what is your favorite "beater" camera?

[greg_mason]

Many people have a favorite " beater" item. Something that is charitably described as well used, but stays around do to it's long standing use, inability to die, and the lack of overall concern if it gets dinged or stolen. Is there any one besides me that has beater cameras? My favorites are a well used black chrome SL with a 50 f2 and an old contax IIIa with a 50 f1.5 depending upon my mood for a slr or rangefinder.

 

<p>

 

greg mason

[jeff voorhees]

Greg-

 

<p>

 

Based on what's going on in the "What is Leica Photography" thread,

you should be relieved that one of yours is a Leica. I only own one

camera so I guess its my beater.

[john_chan2]

When I shot with my dad's Nikon F2 outfit my favorite beater was my

right shoulder. Now that I'm shooting with the lighter weight Ms my

favorite beater is my wallet!

[jay_.]

My beater outfit is a Nikon N80 with 28-105 and 70-300 Nikkor zooms.

Bought them brand-new. As perverted as it sounds, considering the

cost of my Leicas, those Nikons seem practically disposible and I

take them wherever conditions might prove fatal for camera

equipment.

[albert_smith]

I use an old 1960's "pointy prism" Nikon F, simply because it doesn't

owe me a thing. I take the word "beater" literally, and when you

don't have to worry about rangefinder alignment, water damage (no

electronics) or cosmetics (it is brass with some black showing) then

it is truly a beater in every sense. Add to that the fact that it is

worth about a hundred dollars, and it is more than earning its keep.

It gets pictures because I don't care about it as a "thing", only its

function.

 

<p>

 

One time my friend laughed at it, so I hammered a nail in the wall

with the camera to hang a picture I took with it. He wouldn't accept

that challenge with his current "wonderplastic."

[hil3]

My indestructible Nikon F2AS: black, beautifully brassed, dinged and

scratched with artistic precision by dropping down rock cliffs and

dragged on the ground while hanging from a baby stroller,(it is a

thing of beauty)with the only Nikkor lens I've ever used that seems

to have a little magic in it - a 50mm f/2 H-C, Ai'd. Great at the

beach, in the park with a bunch of kids, as a loaner to one of my

kids, you get the picture. Very dear to me. I have not decided who

gets it in my will, but it and my Gibson SG will be carefully

bestowed. I will photograph it one day with my M6. Seems fitting.

[jose f.]

My beater was an M2 with a collapsible Summicron until it became a

collectible. I had the choice of a big-time CLA or selling it for

triple what I paid.

[geddert]

Yashica T4 super - i have dropped off a big rock (3 meters or so),

accidentally dropped it in the water, sat on it, etc. and it still

works as good as new. it sure looks dinged up, and i don't

particularily like the lack of controls, but i use it like the

disposable camera it is and am glad i can call on it to do its job

when going boating, or skiing or the like.

[raymond_tai]

My beater camera is a Bessa-T with a Leitz 28mm Elmarit. It is

the first camera I reach for and I take it everywhere. The body is

light but rigid and the lens superb (2nd version).

[john_c.]

An Olympus OM1-MD... keeps going and going and....

[alfie wang]

The beater cameras I have in this following order:

 

<p>

 

1) FED IIb w/ all of my Leica and Jupiter lens.... dang, I paid 40

ducks for the camera plus sharp Jupiter lens too... that's why i can

use it like a screw mount Leica (while my Leica IIIF is getting

repaired).

 

<p>

 

2) Leica R4 surprisingly is a beater... I know that I'm going to be

getting a R6.2 and R8 in about 10 years so I'm not worried about my

R4 being in too bad of a shape plus I have the original presentation

case...

 

<p>

 

3) Nikon F-- bought it used and it works well for a lot of

situations... my fiancee loves it quite a bit.

 

<p>

 

4) Yashica T4-- I don't mind that it can work well and rocks the

house (of course, I'm very very careful with my Leica Z2X camera)

 

<p>

 

5) Leica Mini-- not the best Leica P and S and it got me some good

engagement pictures at least :)

 

<p>

 

Alfie

[pianonut]

The Leica R8 system w/50, 80, 100, 180 & 280 lenses is my beater

outfit. If they get damaged beyond repair, it's easy to replace them

with new ones. My other camera systems are all out of production now

and are almost impossible to find new replacements anywhere (I don't

like buying second-hands). And of course the R system happens to have

the best glasses of them all. 8-)

 

<p>

 

C.H.Tso

[michael_darnton1]

Ohhhhh. I just did a count, and realized that I have more beaters

than actual "cameras": a Fed 1, a Kiev with three lenses, (those two

are REAL beaters!) a IIIa, an Oly Stylus, and an OM1 that I use with

a Vivitar 28-70 zoom when it's in the "beater" mode, and with a

50/3.5 macro in the "real" mode.

[Jim_Tardio]

Mine is my Nikon FM. I bought it almost immediately after they were

introduced. It has had all the seals replaced and just recently the

meter finally died. But it's still working fine other than that.

 

<p>

 

That thing has been all over the world and...aside from the recent

meter demise...has never failed me.

[richard_ilomaki]

A: Zorki4K with a 50mm Industarf2, AKA Zaiss Sonnar.

[todd_phillips1]

I agree with Al.....

 

<p>

 

Nikon F, standard prism and either 50 1.4 or 43-86 AI zoom (sharper than you think). Though I DO need a -2 diopter...anybody have one they want to sell (F3 diopter wont fit)?

 

<p>

 

Todd

[vincent3]

John Chan, you are hilarious :)

I handle my M6 with kid gloves, so my beater is my old EOS-50 and 50mm/1.4 lens. Light, not very expensive, and goes everywhere with me.

[msitaraman]

M6TTL .85, Nikon FM. Both dinged and I'd be ready to lose them.

 

<p>

 

My M6 Classic Chrome stays in the cupboard. I'd be heartbroken if

this beauty were scratched or stolen.

[andy_piper2]

Al: re: 'pointy-prism Nikon F" - the prisms alone (if in good shape)

are edging up towards $300 all by themselves. For why? Because as the

unrepairable Photomics die off and leave folks with cameras that won't

meter anyway, the pointy prisms are a much more compact replacement. In

25 years of shooting with Nikon Fs I had a Photomic prism for a total

of 4 months - swapped it for a black plain prism.

 

<p>

 

I always figured they'd make a nice pointy dent in the head of any

attempted mugger, as well. (Speaking of hammering....)

 

<p>

 

Still have an F - but no lenses. So my 'high-society' cameras and my

'beaters' are one and the same - one M4-2, one M4-P.

[chris_chen4]

I'm w/you on the Contax--Zeiss Ikon Contax II w/Sonnar 50/1.5.

[Rob F.]

The only gear I have that I wouldn't be sad to lose or trash would be

my Nikon 8008. I don't care to risk my FE2's and certainly not my

Leica gear. Even if I had a whacked up M3 with a huge dent in the

top plate, I would still nurture it. Yet, I'll take my Leicas out in

a light drizzle if I think there's a shot. I just spend 15 minutes

drying it with Q-tips afterwards.

[greg_mason]

to all:

 

<p>

 

thanks for the civility.

 

<p>

 

greg

[pat_dunsworth]

The camera that is always in my briefcase or pocket is a Rollei 35.

I only use it for architectural field documentation with Kodak Max,

but it's tiny, has great contrast and takes sharp photos (thank God

for hyperfocal). I call it my "point & think". Last week I was

taking site-documentation shots at a high school and 2 different

teachers said that they also had 35s. Unfortunately, neither was

willing to part with theirs. The curious thing about Leica "beaters"

is that the best value on the market right now seems to be the M6

because even M3s are worth more to collectors. I have three freinds

(all in their 60s) who still have the M3s that they bought new in the

1950s. Every time I see them I make an offer, but they won't part

with them. Curse you, Red Dot!

[kaiblanke]

Seems that a lot of you have cameras to loose which I'd be very happy

to find ;-). I really like my cameras, but the one I really don't

make a deal of is my Yashica 35-me - I wouldn't take another camera

out swimming to take pictures of the boat that brought me out to the

middle of the lake ;-).

<p>

Otherwise there still is my rollei 35 (which became quite expensive,

though) and my Canonet (wouldn't mind to get rid of this, but for a

real point, shoot and trash camera it is too difficult to use ...

[steven_fong1]

A Rollei XF35. Not a Leica, but sure as hell a beater. RF no less.