"Hall of Fame" modern film cameras

<p>OM-3 & OM-4 (also in Ti versions). Why nobody has "copied" their metering system is incomprehensible. It really was THAT good - and still is.</p>

<p>There's already a separate thread running on Minolta SLRs, but for completeness I'd add the Dynax/Maxxum 7 - one of the last great film SLRs. The only thing it's missing is a little screen on the back to preview the picture you've just taken ... ;-)</p>

<p>For me it's got to be the K1000 (my first SLR), could I also sneak in the Olympus OM10? Slightly later model of course but still a brilliant camera (and still going strong).</p>

<p>Canon EOS 3 - One of the last Hurrahs of the 35mm film cameras, and quite affordable these days.</p>

<p>Here are 3 of my favorites; the big and the small:<br>

<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2113/2188985214_fc7aebacee.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>and the really small:<br>

<img id="yui_3_3_0_1_1296054359453118" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2397/1661186883_46488629f0.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Damn, my shopping list just got longer...</p>

<p>That Olympus Infinity Stylus was a heck of a camera. I got one for my girlfriend in the 1980s, still have it (and her). Ours does not have the exposed circuit board feature like John's! Very sweet little camera to use and operate. The Yashica T3/T4 were also very good cameras in this category. Now that we have this forum I'm inclined to pull out a few of these beauties and run them through their paces again.</p>

 

<p>Not sure if this quite fits the modern era, since these have only built in exposure meters but no other electronics...</p>

<p>Canon FTb-N. Arguably the best of a niche that includes the Olympus OM-1 and Nikon FM-series (also Minolta SRT-series and others).</p>

<p>Having owned and enjoyed both the OM-1 and FM2N, I found myself missing a few features after selling my FTb-N when I decided to go all-Nikon:</p>

<ul>

<li>The Quick Load doodad - that was really handy for fast film reloads when I was walking around.</li>

<li>Clever and functional multi-purpose lever for stop-down, true mirror lockup and self-timer.</li>

<li>Shutter release locking collar that could, in a pinch, replace a cable release for locking the shutter open for long exposures.</li>

</ul>

<p>And, probably more suited to this forum, I'll toss in the cameras too often dismissed as neither fish nor fowl: the Olympus ZLR.</p>

<p>The Olympus iS-2 and iS-3 zoom lens reflex cameras (and the "lesser" entry level ZLRs) never quite gained the respect they deserved in the film era, but were very influential on a proven popular digital camera paradigm - the "serious" P&S digicam. Excellent bundle of features, including very good midrange zooms, TTL flash and accurate if somewhat slow autofocus. The ZLR appealed as much to the experienced SLR user as to novices - provided the experienced SLR user didn't suffer from elitism. I still have and occasionally use the iS-2.</p>

<p>Lex, you're absolutely right. Those Olympus cameras had different numbering in Europe - my example is called the iS-3000 but I had a couple of other models before this. They were very delicate cameras and did not take kindly to knocks (which is how I ended up with the top-of-the-range model, courtesy of insurance claims!).<br>

<a title="iS-3000 by FlickrDelusions, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3561/3438119493_0fffc2ed3e.jpg" alt="iS-3000" width="500" height="334" /></a><br>

There's a 35-180 zoom, pretty good macro and excellent autofocus. Nice results too. I think the following is a scan from a print.<br>

<a title="Sophie Ryder by FlickrDelusions, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3159/2696612212_2e3859284f_z.jpg" alt="Sophie Ryder" width="640" height="436" /></a></p>

<p>I like the clutch of smallish SLRs that appeared diuring the 1980's. The Olympus OM1 and Pentax LX and MX were my favourites.<br>

...and a mention for the superb Mamiya 6 and 7.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>For me the greatest ever SLR is the Contax RX while the Contax Aria gets honorable mention. <br>

For the greatest non SLR film camera I nominate the Konica Hexar AF.</p>

<p>I'm going to have to toss my own favorites in here...<br>

Minolta XD-11<br>

Canon New F-1<br>

Canon T-90<br>

Contax RTS III<br>

Nikon F4s<br>

Canon EOS RT<br>

Contax AX<br>

Canon EOS 1V</p>

<p>I have my favorites on the main brands (sorry no Minolta) from what I have used so far and they are:<br>

Pentax KX<br>

Canon AE-1/ AE-1P<br>

Olympus OM-1<br>

Nikon F3<br>

Nikon F100</p>

<p>My choices are: Nikon F100, Canon T90, Minolta XD-11, Nikon FE2, Canon AE-1.</p>

<p>The Pentax K1000 and Canon FTb may be Hall of Famers, but they are clearly Classic Manual Cameras, not Modern Film Cameras as most would define the categories, I believe.</p>

<p>My choices are four that I have and use all the time:</p>

<ul>

<li>Nikon F6</li>

<li>Nikon FM3a</li>

<li>Contax G2</li>

<li>Yashica Electro 35 GTN</li>

</ul>

<p>and also a couple that I would like to get my hands on some time in the future:</p>

<ul>

<li>Contax T3</li>

<li>Leica M7</li>

</ul>

<p>in no particular order.<br>

And for the larger film formats, it would be, of course my trusty Mamaya RZ67 II.<br>

Christoph</p>

<p>F100 gets my vote. It's a bit crazy, when you think about what you get, for under $200. Works great with AI lenses, and all the current lens features, and old and new flashes, and it has that "precise" "pro" "feel" that's characteristic of the better Nikons.</p>

<p>The Nikon F5 gets my vote. I use two of them and they fit my hand like a glove. Solid build, fast, accurate....it's simply my favorite!</p>

<p>There's no question in my mind: the Canon EOS 1V (and perhaps also the EOS 3).</p>

<p>Canon Rebel 2000, as it is known in the US, and equivalent cameras under different model designations in other countries.</p>

<p>If I am not mistaken, this was the most popular film SLR ever manufactured. It has a very good feature set, accepts virtually all EOS lenses, interfaces to most of the canon TTL flashes, has nice handling (at least in my opinion), was not too expensive, and is dirt cheap now as a used camera.</p>

<p>I have two of them in my camera bag, as well as two each of its successors, the Ti and the T2.</p>

<p>At this point, I only have two cameras which fit in this category, so I'll nominate them: Oly XA and Oly Stylus Epic.</p>

<p>Nikon F801, no particular reason other than I have one and it's not a bad camera. It was Nikons top AF enthusiast model until the N90 replaced it. I had an N90s actualy I've own two of then at different times. Canon EOS 600 was a great modern body it was my first AF SLR would have held on to it but someone stole it. Just curious where does my 1998 FM2n fit in modern or classic?</p>

<p>I'm a little late to this party....</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p><em>I don't have the Maxxum 7000 (note to self, resist temptation to ...), but clearly the early EOS cameras are in the "Greats" list for this new forum.</em><br>

<em>Here's the first EOS camera, film naturally.</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>I second JDM's nomination, the Canon EOS 650<br>

<img src="http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy66/riffeym/Cameras/_DSC9699.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="535" /></p>

<p>Mike :D</p>

 

<p>I'd second the F100 and the Olympus XA series. There's little you could change on these that would not be to their detriment.</p>

<p>I can't decide where the Nikon F3 belongs, classic or modern film. Better get two of them, one for each hall of fame.</p>

<p>I also have a fondness for the Minolta X700 and the lowly x-370, very nice basic cameras with good performance and good handling. For some reason I've always found Minolta meters, at least the later ones, extremely accurate. I have used my X-370 for years as the standard for calibrating anything else that needs adusting, and never regretted it.</p>

<p>The Minolta Maxxum 7000 might qualify for its historic significance more than for its build quality. It was solid, with good metering and multiple modes, and it was very nice to use. But the slow focusing and a tendency toward mechanical failure (why you can get a minty 7000 with aperture base plate problem for less than the cost to mail it), as well as hunger for batteries, compromise its hall of fame rank, I think. </p>

<p>Nikon F4 (brought 35mm SLRs into modern era by almost any measure) and Contax Rx (smooth as silk manual focus SLR with automation). Perhaps the two most capable "modern" film cameras that could do it all, and were superbly engineered.<br>

Canon T-90 has also already been mentioned -- yes to that as well -- the multiple-spot meter reading capability should have become standard on all SLRs.<br>

The Nikon F6 only because it represents the end of 35mm film SLRs. Steve McCurry used an F6 to shoot that last roll of Kodachrome...</p>