missing'.

Fuji F20.

Replaced by an F60 (pah) and a Canon S90 (not quite so pah, but still a little pah).

Miss you little man. 😥

Canon AE-1 for me too... still have mine!

My current one - the Sony A77 - best camera I have ever used and as a consequence have taken the most photos with it. Just love it.

After that my 5MP Canon Ixus 500 (the old school one). Took lovely photos - jpeg engines whilst not so good in low light in the earlier days of digital photography were nowhere near as aggressive as they are now and the images in good light were pin sharp and had a beautiful colour cast to them.

Cheers

Danny B

I love my old OM1. Sadly don't use it much at all these days;
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Always been a Nikon man, but the Canon T90 was revolutionary, and defined the styling of most of Canon's SLR range since:

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Big camera buff here. I love the older film type cameras. Some of the modern rangefinder styles are quite nice too.

I'm from the digital era, so my first camera was a Minolta E323. 3mp, 3x optical zoom. The freedom that it gave me was such a revelation.

Classic Hasselblad 500cm; beautifully made (very very expensive) modular system. Body machined from a block of aluminium. Exquisite quality cameras and lenses. Produced pin-sharp images. Owned one for 1 roll of film, but couldn't justify keeping it. 😥

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To the OP - I got an F4s last year £150 with a 24-50 Nikkor on it
in mint condition - do it - just look for the newest best condition one you can get there is a lot of choice - (serial number 24x onwards if you can) It has possibly the best viewfinder I have ever used - apart from LF 😉

What were your favourites? - Zenit E - when I could only afford 1 roll of Kodachrome for 3 weeks as a kid
35mm?
SLR? Nikon F4
Rangefinder? - Leica M4P
Medium Format? Mamiya RB67 - Mamiya Super 23 (MF rangefinder)Fuji Gs645W
TLR? - Rolleiflex
any Large format masochists about? - 4x5" MMP Micro Technical mk7 and mk 8 + MPP monorail + Durst Laborator L100 enlarger to match.

Anyone got a collection of useless old junk lovely old equipment?
Yes all of the above some in the loft some in the lockup..

To me, the best camera isn't the nicest one, or the most expensive, or the coolest or whatever.

It's the one you've got with you when you need to take [i]that picture[/i].... the one you're never without.

So these days, my favourite this:

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Anyone got a collection of useless old junk lovely old equipment?

Check this out - http://mrcad.co.uk/

A real Aladdin's Cave of old stuff.

Yeah - I have one of those in my pocket - but its not one of my favourites

Another I've always promised myself; had a remarkably good lens for such a tiny and relatively cheap camera:

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To me, the best camera isn't the nicest one, or the most expensive, or the coolest or whatever.

It's the one you've got with you when you need to take that picture.... the one you're never without.

That tired cliché aside, this is about the appreciation of mechanical devices, rather than what they can or cannot do. A bit like admiring classic cars (which may be crap in performance relative to a modern generic Ford/Vauxhaul/Honda etc), or old watches, etc.

Had a Canon AE-1 as a kid (My Dad's) then moved to Nikon. Always wanted an F1, but had to make do with an F40 and a D1h.

Happy days...

That tired cliché aside

Truth though, innit? 🙂

"I took an technically crap pic" or "I didn't have a camera"

You choose. 🙂

Truth though, innit?

"I took an technically crap pic" or "I didn't have a camera"

You choose.

I had the F20 before a phone with a semi-decent camera.

But that's why it's my (former) favourite when compared with the DSLR.

Almost bought one of these, many years ago, before coming to my senses!

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Little more than jewellery really, but absolutely gorgeous.

No idea where my inherited ae-1 is, need to dig it out.

Fake retro but I really like Nikon's new DF, shame about the unaffordable price:

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[url= http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/11/nikon-df/#slideid-242021 ]http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/11/nikon-df/#slideid-242021[/url]

Truth though, innit?

"I took an technically crap pic" or "I didn't have a camera"

You choose.

You're completely missing the point of this thread. 🙄

I'll start off with one I used to lust after, but never got around to owning (must get one one of these days, they're as cheap as chips now); the Nikon F4:

I got one of the F4's for work when they first came out. As good as it was I ended up using an FM2 far more. In fact I liked it so much I bought one for myself.

I still have 2 OM1's and an XA - the XA really was a brilliant compact. The Hasselblads are also very nice, I got to use them without having to buy them myself which was nice.

I'd love that Fuji that bob posted.

Fake retro but I really like Nikon's new DF, shame about the unaffordable price:

Yep, it's not priced as a big seller. Will probably come down 20% in the first year, once the early adopters have all paid full price.

4x5" MMP Micro Technical mk7

You're completely missing the point of this thread.

I have a Canon 650D too.... Does that count?

I kept an eye on the DF rumors. I turned out too big for me, and too expensive for what it is. I'm busy accumulating lenses for one of these (once DXO support appears):

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I can't say I have any fond recollections of film cameras. They were a complete pain in the arse.

To the OP - I got an F4s last year £150 with a 24-50 Nikkor on it
in mint condition - do it - just look for the newest best condition one you can get there is a lot of choice - (serial number 24x onwards if you can) It has possibly the best viewfinder I have ever used - apart from LF

Thanks; I'll revisit the idea of buying one after the festive season I think. Not sure whether to get the standard version, or an S or E. I have a criminally undersused F5 somewhere; always regret buying it over an F100, as the F5 is so big and heavy, I ended up not taking it out much. 🙁 Amazing camera though.

Mind you, compared to an RB67, it's a veritable 'compact'! 😮

Fake retro but I really like Nikon's new DF, shame about the unaffordable price:

From what I gather, it's a D600 in a metal body, without the video facility. For almost twice as much! Nice, but a bit expensive. Like the nod to the FM though.

Speaking of which:

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How d'you make a brilliant camera even better? Make it out of titanium! 😀

I can't say I have any fond recollections of film cameras. They were a complete pain in the arse.

See, I can't get excited about the new digital stuff. 😐

See, I can't get excited about the new digital stuff.

I can't say I have any fond recollections of film cameras.

Likewise, I enjoy photography way more with DSLRs.

thinking about what you're doing rather than firing off 100 shots because you can and one of them's bound to be good.
watching the pictures appear by the magic of chemistry in a darkroom.

2 of my favourites. Shame I don't have the 1.4 lens for the Super A! The Oly was my first "pocket" camera before they started sticking them in phones.

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Likewise, I enjoy photography way more with DSLRs.

My DSLR pees over any film camera I've owned, for capability, flexibility and ultimate image quality, but again, that's not the point! My cheap digital watch is far more accurate than my (reasonably) expensive Seiko. I prefer wearing the inaccurate overpriced bauble though. 🙂

What I miss most of all, is winding the film on after each shot. That act of conclusion and progression, all in one flick of the thumb. 'That one's done; move onto the next one'.

I did love film.

😥

What I miss most of all, is winding the film on after each shot.

Yep that the MPP Monorail like mine - the Micro Technicals look like Linhoff Technica - all much less portable than an iphone!

We went with our daughter to a 6th form open evening the other day and walking in to the photography department I was hit by the wonderful smell of fixer. You don't get that with digital.

Thanks; I'll revisit the idea of buying one after the festive season I think. Not sure whether to get the standard version, or an S or E. I have a criminally undersused F5 somewhere; always regret buying it over an F100, as the F5 is so big and heavy, I ended up not taking it out much. Amazing camera though.

Avoid E it has silly nicad batteries - S can be converted to std with the MB20 see http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf4/powersource/

If your F5 was too massive then an MB20 equipped F4 will be nice - its a fair beast with the S grip - E is worse. Unfortunately the MB20 is fairly rare but does show up now and again.
Overall its a lovely machine for manual stuff - autofocus is slow - but the viewfinder amd feel of the controls makes it all worth it.

midlifecrashes - I have one of those Pentax MXs, apparently it was the lightest SLR you could buy back in 1976. Mine has a winder/grip too. Bit battered but I think it'd survive a nuclear blast!!

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Linhof technicardan. Better to use than any wooden field camera and equally at home in the studio, folds down in an instant and has axis tilts/swings front and rear and enough rise/fall/shift for any image circle. Like any tool the more you use it the more you appreciate the thought that went into it.
Mines in the cupboard under the stairs (along with a Hassleblad 503cxi, 40mmFLE and 80mm). Not used them for years as they are no use if you want to make money and not waste time on a shoot.

Still got my MX, but sold the LX, which is my favorite, for it's size and general ruggedness.
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My Leica M2, sold it and have regretted it ever since 😉

Loved the Olympus Trip 35RC, photographed most of my early mtb / mnt. adventures using it...the body even has a bit of a dent from an early crash. Continued in use until late 90s, using a OMD-EM5 now 🙂

Canon S95. It can conveniently go everywhere with me so I actually use it more than I've ever used a DSLR. The image quality is very good for a small sensor/compact lens as well.

Richmars, that LX looks great in black..:-)

The Pentax LX is a fantastic camera, and an alternative to the Nikon F3 and Canon F1n, both superb professional machines. Production of all 3 went on into the 90's, which shows how popular they were.

I have one of those Pentax MXs, apparently it was the lightest SLR you could buy back in 1976. Mine has a winder/grip too. Bit battered but I think it'd survive a nuclear blast!!

Pah! This, the Students' Favourite and AK-47 of the camera world, could survive our sun going supernova:

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Armageddon-proof! 😀

Nikon FM1 and. 24mm Nikkor prime lens. All the camera you could need (unless you want sports shots 😉 )

I also had a very fine Yahsica compact that had a stunning Zeiss lens. And an Olympus XA.

Contax 139 quartz. Not the most popular brand but boy was it a great camera. I saved up for about 2 years to buy the damn thing, getting up at 4am every Saturday morning to work as a van lad for Sunblest (another blast from the past!). I sold it on fleabay about 6-7 years ago, but I hung onto the Zeiss Tesslar lenses,and glad I did. The 50mm is frighteningly sharp at just about every f-stop, and is nearly 30 yrs old. Wait! that makes me......... Blimey.

AK-47 of the camera world

Ahhh - that has to be the ZENIT-E, or the Praktica. I was hoping mine would break, so I could buy a flashier camera, but it never did!! Had to give it away eventually!!

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Mmmmmmmm Hasselblad. Never owned one, but got to use them a number of times when working in photography. The lenses are truly magic.

They are not 'magic' it's just swedish and German engineering. I drop kicked an A12 film back by accident and watched it bounce across a metal boat deck, picked it up and carried on shooting. If it had been a mamiya it would have shattered into pieces.
They certainly don't make them like that anymore (production stopped this year) the H series are far more fragile.

They certainly don't make them like that anymore (production stopped this year) the H series are far more fragile.

I used to enjoy film. Very exciting waiting to see what comes out. But this camera I have now is awesome.
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I used to love this too.
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Enjoyed a pinhole camera too. Hmmmm....must make another some time.
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Loving my Fuji X10 I purchased early last year. A fantastic camera, and Fuji have just released a very good firmware upgrade to it, which adds a few funky settings to play around with.

It lets me use it as a very good point and shoot, or play around with all the normal classic SLR settings for more creativity.

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Always fancied one of these though never got round to using one, used to use a deardorff 10x8 that was a pain as no rear axis tilts or shifts so it had to be done on the front standard and that meant changing jiggling the camera position, an arca-swiss was much easier to use.

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I miss my FM2n
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Fuji X100 - means my 5D MkII has sat in its bag for almost a year. Amazing camera.

Am I allowed this little marvel? My Pentax Auto110. A Subminature SLR that used 110 film cartidges:

With 24mm lens -

[img][url= http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2859/10947821225_bc988300b6.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2859/10947821225_bc988300b6.jp g"/> [/img][/url] [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/msk1833/10947821225/ ]DSC_1567[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/msk1833/ ]Matt1833[/url], on Flickr[/img]

70mm lens

[img][url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5545/10947873236_c7c252969f.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5545/10947873236_c7c252969f.jp g"/> [/img][/url] [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/msk1833/10947873236/ ]DSC_1569[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/msk1833/ ]Matt1833[/url], on Flickr[/img]

18mm lens

[img][url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/10947891886_ae67800ce0.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/10947891886_ae67800ce0.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/msk1833/10947891886/ ]DSC_1570[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/msk1833/ ]Matt1833[/url], on Flickr[/img]

If you get really keen there's a film winder and flash guns too!

My 2 recent purchases;
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$40 EOS 630 & a bit more for the Fuji GSW690iii. Not pictured is my X10.

Ditto on the Pentax LX. Awesome camera! As a Nikon user would have to say the FM2n was prob the best camera they ever made. (Still got mine!) The Nikon F4S was a bit of an odd ball. Very sturdy and bombproof, great viewfinder. However, very heavy, and the AF was total crap. Left mine turned off!

AK-47 of the camera world

hhh - that has to be the ZENIT-E,

Sorry but the Zenit E is more of the Molotov Cocktail of the camera world.

Of all the film cameras I've owned or used I'd also rate the Nikon FM2n as the best.

These 2 weren't bad either , the top one is the Photosonic 1PL which ran at up to 500 pin registered 16mm frames a second.
The bottom one is the NAC E-10 which would run at 10,000 fps in full frame or 20,000 in half frame and went through 400ft of 16mm film in a tad over 2 seconds.

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As others on here I inherited a few cameras from my father (175 of them!) , and have 10 or so cameras from most brands...

My favourite of my is my old Olympus OM10,i have OM1n and OM4ti but the OM10 is easy and simple.

Rangefinder it has to be my Voigtlander Bessa R, I've had an R2a but the R is better.

I use a Panasonic DMC-L1 as my digital SLR, it has its limitations in low light, but it's lens is amazing.

A bit of an Olympus fan here, a trait inherited from my dad.
I have an number of them some mine and some I inherited - OM1n, OM2, OM2SP, OM4, E420, E520, and a number of others.

Loved the compactness of the 35mm film cameras especially when totting them around rally stages in the 80's and 90's.

I've owned 8 cameras.

1) A 110 plastic thing I had when I was about 8. You could buy a stick of ten single-use flash bulbs that you stuck in the top. That was cool.

2) A generic 35mm compact, built in flash tho.

3) My dad's Chinon that he gave me when I was 21. This was a huge deal, the camera had captured my childhood and was revered as a precious item - mint condition too. It cost about £300 in the early 80s.

4) That got robbed from my house when I was ooh, 24 ish, so the insurance replacement was a Pentax MZ-M. Unremarkable, except for the incredibly low weight. We had good times though.

5) In 2001 I bought an Olympus C-2020Z, 2.1MP but it had full manual control and decent features. Was far better to use than most modern compacts I've tried. We were pretty close, me and that camera. I was gutted when it got knocked off its mini-tripod whilst on, and the lens got knocked out of shape. Cost me £500, bought in the USA. It came with an 8MB Smartmedia card which only held about 25 odd full size JPEGs so I had to use low quality images. Caught some great pics but they are somewhat spoiled by JPEG artefacts. Still got some on my wall though!

6) My wife bought me a C-5050Z in 2005 which was awesome. I have loads of stuff up on the wall from that. Gave it away to my sister in law when I got...

7) My first DSLR, Olympus E-600, which I still have and use.

8) Last one I bought was an Olympus TG-620. Not the best compact, to be fair, but toughness is brilliant.

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I took one of these around Amazonia and it still sits on my desk.

Although I still fancy:

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Though will live with the Nikon D800E/Olympus OM-D combo for the moment.