Your Favorite 35mm Camera?

[Pumal]

I think the one I have enjoyed the most recently is my Canon EF ( no not the auto focus lenses )http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EF_camera,
they are quite highly prized by Canon FD enthusiasts who call them the "Black Beauty", and although I have several FD bodys this is the smoothest of them all.

I have one too. Great camera. Built like a tank. Shutter Priority

 

[benjiboy]

I have one too. Great camera. Built like a tank. Shutter Priority

I just had mine serviced for the first time recently, it cost about as much as the camera is worth, but I don't care, I enjoy using it so much, It's as smooth as silk now,

 

[Trevor du Plessis]

My Canon AE1 Program. It feels comfortable, like an extension of myself. Using it is like putting on an old pair of shoes. It just fits perfectly and does exactly what I want. It has the characteristic squeal associated with Canon A series cameras, but the action of the shutter is smooth. As a "point & shoot" camera I like my Pentax A3. It is about as "idiot proof" as one can get - impossible to take a bad photo with it, but not as flexible or as comfortable to use as te AE1p.

 

[benjiboy]

Trevor ,the dreaded sqeal is the mirror braking mechanism that needs some attention befor it ceases up (many people think mistakenly that It's the shutter that makes this noise ), my A1 had this problem ,until I had it serviced recently.

 

[Trevor du Plessis]

Thanks for the advice, Ben. I would hate to let the camera suffer any damge as a result of such a simple problem. I'll get it serviced.

 

[funkpilz]

Olympus OM-2. It's small, light, quiet, the lenses are sublime. Also, my grandfather gave it to me, so it has sentimental value.

 

[mopar_guy]

Olympus OM-4T. I own three of these. Light, compact, durable, flash sync to 1/2000, sharp Zuiko lenses. You can have my OM-4T when you pry it from my cold, dead hand.

 

[Ken N]

Olympus OM-4T. I own three of these. Light, compact, durable, flash sync to 1/2000, sharp Zuiko lenses. You can have my OM-4T when you pry it from my cold, dead hand.

My OM-2S was my first OM body back in February of 1986. It's never getting sold while I'm alive. The OM-3Ti will be the final-straw OM body. As long as there is film, I'll shoot film in the OM-3Ti.

 

[benjiboy]

I love being in the company of real enthusiasts.

 

[EricO]

My favorite is the Minolta Maxxum 7 for serious jobs. I like the features and ergonomics. My other faovites are the Minolta Maxxum 7000i to beat around with and leave in the car. I don't worry about it getting damaged or lost. Lastly, the Minolta Maxxum 5 because it's small and has a flash. This one is nice for everyday use and at parties and such.

 

[januaryman]

Sheer love of the camera - Leica M2

For fast and quick on the move shooting - Hexar AF

Best SLR I ever had - Canon EF

 

[Ken N]

I love being in the company of real enthusiasts.

Other than the new M9, which is getting attention because it leans on the strengths of a successful FILM body, have we really seen such enthusiasm for a digital body?

Short answer is "yes".

But after 18 months are we still enthusiastic about that same digital body? Rarely.

 

[elekm]

My current favorites are a Minolta XD-11 that I just restored and a Rolleiflex SL 35.

The Minolta turned out to be a very nice camera, although it looked tragic when I received it. It took me several hours to get it back into shape.

As I recall, the Minolta XD-11 was the first camera to offer aperture-priority, shutter-priority and full manual exposure in one camera. Build quality is excellent, and combined with the f/2.0 45mm Rokkor lens, it makes for a very compact, very portable camera.

I like the Rolleiflex SL 35 purely because of its simplicity. Plus, the cloth focal-plane shutter has such a nice sound to it when it's released.

 

[spencewine]

My Leica M4-2 w/ 35mm V3 Summicron is my most used and favorite. Second would be my little Ricoh Gr1v P&S, it's a killer in a small, unassuming package. Also have a Nikon FA "the Technicamera" which I love, but don't use nearly enough due to my Leica's need for loving attention and my fondness for the rangefinder view.

 

[ronlamarsh]

Favorite

M3 double stroke w/ 50mm collaspable summicron, nikon FM2N and Ziess contaflex.

 

[ssloansjca]

I love my Nikon F6 and F5, 1 and 2.

 

[chad hallblade]

i shoot with a minolta xd-11. why? because it's what i have. i also have a srt-201, and a canon eos elan IIe. don't even consider using the canon. the srt is nice, but the xd-11 is nicer. : )

 

[nolanr66]

Nikon N80 with motor. It's light, quiet, packed with features. Perfect camera for hiking or bicycling or just to have a light camera handy. Mine did not cost me a cent as it was free. I have other Nikon gear so I did not need to purchase glass or other items for it.

 

[M.A.Longmore]

My First 35mm. SLR !

The Minolta XE-7 , with The Rokkor-X 85mm. F1.7 Lens !
Bought The Body In 1976, And It's Still Going Strong !
And Has Never Been Serviced !
Only The Straps, And Batteries Have Needed To Be Replaced !
Just Got Rid Of The OpTech Neck Strap, And Started Using The Optech Wrist Strap !
A Nice Comfortable Combination !!!
I Also Use The Minolta SRT-202 w/ A Sekonic Meter , And A Minolta X-700 For Lazy SlackAss Mode.

Ron

 

[Athiril]

Canon EOS500N

Cheap and common (replaceable). Light. Plastic. Light-tight. Accurate Film electron ic counter. Shoots backwards on roll. Takes my EF 12-24mm Sigma

Other than that I like Olympus OM and trip cameras.


35mm format is for testing weird home brew concotions and colour developers at home, or for using 12mm FF, other than that I use digital or the RB67 or 4x5" for actual shooting.

 

[alexmacphee]

Contax RX.

I've had other Contaxes before (and still have them) but no camera has ever felt so close to perfect in the hands. Everything is where it should be, the weight is perfect, the lines are irresistible. I want to take it to bed with me.

 

[chriscrawfordphoto]

Olympus OM-4T. I have three of them, incredible metering, tiny cameras that fit my small hands perfectly, incredible lenses, the easiest SLR viewfinder to focus that I have ever seen.

I recently bought a Leica M4 and am really loving it too.

 

[jcfn]

Favourite 35mm SLR

My favourite so far is the Canon T90 (fits hand like a glove) and Minolta XD5/7 (dead easy to manual focus, compactness, silky smoothness, quality glass at bargain prices).

The Konica FT1 gets an honourable mention as the Hexanon 50mm F1.8 it came with had breathtaking sharpness/high contrast.

 

[John_Nikon_F]

F4. In either the F4s configuration that it currently is in, or with the basic MB-20 pack, which it sometimes wears as well. For a small, go anywhere pro-series Nikon, then it'd be the F3P, without motor drive or MF-6B back, and with the pancake 50f1.8 - in this case, the later Series E version. The F2A is also a favorite of mine. To tell the truth, all the bodies in my .sig are my favorite tools. Some do see more use than the others, though.

-J

'Course, now both the F3P and the F2A have been purged. I still really like my F4, but, for when I want to have simplicity, I'm grabbing my F bodies and shooting with them. I still frequently use my FM2n with MF-16 and MD-12, and will be getting back into using the Nikomat, now that it's home from the repair shop, after being overhauled.

-J

 

[Pumal]

Me too. I have everything under the Sun, but I'm in a track to use my F's, F2's Y Nikormatts (5)