The best AF film SLRs

Easy, the Minolta Dynax 9 (Maxxum 9) by a fair margin. The Canon EOS 1v is nice, the Minolta is nicer.

The Minolta Dynax 7 (Maxxum 7) also is great, just like the Canon EOS 50e for completely different reasons. Don't like the EOS 30 (Elan 7e) too much, nothing wrong, just not loveable.
 
I had quite a few AF SLR's. I've kept only two.

1) The Minolta 9xi for the tactile feeling and build quality
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2) The Canon EOS 5 for it's functionality and AF performance
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Total agree for the F100 - but you get nearly everything what a F100 gives you from a F90 for nearly no money!
So if you want a cheap reliable and perfect working AF SLR watch out for the F90.
 
Pentax MZ-S - small, excellent ergonomics, unexpectedly fast AF in decent lighting conditions.

I played with quite a few SLRs in my life. One other camera that I liked is the Canon EOS-1v - big, built like a tank, with more focus points and 10 frames per second. It is a superb machine with superior specs, but in real life I very much prefer the MZ-S. The latter is almost half the size and weight of the eos-1v (953 vs 520g), making it much more stealthy. I'm not sure that the extra features beat the form factor and the ergonomics. On one hand it is easier to change focus points when there are fewer of them, and anyway fast and precise focusing requires a different technique - focus & recompose or MF. On the other hand I'm not sure that I want to change film every 3.6 seconds, so these advantages will stay theoretical 95% of the time. For a sports shooter, the 1v is the better camera, but everybody else will be better off with the MZ-S.

Now you probably also know why I like the Leicas so much :)
 
JohnL said:
The only AF film SLR I ever had was a Canon EOS 3, and I still have it, although I don;t use it much now. Can't sell it for enough to make it worth not having it. It's an excellent camera though.
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I have a 3 and it's a wonderful camera, I find it a joy to use, and (probably because of that) I usually get shots I really like from it.

I've just picked up an EOS55 to go with it which despite not being as full featured feels similarly good in the hand.
 
Rodchenko said:
Interesting thread.

Back in the day, I never felt drawn to autofocus SLRs to supersede my OMs. But I picked up a lowly one a few months ago - a Canon EOS500 - and can't dislike it enough to sell it. I picked it up at the weekend, intending to photograph it for eBay, but, instead, I got taking photos with it.

I never liked how big and heavy most SLRs were, but this is small and ridiculously light, and the kit lens is annoyingly usable.

If asked, I would say I'm not a Canon user. But I have three.
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I also have a couple of the 500s, to chuck in a bag with a body cap on as a spare body/different film, as you said it weighs almost nothing, and it does the job with no fuss whatsoever.

I wouldn't pick it as my ONLY body, but it doesn't do an awful lot wrong. and I paid £10 for 2 bodies and a kit lens, so I cant really say anything bad about them.
 
HHPhoto said:
And from my experience with both cameras I want to add that the F6

- has much better ergonomics
- is much more silent
- has the better AF-System
- has better functionality with the MV-1 data-reader
- has an improved flash system (with the Nikon / Metz flashlights)

There are some other advantages of the F6 as well.
The F5 had still some design flaws.
Nikon listened to their customers, especially the professional photographers, learned from the experiences with the F5 and improved the not so good details on the F5 with the F6.
The (very few) problems of the F5 are solved in the F6 design.

I am so satiesfied with my F6 with MB-40 vertical grip (and MV-1 data reader) that I am considering to buy a second one (one loaded with BW, the other with colour film).

Cheers, Jan
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I can completely agree from my experience with the F6 + MB-40 (+ MV-1 data reader).

I've used lots of different 35mm SLRs from different brands.
The F6 is by far the best of all.
A perfect camera without weak points.
 
menos said:
Nice about the F6 over the F5 is:
- much smaller build
- just a tank as the F5 in build quality
- even smoother and more silent film transport than the F5
- a lot more user-friendly settings via the menu and self-explanatory functions over the F5's secret agent codes
- much improved buttons (I always dreaded the tiny, hard to press external buttons of the F5)
- missing are a few of the annoying interlocks of the F5 for much faster operation (on/off switch interlock the most obvious and most dreaded on the F5)
- leader in/out film rewind isn't a locked option with modification at the factory but a user settable custom function
- much better AF system
…
and the list of small refinements goes on and on
- nice also is the inter frame imprint, you can customise with the F6 (several options can be chosen - used lens or exposure data or date (from my remembering)
This is very nice for people like me, who often leave half rolls for weeks in a camera and finish them later.


The F6 is nowadays about 2 − 3x the cost of a F5.
In my opinion all those little refinements make it worth it.

My reason to get one was that I love the F5 but found myself not schlepping it around as of it's bulk and weight.

Btw - I just got a Konica Hexar AF.
People rave about how silent this camera is.

If it's about silence, the Nikon F6 is the Hexar AF of SLRs.
It is truly amazing, how silent and smooth Nikon got this camera to operate!
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It is spot on what you have written.
I agree from my experience with both the F5 and F6.

For those interested in buying the F6, you may find these articles helpful, too:

http://www.filmbodies.com/cameras/camera-reviews/nikon-f6-review.html

http://nikonf6.net/

http://blog.mingthein.com/2013/07/25/fd-shooting-with-the-legends-the-nikon-f6/

By the way, at Foto-Palme (I am not related to them) there is currently a very good deal for the set F6 + MB-40:

http://www.foto-palme.de/shop/product_info.php?products_id=10487&tabSel=4#tabs

Saves you several hundred bucks.
 
I don't know what the best is but my favourite is the EOS5. I'm surprised how many people here agree.

I like it because for my perspective there is just enough tech to make it easy to use but not so much to make it difficult to use. And because a stunningly attractive person recommended it to me (I'm shallow sometimes).
 
j j said:
I don't know what the best is but my favourite is the EOS5. I'm surprised how many people here agree.

I like it because for my perspective there is just enough tech to make it easy to use but not so much to make it difficult to use.
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I can understand that.
And that is also one of the reasons I love my Nikon F6 so much:
Incredible capabilities, but extremely easy to use.
And absolutely perfect ergonomics (especially with the MB-40 vertical grip).
 
Skiff said:
I can understand that.
And that is also one of the reasons I love my Nikon F6 so much:
Incredible capabilities, but extremely easy to use.
And absolutely perfect ergonomics (especially with the MB-40 vertical grip).
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With the F6, at last, the Dynax/Maxxum 9 got some competition ;) :angel:
 
wakarimasen said:
Oh no - I was considering going the other way! :rolleyes:
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There is absolutely nothing wrong with that! The F5 is a beast. I never tried the F6. They are both excellent and I love(d) my Nikon kit. As I rapidly approach the big five-oh, I simply found myself in one of life's "I'z gotz to know" moments!

As I committed to Canon and EF digitally, my move simply made the most sense. Furthermore, I have made up my mind to only have two active film cameras at a time: one RF and one SLR, so as great as the F5 is -it did not deserve to sit on a shelf.

Hey, wanna' swap some glass if you make the move? :D
 
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