Top 10 classic 35mm film cameras

[Ricardo Miranda]

No Nikon F?

There's a limit of 10!

 

[Tom1956]

As for the Nikon question, it is quite possible that Nikon has been usurped from inclusion on the list. It has been bumped by a manufacturer named as Nikon. Imagine a company that has unwittingly bumped off their own flagship. Submitted for your approval, as Rod Serling would say, is the Nikkormat. Nikon's top camera of the 1964-1978 time period, or any other time period. Utterly dependable, sturdy as a brick, completely functional is every category except motor drive. Nikon's finest workhorse, without question. Nominated for finest fit and finish camera in 35mm category does not go to Leica--it goes to Nikon F2.

 

[Les Sarile]

Not intending to shut out Nikon from the lineup completely, but Minolta implemented the "matrix metering" concept first in the SRT101 (1966) calling it CLC - Contrast Light Compensator.

 

[Copyhat]

Some picks:
Konica TC-1 (1978) was the first SLR with built in motor drive

Konica Autoreflex T3 (1976) as it competed well with the contemporary mechanical top of the line rivals and supported some seriously good glass.

Nikon F3 (1980) because so many were made and they are brick solid.

Nikon F4 (1988) because they were the first professional AF cameras and had nice dials and buttons opposed to the rest of Nikon SLR lineup which had by then changed to LCD screen menus.

Zeiss Ikon Contaflex Rapid (1959) this camera completed the German pre-war dream for a good SLR and threw in a capable light meter too. Unique features.

Olympus OM-1 (1972) which was rivaling the other manual cameras of that time and some purists still hang on to them.

The Nikon F (1959) is supposed to be the grandfather of all SLR's but I think that victory is rightfully given to the Contaflex.

 

[PKM-25]

The problem with Leica is that some things in this world are just not worth that much money. It's beyond ridiculous. The prices are not just obscene, they're absurd. Some things I just wouldn't buy if I had Warren Buffet's money, and Leica stuff tops the list. And that loading film from the bottom is just dumb. But I'm sure their great cameras, though. I remember the days when Jaguar was this really premium car--so fine and well made, it spent half it's life in the shop.

I see M2, M3 and M4's going for less than they did a few years ago, sometimes $500-$700. I also know that if you try not to collect lenses but do like I did and stick to one, it is far less painful in terms of your wallet. I have a 58 year old M3 with a fresh CLA with a 50mm 1.4 V.2 Summilux from 1963. The lens is mint and I got it from KEH for not a lot of dough, I'm set for life and if I were to ever need to sell it, I'll likely get more than I paid for it.

Yeah...new stuff is insane, but classic stuff is a waiting game...

 

[PKM-25]

My all time favorite is my black FM3A that I bought brand new in 2002, simply the best 35mm camera I have ever used. I have a hard time *not* using it over my other favorite, my 58 year old Leica M3.

Nikon FM3A.
Best..
Camera...
Ever.....

 

[removedacct3]

I know it is full of electronics, but hey ..... somebody has to mention the fabulous Olympus OM-4Ti?

 

[cliveh]

I know it is full of electronics, but hey ..... somebody has to mention the fabulous Olympus OM-4Ti?

No, its full of electronics.

 

[Alan Gales]

How about my buddy, Harold's, favorite camera, the Hasselblad X-Pan?

 

[removedacct3]

No, its full of electronics.

Agreed, but you can not deny that the metering system was truly revolutionary.

 

[cliveh]

Agreed, but you can not deny that the metering system was truly revolutionary.

You are probably quite correct.

 

[blockend]

In say 20 or 30 years’ time, which 35mm film cameras do you think will be thought of as the top 10 classics?

In 30 years time the question will be, "which 35mm cameras are still working"? Anything with an LCD that isn't already dead will be dying, and no chance of replacements. It isn't looking good for LEDs either. High status cameras such as the Leica and mechanical pro Nikons will probably have a bespoke re-manufacture industry - at a price. Extinct mercury batteries could have a direct replacement.
Cloth shuttered, metal bodied might survive because parts that aren't donored can be made. One often overlooked element (sic) is the condition of remaining lenses. Many will have succumbed to fungus and cleaning marks after sixty to seventy years. The biggest threat of all is the discontinuation of film manufacture. In thirty years digital will be giving us 10 x 8 quality in handheld cameras, with every conceivable look under the sun. Will film still have a following then?

 

[cliveh]

In 30 years time the question will be, "which 35mm cameras are still working"? Anything with an LCD that isn't already dead will be dying, and no chance of replacements. It isn't looking good for LEDs either. High status cameras such as the Leica and mechanical pro Nikons will probably have a bespoke re-manufacture industry - at a price. Extinct mercury batteries could have a direct replacement.
Cloth shuttered, metal bodied might survive because parts that aren't donored can be made. One often overlooked element (sic) is the condition of remaining lenses. Many will have succumbed to fungus and cleaning marks after sixty to seventy years. The biggest threat of all is the discontinuation of film manufacture. In thirty years digital will be giving us 10 x 8 quality in handheld cameras, with every conceivable look under the sun. Will film still have a following then?

I have a Leica II, which probably needs a service, but still works well and it was made in 1932. Also there may be no film in the future, but some cameras that used film will still be classic. The Newtonian telescope maybe obsolete, but it still works and exemplifies a unique piece of design and physics within the chronological framework of history and technological progression.

 

[PKM-25]

In 30 years Ilford will be doing just fine with film and paper. I'd worry more about the digital you have now than film and film cameras. Must be an age thing on this site, my guess is the bracket of 40-70 are really down on all of it where younger tends to have a better grip on reality.

 

[dynachrome]

There was no Konica TC-1. The original TC came out in 1976. The first Konica SLR with a built in wider was the FS-1. Some years later there was the Cosina made TC-X. The Konica C35 AF was the first mass produced and practical 35mm AF camera. I would include the Konica Auto Reflex, also known as the Autorex in other markets, the Minolta STR-101, the Canon Pellix and Pellix QL models, the Olympus Pen F, the Contax RTS which revived the Zeiss SLR presence, the Leicaflex SL2, the Nikkormat FTN, the Miranda Autosensorex EE and the Mamiya Auto XTL.

 

[benjiboy]

"Classic cameras" is what everybody tries to sell on Ebay.

 

[John Earley]

Is this list of "10" supposed to be groundbreaking cameras or the top cameras in their class which may not have been grounbreaking but which were the the ultimate development of a type or system?

 

[Roger Cole]

In 30 years time the question will be, "which 35mm cameras are still working"? Anything with an LCD that isn't already dead will be dying, and no chance of replacements. It isn't looking good for LEDs either. High status cameras such as the Leica and mechanical pro Nikons will probably have a bespoke re-manufacture industry - at a price. Extinct mercury batteries could have a direct replacement.
Cloth shuttered, metal bodied might survive because parts that aren't donored can be made. One often overlooked element (sic) is the condition of remaining lenses. Many will have succumbed to fungus and cleaning marks after sixty to seventy years. The biggest threat of all is the discontinuation of film manufacture. In thirty years digital will be giving us 10 x 8 quality in handheld cameras, with every conceivable look under the sun. Will film still have a following then?

I don't see why not, wet plate still has a following today.

 

[Roger Cole]

My all time favorite is my black FM3A that I bought brand new in 2002, simply the best 35mm camera I have ever used. I have a hard time *not* using it over my other favorite, my 58 year old Leica M3.

Nikon FM3A.
Best..
Camera...
Ever.....

I kind of feel that way about my Pentax MX, even over my LX. I just wish the meter went to 3200 or, better yet, 6400, but it's not hard to meter at 1600 and give one or two stops more.

Why the chrome MX sells for less than the K1000 used is one of those happy things I'll never understand but am glad to take advantage of. I have both. The MX just feels superb and is soo smooth, not to mention small (though I don't find it too small, and I'm a big guy with large-ish hands.) The K1000 works well enough if you can live without DOF preview (I miss it, but I love my Yashicamat 124 so I guess I shouldn't complain about that...) but feels like a large clunky toy in comparison.

Black MXs command a real premium but while they look nice I'm not about to pay a lot more for a purely cosmetic finish that is actually less durable. So my K mount kit has two chrome and one black (or two of each if I ever replace the light seals in my Ricoh XR-7.)

 

[RattyMouse]

In 30 years Ilford will be doing just fine with film and paper. I'd worry more about the digital you have now than film and film cameras. Must be an age thing on this site, my guess is the bracket of 40-70 are really down on all of it where younger tends to have a better grip on reality.

I'm 46 and totally positive on the future of film, especially with companies like Ilford around! (I bought 30 rolls of film this past weekend!!)

 

[PKM-25]

I'm 46 and totally positive on the future of film, especially with companies like Ilford around! (I bought 30 rolls of film this past weekend!!)

Some of us are young at heart, I am 46 as well...

 

[Alan Gales]

"Classic cameras" is what everybody tries to sell on Ebay.

Either Classic or Rare and both in mint condition with very little wear!

 

[baachitraka]

Olympus OM-1n

 

[blockend]

I don't see why not, wet plate still has a following today.

Yes, I agree and the most likely to survive are antique/ home grown processes that don't rely on industrially manufactured film. My guess (and it's only that) is at some point the higher quality offered by digital will meet the falling demand/increasing prices of film to suppress desire for it to an unsustainable level. There are already signs this is happening for some products, like 35mm slides. At that point it won't matter what the remaining enthusiasts want, because production lines will close and they'll have to make their own plates. Traditional photography will never die completely, just as etching, lithography, and other semi-industrial processes have outlived their original purpose and live on as craft skills.

The OP's thirty years are a long time in a digital age and it's impossible to predict what will happen. Someone may come up with a 'dry' alternative to the film cassette, a roll of light sensitive material that can be reused in 35mm cameras. Industrial shrinkage and mechanical wear are two ticking clocks that will converge at some point, but it isn't immanent. The death of film has been predicted for fifteen years but it's still here. Would I persevere with 35mm if a pocket point and shoot camera gave me authentic 10 x 8" IQ? Possibly not.

 

[Roger Cole]

I would. I already "persevere" with both 35mm and medium format cameras when I can get objectively superior quality easier (but not cheaper) out of digital. I just like the process and the look. (I also shoot 4x5 but that gets into levels where matching it digitally gets expensive.)