Currently the BEST Camera Company?

[Finder]

Sony is a Johnny-come-lately? Except for the fact that they are now Minolta, a company established in 1927. And what does time have to do with it? Leica and Hasselblad are conservative companies, but that is not how they started out. When they were the new kids on the block, they came up with some pretty neat ideas that were executed really well. With the expense of manufacturing digital cameras, it camera world has become a little dull--3:2 SLRs dominate the market. Some for the crazy cameras and formats that came out in the evolution of the film camera will not be easily made for digital.

I agree, Fuji has always been an interesting company. But each of these companies in their own way are the "best." But there are a bunch of smaller companies not on this list that are still making great equipment.

 

[presspass]

Since I need the camera every day, and it has to be digital for newspaper color, I chose Canon. Their cameras and lenses work well, can stand some rough handling, and their repair service is quick and does the job right the first time.

 

[FallisPhoto]

Best for what? Is this a trick question?

Different cameras are better for different things. As an example, a really good 8x10 view camera would be great for architecture, landscapes (if you can get it there and live), studio portraits and other big things that don't move much, but it would pretty much suck for sports photography, packing it along on the family vacation would be quite a lot more trouble than it is worth, and I'd really hate to have to hump one up the side of an even moderately steep mountain. Another example: If you need to make 5x7 foot prints, and people will be looking at them from a distance of three feet, no small format camera, no matter how good, is going to be your first choice. On the other hand, trying to silently sneak up on the wild blue-billed green-crested whooping whatchamacallit with a huge, unwieldy 40-pound box, a 20-pound tripod and a 15 pound lens probably isn't going to work out well for you either.

This is like asking a carpenter what the best tool is. No matter what he answers, ... well, saws suck at driving nails, hammers are lousy choices for cutting boards, and the best screwdrivers in the world are terrible for anything but driving screws. You need different tools to do different tasks.

 

[le vrai rdu]

for me cosina, I still cannot afford leica, much overprised compared to cosina

the minolta , excellent SLR with the SRT serie, and wonderfull TLR with the autocord

 

[Keith]

It's hard to overlook a company that have produced lenses that fit my 1933 Leica II and with an adapter also fit my M8!

I agree with the poll results recognising Nikon as the leader but Leica have an amazing history!

 

[le vrai rdu]

Maybe I come from another planet, never really loved Nikon (put aside the F3HP) and hasselblad 😀


I tried the pentax 67 , I think I will bring one next time I board a trawler

 

[Keith]

Maybe I come from another planet, never really loved Nikon (put aside the F3HP) and hasselblad 😀


I tried the pentax 67 , I think I will bring one next time I board a trawler

The Pentax 67 ... now there's a camera I really, really want to own one day and I think it would be perfect for the work you're showing us from the trawler! 🙂

 

[le vrai rdu]

It is very well done in fact, the only trouble is the place they putted the speed dial, bul one get used pretty fast I think.
When you fire it it make the same sound as somebody falling in the stairs 😀
It can be used quite well at low speed because the camera is quite heavy wich compensate the vibrations 🙂 and maybe because of the electromechanical mecanism wich don't need to provide as meny efforts as a spring mechanism (I guess).

Concerning the weight, it is OK, the camera feel very well in the hands, well balanced 🙂

In fact it is just a pentax MX wich would have eaten too many bananas 😀

 

[Doug]

The Pentax 67 ... now there's a camera I really, really want to own one day and I think it would be perfect for the work you're showing us from the trawler! 🙂

Agreed! Should we vote Pentax the "best company"? 😀
Can't resist saying I like Pentaxes, and the big 6x7 has been a favorite for many years. It handles very well, indeed rather like a grown-up version of the MX, and I like the 67II even better. I hope this works out well on the next trawler adventure!

 

[filmtwit]

I voted Cosina Voigtlander but if you consider the future I think RED digital cinema camera with their DSMC system will have a lot of influence to how cameras perform.

The Red digital system is pretty awesome, but pricey once you add it all up. Most folks I know have gone onto the Canon D5 mkII instead due to price and the fact that the D5 can do most of what the Red does.

 

[JohnTF]

Keith-

May be your lucky week, ;-), Call Igor, he may throw in a Halliburton case with the Pentax 6x7, he is looking for space. ;-) It may end up the larger the case the lower the price, he has some suitcases he wants to move, or he may have to put an addition on the house.

I bought one for storage for a friend.

J

 

[mark-b]

I might have said differently before, but after thinking about it again, I would place Cosina-Voigtlander as number 1. Led by Kobayashi-San, CV has remained faithful in producing film-based rangefinder cameras to the very few of us remaining. Cumulatively, the quality of their products, the features, and the price range is a lot more reachable to a greater number of photographers; and still maintaing a high level of dependability. And best of all, CV listens.

Number two would be Leica. They do make the best film-based rangefinder, and the only available digital rangefinder so far.