Camera beauty contest

[loneranger]

I have owned almost every camera ever made, but none comes close to the physical beauty of the Nikon S3 (and SP). It is not the most comfortable or intuitive camera but in terms of pure beauty, it is the ultimate! Sorry leica, I have decided to dump you.

 

[NIKON KIU]

You're my man!


Kiu

 

[micromontenegro]

The only camera that my family has ever found beautiful was a Leica IIIc. Go figure

 

[laptoprob]

There was a poll about this soome time ago, wasn't there?
To me the Nikons and the Contaxes don't do it. Too cluttered looks. All those knobs at different shapes and heights...

 

[grduprey]

Sorry, neithe my d200 nor my wife's Nikon L*** p&s digital qualify as beautifull. My M8, M6ttl, and my R8 beat anything Canon or Nikon can put up to tht table.

 

[cpborello]

The font of the capital "N" in "Nikon" has always been troubled me.

 

[laptoprob]

It's sad no other camera ever came near the simplicity of the CLE.
I guess I like clean lines. Only the on/off knob is designed badly.

 

[jlw]

I'd say the SP is better-looking than the S3, partly because its complex-shaped irregular viewfinder surround frame gives the front a more interesting appearance.

But if we're going to have a camera beauty contest (or even a rangefinder camera beauty contest) we're limiting ourselves drastically if we just debate the merits of the two Nikons vs. Leica models.

For sheer aesthetics, about the Signal Corps model of the Kodak 3a Special? (I'd also be willing to bet this is one camera Loneranger has NOT owned...) I couldn't find a photo of the uber-cool Signal Corps model, but here's a pic (from the George Eastman House) of the plain vanilla 3A; note that this IS a rangefinder camera, in fact the first series-produced example of such...

 

[VinceC]

There was a poll about this soome time ago, wasn't there?
To me the Nikons and the Contaxes don't do it. Too cluttered looks. All those knobs at different shapes and heights...

The poll wasn't as well put together as it could have been and essentially pitted Leica M models against each other.

The photos above show Contax II and a Nikon S2. Neither have lines as clean as the S3/SP. For example, the Contax is guilty of different sized knobs of different heights, whereas the Nikon S3/SP have a more aestheic balance. Even the S2, if you look at the the photo, has all the heights of its control knobs in balance.

 

[shadowfox]

The Nikon S rangefinder cameras family has directly inherited of the refined, minimalist yet extremely modern Art-Deco lines of the original 1936 Contax II.

This might explain.

Umm, you're missing one picture of the family member 😀

 

[NIKON KIU]

The font of the capital "N" in "Nikon" has always been troubled me.

Which one?
this one:

Or this one:

Kiu

 

[ZivcoPhoto]

As faithful as I have been to my SP and S2s, alas my roving eyes caught site of another tempting Leica M2 and I picked her up...as this is my second M2 to have owned I was reminded of her charming grace, ease of use and sheer elegance yet again.

I have not used anything else in the last three weeks....woe is me.

 

[colyn]

You can't beat the beauty of a barnack..

 

[cpborello]

Which one?
this one:
Kiu

The first one (shows my ignorance with the Nikon RFs). I can't say I dislike it per se, that's why I used "troubled". My eye is always drawn to it as "out of the ordinary."

Chris

 

[NIKON KIU]

Come on folks,what could be more beautifull than this?

Come-on Fred,show us a picture of a black S2,we'll show 'em😀 😛

Kiu

 

[loneranger]

I dont know why contax and nikon S3/SP are put in the same category; They share a similar lens mount but that is the end of their similarity. Leica M3 and MP certainly are beautiful and very refined, but they lack the physical edge, the raw simplicity of the S3/SP. In the SLR world, I would give the honors to the leica SL2.

 

[loneranger]

The barnack looks too 'crude', it lacks the style and elegance of the nikon.

 

[css9450]

The first one (shows my ignorance with the Nikon RFs). I can't say I dislike it per se, that's why I used "troubled". My eye is always drawn to it as "out of the ordinary."

Oh, but that's the beauty of it - it is so perfectly complimented by the small "n". The modern font introduced with the SP is so plain by comparison.

🙂

 

[nikon_sam]

Beauty isn't always a cute and cuddlely RF...sometimes it's a big boned SLR...I love the looks of my black body Nikon F2a with MD-2 and 50mm 1.4 attached.
Yeah, it's big but it feels good in my arms...

 

[Ororaro]

I have owned almost every camera ever made, but none comes close to the physical beauty of the Nikon S3 (and SP). It is not the most comfortable or intuitive camera but in terms of pure beauty, it is the ultimate! Sorry leica, I have decided to dump you.

Not the most comfy nor intuitive camera but the most beautiful?

Of course, you are not into photography for photography so I can understand your illogical choice.