1750Shooter
Established
Either F3HP or FM-3A. Great lenses, tough, reliable, & good shooters.
What's your favorite non-rangefinder camera and why?
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eric rose
ummmmm, filmmmm
Nikon F5, best all around 35mm imho.
Ljós
Well-known
Among SLR, I have fond memories of Pentax MX, even though the shutter sound was clunky, and the film transport not the best in the business. Very small though, and great viewfinder.
Nikon, I tried FM2 and F3, but the one which impressed me most and just felt right was the Nikon F2. If for some reason I ever were to give up my Leica M2 cameras, I would go for F2.
And Rolleicord/Rolleiflex, of course 🙂
Nikon, I tried FM2 and F3, but the one which impressed me most and just felt right was the Nikon F2. If for some reason I ever were to give up my Leica M2 cameras, I would go for F2.
And Rolleicord/Rolleiflex, of course 🙂
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Unless, of course, you want to use your 'machine' to make 'images' that you couldn't with a high-end DSLR. For example, you might have some difficulty in re-creating the effects I can get with my 12x15 inch Gandolfi with even the 'highest-end' DSLR.
There's an old proverb in English which I believe is also known in the United States: "Jack of all trades, master of none." In other words, a tool you can use for most jobs is rarely the perfect tool for every job: do not confuse versatility for all jobs with suitability for a particular job.
This is why I haven't previously responded to this thread. I use my Leicas for more than all my other cameras put together; but when I think another camera is better for a particular purpose, then I'll use it. This might be the big Gandolfi, or a smaller one, or some form of MF camera, or even a DSLR.
Cheers,
R.
Sejanus.Aelianus
Veteran
Did you grab that smashing shot of the Asian lady with it?
Myself, I don't have favourites. The thing I like more than anything is taking a different camera out.
😀
Spanik
Well-known
Mamiya 645ProTL. Hardly use anything else these days.
oftheherd
Veteran
Non RF? A toss up between my Fujica ST 901 kit with all primes, and my Contax 167 kit with zooms from 18mm to 150mm. Just kind of depends on what I am after and my mood. I also like to have at least one MF folder with me.
EDIT: But like others, I meant to add, I may use something else if I think it will do better what I want, to include one of my RFs. What I grab most would be my 167mt, next my 9x12 bag that also has a Mamiya-6 and a Welti.
EDIT: But like others, I meant to add, I may use something else if I think it will do better what I want, to include one of my RFs. What I grab most would be my 167mt, next my 9x12 bag that also has a Mamiya-6 and a Welti.
dabick42
Well-known
I'm primarily a Leica M and LTM shooter, but I also use Nikon F's and/or a F3P when long or ultrawide lenses or motordrive is needed, and a similar coverage in Canon FD with a couple of original F1's and many L lenses.
I've also had a longstanding love affair with Rollei TLR's and my 3.5E, 2.8E3 and TeleRollei see frequent action.
I just addicted to using elderly thoroughbred film-munchers, be they RF or SLR....
I've also had a longstanding love affair with Rollei TLR's and my 3.5E, 2.8E3 and TeleRollei see frequent action.
I just addicted to using elderly thoroughbred film-munchers, be they RF or SLR....
Exdsc
Well-known
Sometimes I take a P&S and just go and shoot around for hours. In the end of the day most of those photos are useless because shooting with an LCD is like performing heart surgery with boxing gloves... The world does not fit in a 3" LCD looked at from a distance in daylight.
On the other hand if I take a DSLR, pay close attention to what I'm photographing, frame properly and select subjects with care, I will shoot far fewer images but those few images will mean something because I shot them with care and deliberation.
SLR/DSLRs makes one's own abilities apparent, the element of chance is minimized, all shots are what the photographer saw and framed, no lucky factor other than being in the right place... Thus people hate them, including me, because they make me feel unskilled as a photographer, not to mention I lack the courage to get close to people with a DSLR like Salgado or James Nachtwey and prefer to shoot from a distance with little care and move on -- i like things easy like everybody else...
I'm also self-conscious of what people think of me when I'm photographing. A RF makes me look artsy and cool even though most of my shots with it are out of focus, badly exposed and terribly framed, but the narcissistic pleasure is great - even though its imagined and not real. A DSLR makes me look like any other tourist with a DSLR.
I know for a fact that all I need is a high quality DSLR with one high quality zoom lens or a couple of primes, but that Fuji X100s is the best camera in the world according to Zack the bearded internet photographer-blogger who just begun street photography and thinks its the best thing in the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlbaWP3mVVA
Maybe, in this mad and confusing world of photography, all one needs is the common sense and down to earth functionality of a DSLR.
Axel
singleshooter
cosmonaut
Well-known
Film or digital? Or either? For film the OM-2, or OM-4, digital the Sony a99. If only one the a99.
nosmok
Established
I like my Fuji DL Mini-- a great point and shoot, plus it has a zone focus feature that makes it like my late, lamented Oly XA4, only with a built in flash.
And even though it's hardly convenient, I LOVE my RB series B Graflex. It's the only SLR I still use. Hunched over peering into the focus hood, the bang of the mirror, the whizz of the shutter (24 speeds!), the snap of that coated Ektar lens. It's a trip.
--nosmok
And even though it's hardly convenient, I LOVE my RB series B Graflex. It's the only SLR I still use. Hunched over peering into the focus hood, the bang of the mirror, the whizz of the shutter (24 speeds!), the snap of that coated Ektar lens. It's a trip.
--nosmok
Kenj8246
Well-known
Pentacon Six TL medium format 6X6. I haven't had a chance to discover I may have made a mistake in buying it. 🙂
Kenny
Kenny
Roger Hicks
Veteran
No. Not all. 'All', only if you are content to use the second-best tool for everything, instead of the best tool for a particular purpose. Yes, quite often a DSLR (or a film SLR, or that matter) is the best tool. But 'quite often' and 'always' are a very long way apart.
Also, where's the 'common sense and down to earth functionality' of a camera with 30+ buttons, dials and ports; two LCD screens; 7 'functions', 5 metering patterns...
Cheers,
R.
Flood
Established
Now that's funny.
I just spent 5 days in Istanbul with my X100 and shot many of the exact same scenes as the bearded internet guy.
And n00b that I am, I think mine are better. 😀
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Right now it's my Canonflex (1959). It's quite different than a Nikon F -- it has a great bottom-mounted lever wind, great lenses, fantastic build quality, and the images that come from it aren't too shabby.
Moto-Uno
Moto-Uno
I believe Mr Hicks remarks help explain why we (well most of us) have a
choice of cameras at our disposal!
Regards,Peter
choice of cameras at our disposal!
Regards,Peter
Exdsc
Well-known
In the end of the day, photography is about the eye looking at a scene and deciding what to include and when to press the shutter. This is how all great photos have been captured.
Its up to the photographer to decide what tool will give the best means to master this process.
hausen
Well-known
Tough choice between RX1, Rolleiflex 3.5F and Linhof 612. Not sure I can choose but these are my favorites.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Indeed. But in addition to "what to include and when to press the shutter", there's "what we want the final image to look like" and "how easily we can use the equipment at our disposal in order to make it look like that". Hence my relative disdain for the DSLR: I just don't see that way, and even when I do, I find DSLRs overweight and obtrusive.
Cheers,
R.
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