Besides a Leica

Well,

For MF shooting, I use Hasselblads (2-500CM and 2-ELM), and Pentacon-Six/Exakta 66/Kiev 6c&60/Hartblei 1006 for something funky. Got alot of lenses and accessories for both systems. And just for kicks, two Plaubel Makiflex 6x9 SLR's.

For LF, it's Sinar Normas (6x6, 6x9, 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10 in one system), and two 4x5 Plaubel Peco Profia monorail cameras.

In 35 SLR I have gone back to the Minolta SRT system, my first -good- SLR.
 
was just browsing thru my images lately and found that my old kiev with the j8 took some of tmy best pictures... rendition of this sonnar-type lens is just beautifull. the mf gear (RB+ 4 lenses) is for my art projects. the beaten up nikon slrs i just love, and the rolleiflex with the scratched front element is just perfect to please the girls...
 
My Fuji S3 Pro handles all my DSLR duties, and I have an FM2N, which until my MP, was always in my bag with my M6, it's been replaced but I still use it for when I need an SLR, a RF doesn't do everything and rather then try to hammer a nail with a screw driver the Nikon is good to have around.

I don't own any medium format gear but I do borrow a 501CM for my friend for a lot of shooting,.

My leica's get 90% of the work though.
 
For roughly half my photography - mostly wildlife - I use a Canon dSLR, while for the other half, lately, its been either a Hexar RF or my Leica M3. However, my Olympus OM-4T (a camera I dearly love) has been getting some use of late (with a new-to-me 55mm f1.2 lens) as has a Mamiya Pro645 which needs some work (patching up a rickety 120 film back). A Konica Auto S3 is in a desk drawer at work just in case I need a decent camera ready to hand.

I keep a little Canon IXUS digicam in my pocket at all times and often carry a Contax T2 on my belt (or an Olympus mju or XA in a pocket) with different film from my main camera.

...Mike
 
I use Canon DSLR's for my newspaper work. For my project work I use a Contax N1, which I just love, and the Zeiss glass is esquisite!

However, I am never without my Voigtlander Bessa R. 100% manual, light to carry, it is always on my shoulder on my off days - just in case!

I have been tinkering with the idea of switching to RF's for all my project work.

Cheers.
 
Shen Hao 4x5 for everything that doesn't move and affords me the luxury of a tripod.

Bessa T + 21 and 40 CV lenses for most things that don't afford that luxury

Nikon F3 with DW-4 6x prism and parapharnalia for macro.

There!
 
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vrgard said:
the first camera that comes to my mind is the Olympus XA-2 (even more than the XA because the XA-2 has autofocus).
Click to expand...

AFAIK, it doesn't even have RF focus - it has zone focus instead. Are you thinking of the Stylus?

-Anupam
 
Anupam Basu said:
AFAIK, it doesn't even have RF focus - it has zone focus instead. Are you thinking of the Stylus?

-Anupam
Click to expand...

Yep, you're right Anupam. Thanks for pointing out my error and I've now corrected my earlier posting. :)

-Randy
 
I use canon DSLRs for work - mainly architecture and interior shooting, and event coverage/journalism for newspapers. I used to use a 30d but now use an old school 1d. It's only 4mp but does an excellent job at everything, even printing large. I'm toying going to nikon with their new d3xx cameras.

Personal stuff, I use a nikon F3hp with a normal FL nikkors, and an olympus om2n with some zuiko wides (can't beat them for the price!) I'll also be getting either a Hexar RF or a ZM Ikon before christmas to plonk a sonnar 50 on. After seeing the magic that lens can make I don't ever want another 50.

I really appreciate portrait and fashion using film black and white, and so far haven't really found a combo of anything that is high enough quality in 35mm for me to be satisfied, so I'll be picking up a mamiya 645 body with something like an 80mm lens to do some fine art black and white stuff/build up my portfolio.

Otherwise I always carry an olympus XA with me.
 
Besides my M3 I use Nikon Pre AI equipement (F, F2 and Nikkormat FTn) and pair of Olympus OM-1's. I also have a Contax IIIa and a Canonet that lives in my briefcase.

Leica seems to be my "urban" camera and when I am out hiking I prefer the OM-1's and the Nikons.
 
Holgas and 4x5 pinhole when I need to feel the fun and wonder. Been loving my Mamiya 330 as well. 4x5 and 8x10 not as much as I'd like. Will be getting a pair of D3's for work, end of month.
 
Believe it or not, my Hexars get used for both paid work (I don't do that much hired-gig stuff now...the remaining clientele either find it cool that I shoot only film, or just don't care one way or t'other), and just about all my own work. (Working on getting a ZI to add to the mix.)

Other fave cameras in tow include a still-ailing Ricoh GR1 which is getting fixed (love that thing!); A Konica Lexio 70 (which might be retired when the Ricoh is off the DL...better a solid single focal length than a slightly-flaky zoom); a sole SLR, an Olympus OM-2n with just a 50mm f/1.8 and a set of extension tubes (a gift from a dear friend who couldn't deal with manual focus any more; on my advice, she got a Canon Elan 7). (Edit: also a Konica POP, otherwise known as the Japanese Holga [with far better QC].) Sorry, no MF stuff, although I've thought about getting a Minolta Autocord for shiggles. :) I really am a 35mm dreamer/lifer.

Oh, yeah, there is a digital camera in the mix: a new (to me) Casio Exilim EX-Z850, replacing an Olympus D-510 that was given to me. All the digital I need (8MP), and fits in a pants pocket.


- Barrett
 
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Olympus OM-1 and OM-2, XA & Toyo 45A w/ Fujinon 90 & 150. I'm considering adding a 210 or 240 for the Toyo. I'll clear out some of my OM gear to strip down to an "essential" SLR kit, then get a RF M mount kit for my mainstay RF.
 
For me the ultimate "one camera that can do it all" is my Olympus Stylus Epic. I bought it at B&H during my first trip to New York almost 10 years ago and it's travelled around the world with me as a trusty companion ever since.
It takes a bit of know-how to get around the quirks, but having a sharp, fast 35mm lens, slow curtain flash and "full frame" image quality in such a small package is tough to beat. Too bad it was discontinued this year. :(
My most fun non-Leica is my Pentax Optio 43WR. This was probably the best waterproof digital made so far - 4MP (more than enough), AA batteries and an actual optical finder! I've taken macro shots of crabs underwater, video of fishes, and infrared landscapes with this thing. The video quality is very good, especially at 30 fps in B&W mode. I now use the Pentax in place of an actual video camera and the footage looks amazing, even on a 50-inch plasma screen!
My Panasonic LC-1 has it's place with that killer fast Leica zoom and unique bounce flash. File quality suffers after 100 ISO so it doesn't get as much use as it should. I like it but if I had to sell something it would be the first to go.
I have a Rolleiflex with a Tessar f3.5 lens. You can't beat these things for quietness and compactness in MF at a reasonable price point. 6x6 is not my natural way of looking at things so I only use it for certain applications, but I'm always happ with the results.
The Rollei seems so nice and small now after shooting with my Mamiya C33, which I got to have a wider lens selection and bellows focusing. I love these features but the camera is a real tank and often stays at home because of this. It's a great camera system when I have specific need of it though!
I use my Nikon F100 about once a year. I sold off most of my Nikon kit except for the AF 20mm f2.8 and 50mm f1.4 (both made in Japan) but I'm now pretty disappointed with the IQ after shooting with Leica glass for the last couple of years. I'm thinking of dumping the F100 in favour of an F4 so I can remove the prism for low angle shooting. However the F100 has the best in-camera metering I've ever used - even compared to the latest DSLRs, and the AF is WAY faster than the F4. (I don't plan on buying and AF-S lenses!)
So after all that, my M4 and M6 see more use than the rest of all those other cameras combined! :D
 
The M4 is far from neglected, but takes a back seat to the ol' Contax RTS system (Aria especially). Most-used camera is my Contax T3: shutter lag is plain annoying, but its true shirt-pocket size is unmatched for 135 film. Cut my teeth on MF in the '70s, but now just live with a Canon 1Ds (studio mainly).
 
Voigtlander Bessa R: Has a reliable and sensitive modern TTL meter (not that I need one, but on the street at night for instance this can be useful). Bright frame lines and four of them. Swing open hinged back. Window to read the film canister markings. Flash sync and hot shoe. Light, reliable, relatively inexpensive and takes some of the best lenses ever made (LTM).
 
Never been bitten by the Leica bug myself, but I did have a Voigtlander Vitessa-L with a 50/2.0 Ultron, which was my favorite 50mm lens for a long time. These days I use 35mm almost exclusively for bird photography, some low light, and occasional copy slides, so I use the Canon New F-1 that I bought new around 1983 for 35mm applications.

The camera I use most lately is a 4x5" Linhof Tech V.

A quick list of the others--Voigtlander Perkeo II, Bronica S2a, Linhof 2x3" Tech V, 5x7" Press Graflex, 8x10" Gowland PocketView, 8x10" Sinar P, 7x17" Korona, 11x14" American Optical. They all get used.

The only digital camera I own is a Coolpix 990 that lives mostly on a copy stand for digitizing documents, and occasionally to photograph items that I'm selling on the internet.
 
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I am relitively new to RF photography but have already fell in love with my Bessa-R, ( I just bought a second used body) I have gone full spectrum since I started photography seriously, started with a Canon AE-1, moved to Mamiya 1000s, then to a couple of Speed/Crown Graphics, Burke & James 4X5 view, Canon D60, Mamiya 645E and have now settled on my Bessa-R setup and a Pentax K10D setup.

While I miss the MF/LF cameras for their large negs I dont miss the hassle of carrying them around, and for my current uses 10MP's with nice glass and my RF's suits me.

I did have a couple of Leicas, a III and IIIf RD but although I like the LTM system they just were not for me.
 
I mostly shoot Leica M, but also have a some SLR gear that I use when framing accuracy is critical to me. Regardless of what type of camera I shoot, it's almost exclusively with a 35 or 50mm lens.

About a year ago I picked up a Nikon F3-P, which has become my main SLR. Why? It just feels right and is a joy to shoot. The motor drive is very good and I love the ability to remove the viewfinder for shooting over my head or from low angles. The glass is no where near as good as that for the Leica R, but sharpness isn't everything.

Over the years I've been paring down my gear. The more I shoot the less I seem to need. I'm pretty much down to 2 x M bodies and a Nikon F3-P. 35 and 50mm lenses for all. And lots of Tri-X.


That said I still have some items on the shelf.

I love my Leica R6.2. It's tiny and reminds me of a Leica M with a mirror box. The current 2/50 Summicron-R uses the same optical formula of the M version, so prints are a perfect match.

Then there's my IIIc. It's just fun to shoot. Somehow it's simplicity relaxes me.

For medium format work I use a Rolleiflex 2.8/80. It shares many traits with the Leica M. No mirror slap, dead silent, a blazing sharp lens that is relatively fast for MF, short focus throw, compact and low weight, very reliable.

I also have a Hasselblad 503cx, which I've held on to because of it's versatility. I switched to the Rolleflex, because the focus throw on the Hassy 80mm is a mile long and a nightmare for shooting action. It also sounds like a vacuum pump and will turn every head within hearing distance, when you fire it.

I tried cameras like the Canon EOS 1-v HS, but I just can't get used to autofocus. It also looks like a high-end DSLR, which makes it a target for thieves. And it's huge, even with a prime like the 1.4/35L.

I also have an old Linhof III that I picked up a few years ago for peanuts, from a Canadian Mountie (long story). I keep telling myself that I will use it some day for some grand project, but so far it's just sitting there looking pretty.

Someday I will have to add digital to my arsenal. I had a Canon 5D, that I had purchased for a project, but ended up selling it because of lack of use. When I do buy another DSLR it will be a Nikon D300 or D3, because of the ability to use manual focus lenses (as well as AF). I would like an M8, but since I'm not swimming in money, I need something more versatile for $5500.
 
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For the earning of the daily bread, on film ( still 66%), it's 15 % leica M5, 65 % Hasselblad, 15 % Technorama 617 and 5 % Linhof Kardan GT 4"x5" with Schneider glass.
For digital it's the K10 D because I used to work wit the Pentax LX system and collected about 9 primes for it, most of them SMC 'A', but the LX is 'unemployed' now, pity.
The M5 is for when everything else fails and the light and subject is asking for it...
For fun : pinhole!
 
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