Best built mechanical SLR?

[Robert Lai]

Wufharti:
It's an FTN meter for the Nikon F. The date code inside indicates that it was made 5 years after Nikon ceased making the Nikon F. As I said, Sover has never seen an FTN meter having a wire-wound resistor like the DP-11 - up to now.

 

[Wulfthari]

The Chinon Memotron allowed aperture priority shooting with a standard M42 lens:

https://zorkiphoto.co.uk/2013/05/14/chinon-memotron-review/

Same thing: the shutter release steps down the lens halfway.

Wufharti:
It's an FTN meter for the Nikon F. The date code inside indicates that it was made 5 years after Nikon ceased making the Nikon F. As I said, Sover has never seen an FTN meter having a wire-wound resistor like the DP-11 - up to now.

That's interesting...perhaps an old repair?

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

As a NON-pro-photographer, I have to say regarding «best built», presuming this includes ergonomy aspects:

Minolta, particularly the SRT-101 and the SR-7v — they're are really really hard to beat.

The aforementioned two Minoltas' German cousins: Leicaflex SL (and probably the Leicaflex too).

Rolleiflex SL 35 — design-wise «the most Japanese of all German cameras» so to say, I was and am still shooting many pictures with a couple of them, and I've had never any problems with them. But it's a prosumer-camera, and not a pro-camera, so IMHO they're much sturdier than many statements (of disappointed professionals I suppose) might imply.

 

[sevo]

That's interesting...perhaps an old repair?

As far as I can make out, Nikon did not date-code repairs. They supplied spare parts for one decade past end of production, though, and may have made production runs of spares they ran out of.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

Rolleiflex SL 35 — design-wise «the most Japanese of all German cameras» so to say, […]

cf. Mr Mechelhoff's site: http://www.klassik-cameras.de/RolleiflexSL35.html (German text)
— and regarding the lesser known Rolleiflex SL-350, see http://www.klassik-cameras.de/Rolleiflex350_en.html (English summary)

 

[Ronald M]

Leicaflex series. SL2 was the best, but hard to repair.

I have a minty F2 and early Nikormat, also minty. They are tough beasts.

Both have lens sets that are tough unlike my screw mount Pentaxes. I got diaphragm failure on more than one when they fell 18" onto my bed! Talk about crappy engineering. They were new at the time..

 

[papaki]

Canon F-1, period. The best all mechanical camera ever made.

 

[Ronald M]

Leicaflex series. SL2 was the best, but hard to repair.

I have a minty F2 and early Nikormat, also minty. They are tough beasts.

Both have lens sets that are tough unlike my screw mount Pentaxes. I got diaphragm failure on more than one when they fell 18" onto my bed! Talk about crappy engineering. They were new at the time..

 

[narsuitus]

The Nikon F2 is the best built mechanical SLR that I still use.


Nikon F2 by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[Fraser]

Canon F-1, period. The best all mechanical camera ever made.

Which F1?..........

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

Which F1?..........

If I understand correctly what I've read (cf. <http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Canon_F-1>), only the ones made before 1981 can be considered «fully mechanical cameras», if that was the OP's criterion.

 

[Greyscale]

In my experience, as a user, the Nikon F2 or the Nikkormat FTN. Both are gems.

But as the original question was "best built" and not "best", I am going to throw out some love for the modest, yet nearly indestructible, Ricoh Singlex TLS. Yep, Ricoh. Takes a licking, and keeps on ticking. Use it as a hammer, and then take photos at the family reunion.

 

[flavio81]

Canon F-1, period. The best all mechanical camera ever made.

Agree !! Although i would rate the Nikon F2 a close second. I would put the Leicaflex in the same tier as the Canon F-1 if I found one that has survived 2016 without a desilvered prism or a rotten shutter curtain. My friend owns three Leicaflexes and all of them are damaged due to the passage of time.

The Nikon F should be behind those, it looks tougher than the F2 from the outside but from what I have understood the innards of the F2 are much better.

And i have not handled an Alpa, probably an alpa would top the list.

If we are not considering the Canon New F-1 as a "mechanical" camera then the Pentax LX cannot enter this category. Both are semi-mechanically controlled: The Canon allows mechanical speeds from 1/90 (flash speed) to 1/2000 plus B, the Pentax just the same but from 1/75 (flash speed).

 

[takumat]

Many years ago, a french magazine conducted a large scale survey of the number of repairs their readers had had per camera, cost of repairs, etc. Two cameras came well in front of all others: the Nikon F and the Pentax KX. Both at 0,69 (F) and 0,70 (KX) repair per 100,000 actuations if I remeber well. KX was the pinnacle of the development of the Spotmatic, with K mount + SPD cell + mirror lock-up.

 

[Erik van Straten]

I bought this one recently as a user. It has new seals.

I also have a pristine one, but I will ot use that one. Like new Nikkormats are very rare.

I've had two of these in the years 1971 - 1980, one in chrome and the other black.

Erik.

 

[B-9]

I bought this one recently as a user. It has new seals.

I also have a pristine one, but I will ot use that one. Like new Nikkormats are very rare.

I've had two of these in the years 1971 - 1980, one in chrome and the other black.

Erik.

Is that a FT or a FTN Eric?

I love my chrome FT, and am now searching for a FS.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Is that a FT or a FTN Eric?

This is a FTn. As a user I prefer the FTn. The procedure for changing lenses is much easier.

Erik.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Can I throw in a vote for the FM2?

 

[airfrogusmc]

 

[lxmike]

Canon F1, PenTax MX, Nikon F, Minolta XE-1, all great mechanical cameras