What's Enzo's Fiat to You?

—Illustration goes here—

Here's a link to a nice picture of Enzo Ferrari, but I can't use it.

A quick question. Jim H. mentioned yesterday that Enzo Ferrari drove a Fiat to work every day—which might have come from a page at the new Fiat 500 site called "75 Reasons to Buy a Fiat 500 Over a Mini."

It brings up a question for me. What's the camera equivalent of Enzo's Fiat for you?

Imagine, if you will, that you have a totally clean slate—you're starting over from zero, no legacy lenses, nothing. Imagine, too, that you have a reasonably generous budget to play with—not a Lotto-win budget, but something like a generous insurance settlement, say, that you have to spend on camera equipment. So you're not terribly constrained for funds.

First, you buy a "big" camera—whatever you want to use when you're doing your "real" work, whatever that is for you. That's the equivalent of Enzo's Ferrari. We're not concerned with that here. But then, you use the money that's left to buy a second, small, toss-in-the-bag, take-along camera for everyday snaps—the equivalent of the Fiat Enzo drove to work.

If you had to choose from the following options for your "Fiat" camera, which among the following would you choose? Clean slate, remember—no pre-existing allegiances or encumbrances. (If you know which actual camera it would be, you can specify in the Comments section—only if you really want to.)

Mike

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Featured Comment by Mark Roberts: "Definitely the Leica D-LUX 5 for me...because than it would be my Fiat Lux (rimshot)."

Featured Comment by Marvin G. Van Drunen: "Canon S95."

Featured Comment by Mjmetts: "I guess it qualifies as a mirrorless camera, but it's different enough I think it merits a comment. I have been loving my Fuji X100 for everyday photography.

"The 35mm-e lens is perfect for how I see, and the huge optical viewfinder makes framing images a wonderful experience. The image quality is wonderful, capable of huge prints.

"I'm a wedding photographer and I use my 'Ferrari' Nikons regularly, but I don't love shooting with them. They're valuable tools. The X100 is the only camera I've had since my Olympus OM-1 that I just love shooting with daily."

Featured Comment by Jean-Yves Mead: "I've already made that choice—a Ricoh GR Digital III with a Leica 28mm finder stuck on top." (Here's a link to the equivalent Ricoh finder —Ed.)

Featured Comment by CK Dexter Haven: "Nikon FM3a. To use exclusively with the Nikon 50mm ƒ/1.8 Series E. The only Nikon 50's I like are the old ones.... If they made an AF lens with the exact same optics as the Series E, I'd probably switch from Canon to Nikon for everything. I also want a Sony NEX-7, but didn't want to 'vote digital.'"

Featured Comment by Bernard: "In my case, it's a Pentax Q. That camera gets a bad rap because the sensor is smaller than other mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, but it's also much much smaller than any other 'serious' option. It makes a G12 look like a Deardorff, and the image quality is a generation ahead of what the G12 provides. It's often said that 'a camel is a horse designed by a committee.' The Pentax Q is a Nikon 1 designed by a photographer."

Featured Comment by Markus Antonius: "Leica M9—the ultimate mirrorless camera...."

Featured Comment by Drew: "For anything I didn't care about enough to use my big camera to photograph, I'd just use an iPhone."

Featured Comment by Tim A: "Good question. With all of the existing cameras out there now, I have to say the X100 gets my vote. The GX1 (once it's out) almost got my vote due to the lenses I already own that I used on the GF1, but then I remembered 'clean slate.' The X100 has not left my side since I got it in May. It looks pretty beat up already but every time I use it, I'm reminded of just how great this little camera is. All the quirks that everyone is quick to point out never bothered me. I guess my style of shooting just fit this camera perfectly. It will never replace my big rig. But it's the camera I have been the most faithful to."

Featured Comment by Peter Vagt: "Thanks for your timely survey Mike! Responding to it was a vicarious thrill. My 'big' camera is just that—a Canon 5DII. The DNG files are a joy to work with but it is impossible to take pictures unnoticed. Mirrorless seems like the next great idea—and my internal debate has been raging among: NEX <—> Lumix <—> PEN because I got a right-sized bonus at work this week!"

Featured Comment by Ken Ford: "I've been seeking out just this thing. I first tried a Fuji X10 (too small), and am now happily getting acquainted with a Nikon V1 kit."

Featured Comment by Caleb Courteau: "This was an easy poll. The Micro Four Thirds format is a very goldilocks form factor for me. If I were to choose a specific camera it'd be the Olympus E-P3 with the tilting viewfinder (for sneaky candids).

Featured [partial] Comment by Rick D: "A local pizza place has not one but two Fiat 500s on the floor and they are cute as a bug. My daughter is dying to have one; luckily, she's nine."

Featured Comment by CMS: "'Starting over from zero, no legacy lenses, nothing'? Impossible. I would still have my experience gained from using the equipment I owned till that moment. I wouldn't want to toss that overboard. Therefore it would make sense to again buy what I have learned to use in the last four month, which is the Panasonic G3. It isn't perfect, but you are best served by using something you already know. Still learning a new trick with that Fiat camera every day, though."

Mike replies: Not asking you to imagine a memory-wipe, CMS, just a cabinet-dump.

Featured Comment by Tom Hassler: "My Fiat is a Pentax K-5 and Limited primes. I've always been a Nikon, Hassie and Leica shooter, but this camera has completely won me over. It's a nearly perfect walk-around camera—small, discrete, quiet, built like a real camera. Mainly paired with the 21mm ƒ/3.2 Limited or the amazing 35mm ƒ/2.8 Macro Limited."

Featured Comment by Toto: "You know what's gonna happen to the Fiat 500 in America, don't you? It's going to grow and grow, and before you know it, it will have become an SUV."

Featured Comment by Wayne: "I have to say my Sony NEX5n. Shortly after purchase, I started to sour on it due to the 'quality lens' issue. I then took a chance with the inexpensive Fotodiox adapter plate allowing me to use my Pentax K mount lenses with it. Wow!!! The 35mm ƒ/2.8 DA Macro and the FA 50mm ƒ/1.4 work perfectly as I find the fully manual operation fun and challenging."

Featured Comment by William Schneider: "I weighed prospects for a daily carry-about camera last summer and got the pocketable Olympus XZ-1. It's near perfect for me. My Ferraris are now mostly 'garaged'—especially as my age makes toting big gear increasingly difficult."

Featured Comment by Chris Richards: "My big camera has become a Kiev 60, version Arax—with a waist level finder nobody notices you using it. By the end of the week, it's become too heavy, and I reach for an Olympus Trip." 

1969 Fiat 128

Featured Comment by Jim H.: "Gee, Mike, glad you liked my comment! By the way, the Fiat Enzo drove was a '128' model and I believe it was made famous in a '70s Fiat ad by the same ad guys who immortalized BMW as 'the ultimate driving machine.' I've always had 'Fiat' cameras—a Retina IIIc when I had a Leica, Minox 35 when I had Nikon 35mms, several digital point-and-shoots with the Nikon D1/2/300s and finally an iPhone with my Oly Pens. Yep, the Olys are my 'big' cameras now, even on safari this year! Just look at that 30x40" elephant on the wall over there!"

Featured Comment by Paris: "Olympus E-PL2 (the link is to the current E-PL3 —Ed.) with the 20mm prime lens.

"I test drove the Fiat 500. It's a hoot, although a bit underpowered. One interesting note: bucking the current trend, it comes in 13 different colors, some of them pretty fashion-forward. Olive green. Mocha Latte.

"Sadly, I live in Detroit, where half the vehicles on the road are monster SUVs and pickups whose bumpers are about level with the windshield of the Fiat. Doesn't seem prudent."

Comments

[David Owensby]

The Fiat 500 that was used on the Jennifer Lopez commercial, broke down during the shoot.

[Robert Wolterman]

This is quite an interesting proposition and one that I've been thinking about recently.

I've shunned digital cameras for a while because I love the results I get with my Bronica ETRS and Fuji Acros 100, but it's not conducive to taking with me all the time.

The new Panasonic GX1 has me by the hook, too the point that I keep checking Amazon to see if it's in stock (lets me know if some store in my area might have one to play with).

[David Dyer-Bennet]

I upgraded my little camera from an LX3 to an EPL-2 this year (and then spent too much on some lenses, one of which was a clear mistake; I should get around to selling it).

I used to want secondary bodies for my main lenses, to use in this role; but these days the smaller cameras are so much smaller, and a lot closer to the big camera in image quality; so these days lenses aren't an anchor for the secondary camera at all.

If there were even one or two fast primes the Nikon 1 would be my choice today, but so far no dice on that. On the M43 I use my 50/1.8 and 85/1.8 lenses as moderate telephotos, which works okay even with manual focus.

[Ray]

If you know which actual camera it would be, you can specify in the Comments section, if you want to.

I don't know which camera, because were the scenario to happen today I'd be holding on to the cash, waiting for either of the following: The Fuji X100's rumored interchangable lens successor, or the Sony NEX7, and a small, fast-ish normal prime for either.

[David Owensby]

Pentax K5 with a small selection of primes.

[Peter]

Well, you forgot the iPhone ...

[Jack]

I'd go for either a Panasonic GX1 with a 14mm, or something like the Lumix LX5, just for size and quick manual controls. The LX5 is so well built as well!

[Scott Baker]

I intend to buy the Fuji X10 (when available) for precisely this purpose.

[Alexandre Buisse]

Considering I just spent a fair amount of money on getting one of the few available Fuji X10 in France, I feel a bit disingenuous to vote "a small DSLR camera", but it all comes down to what I really enjoy shooting when I have no constraint/pressure. And at the end of the day, it's all about the optical viewfinder. It gives me a connection to the image creation process that even the best EVFs, not to mention LCD screens, just can't achieve. And that connection is at the heart of enjoying the creation process, as opposed to simply the finished product.

So why the X10? Small size, pretty good image quality, perfect for mountain climbing, when lightweight is actually more important than enjoying shooting. As mountaineers say: it doesn't have to be fun to be fun.

[Michael Houghton]

I finally own my Fiat. It's a Sony NEX-5 with the 35mm f/2.5 Voigtländer Color-Skopar. This is, if you think about it, a Fiat body with a Fiat lens. Bodged together in a chop-shop*. All parts bought either cheaply or secondhand.

Neither lens nor body are the best or the fastest of their line but, when understood, are capable of truly useful results. In totality it lives in my bag or coat pocket, and can go to gigs in dark, haphazardly lit venues and be capable of SLR-quality shots then easily put away in favour of a bottle of Crabbie's.

All Mike's comments about not buying a system for its adapters are very valid**, but there is something to be said for thinking about what your Fiat really needs to be, and building it from parts.

* actually with a secondhand Voigtländer E-VM adapter
** I bought the NEX-5 originally with its 16mm f/2.8, which is enough of a 'system' for me as a Nikon user

[Jay]

For me this camera would have to be the Sony NEX-7. It checks a lot of boxes based on what I have read. A state of the art built-in EVF, good built quality, good ergonomics, and a novel but useful interface. It is also a cheerfully modern camera rather than retro. Downsides? Too many megapixels for an everyday snap camera and a not so state of the art autofocusing system. Kinda like an everyday car with a powerful engine but not so great handling.

[Dwight]

Fuji x-10.

[Michael Houghton]

As an addendum, I concede that my Fiat is possibly a bit more expensive than other people's Fiats, but it has been chosen carefully for its likely 'runaround' roles and I now expect it to be used until it falls apart, which is the destiny of all true Fiats!

[ShadZee]

Panasonic GF1... oh wait, I have one. ;-)

[fernando]

having voted... I am not surprised by the running favorite (not a winner in the typical sense).
what I can observe online is that many small-sensor camera owners "don't understand the big deal" about mirrorless, and that many long-time SLR owners are happy to get a mirrorless and use it most. yes, the small-sensor people can lust after the dSLR and a ƒ1.4 lens for bokeh purposes — not that they should be blamed for this.
I wonder if the mirrorless market was "wrongly" seen as dominated by the customer that would buy a digicam, rather than the ones that are fed up with the weight and number of primes to haul around with a dSLR.
it will be interesting to see if Leica, and Fuji, bring out interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras. getting a micro 4/3rds and M-mount lenses in the interim could work out as a good strategy for some.

[Paul Glover]

If we're talking about the "Nuova" 500, then a mirrorless digital. I'm thinking Fuji X100 which is small, simple, competent and retro yet stuffed full of new technology.

Original Fiat 500? That would be an Olympus 35 RC or Olympus XA filled with Tri-X. Small, simple, competent.

(Just for the record, though we aren't really supposed to be discussing that here, his Ferrari would have to be a Hasselblad for its combination of classic style, breathtaking performance and eye-watering price even on the used market)

[Roger Bradbury]

The Fiat 500 is sort of styled after a 1960s Fiat in the same way that the Pen is sort of styled after a 1960s Olympus. Yep, I voted for a mirrorless camera, but it would have to be a Pen fitted with the EVF.

Anyhow, enough of cars. what we, or rather I want, is more stuff about bikes. Here are some bikes and their camera equivalents:

Zenit E = MZ TS250/1 (the Supa 5)
Olympus Pen (half frame) = Honda 400/4
Nikon F = Kawasaki Z1

I've owned some of these or variants thereof; A Zenit B and a Zenit ES, a couple of Supa 5s and a Kawasaki Z1-R. The Z1-R is I suppose, the equivalent of a Nikon F3. : )

[Dave P]

Aren't you missing the other option? That cheap (or not so cheap) small digital camera that is out of date by n years, in your drawer and still working... and pocketable?

[Dave Stewart]

Big stuff - Nikon (various!)

Small - Ricoh GXR with 28mm (equivalent) module. Put this against mirrorless, though perhaps it should be, "None of the above."

[Benjamin Wilkes]

No option to use or upgrade my cellphone?

[Tim]

It seems to me that this is little different to asking what my choice of "big" camera would be, either.

I've lived in worlds of duality (and even quaduality?) before:
* MF or dSLR
* LF, MF, the failing dSLR and the G9 baby-cam
* dSLR or G9 (with LF+MF relegated to the shelf)

Now my every day, even my photo-holiday, requirements are entirely satisfied with mirrorless as long as it has flexible touch-LCD - in this case, I'm with m4/3rds, and the only smaller thing that has any appeal is the Fuji F600 EXR - but that would be change for change's sake.

I think this says quite a lot about the amount of money required to satisfy the masses, rather than about any particular format.

[Dennis Allshouse]

The Fiat is cute and interesting, very small. I've stood next one in a oarking lot. Real question is how will it last and how are maintanence costs. My brother's mini s has ball joint wear after 50 k miles seems too soon.

[toto]

No button for a smartphone?

[juze]

You really should have included the iPhone 4(S). The camera is great for a phone, and you truly do take it everywhere with you.

[Bill Rogers]

Bbbbut my Canon S90 IS mirrorless - it just doesn't have interchangeable lenses. By "mirrorless," did you mean "mirrorless interchangeable lens"? It's so confusing these days ...

[Andreas Suchert]

My Enzo camera is the iPhone 4s!

[Bill Mitchell]

"...a nice picture of Enzo Ferrari..."
There was never ANYTHING nice about Enzo Ferrari except his cars.

[Jim in Denver]

The problem is that there are pre-existing encumbrances. Not with the equipment I all ready own, but with what is currently available to buy.

There is (currently) no EVIL camera with a built-in viewfinder that's not in a centered hump, has an APS-C size (or larger) sensor, and (this is the most important one) has a good selection of fast primes.

The closest thing available with the form factor I desire is the Fuji X100. If it had a knockout selection of interchangeable lenses, I would get one in a second.

The other problem with this idea, as a thought experiment, is that there will be future encumbrances due to this choice. Nobody buys into a camera system without planning to buy another piece of that system. Even if they never do, the ability to do so is very important.

Lastly, the biggest missing piece is connectivity to the cloud. I can take a very nice photo, with surprisingly good quality, and send it to someone, anywhere in the world, in a few seconds. Why? Because my amazing phone has a little bit of camera in it.

When the camera makers wake up, step into the 21st century, and realize that adding a little bit of phone to their amazing cameras, then they will build a genuinely compelling product.

[Mike Johnston]

"No button for a smartphone?"

I forgot. Sorry.

Mike

[Drew]

For anything I didn't care about enough to use my big camera to photograph, I'd just use an iPhone.

[Rodney Topor]

Fujifilm X100, of course.

[David Vatovec]

I just bought my Fiat!
It is an Olympus EPL1 with 14-42 kit zoom for 299 eur.
I fell in love with it instantly!
For my commercial work it is the EOS 5D witj various lenses and grip.

[Jayson Merryfield]

I chose mirrorless, because I want something modern and convienent to use, that is also small, tht will readily accept Leica glass. The "rangefinder gestalt" isn't a thing I desire.

[Johnwhitley]

If I was reset to zero, I'd be seriously torn. I've got a nice 4x5 setup and a sweet darkroom to go with it. But if I'd lost everything, my priorities are clear. First, restore the ability to produce printed work, as I love photographing to print. Rebuilding a film and darkroom setup is more a labor of time than of money these days.

My close second priority would be to ensure I can seamlessly share photographic works online. I'm also an accomplished a fiber artist, so the ability to shoot my works for online presentation, do quick photo/video tutorials, and so forth are critical.

Given those two constraints and other preferences, I'd lean towards a Panasonic GX1 and lenses. In my case, I'm willing to trade off raw image quality (vs. current DSLRs) for sheer portability. The GX1 would actually be a quality upgrade from my current entry-level DSLR body, so I'd win on two fronts.

[Benjamin R. George]

I know myself well enough to know that, in the situation described, the majority (probably the overwhelming majority) of my work is going to be done with my Fiat camera and not with my ‘serious’ camera. This argues in favor of getting the most powerful Fiat camera that I would find non-encumbering enough to use as a Fiat camera. And for me, the balancing point for that is probably mirrorless.

Although, given the budget assumptions you mentioned, I'd be a little tempted to say ‘all of the above’. Or, at least, I'd be tempted to have a tiny jeans-pocket camera that was literally always on me, and a small system camera that could be carried almost everywhere. Something like a Canon S95 for the first and a small DSLR or (more likely) large mirrorless camera for the second.

[David Bennett]

A Fiat equivalent - that would be something that zips around tight corners in town with the roof down and someone with slim hips shouting compliments at the women on the street.

Or a woman with over-large dark glasses and hair tied under a scarf, like Sofia Loren smiling that inward smile of a woman who knows who she is as she deftly turns the wheel on her way to buy bread and wine from the market to enjoy with Marcello Mastroianni out on the balcony overlooking the sea.

So that would make it something sexy as hell. The GF1 is not sexy, so it would just have to be that sleek, slim, shiny black number from Fuji - the X10.

[Francisco Cubas]

With lots of money in my hands I'll take the M9 anytime, in my real world I'm waiting for the next Fuji mirrorless system (I loved the X100 when I tried).

[Shawn Barnett]

I routinely carry a Canon S95 or an Olympus Pen (E-PL1 if I'm not reviewing another mirrorless). I lately lean to the Canon S95, a new acquisition that continues to impress.

[Mike Johnston]

"There was never ANYTHING nice about Enzo Ferrari except his cars."

I'll bet his bank account was nice. Just sayin'.

Mike

[Dennis]

Mike, can you tweak a vote ? I chose "none of the above" thinking I'd go for a Leica M9, but thinking a bit more, I'd go for a Sony NEX-7, with either Leica lenses (28/2 and 75 or 90/2) or possibly the CZ24/1.8 and 50/1.8 awaiting something longer.

[Adrian]

A Fuji GF670W film camera (the wide-angle, non-folding version of the GF670). Its 55 mm lens matches pretty closely the way I see in 6x7, and its viewfinder is the nicest I've seen through in a 120/220 rangefinder. Sadly, at the current Yen exchange rate, it's close to $3500, so I'll have to keep waiting for that hypothetical insurance settlement.

[Rick D]

Possibly a Nikon V1 and the short kit zoom. I've handled it in the store and there's something about it that I find very appealing--design synergy if you will.

Of my current gear I'd give the LX3 the nod--easy to carry and operate while delivering consistently good results, and pretty good looking, designwise.

A local pizza place has not one but two 500s on the floor and they are cute as a bug. My daughter is dying to have one; luckily, she's nine.

Cheers,

Rick

[Kenneth Tanaka]

For me, the small-but-capable "Fiat" would be my Canon S90, followed by my Panasonic LX5.

My mirror-less cameras, especially my Sony NEX-5N, Oly Pen E-P3, and Fujifilm X100 are increasingly becoming primary "kinda serious" cameras due to their file qualities.

[David W. Scott]

Zeiss Ikon ZM.

Unless Fuji release the X100 with interchangeable lenses.

[vincent bilotta]

the Sony NEX-5n, my perfect Fiat. and the ebay tilting Pentax K> NEX adapter gives all my Pentax lenses 8 degrees of tilt. the K5 has the in body stabilization and satisfying IQ, the NEX is big pocketable.

[George C]

Gordon Murray also drove a classic Fiat 500, apparently, the idea of having the interior light fixed in the rear view mirror for the McLaren F1 came from the Fiat 500.

[Jesper L]

Have any of you camera buffs driven a Fiat 500? It is a great design and a fairly fun car to drive. But it is also of a quite low build quality. Just sit in it and press a few buttons and you will know what I mean. In Europe many Fiat 500 are now 2-3 years old and they have a lot of problems - as most Fiat cars they are quite cheap, functional and fun, but high quality cars they are not. To compare a Fiat (500) with a Leica is frankly ridiculous. A Holga is more like it.

[Richard Man]

This is a joke right? Why wouldn't (*) anyone want a Leica M9 with a 35 ASPH lux or 'cron?

(*) yes, I know there are practical reasons, i.e. someone may not like rangefinder, or they don't want to or can't manual focus, or that it's larger than mirrorless or compact, etc. BUT STILL: it's a Leica M9 with one of the finest lens ever.

[shelley stalligns]

I have owned and and shot tens of thousands of images with at least a dozen different styles of cameras over the last 50+ years. The most enjoyable and productive were the years I shot with Olympus OM series bodies. Love the feel and the ergonomics of that camera. I am leaning towards a Fuji 100 as my next camera. I do like my Lumix ZS7 as a point and shoot, but have never gotten used to or loved buttons and multiple menus. Give me dials and a a viewfinder and I am happy again.

[Tommy Black]

Ricoh GRD III for me.

Incidentally I noticed this in the 75 Reasons To Buy a Fiat-500 over a MINI comment list:

"Mario Carneiro Neto said...

Reason 75 is blatantly wrong. Enzo Ferrari DID own and sometimes personally drove a Mini, and had utmost respect for its designer Alec Issigonis. Just ask John Surtees. In fact, start this video at 8:00 http://youtu.be/6NpBE_KCBbE and you'll hear it from him. Ironically Enzo Ferrari never drove a 500. I'm a Fiat fan, but don't overdo it."

[Rob L]

If it wasn't my money, a Fuji X100 or M9:) But since it was, i went with a Canon G12 and a Contax IIa to buttress my Panny TS3 waterproof pocket camera. So i have no idea what i should have clicked on, basically:)

[GH]

This is basically what I've already done. I bought rangefinder lenses solely to use them on a Sony NEX camera, and it's a fantastic combination of size and IQ. Plus, manual focus is easier on this system than any Hasselblad, rangefinder or SLR that I've used. It makes manual focusing very fun.

[Paul Marriner]

Can't help but toss my Canon G12 into the ring---one great camera. Although, the heavy vote for mirrorless has me wondering.

[Mike Anderson]

I don't think there's enough categories: I think there needs to be a distinction between mirrorless-with-viewfinder and mirrorless-without-viewfinder.

I'd get a mirrorless-with-viewfinder (Fuji X10 maybe), I wouldn't consider a mirrorless-without-viewfinder.

[Don Jagoe]

Hence the Nikon V1 system I just bought...and love, by the way, counter to all the pundits who said it would totally suck. (it doesn't)

[Ben Mathis]

Another for the X100. Take it with me everywhere, every day. I haven't touched my dslr since I got it and not even sure where all the lenses are now.

[JohnMFlores]

Dear Santa, I believe that I have been good this year. For Christmas, I would like a Mini Cooper S, the original, not the bloated yet still charming current iteration. British Racing Green, please.

If you have time, please place a pair of folding Moulton bicycles in the back, along with a nice picnic lunch in a nice gingham-lined basket, along with a pair of his and her Pentax MX film cameras, one with a 50mm/F1.4 and the other with 24mm/F2.8. My wife and I will share the lenses.

We'll leave space besides the tree, along with the pecan tea tarts that you like so much. Thank you.

[Andrew Roos]

Leica M with a 35mm Summilux. Because it would go so nicely with the Leitz Focomat V35 enlarger I have just acquired for my nascent darkroom. And because Mike says it has to be a Leica, if one wishes to take his advice.

[Tim F]

Panasonic GX1. With the PL20 lens on it is a carry-anywhere largish digicam. Then when I want to take great photos I...well, leave the PL20 lens on and maybe use a tripod or something.

[h.linton]

You guys still haven't got the Fiat 500 in the US yet? Don't get your hopes up too high. We know people here who chose a Smart over the 500 - the 500 seemed a bit cheap compared to the Smart in their opinion. Having driven enough Smarts to know that has to be pretty chintzy. Just sayin' . . .

[ggl]

The LX5. I also drive a Fiat 600 and would love to drive a Fiat 500. Don't need 75 reasons to do that because I have all the reasons in the world. Fiat is fantastic.

[sporobolus]

note that "a small conventional DSLR" is my Ferrari

[Jeff]

Once I landed on the Leica M8.2 as the camera that meets most of my current needs, I decided to get another one for my second camera, only used instead of new. The secret is full replacement value insurance (no deductible), so I never fret about loss or damage, even resulting from my own stupidity.

[Steve Jacob]

I think my new Nikon J1 fulfils the Enzo Fiat category perfectly, especially if you are tempted by one of the "hot" Abarth versions of the 500. It's small but has enough performance to be huge fun.

[Walter Glover]

Since my BIG camera is, and would always be, a film View CameraI'd be patient and wait for the availability of the Panasonic GX-1. Yes, a Leica M9 is a nice thought, but I have had Leicas and they have never lived up to their hype.

[Andrew Lamb]

Olympus 35 SP.

Great lens. Great rangefinder, that is to say, a proper rangefinder. Proper viewfinder. None of this holding the camera at arm's length nonsense. Quiet. No lag shutter or focus. Fully manual. Cheap and cheerful to buy. Film -full frame!

YMMV, of course, but you'd be wrong :)

[psu]

iPhone 4

[Mike Plews]

OOPS, I checked small DSLR and reached into my pocket and pulled out the S95 I carry around most of the time. Pretty 16x20's and it's nice and small.
DUH...

[Jerry Commisso]

In the spirit of an 'everyday' machine, I'd have to say any Pentax SLR from the 1960s.
They were good, solid, reliable machines that fit well in one's hand and had very good glass. My first real camera was an old H3 that I got used in 1968.......never should have sold it back in the '70s. It was, to me at least, an 'honest' camera.

[Tom Kwas]

I have some friends now involved in photographic education, and they did a lot of their seminal art/photo work with a Rollei 120 and in black & white...I always thought it was perfect, even before the current worship (and rightfully so) of Vivian Maier. I've been telling photo students for years that if you never consider taking a job in the industry, you still ought to get yourself a simple 120 twin-lens of some sort, Yashica, Rollei, Minolta, something; a decent light meter, and a decent tripod, and there's your photographic life. Accost everyone you meet and take their picture with it. Buy a double 120 roll film tank.

One camera, one lens, one tripod, one light meter, one tank. If I decide to never go after professional work again, and I'm on the cusp of doing it, it's going to be me and my Minolta Autocord.

[tde]

iPhone, then Canon S100.

I shot with a s95 for a couple of years and I must say I am very impressed with the improvements in the S100.

[James]

My X100, without hesitation. Like any compact car, it has its flaws and limitations, but is also practical and a lot of fun. (My 'big' camera would be a Leica M9 or Pentax K-5.)

[Neil]

This is a question I've been asking myself as I'm going on a bicycle trip next summer. Has to be compact and easy enough to operate so that I'll use it every day to document my trip and enough quality in the files that I can take my creative pics. The mirrorless cameras fit the bill - I just have to decide which one.

[Ken]

I would not want any of the currently available options as my first choice and would stick with a D-SLR. However, I would love to have a Fuji X-100 with an interchangeable lens option and three simple primes: 24, 50 and 85 equivalents (the current fixed 35 equivalent does not do anything for me - that's not a length I'd use much, if at all).

[Carl]

With out carrying two cameras around, the I Phone 4s does a great job.

[Leigh Youdale]

Just bought the Fuji X10 for this very function. Still got the M6 and the Rolleiflex though.

[Andrew]

Not an easy choice for me. I need the IQ of at least an APS-C sensor for the serious work (so the Ferrari would be an MF kit).
I recently tried a G12 for 2 weeks before selling it. A nice lens, just not good enough sensor quality, too slow to focus, too much deep-menu-diving, too easy to knock rear controls, etc, etc.
So my Fiat would be a small DSLR because nothing else has the IQ I need, even though the X10 is tempting.

[Dale]

Well Mike,
I HAD an Lx3 a while back IQ was great, user interface for manual drove me crazy sold I got rid of it. I waited for something special to happen and bought my Fuji x10 Nov 17th, really liked for the two days i had it. The optical viewfinder made it the choice.Unfortunately, it didn't like being in my coat pocket and having the car door close on it perfectly aligned with the seat lever smashing the LCD!
I think I am really going to like it when it gets back from Fuji repair...

[Michael]

The Fuji X100 has become my go to camera when my Canon 5D gear is just overkill for the occasion. I have the X100 with me at all times, not unlike my faithful Leica M's over the years, ending with my beloved M6 with 35/Summicron attached. My M6 and 35mm are now retired to a Domke FX5B that I visit occasionally if only to give her some exercise. My Canon 5D has replaced my aged Nikon film SLR system which was the "big job" outfit over my Leica M for the past 40 years. I have been most pleased with the Canon/Fuji combination's results. Leica has just become too cost prohibitive for my retirement years. No M9 for me.....

[Walter Baron]

iPhone....

[David H.]

Maybe I would go with the Fuji x100, the camera I passed over for an Olympus E-P3 and often regret having done so. Or maybe wait camera-less for the x200 to come out. Then again, how could I now live without a tilting EVF?

[Darrell Marquette]

Even though I have not yet seen one in person, my choice would be the Fuji X100. I am hoping Fuji decides to manufacture another version of the X100 with a 50mm equivalent lens instead of the present 35mm equivalent lens.

[Will Whitaker]

Fuji X10.

Funny thing is, I thought about the comparison between the X10 and the Fiat 500 last week and before this blog came out. Go figure.

Serious is large format film. Fun, sporty and in the moment is an intelligently designed, small-sensor digicam. For me, it's the best of both worlds.

[Charles Maclauchlan]

really? C'mon. The iPhone! What else?

[Gordon Cahill]

Well, I've done exactly that. Sold the lot and started again. 20 years of Canon "pro" cameras and L lenses went on ebay in a week. While I do make money from my gear, I got to the point where I decided that I was only going to use cameras that made me want to go out and shoot. I wanted a camera that pushes my buttons and my boundaries. And the camera I now carry everywhere, every day is an M9. And I'm enjoying it more now, 6months in, than I did the day I got it. So may I humbly suggest that instead of "what if?", that anyone thinking about it just do it.

Gordon

[Rob Reiter]

My iPhone 4S handles the "always with me" chore. For the in between camera, I'd go for something like the X100.

[Ari]

My X100 is the choice for everyday photography. If the rumored interchangeable-lens Fuji is a lot like the X100, I'd probably go with that.

[Matt P]

I ditched my big camera (D700), in favor of a X100 and Leica M4. I loved the D700 files, but hated carrying it and the 24-70G around. Switched to a 50/1.4, but my example was terrible and the AF didn't interact well with my D700.

The price drop on 5D IIs has me tempted again, but I'm holding out to see what Fuji's mirrorless system shapes up to be. If the EVF is NEX-7 quality and AF is even a little improved (I like the X100 EVF, but I would love a NEX-7 caliber EVF), I don't see why I'd need to haul a SLR around again.

[MHMG]

My Enzo is the camera I've got with me at the time I want to take a picture! Too often, sad to say, I don't have any camera with me. I decided to remedy this sad situation just recently (my birthday/new years resolution combined), so I ordered both a Fuji X10 and an X100. Let the games begin!

[Steve Biro]

For a few years, my LX3 was my go-to, daily-use camera. This, despite owning a Pentax DSLR kit with 8 lenses, which I still own. More recently, I became fascinated by micro four-thirds. I currently have, and enjoy, the Panasonic G3. But I've also picked up an Olympus E-PM1. Potentially, either the Panny or the Oly may assume the role of the LX3. If not, the Fuji X10, with its built-in viewfinder, is waiting in the wings. But if I was starting from scratch under Mike's scenario... it would probably be the X10. Go figure.

[Tom Hassler]

My Fiat is a Pentax K-5 and Limited primes. I've always been a Nikon, Hassie and Leica shooter, but this camera has completely won me over. It's a nearly perfect walk-around camera - small, discrete, quiet, built like a real camera. Mainly paired with the 21/3.2 Ltd. or the amazing 35/2.8 Macro Ltd.

[robert harshman]

Wow, Mike, you are so old :)

The only pocket camera today is a smart phone, $200 P&S are history when you have what is basically a open API (application programming interface) in a wireless device that provides instant updates to social networks, email, print, etc. in quite a few smart phone options.

I dropped land line phones over 15 years ago and started using only cellular. It took a bit to understand just how much dropping the wire can free you to open a new world.

Canon/Nikon, etc. still don't seem to have a clue about what this means for their future.

Open Camera API's/Platforms with wireless communications is the future of photography. Digital cameras are simply computers with light sensors after all.

Today the iPhone is at the lead by a very big margin, perhaps Canon and Nikon will wake up. I hope so.

cheers,

Robert

[Dennis Ng]

X-100 with interachangable lens or Nex9 using X-100 opticial plus EVF technology ...

[Sven W]

Well, the opposite of a big rig is a pocket sized rig. And the best contender in that department is the Canon S95.

I have friends with digital PENs and Canon 5D2's but it seems I'm the only person who has a half-decent camera on his person most times.

But I have been eyeing off the Fuji X10 ;)

[James Liu]

I wound up growing up into 50/24. 35-e would be different, but if it were my one camera for a year, I'm sure I could adapt.

The most important requirement for the every day carry camera is that it should fit in a jacket pocket without obviously protruding too much. (The other place it would go is a bike jersey pocket, but then I don't care about it protruding so much) The Leica M3 never could quite fit.

[Stan B.]

I carry my small black Nikon FG w/20mm in my shoulder bag or on my shoulder everyday during daylight hours- but I'm really, really looking forward to see what that Fuji X200? will look like with a WA next year!

[David Dyer-Bennet]

I've ridden in a Fiat 500. An old used one. In 1966, in Zurich.

I get the impression they've rebooted the model number into something quite different.

[Marc Rochkind]

Works on my iPad... thanks, Mike!

[Pak-Ming Wan]

I've got a Ricoh GR Digital which I've used for donkeys years... and I still carry every day to work.

I think you're missing an option: Smartphone camera. If you had that on the list, I would have picked it. My friend has photos taken with his Samsung Galaxy SII and they looked surprisingly good.

Pak

[Tom Fangel]

I now use the Fuji X100 90% of the time. The heavy stuff mostly stays in the car.