The best and favourite camera you own/owned

[Marco Cinnirella]

Best camera I own? Probably my a77 MK1

Favourite? That's more tricky. In the old Film days I loved Olympus OM film cameras for their diminutive size but built like a tank build quality. I liked my Minolta 7 a lot.

I like my OM-D EM-5 (but not the menus). I like my X-E2 (but not the menus). I liked my old KM 7D for all the manual dials and the amazing colors coming out of that CCD chip. I liked the ergonomics of my a700, the viewfinder, etc., but the AF - not so much.

So I guess my favourite is also my a77 MK1 Love the ergonomics, love the IQ below 3200 and just love the shooting experience.

 

[parallaxproblem]

I liked my old KM 7D for all the manual dials and the amazing colors coming out of that CCD chip

I have/had one of those (now a paper-weight clogging-up my closet). Colours are indeed amazing and the dials are lots of fun but the reliability was terrible. After the IBIS (or AS as it was then called) mechanism on mine failed for a second time (a 'class-action' problem which impacted every KM7D produced) I just gave-up with it. Supposedly the internal battery replacement requires a complete dis-assembly and so is an 'uneconomic repair'.... :-O

 

[Marco Cinnirella]

I liked my old KM 7D for all the manual dials and the amazing colors coming out of that CCD chip

I have/had one of those (now a paper-weight clogging-up my closet). Colours are indeed amazing and the dials are lots of fun but the reliability was terrible. After the IBIS (or AS as it was then called) mechanism on mine failed for a second time (a 'class-action' problem which impacted every KM7D produced) I just gave-up with it. Supposedly the internal battery replacement requires a complete dis-assembly and so is an 'uneconomic repair'.... :-O

Yes, well of course IBIS issues continued with the a700....and the famed first frame black (or was it first black frame?) issue...

Interesting to see Fuji Fans rave about the manual dials on the X-T1 while I sat back and thought (meh, been there, done that with the KM 7D)

 

[parallaxproblem]

I liked my old KM 7D for all the manual dials and the amazing colors coming out of that CCD chip

I have/had one of those (now a paper-weight clogging-up my closet). Colours are indeed amazing and the dials are lots of fun but the reliability was terrible. After the IBIS (or AS as it was then called) mechanism on mine failed for a second time (a 'class-action' problem which impacted every KM7D produced) I just gave-up with it. Supposedly the internal battery replacement requires a complete dis-assembly and so is an 'uneconomic repair'.... :-O

Yes, well of course IBIS issues continued with the a700....and the famed first frame black (or was it first black frame?) issue...

Didn't know that! I thought that things were OK from the A100 onwards :-(

I have the A900 'bigger brother' and thought I was safe (unless it shares the shutter with the A850) - oh dear...

Interesting to see Fuji Fans rave about the manual dials on the X-T1 while I sat back and thought (meh, been there, done that with the KM 7D)

LOL

Also remember DPR saying in its review that the KM7D would be the last camera ever to have such dials...

 

[Marco Cinnirella]

I liked my old KM 7D for all the manual dials and the amazing colors coming out of that CCD chip

I have/had one of those (now a paper-weight clogging-up my closet). Colours are indeed amazing and the dials are lots of fun but the reliability was terrible. After the IBIS (or AS as it was then called) mechanism on mine failed for a second time (a 'class-action' problem which impacted every KM7D produced) I just gave-up with it. Supposedly the internal battery replacement requires a complete dis-assembly and so is an 'uneconomic repair'.... :-O

Yes, well of course IBIS issues continued with the a700....and the famed first frame black (or was it first black frame?) issue...

Didn't know that! I thought that things were OK from the A100 onwards :-(

I have the A900 'bigger brother' and thought I was safe (unless it shares the shutter with the A850) - oh dear...

Interesting to see Fuji Fans rave about the manual dials on the X-T1 while I sat back and thought (meh, been there, done that with the KM 7D)

LOL

Also remember DPR saying in its review that the KM7D would be the last camera ever to have such dials...

I'm afraid the a900 shutter and SSS can suffer from premature failure - has happened with a few folks sadly...

 

[Dennis]

I find it interesting and surprising how many persons gave a film camera as their favourite.

My thought on this is that it's partly because of the pre-plastic-blob construction (many film cameras felt like they high quality machines) and partly because the relative simplicity made for fewer variations in ways to do things, fewer features that could be omitted - basically, fewer reasons to NOT like a camera.

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

 

[Marco Cinnirella]

I find it interesting and surprising how many persons gave a film camera as their favourite.

My thought on this is that it's partly because of the pre-plastic-blob construction (many film cameras felt like they high quality machines) and partly because the relative simplicity made for fewer variations in ways to do things, fewer features that could be omitted - basically, fewer reasons to NOT like a camera.

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

I think we also kept film cameras for longer and didn't feel, thanks to marketing, that they were obsolete within 2 years of purchase, as we are led to believe now in the digital age !

 

[Dennis]

I find it interesting and surprising how many persons gave a film camera as their favourite.

My thought on this is that it's partly because of the pre-plastic-blob construction (many film cameras felt like they high quality machines) and partly because the relative simplicity made for fewer variations in ways to do things, fewer features that could be omitted - basically, fewer reasons to NOT like a camera.

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

I think we also kept film cameras for longer and didn't feel, thanks to marketing, that they were obsolete within 2 years of purchase, as we are led to believe now in the digital age !

Good point. You have the sense that those film cameras are every bit as good today as they were yesterday; just pop in a roll of whatever film you can find and off you go. Whereas digital cameras might be as good today as they were yesterday, but today's cameras are cheaper and better (at least IQ-wise) so a camera loses some of its appeal over time. (Also, I think digital cameras, at least in some cases, don't actually hold up that well ... getting buggy or seeing sensor errors or other defects over time).

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

 

[Marco Cinnirella]

I find it interesting and surprising how many persons gave a film camera as their favourite.

My thought on this is that it's partly because of the pre-plastic-blob construction (many film cameras felt like they high quality machines) and partly because the relative simplicity made for fewer variations in ways to do things, fewer features that could be omitted - basically, fewer reasons to NOT like a camera.

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

I think we also kept film cameras for longer and didn't feel, thanks to marketing, that they were obsolete within 2 years of purchase, as we are led to believe now in the digital age !

Good point. You have the sense that those film cameras are every bit as good today as they were yesterday; just pop in a roll of whatever film you can find and off you go. Whereas digital cameras might be as good today as they were yesterday, but today's cameras are cheaper and better (at least IQ-wise) so a camera loses some of its appeal over time. (Also, I think digital cameras, at least in some cases, don't actually hold up that well ... getting buggy or seeing sensor errors or other defects over time).

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

Sure, although digital compacts with fewer or no moving parts (e.g. with electronic shutters) will probably last quite a while - I have an old Sony W5 for example that is still going strong...

 

[lhkjacky]

So I was wondering, what are your best/favourite/most reliable cameras you ever owned/used.

EASY ~~!

Best AF, EVF, Contorl, Jpg Engine, Function: A77ii

Favorite (Good size with VG, comfortable grip, good balance with heavy lens): A77ii

Most reliable (Far above rated shutter count without any problem): A77ii

..

Portable(Small size, compact sharp lens, good control, fit into jean pocket): Ricoh GR

 

[parallaxproblem]

I find it interesting and surprising how many persons gave a film camera as their favourite.

My thought on this is that it's partly because of the pre-plastic-blob construction (many film cameras felt like they high quality machines) and partly because the relative simplicity made for fewer variations in ways to do things, fewer features that could be omitted - basically, fewer reasons to NOT like a camera.

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

I think we also kept film cameras for longer and didn't feel, thanks to marketing, that they were obsolete within 2 years of purchase, as we are led to believe now in the digital age !

Good point. You have the sense that those film cameras are every bit as good today as they were yesterday; just pop in a roll of whatever film you can find and off you go. Whereas digital cameras might be as good today as they were yesterday, but today's cameras are cheaper and better (at least IQ-wise) so a camera loses some of its appeal over time. (Also, I think digital cameras, at least in some cases, don't actually hold up that well ... getting buggy or seeing sensor errors or other defects over time).

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

Sure, although digital compacts with fewer or no moving parts (e.g. with electronic shutters) will probably last quite a while - I have an old Sony W5 for example that is still going strong...

I'm really not so convinced over the longevity of modern cameras

It depends if they have micro-batteries soldered onto the circuit-boards - when these die the camera can die and as mentioned is is an uneconomic repair to replace the micro battery in the KM7D!

Corrosion is a problem if the circuit boards are not properly environmentally sealed and the power of the processors means there can be quite a lot of heat generated inside modern bodies, which shortens the life of the electronics

Capacitors also fail quite frequently... interestingly the Minolta X700 35mm SLR was rather prone to failure because the capacitors positioned just under the 'rewind/ISO/exposure compensation' dial often died, whereas the mechanical parts were pretty reliable (though replacing the capacitors was an easy home repair - I did it myself on both my X700 bodies!)

 

[Douglas F Watt]

Best Overall Camera: A77II hands down

Camera that I have most nostalgic feeling about (wouldn't want to go back to film though): OM1

Favorite Small Camera: RX100III, esp. for its superb and sharp video (my default vid cam)

Camera that (under the right circumstances) could take the very best picture: RX1 (but just too limiting to have fixed FL lens).

 

[Samsolar]

My favorite is my a99..love this thing. I still have a soft place for my a100, the first digital slr I owned.

Both great cameras.

 

[rolleiman]

Having worked as a repairman back in the film era, I used/tested/dissected most everything from Graflex to Minox and could run pretty much anything I wanted. It was hard to fall in love with any as they were all just a collection of potentially problematic mechanisms; I just used whatever was handy or needed testing or seemed most appropriate to the task.

My weapon of choice was the Konica Autoreflex T2. It was the first autoexposure SLR [1965?] and had shutter priority. The mechanism would grab the meter needle between a scissors and transfer that to the aperture; it locked on a half press so you could grab a meter reading and then hold that while you focussed and composed. The [mercury!] batteries lasted a few years but if they died the camera would still operate manually.

It sounded a bit like an old cash register, but the optics were excellent and they were tough as nails. I can understand why people opted for the sexier Nikon/Canon/Pentax over this but functionally Konica won me over.

Eventually Konica - who started out making Compur shutters under licence in the 20's, then made whole cameras and also film - bought Minolta and here we are. Strangely, I never made that brand connection until just now, but I think I have the same 'just right, everything works' feeling about my A57.

 

[Eskilsson]

Minolta XD7 with 35/1,8

 

[pema2]

Fujifilm x100t. I love the A77ii but this Fuji is what I take with me everywhere!

 

[Karl Scharf]

Minolta 9Xi

 

[cabinet guy]

a99

a77ii for sports

 

[Ralf B]

... would they discuss which was the best photog who ever owned them?

Just a thought. Back to topic - and off topic again:

I like(d) all my cameras (Yashica FR, Minolta 700si, 800si, Maxxum 9, a700, a900, and a55) except one: The KM5D. I bought it heavily discounted just when Sony bought the A Mount. It was meant as a stop-gap measure, hoping that something better was on the horizon, which turned out to be the a700. The KM5D had a cheap, creaking plastic body and felt slow as molasses compared to my Minolta track record. Its IQ I loved, but I never grew fond of using it.

Cheers,
Ralf
www.ralfralph.smugmug.com

 

[Dennis]

... would they discuss which was the best photog who ever owned them?

Hah ! "Man, I could take SOOO MUCH BETTER pictures if only I were in the hands of a good street photographer, or a photographer who took me out and used me for a couple hours every day" ...

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com