I hear they make nice 24mm lenses as well…………….. Multiple messages, no response. From scratch, then cut it, polish it etc. If we allow the meter, why not the SRT, which surely must get some points for paving the way for the and others? I believe there was a pre-meter version of the Pentax, not sure about the Contax, while the Leica, Topcon and Canon seem to fit nicely into my totally mechanical non-electronic box.
These were the cameras for when men were men well, actually I was a boy. Great article! I enjoyed reading about all of your choices. I got to use many of them and am familiar with all of them. The F2 was my first pro camera which I got when I was a sophomore in high school. My only question is: The Polaroid? I believe it was electronic and dependent on the battery that was in the film pack.
Your input? Wonderful list, i need to find a Topcon now after reading your lines. Glad i own 6 from the list especially the last one that is my favorite.
What a great lineup of cameras. I have taken some wonderful images with the Spotmatic F which I believe is the best model of the line. What scores with the Spotmatic is the incredible lenses up and down the roster.
Simple to just replace the battery once a year. And it did all of that 14 years before the FM3a. Perhaps you can identify what its charms are please. You might like this article though you probably already know all of the info contained therein. The Leica and Contax have never given me more only some mechanical troubles and electronic problems , the lens despite the Zeiss 3D of the Contax, at my old age now, I can say that the difference is too small, Leica has a cold rendering.
Excellent list of course, but honestly some of these cameras seem to be listed for their place in camera history and not necessarily because they are the best of the line. Case in point is the spectacular Olympus OM There is no debating its immeasurable importance to the advancement of the 35mm SLR design standard.
But if you are allowing electronic metering to exist in this list of fully mechanical cameras, there is no question that the Olympus OM-3Ti of the mids is a vastly more competent all-mechanical camera than the OM-1 of the early 70s. The OM-3Ti boasts advanced metering modes that I still envy today—how about memory spot metering that allows you to record multiple spot metered measurements for a single exposure, including setting highlights and shadows?
How about TTL flash metering with a mechanical shutter? All in the same small forum factor pioneered in the OM-1 not to mention access to one of the widest ranges of accessories, and excellent Zuiko optics. The OM-3Ti gets my vote. We eventually decided that, in the case of the OM line, the first was so revolutionary that it needed to be included. Hope that makes sense. I was going to say exactly the same thing.
This was a true Pro level camera system with interchangeable viewfinders focusing screens, camera backs and auto winders which inspired the Nikon F that came out six years later. Indeed, Geoff. I agree with all these choices.
I had one with the Tessar f3. Talk about mechanically wonderful cameras. Those were the good days for cameras and photographers. Exciting and forward-looking to the next brochure or catalogue. I even enjoyed having to use a separate light meter for the Exacta and Rolleiflex. Then some lobster. Keep shooting and thanks for the memories. I would agree with you to include the Exakta VX. I have several. They still work great. The next model the VX IIa is the pinnacle of refinement. It smoother, quieter, and just plain beautiful.
But you know what? I have owned a bunch and not one is still working. The shutter curtains all went out. Wonderful article, James. Glad to see you included the Spotmatic. My only quibble might be the inclusion of the Nikon FM3. I would have replaced it with the legendary Nikkormat. Hard to turn shutter speed dial.
LEDs in the VF that get washed out easily in daylight. Excessively long film winder throw. Viewfinder that is impossible to see the sides if you wear glasses and without you still need to jam your eye into the peephole. And frankly, too small. Ya I have black one.
And it looks nice. But it sits there with me wondering why all the hoopla? Much better to shoot an LX in manual mode than an MX.
Each to their own! I dunno dood. It feels like a cheap camera in a fancy shell. I woulda put a Nikon F in that slot instead…. This conversation is soooooo cool. Has it reached a record for number and intensity of comments yet? Great list! I was given a Spotmatic not long ago, and would love to add the S2 to my Contax collection! Wow, the second time in a couple of weeks the SRT series has gotten some love.
I have a and yes, the 50mm Rokkor is that good. Are the SRTs noisy? My boss had a pretty big collection that was collecting dust in cardboard boxes, one day we did a little bit of cleanup and he gave me a Topcon Super D, with a 25mm f3. Other than that I have the Olympus Om-1 with a couple of lenses, and a couple of rare brands rangefinders. Very nice article, definitely a discover for me! Am I missing out on something truly, really special here? If anything it felt even more solid than the Nikon.
I believe Topcon by then had exited the consumer photography market but still makes optical instruments for ophthalmology and surveying. My two cents? Desert island camera, hands down, is the F2AS. Size and weight, it wins every day. If nobody minds a segue to range-finders … well, just try asking to borrow my Yashica 35, the original f1.
No love for the Nikkormats. Built like tanks. Dave, wonderful little cameras. I also had to have the body, and this was the STW which came with the winder, a novelty for me at the time for an slr.
But the deal was at a price I found irresistable. The lens was indeed excellent and I found I was preferring the 35mm FoV over the Yes , I see the prices have gone up especially from dealers in Japan. As a collector I began buying them about twenty years ago and now own all of the screw mount lenses except for the mm which I have seen listed in their literature but has never come up for sale and I doubt it went into production.
It was a bit behind the other manufacturers in but the build quality is something else, it was used a lot over the 10 years he used it as his main camera, probably shot more than slides, the brassing shows how much it has been used. Still works like new and shutter speeds and light meter seem to be spot on! Really great article and I agree with the choices. Then in , I bought a Nikon F. Enjoyable discussion. I have multiple copies of each and love them all for their weight, build and beauty.
I took my first photograph on Aug 1, Best day of my life in many ways. You are right, Gary. The Hexanons are wonderful lenses too. The OM-1 was a major disappointment. The design was not nearly rugged enough. For amateurs who needed to carry a lot of lenses and bodies while travelling, it was fine, but it was far too wimpy for serious work. Must say the FM3a is pretty awesome in every way, just wished mine would be black.
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I do not take phone calls.. Who out there is Outside of U. Here's a list of non US sites that found my site useful. Site Navigation. Recommended Links. Internal Links. Camera Images. Why I do This. Pre excludes the F-1, F2, OM-1 etc etc No built-in meter excludes too many classics to count - but let's use the F2 Photomics and the original F-1 as screaming examples.
Automatic exposure - again, too many to count I think "classic" is like porn like this is a revelation or something! If I can say about a camera "wow - they don't make them like that anymore" in a positive sense, then it's a classic. If I had to identify a single criterion, it would be film - not every film camera is "classic", but every classic camera uses film one day we might be talking about the D1 as a classic, but thank god we're not there yet.
I'd allow myself to be persuaded that manual focus is a requirement, although I'm not sold on this my F4 is a classic, as far as I'm concerned. Personally, I'm OK with a loose definition of "classic" - it makes the forum more interesting, and allows technocrats like the T and OM-4 to rub shoulders with grizzled mechanical veterans like Fs, SRTs and Rolleicords.
Lots of good comments here. I think it's pretty clear no single definition will please everyone, and that's fine. Personally I would have no objection to discussing something like the Nikon FM3a here even though it's a 21st century camera.
It is, at least, out of production and fully manual, and it is a direct descendant of the FM. The Holga, as a modern replica of a s camera, is also acceptable to me. On the other hand, I wouldn't consider the F6 or F to be relevant to this forum even though they are film cameras, because they're far too automated and still pretty recent though older than the FM3a! So to me time and functionality are both involved in my sense of what fits here.
I think the year sliding window is generally sensible, but I'd make exceptions for overly-automated older cameras and more recent manual cameras. The historical examples of cameras we would now consider "manual" being marketed in their day as "automatic" shows that the word's meaning varies with historical context. Anything that makes a camera easier to use, especially if it reduces the number of manual steps involved in taking a picture, can be considered automation.
As I hinted earlier, even a coupled rangefinder could be said to "automate" focusing compared to having to determine the distance with an uncoupled rangefinder and then manually setting focus as a separate action.
But what matters for us right now is what we, at this moment, consider to be "automation", not how the word was used in promotional material fifty years ago. I don't think a coupled rangefinder should disqualify a camera from this forum, nor should a built-in meter. Aperture-priority and shutter-priority modes get near the limit for me but do not cross it. Program mode is really pushing it but I can live with it as long as the camera does not have auto-focus.
I don't really care if the shutter is electronic or if the camera requires a battery to shoot, though I will certainly agree that a purely mechanical camera with no battery or a battery only for the meter is most purely in the spirit of this forum.
A film winding motor is certainly acceptable as an add-on e. Nikon MD series but I start gritting my teeth if the motor is a standard feature built into the camera body. One could further get into technical minutiae by considering the presence of integrated circuits and firmware, but that's enough for now I suggest we look at this question from a broader perspective.
Consider "Classic Cars". That definition is good enough for the insurance industry. Of course, over time, that means whatever newfangled features that seem "too modern" eventually become part of the classic car experience too i. I know sometimes it is jarring to see a car that is younger than me on display at a classic car show, but there are dedicated folks who love those cars and they have the right to be there too.
The other perspective to consider is the rest of the photo. I think it's fair to say that cameras that use film are often an anachronistic topic in the camera-brand discussion groups. The use of film itself is "classic" enough to warrant inclusion here. Nor is there a good place for the other film cameras that fall "in between" currency in the brand-specific forums, and the definition of classic on this forum.
DWScott , Aug 9, I suppose we could refer to the Supreme Court Justice that was asked about his definition of porn, and his reply was "I know it when I see it. Now, with very few film cameras being made, in a few years an F will be thought of as vintage.
As with any group, it's better to be flexible and yet, carefully point people towards the appropriate forum if their post is not really appropriate for this one. Don't forget the fact that the last film cameras , were some of the best ever built. And they will be tomorrow's classics. In ten years an F shooter, will be as "far out there" , as someone shooting a 50 year old folder.
Manual - adj - The origin of the word 'manual' in the phrase 'manual camera' is from the Latin manus meaning hand. A manual camera is one that is fingered lovingly, caressed, stroked by its owner. The word signifies the desire or love the owner feels towards the camera rather than any non-automatic function it might have. See also 'Leica'. I have little interest in some of the cameras most heavily discussed in this forum. Conversely, some of those most interesting to me esp.
But so what? The appeal of a good buffet restaurant lies in the variety of the dishes on offer. And a natural self-regulation is always at work, since dishes that go consistently untouched will soon disappear from the lineup. Why try to impose, or administer, a narrow set of criteria for what is permissible to serve at such a restaurant Among the new threads that appear here daily, some will be heavily responded to, some not at all.
Without straining gerrymandering? In the long term, what will decide the forum's vitality and longevity is whether those various, constantly evolving interests continue to be satisfied, and contributors' enthusiasm sustained. In that context inclusion helps, exclusion hurts.
My vote for a new name would go to "Vintage Film Camera Forum"--since, as has been pointed out, a large percentage of the cameras discussed here actually are not "classics"; they just were made during a similarly subjectively-defined "classic" era. Richard Cochran- In the Nikon F was the hight of mechanical sophistication and inovation unfortunately I'm old enough to remember.
Butt ugly! Ever since Canon brought out the T90 we have had an inexorable slide toward camera bodies that look like they are slightly melted. I just can't shoot with an ugly camera.
I have a T90 John, but I can't help but agree with you. I have to agree with John Robison. The aesthetics of camera hardware has been on a long, mostly downward slide since about when it began to be fashionable to look "high-tech" and use LEDs for more than just the battery check light.
Thus it means the cover that keeps out some dust and hides the lens "automatically" opens when one uses the focus knob! This kind of discussion makes me think evil thoughts about, um, self-abuse and hairy palms. So, let the record read that I've heaped abuse on the person who posts as JDM von Weinberg and on everyone else who treated his provocation as seriously intended.
I'm going to go on using and enjoying my relatively inexpensive now used cameras and lenses and not think about where I'm allowed to post or not post, if banned about them. For the record, my youngest camera is a Nikon NS that I got for its high flash sync speed and because it cost less than a used FM2n.
So much for purity. Did I mention that it cost less than a used FM3A? Thinking about lenses, self abuse, and all that, I wonder whether anyone thinks my youngest lens is fit to mention here. I use it on an aged camera, viz. If it has any of the nice automatic features I haven't noticed them.
It is an interesting question. I think the answers will evolve as the years go by. I started collecting late '60s early '70s manual SLRs. The battery is only for the meter. Lately I have started pairing them with bridge cameras.
I think these cameras are close to the theme of this forum. They haven't reached the CPU driven all automatic modes of the late '70s cameras. To me the designs and the operating characteristics set them apart from the earlier cameras.
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