Your favourite mechanical camera

<p>Olympus OM-1, Yashica-Mat M, Minolta SRT101 and 201, Canon EF, Graflex Speed Graphic and my newest favourite, a Geiss modified Argus C4.</p>

<p>Double post.</p>

<p>For me, Contarex. -THE- ultimate mechanical camera. Shutter plays heavenly music like no other.</p>

<p>My favorite was a Retina IIa, however it was sacrificed for other equipment, my present manual camera is a Zorki 6 with a Jupiter 8 50mm lens. I am still learning how to bend my hand and fingers around it, but I'm having a ball with it.<br>

Gene Lake</p>

<p>Rollei 35 with 40mm f2.8 Tessar (Germany or Singapore) no difference in performance or build quality. Half the time I don't bother with the battery, it's a pain should be mercury (illegal), alkaline replacement button battery has to be installed while film is not in the camera. With non mercury battery, a sleeve cut from plastic tubing allows the use of smaller button battery, ie. alkaline or silver oxide and the ISO has to be lowered one stop.</p>

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<p>1973 Kiev 4a with 1963 Jupiter 8 for my carry-around, usually loaded with faster B&W (Tri-X, HP5+, Neopan 400, Delta 3200)<br>

Nikon FM with slower, colour film (Portra 400NC at EI 200, Ektar 100); Series E 50 1.4 and sometimes Hoya closeup filter for setup shots; 36-72 Series E 3.5 and 75-150 3.5 for landscapes, almost always on a pod.<br>

Both have amazing handling and very nice VFs (from my use); I find I can usually focus with the Kiev faster (rangefinders have grown on me).<br>

I took the batteries out of the FM and taped the cover semi-permanently on - if I need to meter with anything other than my eyes, I use an incident meter; hence, both cameras are truly mechanical.</p>

 

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<p>I forgot to add the Canon EF...Tom's post reminded me.</p>

<p>Hasselblad SWC<br>

Rollei 3.5E Planar<br>

Rollei 2.8E Xenotar<br>

Kodak Medalist I with sync added<br>

Hasselblad 500C three lens kit<br>

Nikkormat FT3<br>

Leicaflex SL<br>

Leica IIIa<br>

Sears Tower 4x5 (Pressman model D) three lens kit<br>

And I could go on, and on and on, but those are just a few that I still own.<br>

My very best was a Nikon F2AS that I sold a couple of years ago. That was the best 35mm I have ever owned and I have owned cameras like the Alpa 9 and 10D and most of the Leica M series cameras. Still, I think the Nikon F2AS w/ a 105mm f2.5 AIS lens is the ultimate in my book. JohnW</p>

<p>The original early 70's Canon F-1; a better Nikon F2 without the big head (you can read a lot into that statement, eh?).</p>

<p>The Nikon F. (And, that is a period, period).</p>

<p>I hardly have to say it again, but I'm with Sasvata C. The mighty F it is.</p>

<p>Rolleiflex 2.8F - A real workhorse of precision. Once voted <strong><em>the finest</em></strong><em> man made instrument</em>. (Jewelers tools were also considered)</p>

<p>From another post that I think applies here; the <strong>made for space</strong>, Nikon F and F2 with their titanium foil curtains and SUPER simple mirror boxes get my favorite vote.<br>

The Leicaflex's up to the SL2 are a close second. This because of their use of <strong>SUPER</strong> hard metals and <strong>ultra </strong>precision.<br />Once with a Swiss tweezer, I tried to scratch a certain shutter gear, (I wondered how a camera shutter with so much age on it could still be <strong>so</strong> accurate) and I couldn't leave a mark on the raw gear !<br>

These are two manual <strong>SLR</strong> models that still amaze me for how, with a <strong>lack of maintenance,</strong> they still hold their tight tolerances.</p>

 

<p>I have three favourite mechanical cameras, each with a different frame size. They're listed in no order other than random.<br /> <br /> My first favourite mechanical camera is my little Zeiss Ikonta A. All it has is a basic range of shutter speeds maxed out at 1/300, and a modest f/4.5 Novar lens. Yet it's got that feel about it that, when you pick it up, says 'Take pictures with me'. The Novar is far better than I'd any right to expect, and stopped down a little, can trade punches with the Tessar. I like the 4.5x6 format too, which gives plenty of pictures on a 120 roll.<br /> <br /> I'm also a lifelong enthusiast of the Yashica FX3. It's completely unpretentious, with no extras, but it's pleasing to hold, does almost everything a camera should, the shutter is accurate, the meter is accurate, it goes on and on and on, and it mounts those fabulous Zeiss T* optics. Holding it with the Zeiss 'Pancake Tessar' mounted on the front gives me butterflies.<br /> <br /> My third favourite is my Agfa Isolette, a Jurgen Kreckel refurbished model with striking red bellows and Solinar lens, Agfa's Tessar clone. Its colour images are just knockout, punchy and sharp, and jaws drop when I tell people that the photograph they're admiring was taken with a half-century old folding camera.</p>

<p>Leica 1<br>

Argus A<br>

Exakta VX<br>

Mamiya 1000 DTL<br>

Yashicamat 124G<br>

Pacemaker Speed Graphic</p>

 

<p>Rolleiflex 3.5F</p>

<p>There are several. Here's one...</p><div></div>

<p>Nikkormat FTn<br>

FM2n</p>

SLRs Minolta SRT 201 and Olympus OM-1

rangefinder/viewfinder: Konica Auto S2 and Rollei 35

<p>LF....Linhof Technika<br>

MF....Rolleiflex 3.5F<br>

35mm SLR....Zeiss Contarex<br>

35mm R/F....Leica M2-3.<br>

You could substitute the Contarex for a Nikon F2 on occasions.</p>

<p>It is a toss up for me, either my Nikon F2's or my Hasselblad 500C/M. If I had to choose only one though, my Blad would get the nod.</p><div></div>

<p>Nikon F<br>

Nikon S2<br>

Bronica C</p>

<p>Tough, tough, tough! Ask me on any day of the week and you'll get seven different answers. Mostly Pentax, though, my recently acquired screwmounts: an H2 in black, an H1a and a basic Spotmatic; my trusty Yashica TL Electro. There's my K-mount workhorse Pentax MX (also black), and a Canon III rangefinder to round out 35mm. Then there's MF! Totally mechanical are my Yashica D TLR and my beloved Zeiss Ikonta C 521/2 that I've used steadily for the last 36+ years. I guess that adds up to 8, but whose counting? Cheers, Allan</p>

<p>Any of my SR(SR1, SR3, SR7) Minoltas, SRT 102, Nikon F/F2, Topcon RE-Super.<br>

In medium format: Minolta Semi, Olympus Six, Kowas Six.<br>

LF: Graflex Speed Graphic 4x5, RB Graflex 4x5 with Bausch and Lomb 190mm Tessar, Busch Pressman 2x3 with Ektar 101mm.</p>

 

<p>Rolleiflex<br>

Nikkormat FTn</p>

 

<p>My choices, in no particular order:</p>

<ul>

<li>Topcon Super D: meter in the body, chain-drive meter coupling, beefy and rugged, precision engineering</li>

<li>Voigtlander Perkeo II 6 x 6: tiny, precision engineering, fab lense (Color Skopar)</li>

<li>My little Zeiss Ikonta 35: tiny, easy to use Tessar or Xenar are both great glass</li>

<li>Olympus SP: wow, great automatic, small but not tiny, great street shooter</li>

<li>Gene M, I also have an old <strong>Dick Tracy</strong> which was given to me, never tried it though</li>

<li>On the way: Zeiss Contina with Opton/Compur. I can't wait.</li>

</ul>