Jason's 20 Greatest Cameras of all Time -- Hits? Missess ?

check out his just re-published list from 2018

Does Noteworthy always translate to Greatest?

Why not the Epson RD1 instead of the trouble prone Leica M9?

Why not the Konica Hexar RF as the first of the NON Leica M mounts?

Why not my favorite Canon SLRs - the T90 and RT?

The Pentax K1000? Really? Does best selling = Greatness?

Why not the Hasselblad V?

as the usual suspect greatest cameras duke it out among their fans ...

Stephen
 
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Huss said:
? What's to hate?

Super solid build. Smooth film winder. Lovely DOF plunger. Cool exposure preview on top plate. Metal shutter. Shutter info in VF. FT2 only needs one 1.5v cell. Can use AI and non-AI lenses. Can use same hand to focus , change aperture and change shutter speed, no need to move trigger hand from shutter button..
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I bought my first Nikkormat FTn in 1971. It was a much more popular camera than the Nikon F/F2 and not only because it was cheaper. All pictures that came out of that camera were technically perfect. Most still work perfectly now.

Nikkormat FTn/ Nikkor H Auto 50mm f/2/TriX/AdoxMCC110 (1974)

Erik.

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I thought the list was about some of the most influential cameras but not necessarily the greatest. There are some truly great ones listed but many mediocre ones that changed the direction of the industry. From interchangeable lenses, built in meters, autofocus and the digital image, the first may not have always been the best but they did open a door.
 
Intemperate Zeitgeist?

Intemperate Zeitgeist?

james.liam said:
Hey, it's one man's opinion. Given all the intemperate zeitgeist against voicing opinions, he's allowed his.

Some of the ones named were ground-breaking, like the Nikon D1 and Canon 5D. But the SX-70 really deserved mention.

I agree with the omission of the M8; half-baked, small sensor and deeply flawed. More of a proof-of-concept. Epson RD-1 was a bit like that too.

Mention of the M9M would also have been merited.
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All "Best 20 Camera" articles are inherently subjective because the (unstated) criteria vary, and few writers (including yours truly) apply them consistently anyway. However they are provocative and fun because there can never be a consensus, and the resulting dialogue can be illuminating. I'm not quite sure what an "intemperate zeitgeist" is but if such a thing exists it would seem to favor voicing pointed opinions, not discouraging them. Sadly the current zeitgeist is not only intemperate but intolerant, so you may be free to say whatever you want but you're bound to be excoriated regardless. I pine for the days of civil discourse but I doubt they will return anytime soon--sigh.
 
I also don't understand all the angst. These should, in theory, be fun and lively debates between camera enthusiasts. Don't like Jason's list? Feel free to publish your own list!

Between friends here on RFF, I'll just make one small addendum to Peter M's joke:
Opinions are like @$$holes. Everybody has one... but yours stinks! :D
 
dourbalistar said:
I also don't understand all the angst. These should, in theory, be fun and lively debates between camera enthusiasts........
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I agree. I always enjoy these sort of lists not matter how much i agree or disagree with them. There is always something new to learn in them.
 
I would like to submit a camera to the list as it was and still is very influential in introducing many photographers to rangefinder cameras. And that would be the Yashica Electro 35.


PF
 
farlymac said:
I would like to submit a camera to the list as it was and still is very influential in introducing many photographers to rangefinder cameras. And that would be the Yashica Electro 35.


PF
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Think I could add a stereo camera to the list? Like the Heidoscop?
 
Like everything else on the forum it’s just a conversation about a subject, and as you so rightly say, Jason, it comes down to whether individuals choose to be civilised or not.
 
And the most obvious choice is missing.. a pinhole camera (camera obscura). Revolutionary in the not so distant past ;)
 
CameraQuest said:
Seriously? This thread and forum are discussions -- two way discussions.
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Sadly I think that today's zeitgeist has created an atmosphere in which too many people do not really want a two way discussion and certainly not a debate (God forbid!) They want others to agree with them. OR ELSE!

A product perhaps, of a generation who have been raised to have a solipsistic view of the world (i.e. that they personally are the centre of the universe) and to make matters worse, have been raised on social media where flash mobs can be called upon to attack anyone who has a differing point of view. In particular, the unwarranted vehemence of some posters suggests there is an element of the above kind of divisiveness. Why? I ask. Feelings? Yeh, that's ALWAYS a good reason.

Of course I am not accusing Filter Factor of the above (I just happened to chose this post to respond because you have touched on an issue of importance).

The mark of this forum has always been that we are united by a common interest, but not necessarily common opinions. And of course where we differ, we need to do so politely. After all we are discussing cameras for God's sake, not world peace.
 
Jason's list and rationale for the 10 film cameras made perfect sense to me, though some were certainly not my favorites.

I don't object to the K1000 and was not surprised it was on the list. My post above about the Nikkormat (and now I see Huss mentioned it long before I did) was examining reasons why schools/teachers chose that camera over the less expensive and better Nikkormat.
 
Shall we start a 20 Greatest Cameras of all Time thread where RFF members make their own list? It seems like the proper thing to do under the circumstances... ;)
 
CameraQuest said:
Seriously? This thread and forum are discussions -- two way discussions.
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This thread, though, got weird when Jason started responding to our opinions. Which is all they are - our opinions. They're not "potshots at the writer's choices". Everyone's opinion is valid, is it not?
 
css9450 said:
This thread, though, got weird when Jason started responding to our opinions. Which is all they are - our opinions. They're not "potshots at the writer's choices". Everyone's opinion is valid, is it not?
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I do not think Jason has been anything but a gentleman.
 
Pál_K said:
I wonder if lens affordability was one of the factors in the K1000's choice for photography classes.

Consider, the Nikkormat has been available for extremely low prices ever since the early 2000's
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Pal, The last Nikkormats were produced in 1979. The K1000 was in production from 1976-1997. So there's not much overlap (more so with the Nikon FM/FM2 series) I don't know about the USA but in Canada, when i was a student, Pentax was always cheaper.
 
What I always thought was the marketing rational behind the K1000 was it was the least expensive camera with a bayonet mount at the time, and that they marketed the mount to other manufacturers, just like they did the Universal Screw M42 mount.


PF
 
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