Your dream camera (combo)

arax 60mlu stock 70, sonnar 135+180

already have it ... and everything else im looking for ..

but junky box or folders are hard to pass up...

I've shot with a lot of different cameras but to this day if I could have only one, a Nikon F2, 28mm and 100 rolls of Tri-X.

 

Rick H.

[ATTACH=full]1264823[/ATTACH] This was/is my Dream Camera.

My first 35mm.

1979 Pentax ME

I still have it.

The picture was taken by my Dad with his AE-1.

Very atmospheric shot really, I was a little kid but do remember those baseball caps exact the same in my country, USSR.

I am impressed with all boxes and leaflets and manuals, made in Japan production culture. I like the colors and that 40 mm pancake (I use modern 40 mm lim)

I always quite fancied a Contax N1. Kind of like a Contax Nikon F100. I have an F100, which I do like a lot, but an N1 and lens would set me back about £500, and I cant justify the expense on something that is effectively an electronic whizz, and is not fixable in the event of failure. If I win the lottery, then maybe. I’d like a 55mm f1.2 for my Yashica TL Electro X too.

Part of me keeps wanting a Nikon 58mm f/1.4G and finds the 105 f/1..4E also worthy of dreams. Then I go out with the gear I already own, and find it doesn't leave me wanting at all, and I can't justify to myself spending the money on those lenses. Dreaming is nice, but ultimately I'm more interested in getting the best out of what I do own, rather than spending more and more.

It's pretty much the M10 (or the M9) and the 35/2 ASPH and 50/2 Summicrons. That said, if the old Contax RTS I wasn't so trouble prone in its electronics and you could keep it working, that RTS I is a sweet camera.

OK, Leica Monochrom.

There are a lot of choices for 35mm lens, and I am not so particular

about that, but maybe the Voigtlander 35/1.2.

 

Presuming that dream means that I don't have to pay for it.

(Though note that I don't choose the most expensive lens.)

 

I am not sure at what price I would actually buy one, but probably pretty low.

I now have a used D700 because new ones are out of my price range.

 

I might also be interested in a Df, but the price doesn't go down as fast

for used ones, as many other cameras. (It reminds me a lot of my FM.)

I might actually buy one some day, but much less likely to ever buy

a Monochrom at anywhere close to list price.

I cannot think of a dream camera. I have been using a Mamiya 645e for some time now and it works perfectly so I am good.

[ATTACH=full]1264823[/ATTACH] This was/is my Dream Camera.

My first 35mm.

1979 Pentax ME

I still have it.

The picture was taken by my Dad with his AE-1.

:)

I was going to buy my dad an AE-1, wish I had, but at the time I didn't know a lot about camera brands and when I was wanting to get the AE-1 the salesman at "The Camera Store" talked me into a Chinon. That was around a $300-$400 camera back in around 1984-85. The darned thing spent more time in warranty repair for issues with the alkaline battery compartment than my dad got use out of it. What a problem camera that was.

 

My dad's been gone about 31 years, but everytime I hear about an AE-1 it reminds me of that day. Don't know why I still get angry about that piece of junk. lol. Guess I've been holding a grudge on that camera store for over 3 decades. Never bought another thing there, lol.

I’ve been fortunate enough to take part in a 58 year and still counting course of what can be learned from Dad.

His AE-1 led me to the Pentax ME in the picture. He let me take his camera to Highschool a couple of times and as soon as I graduated I bought that ME at Kmart. What sold me on the Pentax was its small size and very quiet shutter relative to the Canon.

In fact I ran some Fujichrome through an ME Super today. Having bought several Nikon classic film cameras over the past year or so, shooting the Pentax reminded me of that decision way back then. I’m sure those Nikons are built like tanks, simply from the weight.

Leica CL 21/23mm lens

Moving on, how has your experience been with the Nikon rangefinder?

Really, my problem/issues in photography isn't the camera I'm using.

Really, my problem/issues in photography isn't the camera I'm using.

I think that's because you're not a fetishist. Your photos suggest to me that your vision and expression is key, your gear more instrumental and secondary.

Moving on, how has your experience been with the Nikon rangefinder?

I like it.

I was looking at a lot of Leica M3s over the past year or so but the Nikon seemed to suit me better in that it was a newer camera true to the old design and quality, possibly needing less maintenance.

It is taking a little getting used to but I am learning to work with a hand held meter.

Part of the idea was to learn to take pictures without a meter at all so I am shooting Black and White through it.

I develop that now in the bathroom sink.

The lens appears to be a gem for crispness and it is a really well made piece of Craftsmanship. I like the mechanical qualities and the seal design which being integrated into the metal, does not need replacing.

I can see it getting a lot of use.

The simplicity appeals to me.

I has nothing to do with solving some problem.

It has to do with appreciating and enjoying quality craftsmanship through a pastime I enjoy.

I bought that ME at Kmart

 

I remember growing up that Kmart had a decent photo department. They sold the K1000 and Olympus XA2 as well.

.....because you're not a fetishist.

 

The whole idea that a photographer who cares about the tools he uses is by definition a fetishist of sorts, and would not prioritize vision and creativity, is a silly simplification, and some ill-conceived idea that talking/discussing about the camera means it is the primary scope of one's photography.

 

It is also a pretty ignorant notion. It all sounds very sophisticated to not care about gear, but for some reason, you do not see a lot of large format cameras along the sidelines of a sportfield. Just like you don't see your plumber carrying a screwdriver as his one and only tool. For plenty types of photography, getting the right tool matters. It makes the difference between getting the job done, or not. For some types of photography, it does not.

Less important for some, and important to others, is the simple fact that some cameras you like using, and some not. Cameras you don't like using, stay at home and deliver no result at all. Cameras you like using, come each and every time, and become second nature to operate, again maximising your chances to get that photo you envisioned.

 

So, there is plenty shades between "gear does not matter" and camera-fetishism, and plenty nuance too. The ludite idea that it's either all vision/creative/gear-doesn't-matter versus camera-geek/no-vision/no-creativeness, black or white with no in-betweens, is pretty insulting to plenty excellent photographers on this site who manage to find a balance, in fact.

I remember the guy behind the counter was really helpful. He made recommendations and such and was pretty knowledgeable.

We got used to seeing each other about once a week after I bought that camera. Shot a lot of Kodak film in those days.

The whole idea that a photographer who cares about the tools he uses is by definition a fetishist of sorts, and would not prioritize vision and creativity, is a silly simplification

It is, indeed, a silly simplification. So I don't understand why you've made it. You misinterpreted my statement to mean that a photographer who cares about the tools he uses is by definition a fetishist. Read again and think harder about what I might have meant. Or ask me!

Actually it is just more of the same silly pretentious hot air put forth under the latest reincarnation of an oft dismissed malcontent.

 

No need to ask.

There's a lot of space between saying that gear is not my issue to meaning that I don't care about my gear. I appreciate and enjoy well made objects and tools just for their quality, ie a M3 Leica is a classic piece of engineering and workmanship as are film SLRs such as Nikon F series and many others. What I was meaning is that I have decent cameras that all can work well for what I use them for. I don't think that some perfect gear setup is going to make much difference to my photography at this point, so for me, I'm not obsessing over what new camera to buy. Now, back packing gear...that's a whole other level of obsession. :)

I understand where you’re coming from.

I have a Pentax K-30, a Canon G9 point and shoot for digital.

Everything else is old Classic Film cameras, all but two bought used over the last 40 years.

My most cherished pictures were taken over 30 years ago.

They would mean nothing to anyone outside family.

I’m a hobbyist, not a photographer, and certainly no artist.