What's your favorite camera and why?

<p>The idea here is to get a thread going where the collective experience can be organized. I'll start off with the Leicaflex SL. </p>

<p>It has a very good viewfinder -- big, bright and crisp -- that's easy to see the 4 corners with eyeglasses. In comparison, it's much brighter than a Nikon F. They say it's built like a tank, and generally, the Leica R lenses are very, very good. The only draw backs that pop to mind are that the prisms can desilver over time (costly repair), it's big and heavy, and it can't take ROM lenses or lenses that only have a third cam.</p>

<p>My trusty old Leica M3. Big and bright VF, fast focusing, compact, no battery issues and can always be counted on to deliver.</p>

<p>Oh, we're playing this game again? Why not -- it's a fun game.<br>

But there were some excellent responses and images in Louis Meluso's recent thread titled Voice from God (it's what inspired me to join this forum): <br>

<a href="http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00WJUU">http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00WJUU</a></p>

<p>Yeah, many of the responses will be the same as in Louis's thread, but I'll play anyways -<br />If we're limiting to only classic manual cameras 25 years or older, then I'll go with my A1.<br />If we're extending the definition of classic slightly, then I'll go with my T90. Of all the cameras I own / have ever owned nothing fits in my hand like the T90. And with the Kiron 105 Macro mounted, I could happily spend all day every day with it.</p>

<p>Olympus OM-1n: lightweight and small, excellent viewfinder and very good lenses</p>

<p>Rolleiflex 3.5F Planar.</p>

<p>In the classics I'll vote for a tie between the Leicaflex SL2 and the Leica M4. Like Kayam, above, if I can walk the thin line, the T90 gets my vote as well. The SL2 has an incredible viewfinder and just keeps on ticking in spite of occasional abuse. The M4 is my old trusty standby which I've owned for over 40 years...again, highly dependable and reliable. The T90 because of its versatility in being able to accept so many other lenses, and always being dead on in metering.</p>

<p>When I recently went on a vacation, I limited myself to only 2 film cameras (my wife also picked 2 but I'm not counting those even if I got to use them ;-) When forced to choose, I chose the <a href="../classic-cameras-forum/00WCek">HuaZhong TLR</a> and the <a href=""http:/www.pbase.com/maderik/rollei35">Rollei 35</a> Why? Because they are simple, rugged, and reliably excellent performers. I just trust them over all of the others.</p>

<p>For 35mm, my Leica M6, because I used it on the street for years and use it with less fuss than most cameras. For large format the Ebony SV810UE. It is the best of many 8x10s I have had. If I could only have one camera, the Ebony.</p>

<p>Really difficult to actually choose one as THE favorite, easier to say IF I could only have one from now on,<br>

M-6TTL, 35, 50 and 90 lenses. Very compact, durable, reliable and has very good manners in public. Quiet, not very noticeable, doesn't attract much attention like F-5 or Hasselblad. Speaking only for myself, after owning many different 35mm systems I consider it the best of those I have experience with, particularly for chromes.</p>

 

<p>XD-11. As close to perfect as I've found, with the small and well made body, excellent viewfinder, autoexposure modes and fully informative finder in manual. Only flaw is the covering that shrinks and peels, but I think of that as an excuse to use nicely colored replacement leather.</p>

<p>Contax G1 - nearest camera.</p>

<p>Leica M4-P with CV 21/4, Summicron 35/2, Tele-Emarit 90/2.8. The camera equivalent of a Mercedes-Benz SL model.</p>

Pentax K2

<p>nikon f, reliable, solid, so much to choose, & now cheap</p>

<p>My first really good camera, the Contax 159MM. Beautiful looking, perfect fit in the hand, near-ideal control ergonomics, all the auto bells and whistles, great performance, great glass available. </p>

<p>A rather broad question.<br>

Favorite camera <strong>today </strong>- My new(4 days ago) Canon 7D - Best autofocus accuracy and speed, great viewfinder. nice image quality. Works great with my classic Nikkor and Pentax SMC M42 glass too! A nice refresher for my aging EOS kit.</p>

<p>Favorite camera <strong>35mm film</strong> - Contax G1 - Compact, precision feel, lightweight, the best optics ever made. No real need to use 35mm film in any other camera except when I want to manual focus or specialized optics then it's:</p>

<p>Favorite<strong> classic manual focus</strong> camera - Canon F-1n - Rock hard build quality, simple, mechanical, great lenses for cheap. Full pro system. After decades of use, I've practically mind melded with it</p>

<p>Favorite <strong>medium format</strong> film camera - Bronica SQ-A - Lightweight and fairly small. Great glass. Since I have every lens, part and accessory for this system, it's fairly versatile. I also have complete Mamiya RZ67 and Super 23 systems that are wonderful but the Brony still handles the best so I grab it more often.</p>

<p>Favorite <strong>large format</strong> camera - Sinar P2 - Flexible system, smooth as glass precision movements, rock steady, beautiful build quality. Favorite lens for this is the Rodenstock 150mm f/5.6 Apo-Sironar-S in a Copal 0 shutter. Astonishing image quality in a very compact package.</p>

<p>35mm Rangefinder : Voigtländer Prominent - superb optics and well-built camera, despite quirks; sold my M3, 50 'cron and fat 90/2.8 but kept the Prominent ( crazy, huh?)</p>

<p>35mm SLR : Pentax SV - a mechanical l'il gem without meter, <strong>perfect </strong>size, M42 mount.... need more?</p>

<p>Medium Format : Rolleiflex 3.5 E Planar , not as versatile as an RB or Hassie, but who wants to lug those out on the streets ? Best lens, IMO, on a Rolleiflex. </p>

<p>Large Format : Linhof Technika III - was real fun to use while it lasted... I'd seek another one out some day, soon.</p>

<p> </p>

Whichever one I happen to be using at the moment. My "favorite" for today was my recently acquired Minolta XE-7.

Yesterday when I was helping my oldest son clear some land for his Eagle Scout project I had my Fujica ST 605N with

Tamron 35-70.

<p>My favorite camera of all my cameras is my Canon 7D with the 24-105L mounted on it (my new S90 is pretty freakin' cool too!), but if you're asking about my favorite classic camera, a logical assumption since this is a classic forum, today I would have to say it's my Minolta XD11. Aperture priority, shutter priority, and an automatic program mode of sorts along with a full-info viewfinder, all packed into a body about the same size as an Olympus OM body. I have one from the later batch that used a different and improved leatherette covering that didn't have quite as much of the shrink problem as the older ones did. My F-1 is always nipping at its heels though. My favorite rangefinder at present is the Minolta 7sII. I've gotten several rolls of film developed from both examples of this fine RF (yes, I bought another--I couldn't pass it up!) and they're all amazingly sharp. Of course if you ask me in a couple of hours, I might give you a different answer, like my OM-2n or my XE-7, maybe my MX...</p>

<p>Canon EF, F-1, FTbn, AE-1, A-1 and the AT-1.</p>

<p>Of the lot, if I had to choose one, it would be the EF. Smooth as silk winding and shutter release, great meter very useful viewfinder. It works without batteries and it can use 1.5V batteries that are still available. Couple it with a 50mm f1.4, 35mm f2 or the 35-105 f3.5, it's hard to beat.</p>

<p>Ed</p>

<p>Favorite to actually make pictures with it: KONICA S-3.<br>

Favorite fondler: Leica II, with lenses, viewfinders, clamp-on filters, brass cassettes.</p>

<p>Too tough to call. Changes with how I feel today but I have a soft spot for Olympus cameras. Not all of them, just some, such as;<br>

OM-1<br>

Pen F<br>

Non metered Pen VF cameras; Pen S 3.5, Pen standard, Pen D*</p>

<p>*Yes, my Pen D had a meter but I switched tops on the camera with a wrecked Pen S 2.8 and modified the viewfinder to clear the shutter cocking lever and shortened the shutter release plunger so it would work. Looks better than a regular D in my opinion.<br>

Leica M4-2, new to me, my first Leica and I am very happy with it.<br>

Kodak Tourist II with a 101mm f4.5 Anastar lens.</p>

<p>I like hand held 35mm photography, so how the camera works in my hand is the most important aspect. I shoot with Pentax Spotmatics and Leica IIIs; they both fit that requirement. The Takumar lenses are excellent and adaptable to other bodies film or digital. The same is true of the LTM lenses. I have LTM lenses that are 75 years old and others made in the computer age; they are adaptable to other bodies as well. Between the two, I'd choose the Leicas for being able to mount lenses from many different eras.</p>

 

<p>Nikon F2a - it has never let me down, and it takes all Nikon lenses other than the recent G lenses without aperture rings.</p>