What camera does make you happy? Why?

[Kent]

That depends on the mood I am in. 😉

Cameras that regularly make me feel happy are:

• Nikon Df
• Fuji X-T1
• Fuji X-E2
• Leica M8
• Leica M6
• Fuji GW690
• Yashica Electro 35GS
• Weltaflex
• Sigma DP1s
• Leica IIIa sync
• and several others...

Ah, and yes, the cam in my Sony Xperia Z3, because that's the one I have always with me. 😉

 

[Tati]

my ricoh gr...I've been using this aps-c model for about two years now.

It's small, light, and gives me great looking image files to push around in photoshop or lightroom. The 28mm lens is excellent. I have grown to love this fov. And I'm continually amazed by the file quality coming from this diminutive machine.

The grip is very comfortable. The ergonomics perfect. It took a few weeks to reassign buttons, play with it enough to set it up for me. Now it's just perfect. So much adjustment possible one handed.

Sure. Auto focus and white balance could be better. They can always be better, but I can live with it as is.

Things I would like to see in the future.

Would love something similar with a 50mm lens. Something similar with a 90mm lens. I would like 24mp for printing bigger and cropping more when needed.

Then I could even see abandoning my dslr and never bothering to change a lens again. Honest.

 

[struene]

My Bessa R2 with 35/2.5II is such a joy to use while traveling. I love to hold it in my hands: best ergonimic fit of all rangefinders, light, quick to use and robust. No problem with theft, no problem with rough conditions... and it fits in a little "compact" pouch.

 

[Hogarth Ferguson]

I currently use gf670 and a yashica em.

The EM I got for 40 bucks on the electronic-bay.com I had it fully serviced by Mark Hama after using it for about 2 years. It has been on 6 continents with me. It is just a wonderful camera. Sure, 2.8 would be great, but nothing else about it is a let down. It is a tank. I even have it tattooed on my leg.

The GF670 I bought 2 years ago after reading about it. I love rangefinders, and medium format is the best format (for me). 6x9 seemed too much, and I dont really like anything besides square. The folder mechanism seems to be going strong. I'm always worried I'll knock the rangefinder, but so far so good. I've read horror stories about the lens board being knocked out of alignment, too. This camera has been almost as many places as the EM and it always keeps ticking away. It does destroy batteries in the cold weather, but otherwise, no complaints. I actually just ordered the wide version as well.

 

[ornate_wrasse]

I love using the following cameras and so it follows that they make me happy:

D700 - Although it's heavy, I can count on it to always get the shot

M3 - I love using this camera for its simplicity. I don't mind using a separate meter when shooting with it. I actually prefer using my M3 to my M6

M9 - This has been getting a lot of use lately. It's the best of both worlds, as I can have the Leica experience with the ease of digital. I especially like using it with my Nikkor SC 50mm 1.4

Finally, I absolutely love using my Mamiya 6 medium format camera. The images are superb. I don't shoot with it often, but when I do, I'm always happy with the results I get.

 

[Doug]

There are several cameras that please me these days, including some Leicas, but the Pentax K-3 is worthy of special mention. Compact, easy to carry and use, in-body shake reduction, and takes all those (full-frame) accumulated AF lenses! Really quite an enjoyable little camera to use. And with 24mpx with no AA filter, great results as well.

 

[stompyq]

For me it's a tie between the Ricoh GR and the Pentax 67. I love the Ricoh. Easily my most used camera. But, just picking up my Pentax 6x7 is like picking up a old friend

 

[thawkins]

Typically well built and well finished ones that don't contain megapixels, batteries, circuit boards and plastic!!

 

[Tijmendal]

My Leica MP and Rolleiflex (though I honestly never shoot with the latter).
I like many of my other camera's - M6, Hexar, Olympus XA, Hasselblad - but they don't necessarily make me happy because of the camera they are.

 

[oftheherd]

Seems that many of us here are never satisfied and are constantly bashing this camera or that, based on minimal reviews, never having even held them, others opinions, and even before they are officially released to the buying public.

Well what cameras does make you happy? Why? It must be a camera that you still use.

Ah, well, that puts me in a pickle. The camera I use the most is my Sony DSC-W50 6 mp P&S camera, since I hardly have time to take photos, much less develop film and print. But someday I will have time and I will catch up on developing and start printing again.

In 35mm I will always enjoy using my Fujica ST901 and the several primes I have for it. But I often like the versatility of zooms with my Contax 167mt.

In MF I like my Zeiss Ikon 6x9 Novar and my Mamiya Six.

 

[rwintle]

My now/outdated Nikon D5000 with its affordable 35/1.8

+1 from me. Although I find myself needing better high ISO performance frequently these days, I still have my D5000 and use it with that lens all.the.time. I know that camera inside out and backwards, it's an old friend.

The other one that makes me happier than any other camera I own is this one: 1937(ish) Voigtländer Brillant V6. Ten bucks on ebay (plus the usual exorbitant shipping), came with red and yellow filters and a strong smell of cigarette smoke (now dissipated). It is lightweight, takes 120 film, a joy to use, and quite sharp stopped down. No, it's not got the best lens you could imagine, and I can certainly make better photographs more reliably with the D5000 or various other film cameras I own. But this is the one I have the most fun with. 🙂


Voigtländer Brillant V6 + 120 by Richard Wintle, on Flickr


(Photo is with a Pentax ME F, another favourite, with an Auto Chinon 50mm f/1.9, on Arista Premium 400).

 

[besk]

Busch Pressman (4x5) and Leica IIIf
However, my Rolleiflex 75/3.5 F feels the best. I need to use it more.

 

[LukasB]

My Leica M3 without a doubt. It was the first great thing that I bought with hard-earned money. I fell in love with my first two rolls. I don't think I could ever bring my self to sell it.