The best film camera money can buy?

pen s · Dec 8, 2012

Sorry folks but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I always thought the bulls eye Contarex was the most butt ugly camera ever. Then Canon pioneered the 'slightly melted plasto-blob' look with their introduction of the T-90. Many modern DSLR's now copy that look, ugh! My idea of the best looking camera is the original Nikon F with the non metered prism. It just looks right. All that is essential with no ungainly protuberances, clean and purposeful. Thirty eight years ago I chose Olympus OM as my 35mm SLR because of the small form factor and weight and the OM-1 is nice clean looking camera, but the Nikon F is my favorite looking camera even though I have never owned one.

dnjl · Dec 8, 2012

pen s said:
'slightly melted plasto-blob'

That's the best description I've seen yet

fotch · Dec 8, 2012

Looks like it would scare the crap out of a young child.

E. von Hoegh · Dec 8, 2012

"Absolutely gorgeous pictures can be taken with this camera and is a photographers dream camera."

I wonder why it hasn't sold?

Sirius Glass · Dec 8, 2012

E. von Hoegh said:
"Absolutely gorgeous pictures can be taken with this camera and is a photographers dream camera."

I wonder why it hasn't sold?

Because just about everyone knows that you can't buy film any more. Didn't you hear that film is dead? You deef or sumpin"?

E. von Hoegh · Dec 8, 2012

Sirius Glass said:
Because just about everyone knows that you can't buy film any more. Didn't you hear that film is dead? You deef or sumpin"?

What?

fotch · Dec 8, 2012

E. von Hoegh said:
"Absolutely gorgeous pictures can be taken with this camera and is a photographers dream camera."

I wonder why it hasn't sold?

He should lower the price a bit, maybe $1999.99.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Dec 8, 2012

I dont think Contarex was the best camera at 1958 , M3 Leica released at 1958 with 35 mm Summaron , f:1.5,2,3.5 50mms,
90mm and 135 mm. Contarex cameras were ugly like Minoltas , Praktinas ,Kodak Retinas and Kalimar Aires 35 iii l , last camera was coming with f:1.9 lens and price was 99.50.

Zeiss introduced 4 cameras at 1958 , Contaflex , Contax , Contina and Ikoflex , all with Sonnar , Tessar , Anastigmat lenses.
I saw many Leica bodies were using Nikon lenses and Nikon had a primitive Leica copy.

Polaroid cameras were big at 1958 and Ansco was racing with Ektachrome and Kodachrome where Ansco claiming that their users will not get flat deep blue skies.

Umut

rolleiman · Dec 8, 2012

The best camera is the one you happen to have with you at the time. ...think about it.

Sirius Glass · Dec 8, 2012

All siriusness aside, in 1958 there were very few SLRs available and most of those including the Conterex went through a learning curve to "get it right". That said the Conterex is both butt ugly and fascinating.

Yashinoff · Dec 9, 2012

The big breakthroughs in SLR design came in 1959. In 1958 the Contarex could arguably lay claim to the "best SLR" title. Its competition at the time would have basically been the Exakta. The Exakta despite being an old design by this point was the more flexible system and better suited to laboratory and scientific uses.

I think the Contarex Special is actually a very attractive camera too: http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/zeiss/contarex/special.htm
The Contarex Super and Electronic also have their own interesting aesthetic appeal.

Allan Swindles · Dec 10, 2012

Nar! rolleiman's got it right! But isn't it the photographer who makes the picture not the camera?

Yashinoff · Dec 10, 2012

Allan Swindles said:
Nar! rolleiman's got it right! But isn't it the photographer who makes the picture not the camera?

It's the subject that makes the picture.

BobD · Dec 11, 2012

Here is a much cheaper alternative:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=271090741812

Yashinoff · Dec 11, 2012

Oh virtualmerch they list just about anything for $999. I asked them once if they were mistaken, but never got an answer. So I'm going to have to guess they're just daft.

StoneNYC · Dec 11, 2012

Wouldn't the "best" camera be the one that sells the most copies? Could be the canon AE-1? Hehe

I wouldn't have even offered this guy $100 for that ugly thing, I don't care how great a picture is if I feel like I look like a weirdo holding it I don't want it. Some photography is about perception, if they perceive you to be good, you have more options with your subject.

~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

StoneNYC · Dec 11, 2012

BobD said:
Here is a much cheaper alternative:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=271090741812

Hehe...

~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

StoneNYC · Dec 11, 2012

Well, it actually worked...

Go me!

If I had the money I would get it, they sell 110 again, would be fun to shoot.

~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sirius Glass · Dec 12, 2012

StoneNYC said:
Well, it actually worked...

Go me!

If I had the money I would get it, they sell 110 again, would be fun to shoot.

~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Killjoy! Now we have to find something else to make fun of!

Yashinoff · Dec 12, 2012

They still have an extra $9 in there...

Allan Swindles · Dec 12, 2012

It's the subject that makes the picture.

Very true, but the photographer has to be there - in the right place - at the right time, with a camera.

elekm · Dec 12, 2012

Best selling doesn't make it the best. Canon has sold boatloads of its various EOS and Rebel cameras. Good cameras? Yes. Best cameras? Maybe, but probably not, especially with their entry level cameras.

I think trying to nail down the best camera ever would be dIifficult, maybe impossible, to decide. Best made? Best features? Best lenses? Easiest to use? And nearly everyone has different opinions on what they think would be the best.

I could list maybe 10 cameras that I think might be the best, and they're all different from each other.

Sirius Glass · Dec 12, 2012

elekm said:
Best selling doesn't make it the best. Canon has sold boatloads of its various EOS and Rebel cameras. Good cameras? Yes. Best cameras? Maybe, but probably not, especially with their entry level cameras.

I believe that Kodak sold even more Instamatic 104s. Using the logic that the best selling cameras are the best one leads to the conclusion the Instamatic 104 was the best camera ever made.

MattKing · Dec 12, 2012

Sirius Glass said:
I believe that Kodak sold even more Instamatic 104s. Using the logic that the best selling cameras are the best one leads to the conclusion the Instamatic 104 was the best camera ever made.

There is a reasonable likelihood though that more good photographs have been taken with Instamatic 104s than any other camera :munch:.

Yashinoff · Dec 12, 2012

MattKing said:
There is a reasonable likelihood though that more good photographs have been taken with Instamatic 104s than any other camera :munch:.

But also more bad ones.

The best film camera money can buy?

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