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What is it about your favorite camera...

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Olympus OM-1 or OM-2. Doesn't really matter which one, cause they both share the same trait - large viewfinder and small form factor (including the lenses). Shutter ring around the lens collar is also pretty ergonomic for me, although that invention seemingly gave a lot of people a reason to rant.
 
Olympus XA I can place in a pocket and it’s always there. The Nikon FM fits so well in my hands.
 
Just sentimental choices for me. My Dad's old K1000, and a Brownie Autographic that has been in the family since new. They both work perfectly and are fun to use too.
 
My Pentax LX with the FA-2 viewfinder. Having it to be weatherproof is much better than branding that red dot. It's basically my day to day camera. The runner up is my Olympus OM2N due to its light weight and compactness; however, getting the metering right at night is just a nightmare.
 
Pentax K1000 because of the way it feels.

Nikon fm2n is fundamentally a better camera, but the mirror slap / shutter of the Pentax is superb. I have a Nikon F2 as well, but it pings (so it needs a service), which means I can't compare it just yet.

The only issue with the Pentax is the light meter is broken.
 
Leica M4. As a slogan attracting shooters a hundred years ago said, "It fits in my hand like the hand of a friend." I could set the shutter speed and aperture without ever looking at the camera, and even approximately focus. It was reliable from America's southwest deserts to arctic winters at -60 degrees F. It survived almost four decades of hard use before digital photography became more practical for changing circumstances. Now it rests retired on a shelf of many lesser cameras used over the past 7 decades.
 
It is the way it feels in my hand, is like a comfrot blanket that makes me feel at ease and allows me to concentrate on the image, not on the gear
It is the way it interacts, and lets me set the speed, aperture, without even looking
It is the fact that it has survived hikes, climbs, falls, rain, snow, sleet, and was even used to smack a dude that try to steal some gear
 
jnantz said:
probably K1000, cause I know how it sees and it knows how I see
Click to expand...

That makes a lot of sense.

For me it was my Contax 139. I took so many images with it that the camera just felt like an extension of myself.

A good buddy of mine and I came to the conclusion that you can own too many cameras. We feel it's best to own just a few that you know inside and out. Of course we don't always follow our own advice. :D
 
titrisol said:
It is the way it feels in my hand, is like a comfrot blanket that makes me feel at ease and allows me to concentrate on the image, not on the gear
It is the way it interacts, and lets me set the speed, aperture, without even looking
It is the fact that it has survived hikes, climbs, falls, rain, snow, sleet, and was even used to smack a dude that try to steal some gear
Click to expand...

And the camera is?
 
On 35mm, probably Leica 6. For 120, that would be Kiev 88. Kiev 88 are full of issues but they are fun to use. Lenses are great.

Marcelo
 
A black Leica II is probably the most tactile and beautiful camera ever designed. However, in terms of framing a Leica M2 may be preferable?
 
Jim Jones said:
Leica M4. As a slogan attracting shooters a hundred years ago said, "It fits in my hand like the hand of a friend." I could set the shutter speed and aperture without ever looking at the camera, and even approximately focus. It was reliable from America's southwest deserts to arctic winters at -60 degrees F. It survived almost four decades of hard use before digital photography became more practical for changing circumstances. Now it rests retired on a shelf of many lesser cameras used over the past 7 decades.
Click to expand...


The Leica M series are some of the greatest cameras and nothing feel, handles or sound like them. However they are rangefinder cameras and no matter how great an offer is made to me, I prefer to use slrs whenever possible.
 
And I prefer to use rangefinder cameras whenever they are best for the job. I also have Nikon equipment for those many jobs where they are more versatile than Leica rangefinders. None of the Nikon cameras I've used feel as natural to me as the Leica. I'm even less comfortable with the Nikkormat than with the several Nikon Fs that I've used since the 1960s, and a Nikkorex was a disgrace to the Nikon name. An FM-10 bought for a friend was unreliable.
 
If I were 'in need' of a new monorail I'd go for the SInar with it's 'off axis' swings and tlts (fore and aft) but it should be
a serious number of years before my Linhof monorail really 'needs' replacement.

Ken
 
KenS said:
If I were 'in need' of a new monorail I'd go for the SInar with it's 'off axis' swings and tlts (fore and aft) but it should be
a serious number of years before my Linhof monorail really 'needs' replacement.

Ken
Click to expand...
I may add "if ever". Linhof cameras are great.
 
Most cameras that have been my favorite have been exceptionally solid metal with a comfortable feeling in the hand and old-fashioned mechanical reliability.

The Zenit S and the original Exa come to mind...

But perhaps my favorite is the Argus C3, with its... character. It has a lot of character.
 
Funny thing - I had been sort of reflecting on this for a few months now. Answer is a Wista SP which I have had for several years and I initially hated it! I had gone through a Wisner Tech Field, a Canham DLC as well as the Canham Wooden 5x7, a couple of Calumet Monorails, a Wista DX810 and several others (over the course of 60+ years). Gradually I began to see the Wista SP as my ultimate "compromise" camera and now, for the past few years the camera with a 135mm f5.6 Fujinon W (inside writing) in a Seiko shutter are always my first choice. The camera is compact enough with enough movements and bellows to do everything I need (in the South).If I were back out west I would probably need more length to compress things but for the south where I need a little"opening up" the 135 is great. I tried a Linhof Technika but didn't like the back movements. Maybe it is all a part of Fred Pickers' "advanced geezerhood" philosophy but at 78 I am totally content with my choice... there is a lot to be said for that.
Joel
 
Bob Eskridge said:
Busch Pressman rangefinder. Modified with a Graflok back.
Click to expand...
The Pressman feels good in my hands, is solid and compact and is very versatile.
Should add in reference to the above post that my Rodenstock 135/5.6 folds up in the camera.
 
John Earley said:
My favorite camera depends on what day of the week it is.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. I can't pick one. With some of the brands I can narrow it down. Out of my Pentaxes it would be either the Auto110 or the LX...
The other brands and I can maybe say which ones are my least favourite. Maybe.
 
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