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Greatest Camera of All Time?


Gerard

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AP magazine are running a poll to gauge the top 100 cameras of all time. You can cast your vote here:

 

Greatest camera of all time news - Amateur Photographer - news, camera reviews, lens reviews, camera equipment guides, photography courses, competitions, photography forums

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Good point!

 

Why do these surveys insist on the participant in the poll, divulging a load of personal information, name , address, email, etc, for a "chance" to win £50! Well I know the answer but a bit mercenary all the same.

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In terms of influence and sheer numbers (and getting amateurs to make photography a daily part of their lives), I would say one of the greatest cameras ever is the iPhone. I'm being serious.

 

Interesting charts: Flickr: Camera Finder

Of course. I think Leica should increase the sales of the M9 by building in a telephone.

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Well, one obviously true answer would be "It hasn't been invented yet." "Of all time" includes a couple of billion years yet to go. ;)

 

But as to the greatest camera SO FAR....

 

I don't think the M3 really qualifies - the Leica Standard had far more influence, by popularizing 35mm film outside the motion picture industry.

 

The original Zeiss Contax S SLR beat the Olympus OM-1 to "compact, simple ergonomics" by 20 years. Zeiss Ikon Contax S - 1949

 

I tend to come down alongside James for the original Kodak ("You push the button, we do the rest.") in moving photography out of the hands of specialists and into the hands of the masses.

 

Runners-up:

 

Leica Standard (as previously noted)

 

Nikon F (first pro-grade system 35mm SLR. The vast majority of great photographs pre-1960 were NOT made with a 35mm SLR; the vast majority of great photographs post-1960 WERE made with a 35mm SLR. A paradigm change.)

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Funny poll... M3 as first - as second... regrettably, they don't list the Contarex Super (only Bullseye and Electronics... both made in smaller numbers than Super)... so went onto Rolleiflex TLR... Don't disclose which was my 3rd choice... :D

 

As noted before, a cheap way to collect, probably, a decent bunch of personal data...

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Guest Randle P. McMurphy
Agreed.

I voted Nikon F, FM2n, Leica M3.

 

The Nikon F Photomic is still a sexy bitch and the Nikon F2 with that motordrive

may be the best mechanical camera made by Nikon - maybe the best ever made

by anybody but for daily work(horse) I would chose the F3 with MD4 or F4 E.

 

Best Rangefinder ever = Leica M3 DS.

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1st choice - The original Olympus Trip 35. All metal body, automatic exposure (no batteries needed), zone focussing AND a 2.8 Zuiko lens.

Ten million sales can't be that far off! In fact I just bought one from Ebay - £15.00. Manufactured in Sept 1980 and works fine, including the exposure meter.

 

2nd choice is the Leica 111c. It's a fabulous camera, well-built, easy-to-use rangefinder, and just plain nice to look at and use. But not the post-war ones with dodgy chrome.

3rd choice - Pentax ME (note; not the ME Super which loses a lot of the simplicity of the ME by incorporating speed settings). Nice robust little camera, and loads of good lens choice with the SMC Pentax M mount. The standard 1.7 SMC Pentax lens is a very nice piece of glass.

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