Hottest cameras from 1982

[das]

The author's effort in making this fun and visual presentation is really great. Many people used to get SO excited when a new and different camera came out or different technology hit the market. The early-mid 1980s saw a general peak of the capabilities of manual focus SLRs -- like matrix metering, 1/4000 top shutters speeds, integrated motor drives, manual focus assist, multiple exposure modes. Then autofocus hit and changed everything.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I sold M4-P fairly quick. M4-2 (ended in 81) is cooler. 🙂

 

[Deleted member 65559]

I still have a soft spot for Leica R and Pentax LX - never had any experience with them and those articles evoked those feelings of my photographic youth.

Pan, Give the LX a try if you ever get a chance. I had one with me (24mm & 80-200) on a trekking trip in the Everest region in '87, along with my M6. SLRs mostly came and went with me. The LX was a bit like the M5 to me...though less angular. I would have preferred a lux version of the MX...identical size but mechanically smoother feeling.
I got great chromes & negs from it. I can't remember i may have gone to the EOS-1 some time after that.

 

[p.giannakis]

Pan, Give the LX a try if you ever get a chance. I had one with me (24mm & 80-200) on a trekking trip in the Everest region in '87, along with my M6. SLRs mostly came and went with me. The LX was a bit like the M5 to me...though less angular. I would have preferred a lux version of the MX...identical size but mechanically smoother feeling.
I got great chromes & negs from it. I can't remember i may have gone to the EOS-1 some time after that.

I remember reading a magazine review of the LX, the recommended retail price for it (Feb 1990) was 330.000 drachmas. My parents were paid 120.000 per month salary at that time - it was way out of my budget. Possibly that contributed to my fascination. I haven't seen any in the wild either - only online reviews. I quite liked my MX but it fell into disuse when the OMs fell on my hands. I would still love an LX but I suppose I'm not willing to pay the asking prices.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

I would still love an LX but I suppose I'm not willing to pay the asking prices.

Who knows Pan, you seem to be one of the masters of 'car boot sales' finds. If you get a chance to get one in your hands, the LX is worth a fondle. I found it robust and reliable in use.
The only SLR i have left is a black Spotmatic attached to the lovely 50 1.4.

 

[valdas]

I think at least in Europe it must have been Canon AF35M. Why? It was a hot football summer that year... The ad below claims it was an "official camera of FIFA World Cup"

 

[Pál_K]

This little chart is also fun to look at (Minolta, Canon, Nikon, Pentax - 1957-1982):

http://minolta.eazypix.de/slrtable/

 

[valdas]

This little chart is also fun to look at (Minolta, Canon, Nikon, Pentax - 1957-1982):

http://minolta.eazypix.de/slrtable/

Hm, 1969 is kind of empty… Everybody was busy flying to the moon?

 

[Erik van Straten]

I still have a Nikkormat FTn from about 1971 and a Nikon F plain prism from same year, both black. They share a Nikkor H Auto 50mm f2. I almost never use them -they are however good cameras- so I hesitate to buy a Nikkor S Auto 50mm f2 for them. Many people say that the Nikkor S is a nicer lens than the Nikkor H.

Erik.

 

[Corran]

I have the F3, but not the HP. Speaking of that number, I was negative 3 at that time 😉.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

In 1982 I was shooting a Nikon F2a and Nikon F Photomic "Bullseye". I still prefer the F2 over the F3HP. I did buy a pair of Nikon F3HP new almost 20 years ago, along with a pair of new D1x bodies and all of the AF Micro-Nikkors of the time.

 

[p.giannakis]

Talking about the FM2, here is a picture i have posted elsewhere in RFF. Good old school camera testing.

 

[farlymac]

I started buying some of these cameras back when they were cheap and plentiful because I never had the opportunity to own them when they were new. What I found was when you own a bunch of different cameras, it can get really confusing trying to remember all the little quirks each one has. I eventually drifted back to just Nikon and Leica as my main 35mm cameras, so be aware of what you wish for.

On the side note about junior high, where I went to high school is now the junior high, and where I went to junior high was the high school when my Mom attended there, and is now senior living for low income residents. It's nice to have a town that knows how to recycle their old properties instead of letting them fall into disrepair like the major town I now live near.

PF

 

[Pál_K]

How can we possibly overlook the Polachrome announcement on the cover of the magazine? 😀 Polachrome, whose process descended from the sadly failed Polavision, lasted 20 years. Not bad.

Looking at the Minolta CLE article in Modern Photography, I miss the detailed camera disassembly and analysis as done by Steve Pollock. That was true value for your money when buying the magazine.

As for the MX - I think its display of shutter speeds on a transparent semicircle next to over/underexposure LEDs is very clever, if not intuitive in use.

 

[nikon_sam]

I bought two Pentax MX black bodies in the early 80's...still have them both...lusted over the LX when it came out but never pursued that feeling.
About 5 years ago a friend gave me her dad's mint condition Canon A-1...I never got on with its layout so it was sold.
I have the Nikon F3 and did use it yesterday...

 

[Jeremy Z]

Folks were willing to pay a lot more for a good camera in the early 80s than they are today. Today, we are willing to pay over $1k for a smartphone with a camera better than an Instamatic, but not as good as an entry level DSLR with kit lens.

 

[pixelated]

I have an F3 that I bought around that time, still works well, least wise it did the last time I used it, which has been a bit.

Wouldn’t entirely mind going back to the time when it was THE camera instead of one of (too) many.