Unpopular Cameras You Like

[Theo Sulphate]

I am sure we can all appreciate the irony.....Anybody Like/Using the Canon AE-1.?

AE-1 Program for me. It was my workhorse camera between 1986 and 1990. Used it with a Tokina ATX 35-200.

Still have it, of course.

 

[flavio81]

Fujica ST705 by Narsuitus, on Flickr

battery independent

high-quality M42 screw-mount lenses

well built

low cost

Nice pic.

I owned the ST605n. It had many good qualities but it was the camera with the harshest mirror/shutter shock i've tried in that format. The Spotmatic II was much better in this regard and felt higher quality.

I hope the 705 isn't like that.

 

[flavio81]

My favourite unpopular camera is Kiev-10. It's humongous, clunky and anything but reliable. Yet I really like the performance of optics.

Is the fan shutter and mirror smooth? I have the opportunity to buy one. How's the viewfinder like?

 

[CMoore]

Never heard about this ...

I guess what i am saying is.....it seems like A-Series Cameras were among The Biggest selling in history, but are now among the least desirable and least expensive.
Even with a CLA i could get no interest on Craigslist at 80 Dollars with a 50mm lens. I had guys offering me 40 bux. !
At that price, i would rather donate them to my local College.

 

[P.johnson14]

My T70 is my main 35mm Camera, although it has been seeing less use since I obtained my Retina IIIc.

 

[AgX]

I guess what i am saying is.....it seems like A-Series Cameras were among The Biggest selling in history, but are now among the least desirable and least expensive.

This is the first time I hear that AE-1 is not attractive today. But of course attraction and price have to seen in relation to other cameras. But I have never seen an AE-1 going unchecked directly into the rummage box, in contrast to other cameras.

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

I guess it is not that AE1 aren't popular, but rather, because of their huge success, there are a ton of them around. Offer overwhelm demand I guess.

For me, its a nice camera but I like some other cameras better so never bought one even though I've seen them cheap. For Canon, got a F1 which is still going strong after some years, so no reason to add another Canon to the group.


Marcelo

 

[Chan Tran]

This is the first time I hear that AE-1 is not attractive today. But of course attraction and price have to seen in relation to other cameras. But I have never seen an AE-1 going unchecked directly into the rummage box, in contrast to other cameras.

I don't like the Canon A series but I think they are quite popular today. Of course the AE-1 was best seller in its time.

 

[Chan Tran]

I guess it is not that AE1 aren't popular, but rather, because of their huge success, there are a ton of them around. Offer overwhelm demand I guess.

For me, its a nice camera but I like some other cameras better so never bought one even though I've seen them cheap. For Canon, got a F1 which is still going strong after some years, so no reason to add another Canon to the group.


Marcelo

I bought one of each A-1, AE-1 and AE-1P just to prove to me that I was right in not considering them back in the days.

 

[AgX]

I call that principled!

 

[abruzzi]

But I prefer the Pentax Super Program. -Thats a gem no one seems to talk about.

I love my SuperProgram. It feels like a old school, metal bodied SLR, it’s of the small generation of SLR bodies, it can be shot all manual, fully automatic exposure, aperture priority or shutter priority, and I can use my modern ring-less lenses, if I’m willing to shoot shutter priority of program mode. Most of the A lenses are pretty cheap too.

While it’s non unpopular, it funny kind of seeing the Pentax 67 as a bit of a red headed stepchild in the MF world. You’ll read lots of people gushing about the camera, then you’ll come across a well known site doing a rundown of medium format cameras, and they seem to mention the 67 at the end as an afterthought or an apology.

 

[CMoore]

This is the first time I hear that AE-1 is not attractive today. But of course attraction and price have to seen in relation to other cameras. But I have never seen an AE-1 going unchecked directly into the rummage box, in contrast to other cameras.

I would say Both our experiences are somewhat Anecdotal, but.....my recent experience is that if you had -
10x Pentax K1000
10x Canon AE-1
you would sell the Pentax faster and for more money.
In 1978 i would have gone for the AE-1. In 2018 i would take the K1000, and i think ( i could be wrong) that a lot of people would do the same.
But, circa 1978, the AE-1 would have been touted as the "better" camera and would have sold for more money.......hence the "Irony".

 

[narsuitus]

I owned the ST605n. It had many good qualities but it was the camera with the harshest mirror/shutter shock i've tried in that format. The Spotmatic II was much better in this regard and felt higher quality.

I hope the 705 isn't like that.

I just performed a test on the two cameras at 1 second, 1/60 seconds, and 1/1000 second shutter speeds. My 705 has a slightly louder and slightly clunkier sound but the difference is not significant to my ears.


Black M42 by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[AgX]

.....my recent experience is that if you had -
10x Pentax K1000
10x Canon AE-1
you would sell the Pentax faster and for more money.

The Pentax K100 is completely unknown as student's camera here in Germany (in contrast to the USA) and thus got no special interest.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

The Pentax K100 is completely unknown as student's camera here in Germany (in contrast to the USA) and thus got no special interest.

So what is the student's camera in Germany at the present time?

 

[AgX]

Concerning the past I have never found any hint at a student's camera in any german textbook, magazine, ad or so I got from back then.

Today? What students?

(One dealer told me that the AE-1 is now bought by young people.)

 

[CMoore]

The Pentax K100 is completely unknown as student's camera here in Germany (in contrast to the USA) and thus got no special interest.

Then like i say, the "evidence" is anecdotal for both of us.
In the usa, the Pentax IS well known, and seen, I Think, as a "better" camera for a beginner.
I have NO problem using the AE-1, but for a first time student, it can be hard.....as the AE-1 meters in the Shutter Priority Mode while set to Manual. At least that is the way i remember it.
The Pentax is (perhaps) much more intuitive for a beginner.

 

[AgX]

The K-1000 is lacking a DOF preview feature and thus as a teacher I would not recommend it. To be on topic: my unpopular camera.

 

[locutus]

If i do have to pitch in...

I really like the Leica R8/9 which seems to be a hate-it-or-love-it-design and the Rollei SLX/6000, with the second one i'm actually surprised they aren't more popular.

 

[macfred]

I really like the Leica R8/9 which seems to be a hate-it-or-love-it-design ...

Same for me with the unpopular Leica R3 - still one of my favorite SLRs ...

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Same for me with the unpopular Leica R3 - still one of my favorite SLRs ...

What I've always wanted :swoon:

http://www.leicashop.com/media/cata...8eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/3/0/30466_40.jpg

 

[macfred]

What I've always wanted :swoon:...

Nice Safari-kit !!

https://goo.gl/images/RVKkem

 

[flavio81]

While it’s non unpopular, it funny kind of seeing the Pentax 67 as a bit of a red headed stepchild in the MF world. You’ll read lots of people gushing about the camera, then you’ll come across a well known site doing a rundown of medium format cameras, and they seem to mention the 67 at the end as an afterthought or an apology.

I owned a P67 which is a second-generation Pentax 6x7 (not to be confused with the Pentax 6x7II). It has a very annoying problem: the shutter has very strong slap/vibrations. It's not really the mirror, but the shutter, so MLU doesn't help too much. I couldn't shoot it at 1/60 or below and get tack sharp pictures. This is a typical debate on the P67; others say they can use 1/30 or even less handheld with no problems, but as far as i've seen, those who said so, use the huge funny, looking wooden handle grip. I would bet that this huge grip cancels the shutter's vibrations. In comparison I can use my Mamiya RB67s even at 1/4s with success.

It's a shame, because it is a very beautiful camera, well built, and the lenses are amazing (which is what one would expect from Pentax.)

 

[flavio81]

The K-1000 is lacking a DOF preview feature and thus as a teacher I would not recommend it. To be on topic: my unpopular camera.

Exactly my opinion. I really missed a DOF preview on the K1000. And no, the "twist the lens from its mount" trick is hugely cumbersome. Otherwise the K1000 was fine, although the lack of an explicit meter-off switch was a bit annoying.

Same for me with the unpopular Leica R3 - still one of my favorite SLRs ...

I would love having a Leica R3. In fact I think this is the top Leica i'd love to own. Basically the amazing Minolta XE-5 (probably the best Minolta ever) with Leitz improvements and R mount.

By the way, just as a curiosity: The Canon EF (itself a cult camera) has the same kind of shutter-speed/film-advance/trigger combination as the Leica M5 (copied directly from it!) and almost exactly the very same ASA-selection dial as in the Leicaflex.

 

[BMbikerider]

I am not sure how Popular/Unpopular they were when released as a New camera, but.......Minolta XG-M and the Canon AT-1.
I rarely see either of those on the street, and rarely read about them on The Internet.
Neither are my "Favorite" 35mm SLR, but i could certainly be happy if, for some reason, one of them became my Only SLR.

+

The Canon AT1 is not as far as I know 'unpopular' with users. I do know that it wasn't a favourite of camera repairers due to the 'new' circuitry in the electronic which could actually be repaired rather than a failed module pulled out and thrown away.