Longest you owned AND used a camera?

[Roger Hicks]

Dunno... Certainly 30+ years, maybe 35-36, M-series Leicas and Nikon Fs. A lot depends on what you mean by 'use regularly', and besides, I don't usually worry that much about which unmetered film M or F I use.

Actually there's one camera I've had for 40+ years, and the only reason I'm not using it currently is that it needs a repair: my 1936 Leica IIIa, bought in 1969 or 1970.

Cheers,

R.

 

[L. M. Tu]

I've two motorized Nikon F's and a Nikkormat ELW, thoroughly brassed and scratched, bought in 1982 from newspaper photographers who were retiring them in favor of the then-new F3. I had them CLA'd at the time and have used them ever since.

 

[ruby.monkey]

About five years and counting. I'm a late starter.

 

[ray*j*gun]

My silver Nikkormat issued to me in Vietnam in 1969. Essex serviced it about 2 years ago and it just keeps on going.

 

[dubes]

The longest-serving camera I had was my second SLR and the first bought new for me: a Nikon FG (my first was a Canon AE-1 hand-me-down from my mother when she got her FG. I liked the Canon, but it didn't survive a house fire, while her FG did. This isn't a Canon vs. Nikon thing, it's only where the fire happened to be!). I had the FG for nearly 15 years and sold it after the second time I had to have it repaired. It took fine pictures and was one of the smallest/lightest SLRs available, but once I understood how fragile it was, I stopped feeling comfortable carrying it about. (That said, I believe my sister still has my mother's FG.) I bought a second-hand Nikon F3HP as a replacement but stupidly sold it a few years ago--the only camera I regretted selling. I recently bought another F3HP because I missed it too much.

 

[jarski]

some SLR-gear, e.g Nikkor 105/2.5 bought mid previous decade. how do you call that correctly by the way, native English speakers ? 🙂 mid-00's 😛

 

[Keith]

Still have the first SLR I ever bought ... a Pentax SP500 and 50mm Takumar that was sold to me in the mid seventies by a friend who got it off someone who owed him money. I've never really bonded with it and never will ... but I still have it and use it occasionally.

A roll of film every year or two ... just to remind myself that I don't like it.

 

[Parkes Owen]

I`ve had my FM2n since 1996, it`s been around the world a few times, in extreme climates, never lived in a proper camera bag, dropped a few times, never serviced, never missed a beat and still looks great. It`s one of the most simple and reliable objects that I own.

 

[jsrockit]

Leica M6 or Contax G1... I used both for many years, but never kept track of which was longest. I'm a love em and leave em type.

 

[Lauffray]

I'm one of those fickle folks here, longest camera in use, 14 months but this one's not leaving anytime soon, I found the one 🙂

D60 - 4 months, sold it to buy...
D200 - 10 months, sold it
F100 - 3 months, fell in the water
R3M - 6 months, sold it to buy...
M7 - 14 months, 2700 pictures, been everywhere with me

and the absolute record holder, GR1s, 3 weeks and it was gone already

 

[Richard G]

1958 M2, given to me in 1977, main camera since, joined by an M4 briefly, then M4-2 for longer and later M6, and recently an M5, but the M2 in continuous use for 34 years. Currently loaded with Ektar, wearing a tabbed 50 Summicron and yesterday shot the magnolia through a 135 f4 with the help of a SHOOC finder. Serviced by Jorg Heumuller in 2008 it's better than ever.

 

[rbsinto]

I bought a used, motorized F2 in 1988, and have used it continuously ever since.
It is the camera I've owned and used the longest, although I have lenses that I've owned and used for longer periods.

 

[NickTrop]

Vivitar V3800 - a Pentax K-mount SLR with a 1.7 50mm lens. $100 K-mart special purchased back in the late-80's... Still up and running today. I use it with a 19mm lens. Wide angle digital lenses are too price-y. When I want to shoot wide, I shoot with my ghetto set-up on film, a $40 used 19mm/3.5 Vivitar lens (which is just fine...) and the K-mart special Vivitar. This is a pretty darn good SLR by the way. Light, 1/2000 top speed, decent metering, and has been going strong for 25 years without issue. It's made by Cosina and is still for sale today as a "student" camera. Only downside it its shutter is a bit noisy.

 

[Lauffray]

I bought a used, motorized F2 in 1988, and have used it continuously ever since.
It is the camera I've owned and used the longest, although I have lenses that I've owned and used for longer periods.

Your F2 is as old as I am 😛

 

[pschauss]

Olympus XA which I bought new in 1983. I used it on several trips to Europe and lent it to my daughter for her 5th grade trip to Washinton and to my son when he went backpacking in Alaska. The last time that I used it was two years ago on a trip to Barcelona.

I also have a Minolta SRT101 which a bought new in 1967. I last used that camera about a year ago.

 

[dreilly]

These are amazing stories. I had a Nikon FM2 for about 4 years. I've had my Olympus 35LE for about 5 years. I guess my longest owned camera is my Flexaret TLR, bought in Slovakia in 2000. I don't use it much anymore...the shutter and film advance got wonky on me.

I'm afraid in 30 years we won't be hearing things like "I still use the D300 they issued me in Iraq." Not to single out Nikon, I mean most digital. I'm sure some will still work, but I think the difference between digital cameras in 30 years will be much greater than the difference in film cameras between, oh, 1950 and 1980.

Anyway, great thread.

 

[karlori]

My Zorki 4 😀

 

[Charles Woodhouse]

Oldest lens is a 2.9/50 trioplan that I bought in April '61 on a Praktica IV(stolen).It now sits on a Praktica Nova B bought in May '67. Since I serviced it, I've used my late father's Leica IIIa and Summar bought new in 1936 in Alexandria, Egypt when he was flying HP42's with Imperial Airways. The results were not great with the Summar but were stunning with his 3.5/35 Elmar.

 

[ronnies]

My Canon A-1 bought new in April 1982. Been with me all this time and still going strong.

However it's not the longest I've owned a camera as my Yashica FX-3 was bought sometime in 1979 (I think). I've not used it all that time though as it spent many years as my Dad's camera after I got the A-1. 🙂

Ronnie

 

[JMQ]

Nikon F2, bought new in 1979, and was my workhorse for macro even after I went over to film Leica in 1996. It is now hardly used since I am on digital M with the Viso.