I love old cameras...

[Dave Pritchard]

You guys are great! I'm starting to feel fracking normal here. I only have about 20 cameras. My latest are Konica T3. My oldest are Nikon F's and a Linhof 5x7.

 

[clayne]

Less than 10. I might add one more, but I'd rather invest in darkroom gear and if anything for cameras, lenses and upkeep.

 

[benjiboy]

I have less than ten, They are mostly Canon FD the oldest one is a FTbn that was made in 1974, that has never failed and I just had serviced for the first time, I wonder how many of todays consumer grade cameras will be still going in thirty five years.

 

[MaLo]

I only got about 50 and i told myself that there should be no more until I fix them all up.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Only five. I sold the others off to buy some of these and lenses.

Next time around, I want to come back as independently wealthy instead of being so incredibly handsome.

Steve

 

[Contrastique]

What I like the best about old cameras is the ingeniousness of handling certain "issues" which are nowadays controlled by mere buttons, which makes you no longer really think about it. The simple solutions to problems or obstacles always make me truly respect the old camera builders and designers.

And what I also love is that when I start working with my almost 100 year old 8x10 camera and hook it up to my Elinchrom Flash from 2008......it works! C'est Magique (not really magic but magical it is)!

 

[Q.G.]

Yes.
What i like most about (most) old cameras is
a) that they are mechanical.
b) that they concentrate on photography, offering control over the only three technical parameters there are in photography: shutterspeed, aperture and focus. Anything else (creativity, that's all there is more) is left to us.

 

[andrewc]

I have less than ten, They are mostly Canon FD the oldest one is a FTbn that was made in 1974, that has never failed and I just had serviced for the first time, I wonder how many of todays consumer grade cameras will be still going in thirty five years.

I wonder how many of today's consumer grade cameras will be still going in ten years, let alone 35.

 

[andrewc]

Yes.
What i like most about (most) old cameras is
a) that they are mechanical.
b) that they concentrate on photography, offering control over the only three technical parameters there are in photography: shutterspeed, aperture and focus. Anything else (creativity, that's all there is more) is left to us.

Those are certainly some of the things I like the most about old cameras as well. The other thing that really intrigues me is all the different approaches by different companies to the same outcome, and the resulting designs. I was admiring my Minoltina AL-s and its very compact size, compact but full-featured and complete with an f/1.8 lens. All on a camera that is slightly smaller than my Canon QL17-GIII. What an elegant little camera when compared to some of the much larger RFs from the same period (1964). While I love to use old cameras, sometimes I just simply enjoy studying them and appreciating their designs and craftsmanship.

 

[elekm]

Dead Link Removed

Sadly, there are many more in bins, boxes, bookcases, etc. Time for a mammoth purge.

FYI: I no longer have the Medalist II (lower left corner).

 

[Uncle Bill]

I have a weakness for older slr cameras. My favorite is the Asahi Pentax K with 55mm f1.8 auto-tak 'Zebra' lens. My second favorite screwmount is a tie between a "late" SV and the Spot F.

Then again, I like the Mamiya C3 and Pentax 6x7 also.

Hey I got a K too, they are great Pentaxes you don't see too often.

 

[IloveTLRs]

I am hooked on screw-mount Leicas. Their prices have really come down: a few years ago a good IIIf was $800 or more. Yesterday I picked up a beater IIIa for $180.
Of course then you have to get the Leica reloadable cassettes which are around $10 a piece. And the matching plastic cases for them. Then there's the close-focus adapter and the real metal lens caps. How about an everready case?

Run while you still can. Don't look back, just run, run like the wind

 

[benjiboy]

Still better

I wonder how many of today's consumer grade cameras will be still going in ten years, let alone 35.

I just hope one day I'll be as good a photographer as my FTb is a camera.

 

[Bateleur]

Leica Screw

I am hooked on screw-mount Leicas.

I'm with you there, AND they are repairable too, well to a point, I had my IIIF's shutter curtains replaced recently and after the CLA it's as good as new.

Regards
Charles

 

[cooltouch]

I wonder how many of today's consumer grade cameras will be still going in ten years, let alone 35.

I've wondered that myself, and now I know the answer -- for one camera at least. I bought my wife an EOS Rebel, the very first version, back in 1991. I bought her a 420EZ flash a few months later. The Rebel was Canon's cheapest EOS, and the 420EZ was Canon's most expensive flash at the time. The Rebel developed a shutter bounce problem five years ago, and I figured that a repair wasn't cost effective, so I replaced it with an Elan IIe (used, bought new probably 12 years ago or so). The 420 EZ finally died (capacitor gave out) a few months ago.

So, the Rebel lasted 13 years, and the 420 EZ lasted 18 years. And the Elan IIe has recently developed an occasional issue with locking up during exposure, which is apparently a common problem with this camera. So, if this gets worse, then it will have lasted about as long as the Rebel -- 13 years or so. Not worth getting repaired any more than the Rebel is when you can't get more than about $40 for them on the used market.

In the mean time, my Nikon F2, which is now 38 years old, is still going strong. I have two "consumer grade" Canons (an AE-1 and an AE-1P) that are about 32 years old and 28 years old respectfully, which are also still going strong. And I plan to add at least one more Canon to my collection -- an Original F-1 (second version) -- and I expect it will continue to work perfectly for as long as I can still manage to turn a focusing ring.

Best,
Michael