We know the M2 is king but what Tom's opinion on SLR's?

migtex said:
I believe Tom uses a Nikon F with bellow PB-5 and various lens....

4771864824_fb185297e9_z.jpg

Photo credit: Tuulikki, Tom's spouse
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I see that the only thing SLR's do better than RFs is ....

Taking pictures of RF's 😱
 
I have two M2 cameras.
When it comes to SLR... my nod goes toward Pentax medium format. I just love it.
My impossible dream would be combining the size and handling of the M2 and the outstanding picture quality of the gargantuan SLR.
 
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One more for Nikon F. It was my older brother's F that brought me back to photography after the Minolta Maxxum drove me out ("What does it need me for?"). I dragged that old body out of the bottom of my Dad's closet when he died, bought a 50/1.4 and a roll of Tri-X and it was all over. Bought 3 more bodies, 5 lenses and a lot more Tri-X, and embarked on to the road that brought me eventually to the M3 (nirvana).
 
M2? Poor man's M3.

My old Bronica ETRSi was a good camera, well designed with lots of idiot-proof interlocks (unlike a Hasselblad where you can have the body and the lens half-cocked...literally) but the Zenzanon lenses were highly variable. The 75mm was great, the 135mm OK, the 60mm lousy* and the 40mm expensive and merely OK. I sold it when Tamron killed Bronica; it didn't hang around on the market quite long enough to gain an affordable digital back.

*when I bought a Leica IIIa and Summar 50/2, the pictures were sharper. Honest.
 
Tom A said:
The F2's are great, but they lack the soul of the F.
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There really is something to that. The F has that magic to it, that industrial designers really can't put their fingers on and separates a good design from an iconic one.

As I posted earlier I have a black Nikon F (that needs to be repaired).

Along the way I picked up a black F2.

Brilliant camera. Lots of subtle improvements over the original F. Ridiculously overbuilt. You really could hammer nails with this camera and keep on shooting. My service technician sent me some pics of the interior and it looks about as sturdy as a Miele washing machine.

BUT, the F2 just doesn't have that extra something that I love about the F and for the life of me I can't put my finger on what that is with absolute certainty. The F2 is my primary SLR and I really enjoy shooting it, but I just don't have the same love affair with it that I had with that black F.

I studied industrial design and I have a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with the balance and proportions of the camera, which are pretty damn near perfect in the F.

I really need to get that F fixed or replaced...
 
Unlike most(?) here I have never got on with Nikons, my M2 has to slum it with a Contax RTS and 137ma both owned and used since the mid 80's. I also own an EOS5 which I hate as I keep trying to 'chimp' the non-existant LCD screen.
 
At the moment I have decided to shoot "through" my F's and F2's. mainly to check functions and shutter speeds. Every day I load a different F or f2 and shoot a roll with it. Yes, compared to a M or Nikon Rf they are big, clunky and noisy - but those F's are something else. Just loaded one, with a Photomic on it and by mistake turned on the meter - and, lo and behold - it is still working!!!! A first version 28f3.5 on it, change of screen (f3.5 is not that good for split image) and a roll of Arista 400 Premium - all set for tomorrow. Just finished a roll in an old, severely dented and brassed F with a prism on it and the Ultron 40mm f2.0.
Funny how people respond to the F's too - a M or even a Nikon RF they kind of ignore - but a battered F attracts even non-photographers"Oh, that is a film camera. I remember the Nikon F !" followed by that question being asked all the time now "Can you still get film for it?"
 
Instantclassic said:
M3! Rich woman's M2.
😀
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🙂

I actually have both, because I couldn't make up my mind. With stuff of this age, when you don't know how long ago the last CLA was, it's unfair to compare the feel and sound of them objectively. However, *my* M3 has a much quieter shutter than *my* M2. The M2 is in better cosmetic condition though. I am amazed how close the 35mm framelines are to the edge of the VF; did Leica really go on to cram 28mm framelines into a 0.72 VF? The M2 VF feels more like a 0.85 to me; it's not hugely different to the M3's.
 
Nice kit - but they are all so clean looking! I should do a family portrait of the F's and F2's - they look as if they had taken part in a demolition derby! Mind you, the complete set is something like 7 F's, 2 F2's and lenses from the 21f4, 28f3.5, 50's, three 105's (one micro nikkor 105), two 200f4's (one Macro) and I suspect that the total cost of getting them over the years is less than what a used MP would be - and I dont have to worry about them.
 
jmooney said:
So we all know that the M2 is the king of cameras but sometimes an SLR is the tool at hand for various reasons. So Tom, what are your favorite SLR's? What lenses do you like?

I know that this is all hypothetical because there isn't anything Tom can't do with an M2 and Tri-X 😀 So consider this one of those conversations you have over a few pints with photobuddies.

Take care,

Jim
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We do????
I don't.
In fact, I don't know which camera is the "King of Cameras" or even if there is such a thing. I have my own thoughts on the subject but they're just my opinions.
So I'd appreciate if you didn't presume to speak on my behalf on such subjects and have the good manners to preface such sweeping pronouncements as this one with "In my opinion...."
 
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rbsinto said:
We do????
I dont.
In fact, I don't know which camera is the "King of Cameras" or even if there is such a thing. I have my own thoughts on the subject but they're just my opinions.
So I'd appreciate if you didn't presume to speak on my behalf on such subjects and have the good manners to preface such sweeping pronouncements as this one with "In my opinion...."
Click to expand...

I don't think anybody spoke on your behalf, and I presume that the title meaning was that it is well known that for Tom, the M2 is the king of cameras.
I suggest not to be so aggressive over such a minor issue and what clearly looks like a misunderstanding. Everybody can have an opinion on what is the king of cameras...

Oh, and BTW, everybody KNOWS the M2 is the king of cameras! 😀
(just kidding)
 
Oh, I do like it when someone else mentions an SL MOT but then, if Tom's got one and I've got one (still) then I reckon there are only another nine hundred and something to go...so they are hardly likely to be mentioned too often.

60mm Macro Elmarit? Fantastic.

Michael
 
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