Your Favorite 35mm Camera?

[bob100684]

I'm absolutely loving my Elan 7e. It fits my hand perfectly, and allows the control I want.

 

[Strokebloke]

Having only just got into 35mm SLR's [or D-SLR's for that matter] I have two 35mm cameras.
One is an FM2n, which I love. It's so simple. It's mechanical. It's light & it's teaching me to learn the craft of photography [which is why I bought it] rather than learning to rely on a 'auto everything point & shoot' D-SLR.
The F601 I should also love. It's got everything & more that someone at my stage of learning could ever want. But it's heavy. The shutter release is so light you only have to think about using it to check the focus & it takes the shot before you've even got your eye anywhere near the viewfinder. I've made a commitment to persevere with it. I'm sure that once I become proficient [or at least considerably more proficient than I am at the moment] I'll find it to be a great camera.
In the meantime though; it's got to be the FM2n

Jack

 

[Andrew Moxom]

Contax RTS II and Contax RX bodies. Coupled with the f2.8 28mm distagon, f1.4 50mm, f2.5 135mm, and f2.8 180mm. Great systems!! I did get rid of them though as the main cameras I use now are medium and large format. I do occasionally use the 35mm panoramic back on my Mamiya 6 MF . The only other 35mm camera I own is a Yashica T4 I picked up from the cabelas bargain cave..... for $30!! Apparently one of the game camera companies modified them for use in some of the older game cams. My T4 has a small plug fitting JBWelded onto the front, that's likely to an IR trip switch. Now most game cams are digital

 

[One_DaveT]

Nikon F2 is what I enjoy shooting with the most. It's hard to describe why. I do love the precision all mechanical instrument rugged feel. My favorite lenses for this camera (all pre-AI) are a 24/2.8, 100/2.5 and 200/4. I'm not a big fan of the 35/2.8 (low contrast) or 300/4.5 (hard to focus). The 50/1.4 is ok, though I suspect what is today called bokeh was never a consideration when this lens was designed.

Unfortunately, all of my best glass today is EF mount, for which I use an Elan 7E and 30D. The Elan does an excellent job of making photos, though it's void of all the type of enjoyment that I get from the F2. I'd trade the Elan for a 1V in a heartbeat if they weren't so prized.

 

[MFP]

Eventually I will own one, but the LEICA MP with a 50mm f/1.4 is probably my favorite camera, like ever.

 

[Phormula]

Nikon FM/FM2. I have been using one for 20+ years, meanwhile I have also used a dozen other cameras, but when I want to really enjoy the experience of taking a picture, I find myself going back to it and to my set of fixed focal E-series lenses: 28, 35, 50, 100 and 135.

 

[largely]

C'mon, this is like asking Hef to pick his favorite playmate.
I like OK, LOVE, Canons for their great glass and their dependability. I have several but if the shot really matters to me I'll take my T90 every time. Besides, I have too much money in FD lenses to change.
I will admit I'd like to have a Leica but I'd settle for a Canon 7 if I found a nice one. I don't currently have a working rangefinder.

Larry

 

[NormanV]

In The 60's I could not afford a Nikon F. Now they are so cheap that I have bought three and am looking for my fourth. But all my best pics are from a Fuji 6 x 9

 

[jmg1911]

I lost a lovely Olympus kit in a divorce nearly 25 years ago. Got a great deal on a couple of Nikons and 4 lenses, but it wasn't the same. Tried Leica R3 and 4 lenses and still wasn't satisfied! Now I have an OM2n on the way. I feel better already!

 

[wayne naughton]

SRT 101 and Fuji GA645Pro. and my old minolta 8000i is just a freak of a camera with lightning fast af and dead accurate metering. love to use these 3 cameras.

wayne

 

[ninjarider]

Contax 137 MD Quartz with Planar 50/1.7. I have had the camera since 1984. It´s small and very nice. In fact almost identical in size to my Electro 35 GTN. I would like to get the Tessar 45 mm pancace lens though.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

I have owned a Minolta sr-T101, a Minolta XD-11, a Minolta XG-7, a few Minolta XG-M's, a couple of Zeiss Ikon Coninta III's, a Nikon N65, a Canonet QL17 and made matchbox pinhole cameras.

My favorite, hands down, was the sr-T101 (which I no longer have, donated to a budding photographer). That thing was a tank. I used mine sans battery for years. Only when I gave it to someone did I realize the the light metter did not work. I just didn't bother. The body housed the MC/MD barrage of lenses. And it was heavy. YOU KNOW YOU WERE PHOTOGRAPHING SOMETHING.

 

[Pumal]

Hard to have a favorite. In my case; different circumstances require a different camera. I use Nikon F, Nikon F2, Canon New F-1, Yashica Electro 35 GSN, Ricoh 500 GX, Olimpus OM-2n, Canon A-1. I use my Nikon F3HP a lot. I have a Nikon F4, but I use it less. I have the SRT 201 (101) and have used it a lot.

 

[joko]

It would have to be K1000. I've had an ME Super that I used intermittently for over 20 years, but had to go ahead and put it up on the shelf. It needed one more repair; I got that done, and let it retire. K1000 is a pretty good, sturdy all mechanical camera.

I've recently picked up a couple of old Spotmatics for restoring; while I probably won't keep all of them, I think that design deserves a mention. 35+ years old and still going strong.

Overall, though, I favor my medium formats a little more than the 35mm; but 35mm has always been a strong contender. Given the decrease in 35mm camera production, I think we're going to see a rise in the favoring of all mechanical, or mechanical-capable, cameras.

 

[Pumal]

Especially a Super-Multi-Coated Super-Takumar. I have a 50mm 1:1.4 and a 135mm 1:3.5. Have a couple of Spotties and 2 K1000. I can assure of it's ruggedness and excelent optics.

 

[glockman99]

My favorite camera is my pair of Nikon F3HP's...Those are total "workhorses". I have MD-4 motordrives hooked to both of 'em, and although that makes for a rather heavy camera to pack around, it feels very good and solid in my hands.

My 2nd favorite is my (black body) Nikon FA, with MD-15 motordrive.

 

[Robert Liebermann]

So many! Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SP of late (35mm 3.5 and 135mm 3.5 takumar lenses - perfect set, great glass!), also Nikkormat FTn, Yashica Dental Eye III (amazing camera, get one used and shoot amazing ringflash macros!).

Olympus XA, Kiev 35A (lasted longer than my Minox). Lomo LC-A (I was buying these in the USSR in the early '90s for clandestine and long-exposure handheld shots long before the 'lomographic' marketing machine started pusing them in their cultish way; I went through about 8, all bought in xUSSR of course, since the shutters always break).

My first SLR was a Canon A-1, agreed it's built well and I still think it's among the more ergonomic and usable cameras I've had (my [second one] now sadly in storage on the other end of the continent for last 7 years... only a matter of time I suppose before I buy another one at a sale somewhere...

I have long dreamed of a Contax RTSII, though now I have an RTSI which has made me a little less enthusiastic -mainly because of the electronic shutter's poor cold weather performance (I live in Fairbanks!).

I have a F3, but I find it makes me miss my A-1 more. For some reason I seem to use my Nikon FG disproportionately... probably because my other Nikons always seem to be loaded with something else that what I need to shoot at the moment.

Eventually I'll go for a Leica, probably M4. Having a Contax G1 has convinced me that I like Zeiss lenses, small body, rangefinder, but NOT autofocus! The G1 shoots nicely, though, so long as it gets the focus right...

 

[EASmithV]

I'm torn between:

and

 

[donbga]

So, which is your favorite, and why?

Nikon F w/pentaprism finder with E screen.
Olympus OM2N
Olympus OM3
Leica 6 & 7

 

[stradibarrius]

My F100...But for a small 35mm the FE is a great!

 

[dhowler13]

My 2 Pentax ME Supers, one being a SE. Still going strong after all of these years !!

 

[motocross]

I m fun of Nikon F3. The 100% frame coverage and the oppurtunity to take photos from the waist level are some of the reasons that i prefer F3.

 

[oscroft]

Leica M2. Nothing extraneous, just a plain and simple picture-taking machine.

(Close seconds would be Olympus OM1n, OM2n and Leica M6).

 

[Todd Evans]

I'd love to be able to say that my favorite 35mm camera is a metal and chrome bodied classic, but I have to be truthful and say that it is my Canon EOS Elan II. I've sold and re-bought one of these so many times...gone Nikon, back to Canon, nikon again, back to Canon, etc...

The Elan II feels the best in my hand, and I still think it's as pretty as I did when it first came out. My current body isn't quite perfect condition-wise, so I'll have to buy another so I can have a really clean one!

My 2nd favorite is my Minolta X-700. I was lucky enough to get a mint "Made in Japan" version via online auction a few years ago from someone who had no idea what she had, and I only paid $17.00 USD for it! I used an X-370 exclusively for 10 years before I got my first Elan II, so I'm used to the way the X-700 feels.

Lately I've purchased a couple of late 1990s Minolta si bodies at insanely cheap prices, and I have to admit they are fun to use. They are plasticky, but perform well and are underrated IMO.

My recently acquired (free!) Konica Autoreflex T is pretty great too, and those Hexanon AR lenses are nice!

 

[jolefler]

I've run the course...

I really don't need/want a system camera in 35mm anymore, so gone are the old Nikons that were second nature in use and delivered phenominal results.

Gone, too, are the Leicas with their accessories.

For me, a 35mm camera should be slung over the shoulder with a single lens for portability and minimal fuss.

It's hard for me to comprehend, but my favorite now is the no longer manufactured Nikon L35AWAF Action Touch. A crisp 35mm/2.8 lens with AE, AF and motor advance. Heavily built, as well. I love canoeing and surf kayaking, so things can get too busy at times to fuss with the normal camera routine. Underwater focus is manual with this model, AF just doesn't work well down there. Even when things aren't too busy, it's nice to bring the camera to eye and push the button to capture anything from family moments to fleeting photo-ops.

I've gone through the trouble of amassing three of these cameras...no telling when a 20+ year old electronic camera will decide not to work, best to have a spare or parts at home.

If I need to carry a bag with lenses/meters/filters and other doo-dahs, I'll grab the medium format rig. Bigger is better! Small should be just that...small!

Jo