most reliable

ongakublue · Sep 5, 2015

hi everyone,

what do you think are the most reliable modestly-priced old cameras? give the least trouble and have stood the test of time really well and you can divide it between purely mechanical (except light meter) and more battery powered or automatic models.

Ian Grant · Sep 5, 2015

Leica M2 or M3, you can find them for reasonably modest prices. and they'll last a lifetime/

Ian

Les Sarile · Sep 5, 2015

Given your recent run, you understand very well that in the used market anything can happen. I have acquired some of the top models of a lot of brands and have found out that even the best may require quality care. So it is important for me to know good available service because you never know when it will be needed.

Xmas · Sep 5, 2015

Canon VI, P or 7
Nikon S3 or SP

Are each more reliable than a Leica M, with a better build standard.

anfenglin · Sep 5, 2015

Nikon F-801 (s) or N8008(s) as it's called in the US. I had a few in my hands and own one, I've seen them battered, scratched and dirty, they all worked just fine. Mine has scratches left and right of the film window inside the camera, and some of the symbols on the buttons have worn off. The AF motor sound a bit screetchy but otherwise, in my opinion, these things are unkillable, apart from water damage maybe. As an added bonus, it has the HP finder of the F3 and a nice hefty weight to it but not too much. Matrix metering with AF lenses is a nice touch and it has full compatibility with Ai lenses. A F-801 costs roughly 30 Euros, the s is a bit more.
Mechanically, maybe a Minolta SRT101?

ongakublue · Sep 5, 2015

anfenglin said:
Nikon F-801 (s) or N8008(s) as it's called in the US. I had a few in my hands and own one, I've seen them battered, scratched and dirty, they all worked just fine. Mine has scratches left and right of the film window inside the camera, and some of the symbols on the buttons have worn off. The AF motor sound a bit screetchy but otherwise, in my opinion, these things are unkillable, apart from water damage maybe. As an added bonus, it has the HP finder of the F3 and a nice hefty weight to it but not too much. Matrix metering with AF lenses is a nice touch and it has full compatibility with Ai lenses. A F-801 costs roughly 30 Euros, the s is a bit more.
Mechanically, maybe a Minolta SRT101?

I am thinking of buying a Nikon F3. Any experience of that? The point is that I want an slr that is not very big but reliable with a very big selection of lenses available to it and with aperture priority.

Gimenosaiz · Sep 5, 2015

Hi,
I also own the Nikon f801s. Its not the sexiest of the SLR but it never failed to me ... ¡¡¡38€ (kit lens included!!!
I had a couple of Zorki 4 ... no problems at all (35€ each, Jupiter 8 or Industar 61 included). I prefer this mechanical cameras ...
Regards
Antonio

cuthbert · Sep 5, 2015

Any mechanical Japanese SLR of the 70s is pretty reliable.

Xmas · Sep 5, 2015

ongakublue said:
I am thinking of buying a Nikon F3. Any experience of that? The point is that I want an slr that is not very big but reliable with a very big selection of lenses available to it and with aperture priority.

Probably an F3 is the most reliable aperture priority camera but you are dependent on the condition of a relay and the battery.
Some pros stayed with their F2.
Another option is a FM3A.

anfenglin · Sep 5, 2015

I had an F3 for a while, I liked how it was made, solid and it felt right in my hands, I also loved the finder. I'm also a big fan of manual lenses and manual, mechanical cameras without too much plastic and I prefer switches to buttons. I never liked how it sounded though and I hated the little lcd. I sold it a while ago in favor of more MF gear. 35mm is starting to bore me a bit.

MontanaJay · Sep 5, 2015

I still have a fully operational 1968 Nikon F with a straight prism that I carried daily for three decades and once dropped and watched as it tumbled down a flight of a dozen concrete steps.
Does that qualify?

Sewin · Sep 5, 2015

MontanaJay said:
I still have a fully operational 1968 Nikon F with a straight prism that I carried daily for three decades and once dropped and watched as it tumbled down a flight of a dozen concrete steps.
Does that qualify?

I once did that with a Zenit, but I wouldn't class it as the most reliable

Chan Tran · Sep 5, 2015

How old are you? I think most film camera can be used for 100 years.

macfred · Sep 5, 2015

Chan Tran said:
How old are you? I think most film camera can be used for 100 years.

Good point !!
Most of my gear will probably survive me ... :confused:

Peltigera · Sep 5, 2015

Chan Tran said:
How old are you? I think most film camera can be used for 100 years.

I have a 1918 Ica Icarette that is in useable condition.

Sewin · Sep 5, 2015

Chan Tran said:
How old are you? I think most film camera can be used for 100 years.

Very true.

I'd say 50% of my cameras are from the fifties. They will last longer than me!

RalphLambrecht · Sep 5, 2015

ongakublue said:
hi everyone,

what do you think are the most reliable modestly-priced old cameras? give the least trouble and have stood the test of time really well and you can divide it between purely mechanical (except light meter) and more battery powered or automatic models.

any camera still in use today

blockend · Sep 5, 2015

All cameras go out of adjustment eventually, from Leicas to Zenits. One of the best quality cameras at the cheapest price has to be Nikkormat. They were hand built to the same standard as the system cameras like the F, and have mechanical linkages. The light meters die, but if you want automation you're probably looking at a different kind of camera.

John Bragg · Sep 5, 2015

Nikon Pro models from F to F6 are all pretty reliable and I have an F5. Some of the Prosumer models equally so, with the Nikon F90x rating very highly here, (and I have one of those) perhaps better than the F100 that superceded it, although I love my F100 and personally have had no trouble from it.

ongakublue · Sep 5, 2015

All good info. Yeah I have a Minolta from 1978 that will outlive me I think. I was born the year before it was made. I suppose I really mean that I want something sturdy an pretty low maintenance. I have had issues with the battery operated ones. I am looking into getting an F2. I like the idea of something almost totally mechanical and I want a very big selection of lenses. The old Minolta lenses are very good but Nikon goes all the way to the present.

Jim Jones · Sep 5, 2015

Xmas said:
Canon VI, P or 7
Nikon S3 or SP

Are each more reliable than a Leica M, with a better build standard.

I own and have used a Canon P and 7 and a Leica M4. The 45-year-old Leica still works; neither slightly older Canons do. Also, the five lenses for the Leica are fine performers. For a while I used the 50mm f/1.4 Canon lens on the Leica for indoor sports in poorly lit indoor gyms Then Kodak began selling T-Max 3200, and I could get much better photos with the F/2 Summicron. Nikkormats and Nikon Fs have also given good service

benjiboy · Sep 5, 2015

No machine works reliably for many decades without lubrication, adjustment and other maintenance, if you expect reliability from your requipment you have to have your cameras serviced occasionally.

destroya · Sep 5, 2015

nikon f3 and any of the great AI lenses

Paul Howell · Sep 5, 2015

Not sure what modest price means to you, but:

Spotmatic
Minolta 202
Konica T3
Nikon Nikkromate
Nikon FM
Canon FTb
Pentax MX

AF
Nikon N90s
Canon EOS 1 or 1N
Pentax Pz 1
Minolta 7

pan_giannakis · Sep 5, 2015

My Olympus OM-1n and my Nikon F4s have never let me down.

most reliable

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