What would it be? Currently I have a Cambo monorail, Linhof Tech IV, 3 x Nikon N90s, Nikkormat FTN, Nikon F5, Nikon D70s, Leica M5 and M3, Rollei TLR, Hassleblad 500C/M, and 2 x Olympus XA. Plus a full assortment of lens where applicable.
If I had to give up all my cameras and only have one for the rest of my photographic life (plus the lenses I already have for it). It's a toss up between the Blad, Nikkormat FTN and Linhof. As I get older weight will become an issue but there are ways to get around that with roller cases and tripods. Next availability of film could be an issue. Currently I probably have a life time supply of 4x5 film in the fridge. If need be I could stock up on MF. 35mm I think will be available for some time to come.
As I get older I take more time contemplating what I want to shoot and how I want to do it rather than just "working" a scene by taking loads of shots and then picking the best one from a set of contacts. So having fewer shots per shoot to develop would seem to knock out the 35mm, although I do bulk load and can roll shorter rolls. Ummm. As an example of this slower pace my last trip to Coos Bay and the Redwoods yielded 9 negatives to develop in LF and 2 rolls of 35mm.
From a just plain fun to shot perspective, for me at least, nothing beats the Blad. On the other hand while in the Redwoods last month, shooting the Linhof was almost a religious experience.
Any of the electronic cameras would be eliminated from the list immediately due to reliability issues. The F5 is a dream to use but I like cameras that don't need batteries. I still have a very good light meter that does not require batteries as well for those odd times when I actually need to take a reading.
It's tough but if I HAD to sell all my gear and just keep one "system" I would have to settle on the Linhof Tech IV. I have all the lenses I need, well maybe a 400mm telephoto would be nice, all the film I need and I can find the chemicals to develop etc fairly readily. Of course this latter issue would be common to all film formats I have considered.
I must admit however that I would have to cheat a bit and keep a least one digi p/s so I can take candids of my grandchild, family etc to share.
If I had to give up all my cameras and only have one for the rest of my photographic life (plus the lenses I already have for it). It's a toss up between the Blad, Nikkormat FTN and Linhof. As I get older weight will become an issue but there are ways to get around that with roller cases and tripods. Next availability of film could be an issue. Currently I probably have a life time supply of 4x5 film in the fridge. If need be I could stock up on MF. 35mm I think will be available for some time to come.
As I get older I take more time contemplating what I want to shoot and how I want to do it rather than just "working" a scene by taking loads of shots and then picking the best one from a set of contacts. So having fewer shots per shoot to develop would seem to knock out the 35mm, although I do bulk load and can roll shorter rolls. Ummm. As an example of this slower pace my last trip to Coos Bay and the Redwoods yielded 9 negatives to develop in LF and 2 rolls of 35mm.
From a just plain fun to shot perspective, for me at least, nothing beats the Blad. On the other hand while in the Redwoods last month, shooting the Linhof was almost a religious experience.
Any of the electronic cameras would be eliminated from the list immediately due to reliability issues. The F5 is a dream to use but I like cameras that don't need batteries. I still have a very good light meter that does not require batteries as well for those odd times when I actually need to take a reading.
It's tough but if I HAD to sell all my gear and just keep one "system" I would have to settle on the Linhof Tech IV. I have all the lenses I need, well maybe a 400mm telephoto would be nice, all the film I need and I can find the chemicals to develop etc fairly readily. Of course this latter issue would be common to all film formats I have considered.
I must admit however that I would have to cheat a bit and keep a least one digi p/s so I can take candids of my grandchild, family etc to share.
