Your Personal Choice: What is your all-time favorite camera?

[baachitraka]

- Rolleicord Va
- Olympus OM-1n (28mm f/3.5 & 85mm f/2.0)
- Olympus XA
- Holga 120 PC & GFN

 

[Peltigera]

Has to be my Pentax MX. That will change, mind, tomorrow and again on Saturday. Sunday is another matter altogether.

 

[coigach]

My Pentax 67II system is my workhorse mainstay that is used the most, my Fotoman 6x17 and Contax G2 systems are both great at what they do and I enjoy their quirks, but my favourite, pure enjoyment camera is my Hassleblad XPan...

 

[michr]

As far as cameras I have the most miles on (Nearly 10 years of reliable service and thousands of photos.), hands-down the Nikon D80. It's a practical camera, but not loveable in the same way my Argus C3 kit with the 35, 50, 100 and 135 lenses is. But probably my favorite is the Mamiya C330. This camera brings me a great bit of joy whether its sitting on the shelf or slung around my neck.

 

[Malinku]

Currently my mamiya c33.

 

[Larry the sailor]

My Canon AE-1 (sort of)...
I bought mine new in 1981 while I was in the Navy. I carried it with me across two oceans, several seas and 4 continents. Took thousands of pictures with that little camera. Here's the "sort of". Not long after I left the Navy my wife dropped my camera, pretty well destroying it and the 50mm lens beyond economical repair. about a year later I happened to see a AE-1 in the local classifieds and I snatched it up. I know it isn't "the same" camera but if I don't think about it too much that little fact slips my mind. I did however recently find out that it was made early in the same year I had bought my original.

 

[Lars Holte]

Is/are there a camera/cameras that can be considered a personal favorite?

My personal favorite is definitely the Pentax 645 N (or N II), because:
- it is a medium format camera with a much larger negative than 35mm
- it can be had relatively cheaply and does not command the premium prices that systems like Hasselblad does (great though they are)
- one still gets 16 frames on a 120 film
- it is a fairly modern camera introduced in 1997 (or 2001, resp.) with modern metering (spot, centre-weighted, multi-segment) and built-in winder (2 fps)
- it has a wide selection of first class optics from (film era) 35 mm and up to 600 mm. Many of these lenses can still be found relatively cheaply (even though the introduction of the digital bodies 645D and 645Z seems to have driven up demand/prices somewhat lately)
- it has auto-focus (with newer AF lenses) and the lens selection is constantly being upgraded because the system has been modernised with digital bodies
- it has a fairly wide range of shutter speeds: 4 - 1/1000 sec. on Manual and 30 - 1/1000 on Auto
- it can do TTL flash
- it has great ergonomics, a fine, big viewfinder and a great, comfortable grip
- it has an almost negible shutter/mirror slap which makes handholding a piece of cake at a wide range of shutter speeds
- it has two tripod sockets; one on the bottom and one on the left-hand side, and
- it is the camera I seem to turn to most often ...

Drawbacks:
- one often mentioned drawback is the inability to change film in mid roll, but in practice that is hardly a problem. The price of an extra body is hardly much higher than just an extra back on some other systems
- there is no waist-level viewfinder, only a pentaprism finder. This can to some extent be alleviated by using a so-called 'ref converter' or angle finder (e.g. for macro work)

 

[michr]

For medium format, I prefer the Mamiya C330 with the prism finder, and use it quite a bit. The versatility of interchangeable lenses, and some fortunate timing which has allowed me to purchase most of them, make the system very enjoyable to use.

On the other hand, my workhorse, that I've taken thousands of frames with is the Nikon D80. Most of what I know is due to this machine.

 

[pgomena]

My Rolleiflex 2.8C. I have other MF toys, including a Hasselblad for "serious" use, but the Rollei never lets me down.

 

[Luis-F-S]

For personal work, my Leica M6 for 135, the SWC/M & 500 C/M's, and for LF, any of my Deardorffs V5 & V8's with any of my Dagors/Artars. For commercial work I pretty much use one of my D800's these days. Used the 500 C/M's for years!

 

[frank]

M2, Hexar RF, F4, Makina 67W, 500CM, Rollei E TLR

 

[Roger Cole]

Wow, an old thread that I either missed or just don't recall. And what a tough question.

I can identify one favorite per format. And my "favorite" isn't necessarily the one I'd keep if I could only keep one. Example: my favorite of my two medium format cameras is my Yashicamat 124. I can easily understand why Rolleiflexes are mentioned so much above. (I'd love to have one but haven't yet convinced myself it's worth the money when I already have the Yashica which is quite good as long I'm not shooting into backlight.) But if I could only keep one MF camera the versatility of my M645 Pro would have to win out, even though if I were going to carry one around all day while mainly doing something else I'd much prefer the light small little Yashica. Decked out with back, prism, winder grip and a lens the M645, while not exactly an albatross around the neck, is just a lot more to carry, but it's so versatile.

In 35mm probably my MX is my favorite even though, again, if I could keep only one it wouldn't be the MX but the LX - that versatility thing again.

LF, well, when I (finally this year I hope) replace the Tech III with a camera that isn't held together with baling wire, gorilla tape (on the bellows) improvisation and prayer, then I'll have a favorite large format camera.

As far as just sheer fondness for it though if I had to pick one camera from all formats it would probably be the Yashicamat. It's capable out of proportion to its cost or size or weight, it gets compliments everywhere it's seen with its chrome as well as antique look, and it's just fun to use in addition to making some pretty good negatives. I think I'll send it to Mr. Hama for a good CLA once I get the M645 back from him. But it wouldn't be the one I'd keep if I could keep only one camera out of all - that would have to be the M645 Pro again. It's just so versatile.

 

[Luminousoctaves]

It's funny because you buy all these fancy cameras and at the end of the day it's the cheapest and smallest that deliver, because that's the one you always carry around = Olympus Mju-II / Stylus Epic.

 

[Toyo]

Canon FTb
Bought it 45 years ago and still going strong.
Thousands and thousands of shots and never missed a beat.
Other cameras have come and gone but this one just keeps on keeping on.
T

 

[Theo Sulphate]

It's funny because you buy all these fancy cameras and at the end of the day it's the cheapest and smallest that deliver, because that's the one you always carry around = Olympus Mju-II / Stylus Epic.
View attachment 160243

That is a cool photo; lots of diverse equipment there. I don't think I've ever seen the legendary Mju-II / Stylus Epic in real life - people keep snatching them up.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Like may others on this forum, I shoot, as the mood or necessity strike, a variety of formats (35mm, 2 1/4, and 4x5). That said, I retain a particular liking for my first "serious" camera, my (now retired) Nikon F2AS.
This particular body has traveled the length and breadth of North America, and been shot (KM and KR only), in temperatures ranging from +40C to -45C without protest or failure. Perhaps encumbered by the weight of memory this particular item holds a special place: it is one of only three items in my "arsenal" ever to have been retired and put on "display" as an item of "memorabilia" (the fact that it among the three bodies used to shoot my last rolls of Kodachrome is, admittedly, part of its "specialness." What about others out there in APUGland? Is/are there a camera/cameras that can be considered a personal favorite?

Yes,looking at my now retired Hasselblad 501 C brings tears to my eyesI have travelled the world with it and often gave it a kiss-good night after a long day of shooting.I can truthfully say; it made me a better photographer.

 

[Luminousoctaves]

I don't think I've ever seen the legendary Mju-II / Stylus Epic in real life - people keep snatching them up.

Hehe, yes it's a great feeling when you find a Mju-II for two euro at the local flea market (which still happens!). The dilemma is whether to keep them or sell them. You can earn an easy 50 euro / 50 bucks by selling them, but then again they break so easily that you want to keep at least two in your camera bag. A first world problem I guess.

 

[CMoore]

This is a fabulous post.
Its funny.....
...how much you learn about a member in this thread, as he/she describes his favorite.
...the humor in some of the posts, as a guy tells about his favorite obsession.
...how fondly some of the members speak of a particular camera being like an old friend, a favorite girl, an instinctive appendage, etc etc.
...how little some of the big models are mentioned.
carry on

Oh.....i am a bit "new" to have a favorite. I own cameras i have not even yet used, but.....the Canon A-1 is special to me. I sure as heck do not consider it my "best" camera, but i always do well with it. I consider it to be about the most beautiful 35mm SLR ever made.
The odd thing is, i only shoot in Manual Mode, which Is Not the strong suit for an A-1. It forces you (in manual) to constantly look "back and forth" but perhaps that is why i enjoy it.....it forces you to be constantly engaged.?

 

[Kawaiithulhu]

Leica M3-DS. My grandfather's and then mine. I don't use it very much, it only has one 50mm DR lens without the little goggles, but it all still works flawlessly. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

 

[papagene]

My preference changes on a regular basis, sometimes dictated by the mood I may be in at that moment. Recently it has been a Bronica S2a, and I can't wait (I have some plumbing work to have done) to print some of the negs from this puppy.
At other times, my favorite can switch from a Fuji GW670II & GSW690III to a Crown Graphic, then to a Raja 5x7 to a Rolleiflex, then to a Calumet Cadet 4x5. ANd sometimes me thinks me has too many options!

 

[BMbikerider]

Pentax Spotmatic without a doubt. The advertising slogans at the time simply said "Just hold a Pentax" So true, they did not need to expand the meaning, it just felt right.

 

[narsuitus]

Nikon F2 titanium

 

[Arklatexian]

Probably the camera that traveled the world with me. rolleicord III

If I still had my Rolleicord III, that woukld probably be the one. I bought it new and never had a problem with it but I traded it in on a Rolleicord IV which is the only camera that I have won plaques, trophies, etc., and the only Rolleicord that has been sent in for an overhaul after years of use. My plans are to still own this camera and probably still use it until they put me away. I would take it with me but I really would not want that nice little camera subjected to that much heat......Regards!,

 

[MTGseattle]

Mamiya 6 for me. I first used one while I owned a 645pro. My negs from the roll I shot on the borrowed camera that day were very contrived, (I was way over thinking the square framing) but I was hooked. I had to sell the 6 a few years back, and I've been kicking myself ever since. In the interim I've tried the Rf645 which felt odd to me, but did give pretty darned good results. I own a Mamiya 7II now, which doesn't feel quite right either but is a nice camera.

 

[cliveh]

Without doubt a Leica M2 with 50mm 1.4 Summilux.