Best 35mm Camera ever made!

[Les Sarile]

They have stood the test of time - and continue to be productive units, so they could be considered the best . . .

 

[chip j]

According to Ken Rockwell, the GREATEST 35mm ever made is the M-3.

 

[Toffle]

My answer is that the camera that we can make 'disappear' from our work flow, where we know it intimately enough that we know what to expect when we use it, is the best one, because it is the least distracting one, allowing you to focus your attention on the important part - the picture!

Yup.

 

[nsouto]

Without a doubt, the F6. It simply has everything any sane person would want from a film camera.

The ones I use the most? A Zeiss ZI rangefinder, and a Konika Hexar RF.
Why? I guess I just like them a lot.

 

[clayne]

Nikon F.

 

[cliveh]

According to Ken Rockwell, the GREATEST 35mm ever made is the M-3.

Who is Ken Rockwell?

 

[Rick A]

I guess this thread is more about Nikon owners patting themselves on the back so they can feel good for owning what I consider a boat anchor.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

I don't own a boat.

However I like my F5 best of the 35's I have shot. The best part is the personal defense aspect of it. You can take photos of the damage inflicted for the trial when the beating is over.

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

Prewar Leica , if you did not use it , you will never understand.

 

[benjiboy]

"comparisons are odious" the "best camera" is the one that you're most used to that you can operate without concious thought.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

"comparisons are odious" the "best camera" is the one that you're most used to that you can operate without concious thought.

That would be:
Deardorff V8
Nikon F
Linhof STIV
Rollei Standard

And what I have with me today, a Nikkormat FTN with a 28/3.5.

That's five "best cameras" but only two are 35s.

 

[vsyrek1945]

Who is Ken Rockwell?

Check out the website www.kenrockwell.com

You'll find equipment reviews that are unsponsored, independent, but personally biased toward ease of use and image quality, informative and entertaining articles and essays. For example, he raved about Canon's EOS 5d but now considers the Nikon D600 the best all-around DSLR available; he similarly wrote a good review of the Nikon N90/N90s, but picked the F100 apart eighteen ways from Sunday.

I confess, I spent a few years at measurebator level on his "Seven Levels of Photographer" scale, and I learned more from one of his articles on composition than anything else I've read on the subject. He raises the hackles of some, apparently aggravating the slavish Leica devotees the most, and may not be everybody's cup of tea [I enjoy the site, as you may have guessed].

Vince

 

[culturesponge]

imho best 35mm SLR is the EOS 1v - no bigger or heavier than it needs to be + 100% visibility in the viewfinder + have dozens of lenses that will work on the lens mount with inexpensive adapters + good battery life & masses of bells & whistles if needed.

also it's not hard to find a good used one at a reasonable price + you can still purchase them brand new!
best
alex

 

[BradleyK]

"comparisons are odious" the "best camera" is the one that you're most used to that you can operate without concious thought.

+1. Well stated.

 

[blockend]

I own three different systems, Nikon (manual and AF), Canon FD and Yashica, and couldn't care less which I'm using. Each delivers sharp images within the limits of a 35mm negative or transparency. My preference is for reasonably compact, fairly light cameras, if only for the fact I'm more likely to carry one with me, but hauling a metal bodied manual camera can be fun, so long as I wasn't expected to do it habitually.

Perhaps it comes down to whether you believe photography is something that fits into your life, or life has to revolve round photography? My best shots often come while doing something else, so some photographic compromises have to be made regarding the range of lenses carried and weight of camera bodies. I rarely feel under-gunned with an SLR and a 50mm 1.4 lens, but a 24mm acts as a comfort blanket in another pocket. For the times even an SLR is too much, my Olympus Mju II is as minimal as a 35mm camera can expect to be.

My fave SLR camera would have the optics of Contax, the build quality of a mechanical Nikon and the size of a Pentax ME with pancake lens.

 

[Robclarke]

imho best 35mm SLR is the EOS 1v - no bigger or heavier than it needs to be + 100% visibility in the viewfinder + have dozens of lenses that will work on the lens mount with inexpensive adapters + good battery life & masses of bells & whistles if needed.

also it's not hard to find a good used one at a reasonable price + you can still purchase them brand new!
best
alex

I agree with this entirely. Rapid frame rate with hs grip, rapid autofocus, plenty of af points, eyepiece cover included, seemingly bullet proof build quality. It must be the most useful 35mm slr ever made.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

This discussion is, as expected, leading nowhere.

Again, one man's ceiling is another man's floor.

 

[dorff]

This discussion is, as expected, leading nowhere.

Again, one man's ceiling is another man's floor.

+1. Highly predictable. There should be a law similar to Godwin's, that says the likelihood of a comparison of cameras or brands leading to a meaningful discussion is rather low when it starts, and approaches zero the longer it goes on.

For me, the best camera when I started was the Nikon FM, because that is what I bought when I had money for my first camera, and it forced me to learn everything about exposure etc when I was a young lad. Now, even though my tools are different, I know the basics as second nature, and seldom if ever have any trouble with exposure. As a student in 1991, I did a month long hike through Malawi with only the FM and a 35-105 and 135/2.8 lenses. After a week the battery died. I guessed the exposures from there on, and had about 80% correctly exposed shots, within half a stop. Learning with a fully automatic camera is probably the worst thing one can do. How I pity today's kids that have everything fall into their lap without having to think or measure.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

+1. Highly predictable. There should be a law similar to Godwin's, that says the likelihood of a comparison of cameras or brands leading to a meaningful discussion is rather low when it starts, and approaches zero the longer it goes on.

For me, the best camera when I started was the Nikon FM, because that is what I bought when I had money for my first camera, and it forced me to learn everything about exposure etc when I was a young lad. Now, even though my tools are different, I know the basics as second nature, and seldom if ever have any trouble with exposure. As a student in 1991, I did a month long hike through Malawi with only the FM and a 35-105 and 135/2.8 lenses. After a week the battery died. I guessed the exposures from there on, and had about 80% correctly exposed shots, within half a stop. Learning with a fully automatic camera is probably the worst thing one can do. How I pity today's kids that have everything fall into their lap without having to think or measure.

Too much thinking being done by others, on their behalf. I quote David Vestal:

"Compensating for lack of skill with technology is progress toward mediocrity. As technology advances,
craftsmanship recedes. As technology increases our possibilities, we use them less resourcefully.

The one thing we've gained is spontaneity, which is useless without perception".

 

[sangetsu]

Here are the 35mm cameras I own,
Aires 35IIIC
Canon F1
Canon F1N
Canon FTb, many FD lenses
Canon P
Canon 7 black w/50/.095
Canon 7Sz, 35/1.5
Contax II, Sonnar 50/2
Contax IIA Sonnar 50/1.5
Kodak Retina IIIC
Konica IIIA
Konica IIIM
Konica Hexar
Konica C35
Leica II
Leica IIIa
Leica IIIF
Leica M3 DS
Leica M3 black paint
Leica M4 x2
Leica M4 MOT
Leica M6 TTL, many Leica lenses
Mamiya Super Deluxe 1.5
Minolta SRT101
Minolta SRT Super
Minolta Hi-Matic E
Minolta Super A
Olympus SP
Olympus M1
Olympus OM3Ti, many Zuiko lenses
Olympus RC
Olympus RD
Olympus Wide S black paint
Olympus Pen S
Olympus Pen F
Olympus Pen FT
Nikon S
Nikon S2
Nikon S3
Nikon S3 Olympic
Nikon SP
Nikon 2005 SP limited, many Nikon S lenses
Nikon F
Nikon F2
Nikon F3
Nikon FE
Nikon FM
Nikon FM2
Nikon FM3a, countless Nikkor lenses
Pentax S3
Pentax SV
Pentax S2
Pentax S3
Pentax SP, many Takumar lenses
Pentax MX
Yashica GSN
Yashica GTN
Yashica GX
Yashica GL
Yashica CC
Yashica CCN
Yashica MC
Yashica Lynx 14

I am sure I have forgotten a few. Luckily I won't say what I have in other formats. i am not a fanboy of any particular camera, they all do more or less the same thing. But if I had to choose one out of the entire bunch as my only shooter, it would be my old black Nikon F with a Nikkor 5.8cm f/1.4 lens.

 

[Terry Christian]

dorff, your post lifts my spirits. The meter on my FM recently bit the dust. I need to take it out for a spin soon to show that there's still life in the old girl yet.

 

[blockend]

Treat the thread as best 35mm camera never made, and it becomes interesting.

 

[dorff]

dorff, your post lifts my spirits. The meter on my FM recently bit the dust. I need to take it out for a spin soon to show that there's still life in the old girl yet.

Terry, I am glad to hear that! Seriously, it could have been any camera with decent lenses, I wouldn't know the difference. What I know about photography today, about 75% was learnt with that camera, though.

Sangetsu, you need help! . No collector knows his true motivation (was it Mapplethorpe that said that?). But as collecting goes, you must be strong in the running for a podium finish. I hope you use them often enough to make some fine images with. That is what they were all made to do. To deny those fine cameras their life goal would be unkind.

 

[benjiboy]

Here are the 35mm cameras I own,
Aires 35IIIC
Canon F1
Canon F1N
Canon FTb, many FD lenses
Canon P
Canon 7 black w/50/.095
Canon 7Sz, 35/1.5
Contax II, Sonnar 50/2
Contax IIA Sonnar 50/1.5
Kodak Retina IIIC
Konica IIIA
Konica IIIM
Konica Hexar
Konica C35
Leica II
Leica IIIa
Leica IIIF
Leica M3 DS
Leica M3 black paint
Leica M4 x2
Leica M4 MOT
Leica M6 TTL, many Leica lenses
Mamiya Super Deluxe 1.5
Minolta SRT101
Minolta SRT Super
Minolta Hi-Matic E
Minolta Super A
Olympus SP
Olympus M1
Olympus OM3Ti, many Zuiko lenses
Olympus RC
Olympus RD
Olympus Wide S black paint
Olympus Pen S
Olympus Pen F
Olympus Pen FT
Nikon S
Nikon S2
Nikon S3
Nikon S3 Olympic
Nikon SP
Nikon 2005 SP limited, many Nikon S lenses
Nikon F
Nikon F2
Nikon F3
Nikon FE
Nikon FM
Nikon FM2
Nikon FM3a, countless Nikkor lenses
Pentax S3
Pentax SV
Pentax S2
Pentax S3
Pentax SP, many Takumar lenses
Pentax MX
Yashica GSN
Yashica GTN
Yashica GX
Yashica GL
Yashica CC
Yashica CCN
Yashica MC
Yashica Lynx 14

I am sure I have forgotten a few. Luckily I won't say what I have in other formats. i am not a fanboy of any particular camera, they all do more or less the same thing. But if I had to choose one out of the entire bunch as my only shooter, it would be my old black Nikon F with a Nikkor 5.8cm f/1.4 lens.

There's no doubt about it," you are what you own".

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Here are the 35mm cameras I own,
Aires 35IIIC
Canon F1
Canon F1N
Canon FTb, many FD lenses
Canon P
Canon 7 black w/50/.095
Canon 7Sz, 35/1.5
Contax II, Sonnar 50/2
Contax IIA Sonnar 50/1.5
Kodak Retina IIIC
Konica IIIA
Konica IIIM
Konica Hexar
Konica C35
Leica II
Leica IIIa
Leica IIIF
Leica M3 DS
Leica M3 black paint
Leica M4 x2
Leica M4 MOT
Leica M6 TTL, many Leica lenses
Mamiya Super Deluxe 1.5
Minolta SRT101
Minolta SRT Super
Minolta Hi-Matic E
Minolta Super A
Olympus SP
Olympus M1
Olympus OM3Ti, many Zuiko lenses
Olympus RC
Olympus RD
Olympus Wide S black paint
Olympus Pen S
Olympus Pen F
Olympus Pen FT
Nikon S
Nikon S2
Nikon S3
Nikon S3 Olympic
Nikon SP
Nikon 2005 SP limited, many Nikon S lenses
Nikon F
Nikon F2
Nikon F3
Nikon FE
Nikon FM
Nikon FM2
Nikon FM3a, countless Nikkor lenses
Pentax S3
Pentax SV
Pentax S2
Pentax S3
Pentax SP, many Takumar lenses
Pentax MX
Yashica GSN
Yashica GTN
Yashica GX
Yashica GL
Yashica CC
Yashica CCN
Yashica MC
Yashica Lynx 14

I am sure I have forgotten a few. Luckily I won't say what I have in other formats. i am not a fanboy of any particular camera, they all do more or less the same thing. But if I had to choose one out of the entire bunch as my only shooter, it would be my old black Nikon F with a Nikkor 5.8cm f/1.4 lens.

There's a difference between collecting and accumulating.