Is your latest camera strictly necessary?

[webouser2]

I recently bought a Olympus OM-D E1 Mk3 and a Pro 14-40mm f/2.8 lens.
Does it do anything that my other cameras don't do. Not really.
It does things a bit nicer.
But is wasn't a have to buy.

 

[Tim Murphy]

The last camera I bought was a Pentax K-1. I kinda bought it as a less expensive alternative to a Sony. And I have an emotional connection to Pentax's lenses, particularly the SMC-A's of the 80's and 90's that were selling at the time for a song. But I had it out last weekend and found myself asking, "is there something magical about the Pentax pixey dust in these images, or would an older camera have done just as well?"

So I am asking you all: are you getting the quality or ease-of-use jump that you thought you would out of your last purchase?

Dear Benjamin,

I ran out of room for fishing gear, so I had to find something else to collect!

But seriously, now that so many older cameras are available for relatively short money I've gathered a collection of Nikon, Canon and Pentax film cameras that I do use. Maybe not as much as I use my digital cameras, but they don't just gather dust. In fact, the film cameras make me feel more involved with photography, and serve to recapture what I did 40 years ago without hurting anyone but my wallet a bit.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA 🙂

 

[Erik van Straten]

Recently I bought a chrome, coated Summar 50mm f2 with glass very close to mint. I have a weak spot for Summars.

This was made with that lens.

gelatin silver print (summar 50mm f2) leica m3

Amsterdam, 2023

Erik.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Erik: I would definitely say that that lens was strictly necessary.

 

[Trask]

Finding a clean Summer at a "reasonable" price is tough -- I've been looking. One of these days....nice photo, Erik.

 

[Contarama]

For several years now I have had only two cameras...a Df and a F2. I have a good set of manual focus Nikkors. I haven't used any of it much until recently. For the last couple of months Raids weekend photography plans thread has inspired me to take out the camera every weekend and make pictures. Also in this time I've bought two cameras to add to the already super cool ones I have. Are they necessary... critical? No. Here is why I bought them. The D40X because I looked at all the old f mount ccd sensor bodies in Flickr groups and liked how the D40X photos looked most. Plus a mint one was $75. I was inspired by reading threads about ccd sensors here on RFF btw. The Fuji because of the white roll off mainly and color fidelity. Ccd sensor. Megapixel counts on both cameras play well with my set of lenses too. I've added a few lenses and some filters as well. I can't wait to shoot the 105/4 micro I just bought on the Df. I'm going to try it with a soft 2 filter and see if I can't get a vintage look. Love the recent Nikkor thread from Jason and all the great informative posts in it. I'm currently really enjoying and practicing my photography hobby again because of all of this. The extra cameras and lenses have helped a lot.

 

[stephen_lumsden]

I keep looking at Kiev 2 bodies as a backup to my contax ii....just in case 😀

 

[santino]

I keep looking at Kiev 2 bodies as a backup to my contax ii....just in case 😀

Yeah, especially one from 52 or earlier 😀

 

[trix4ever]

No, of course it isn't, but please no one tell the wife...

 

[JeffS7444]

Aside from more advanced video and "creator" type features, Sony had assembled the key ingredients for today's mirrorless cameras more than a decade ago with the NEX7. And had I kept using that camera until today, I think I'd be OK.

But little, incremental, improvements accumulate over time! While I felt that the quality jump from NEX7 to A7 Mk I was modest, going from A7 Mk I to A7R4 was less so (pretty awesome, actually).

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I would tend to agree with JeffS7444, the NEX-7 was OK, I had one too. I got it to use my manual lenses on. When I wanted to see them at their native focal length I made the leap to an A7ii. The jump to an A7Riii was really something.

 

[bjorke]

My latest camera was only necessary because it was part of the phone I bought to replace a 7-year-old broken one?

Near miss: almost bought an a7c this morning as a backup body for my M, but... not necessary.

 

[Canyongazer]

The last camera I bought was a second Fuji X Pro 2.
One body is dedicated to the Fuji 35mm f 1.4 and the other to my other Fuji X lenses.
Thus, the 35 is always available and ready. Not really necessary but welcome ... both X Pro 2's get a lot of use.
That was in 2018. The satisfaction I get from those two and a Nikon D800E = I don't expect to buy any more cameras.

 

[agentlossing]

For several years now I have had only two cameras...a Df and a F2. I have a good set of manual focus Nikkors. I haven't used any of it much until recently. For the last couple of months Raids weekend photography plans thread has inspired me to take out the camera every weekend and make pictures. Also in this time I've bought two cameras to add to the already super cool ones I have. Are they necessary... critical? No. Here is why I bought them. The D40X because I looked at all the old f mount ccd sensor bodies in Flickr groups and liked how the D40X photos looked most. Plus a mint one was $75. I was inspired by reading threads about ccd sensors here on RFF btw. The Fuji because of the white roll off mainly and color fidelity. Ccd sensor. Megapixel counts on both cameras play well with my set of lenses too. I've added a few lenses and some filters as well. I can't wait to shoot the 105/4 micro I just bought on the Df. I'm going to try it with a soft 2 filter and see if I can't get a vintage look. Love the recent Nikkor thread from Jason and all the great informative posts in it. I'm currently really enjoying and practicing my photography hobby again because of all of this. The extra cameras and lenses have helped a lot.

The D40 was my very first serious camera, and I used it for years. Always really enjoyed the look of the files, and was tempted by the D40x when it was released. However, being able to afford the D40 new was a once-in-my-20s thing, so the x remained out of my reach.

As I remember, shooting at higher ISOs quickly resulted in loss of color, though luminance noise @ ISO 1600 wasn't too bad-looking. It's best kept at or near base ISO, where it shines.

 

[Godfrey]

The last camera I bought was a Pentax K-1. I kinda bought it as a less expensive alternative to a Sony. And I have an emotional connection to Pentax's lenses, particularly the SMC-A's of the 80's and 90's that were selling at the time for a song. But I had it out last weekend and found myself asking, "is there something magical about the Pentax pixey dust in these images, or would an older camera have done just as well?"

So I am asking you all: are you getting the quality or ease-of-use jump that you thought you would out of your last purchase?

The most recent camera I bought was a Leica M10-R. I bought it because I absolutely love the M10 Monochrom I bought last year, it really suits my photography beautifully, and I wanted the same thing with color capture capability. Did I need either of those cameras?

Likely no. Between the relatively complete Hasselblad V system and 907x, the Leica M4-2 and digital CL, the two dozen lenses I have for those, the brace of Kodak Retina IIc (and their lenses), my old beloved Rollei 35S, Minox 35GT-S, and Voigtländer Perkeo II, not to mention the half a dozen Polaroid SX-70 (and derivatives) or the Light L16 ... never mind the various other cameras that seem to pop up every time I open a box or drawer ... I think I had enough already to do anything I'll ever want to do in making photographs.

But I enjoy cameras, and I love the way the Leica M10-R and M10-M work, and I really don't care too much. They are no longer "state of the art" but they're recent enough to not matter, and using them satisfies me. And I could afford to buy them without going into debt to do so.

So eh? Why not?

G

 

[jpressman]

My latest purchase was a used Fuji XH2, which replaced my XT3. It wasn't necessary but I'm very happy with the 'upgrade'. The focus is snappy, the VF is great, the extra megapixels are welcome, and I'm really enjoying the ergonomics. I was pretty much using only primes on the XT3, but the grip on the XH2 makes using the 18-55 kit zoom very comfortable, and has changed things up for me in a good way. I wasn't sure getting a larger/heavier camera was going to work, but in fact it has kind of re-energized me.

 

[KoNickon]

A few here do have more than one camera.

True story - When I was a kid, my mom and dad went to a Caribbean island with friends. While there, my dad bought a new Pentax Spotmatic. He was worried about getting it through customs on the way home. He thought that no one would believe that any person would have TWO cameras. So, to avoid paying duty on the Pentax, he threw his Kodak into the ocean (rather than bringing it home to give to his son).

Hopefully there wasn't film in it!

 

[nikon_sam]

Yes...
The last camera I bought was a Mamiya C220...I had to buy it because a friend had handed me two very nice lenses.
The Mamiya TLR 80mm 2.8 Blue Dot and Super 180mm 4.5, so I had no choice...
Since then I've added the 105mm 3.5...I must admit this line of cameras have intrigued me for years.

 

[kshapero]

Nothing is necessary other than food, water and shelter. The rest is fun time.

 

[dee]

Fujifilm X - Pro 2 . Just because I love the styling .
I still favour the X-Pro 1 though !