Your Favorite Digital Camera

Just a quick question—what's your #1 favorite digital camera of all time?

Not the best one you've ever used, but the one you liked best. For any reason—familiarity, results, whatever.

Or, if you're primarily a film photographer now, what's your favorite film camera?

Just name one please—and please, try to keep your comment short. People love to talk about cameras, but the "tl;dr" (too long, didn't read) principle really comes into play when reading other peoples' camera histories. Bear in mind that others are reading through the comments and go a little easy on 'em.

My fave...
...And I'll make this short.

I love my NEX-6* and Zeiss E 24mm**. Despite owning several other digital cameras, it's my go-to buddy o' the moment.

But if I had to say, I'd still pick the 2004 Konica-Minolta 7D as my all-time favorite. It was my first DSLR, the built-in anti-shake worked a treat, and I still think the file quality was wonderful—it had the most accurate color of its time. Konica-Minolta's engineers really knew what a photograph should look like.

Even though it came out forty years ago***, it takes the palm as my #1 favorite of all time...so far.

Mike

*Sony recently consolidated the NEX-6 and NEX-7 in the just-announced A6000.

**Even though it's overpriced. I also use the Sigma 60mm DN lens, which I also love. That one is underpriced—punches way above its $$.

***In digital camera years.

Original contents copyright 2014 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Jack Luke: "I am primarily a film photographer and I feel my Fuji GX680-II cannot be beat for versatility. It's an absolute beast of a camera, but the huge negative, incredibly sturdy movements and slick operation make it all worth it. Of course, if I could afford to shoot on my ARCA model B for every shoot, I would."

Alexandre Buisse: "Nikon D4. Yes, it's a beast, but it's so fast and intuitive it feels like an extension of my body. And I know it can take all the awful conditions in which I am often shooting."

[Alexandre is a well-known mountaineering photographer. The Nikon D4 is currently back-ordered at several sources. —Ed.]

Chris Y.: "The Canon 5D 'classic' is my favorite of all time—it brought it all home. Moved on to the Mark III but still can't believe how good the original is."

Paul in AZ: "Short and sweet. I have gone back to film and love my Rolleiflex."

Stephen S. Mack: "Nikon D7000. (Short enuff?)"

Mike replies: Yes, thank you.  :-)

John Wilson: "Ricoh GR Digital!"

Dovydas (partial comment): "For all manual focus lenses: Ricoh GXR A12 M mount with VF. Special Sony sensor with no AA filter and excellent arrangement of microlenses. Will handle any RF lens with no smearing and only Super ultrawides need some easy-to-do color drift correction. Will also handle all SLR lenses with ease."

Tim Allen: "It has to be my Fuji X100 (the original, not the S). Since the final firmware update I can't fault it and it's changed my photography for the better. Just sold my DSLR kit and bought an X-E1 to go with my X100 too. Couldn't be happier."

Gato: "The only digital camera I really loved was the funky Sony F828. I loved the swivel design and the looks of the thing, the fine lens and (for the day) excellent image quality. For making pictures I'm happy enough with my current Sony and Panasonic mirrorless cameras, but can't say I have any real emotional attachment to anything I own now."

Alan: "iPhone."

Mike replies: You win, Alan, that's the shortest answer.

Bill Pearce: "I am happy with my GX7, but haven't had it long enough to make that choice, but all in all, the digital camera I still think of fondly and still own and occasionally use is my Sony R1. Yes, it has its flaws, but no more than any other digital camera of its era. It could write faster, have faster AF and better low light performance, all things I expected in the R2, but Sony didn't need an R2, they got Minolta instead. Poor me."

Mike replies: Poor me too. I wanted an "R2" for years.

Edward Taylor: "I am an early adopter. I got into digital in the 1990s, and I kind of collect cameras. I do take an average of about 50 photos a day, so these cameras do get used. I have loved many cameras, but for this exercise, I will only consider cameras that can be purchased new at this time.

"Current favorite: Sony A7r (I only have the 35mm lens) Former favorite: Sony RX1 (which I returned because it seemed overpriced, but I really loved it). Honorable mention: Sony RX100 (which I carry around with me). Other great cameras I use and really like: Sony NEX-6 and NEX-7, Panasonic GH3, and Canon 5D MkIII."

[Edward has reviewed cameras for TOP several times. —Ed.]

Caleb Courteau: "The tiny combo of a Pentax K-5 with 21mm ƒ/3.2 Limited. Quiet shutter, lovely erogonomics, great image quality, and built as solidly as bowling ball."

Pierre Charbonneau: "Leica Monochrom, for the beautiful prints."

Rory O'Toole: "My Nikon D3s gets used the most (work), and I haven't had many other digital cameras. My first camera, Pentax ME Super, I loved for years, and I love my Holga too  :-) "

Andrew Lamb: "I haven't got a favourite camera in either film or digital. However, a special mention must go to the Sigma DP2 Merrill. It's special."

Dan Gorman: "I'm a digital shooter now, but my first good camera—and still my all-time favorite—was my Canon FTb with the 50mm ƒ/1.8. I still have it, and my daughter just used it for her first photography class—how sweet is that?"

Gary: "F6."

Mike replies: Okay, Gary wins. (Sorry, Alan.)

Brad Burnham: "F5."

Mike replies: And we have a tie.

Stephan Kleiser: "F."

David: "M."

Mike replies: ...!

Cmans: "My friends and family portrait subjects call my Nikon D5100 a 'magic' camera because they say it makes them look so good, and I agree with them."

Mike replies: That's cool. That's all we're all really looking for, a magic camera, isn't it?

jim: "Olympus PEN E-PM2 plus VF-4. It's a KISS. First post after years and years of lurking. Your site is Wonderful. Thanks."

Mike replies: Thanks for commenting! And complimenting.

Phil Maus: "Ever the contrarian, it has to be my Shen Hao FCL180A 8x10 [link might take a while to load —Ed.]. I've used and enjoyed 'em all over the years, some digital too, but once I got my 'sea legs' under me with the 8x10, I can't ever see myself enjoying another camera the way I enjoy this one. (And that's as brief as I can be!)"

Christine Bogan (partial comment): "It took me some years to learn that I wanted to go back to one camera, one lens."

Robert Poe: "Digital: V1. Film: CLE."

Bob Blakley: "My favorite digital camera of all time is one I don't use any more: the Leica M8. I love it because it proved for the first time that a camera could be digital and still look and work like a camera."

Steve Ducharme: "My favorite camera is my next camera. For me, anticipation trumps contentment."

Comments

[MarkR]

Pentax K20d with the 35mm f2.8 macro lens. I shot for about a year with only that combo. I think this is what Nikon was aiming for (and missed, imho) when they came out with the Df.

[John]

I'd say the Ricoh GR for two reasons: 1) best B&W rendering of any digital camera I've owned, and 2) for the way its size, one-hander layout, and snap focus frees one up creatively.

[John]

Hard to say: probably the Fuji X100s in black, but I also loved my Canon 5D 'classic.' Nothing in digital has come close to the pleasure of my old Contax G or N1 film cameras, though. Or the Mamiya 6.

[Andrew]

Ricoh GR (and before that the GRDs).

[Vijay]

Pentax *ist DS for its ergonomics, size, and viewfinder. I moved on because I wanted faster AF and better high ISO performance as my kids became my primary subjects.

[David Zivic]

My Nikon D700 was just too much for me. So I followed new cameras and for the last couple years everyone came out with two of the three requirements I had for a mirrorless. Full Frame Sensor, Interchangeable lenses, and a viewfinder in the middle (I'm left eyed). When Sony announced the A7r I was all in. pre-ordered one. Even enhanced it with a Zeiss FE 55mm1.8 prime. I have a nice adapter for my Nikkor lenses and am happy as a clam especially with the physical size and quality of the images. BTW Everything TUCK doesn't like about it not necessarily applicable to my style of shooting.

[Bernard Scharp]

Leica M3.

Started using it for my `Leica Year' 5 years ago. After the year I bought a second one and I've hardly used anything else since.

[Michael]

Pentax K-5 IIs. Zing! Fits the hand and eye. And the 35mm f2.8 macro lens. Zowie! Why use anything else ever?

[Michel]

the original Canon dRebel. Brought me back to photography.

[Michael Barkowski]

The Pentax K-30 with WR 18-135mm has been my favourite since the first walk in the rain and the fall leaves, shooting with gloves on and trusting the AF and the SR with confidence. A near-instant bond.

[Warren Jones]

My favorite digital Camera, (of which I have had about ten of from various makers) has to be the Fuji X-pro1. It simply fits my style of doing things and I am comfortable with it.

And since I still shoot B&W film on occasion, to remain aggravated and justify my V700 scanner :) The Canon AE-1Program which I have had for 30 or so years and never found a reason to stray to something else.

[Duane Pandorf]

My favorite camera of all time is the one I currently own, the Leica M-E and pre-ASPH 35 Lux. I love it for its simplicity compared to my past DSLRs.

[John Custodio]

Canon 5D Mk3, the one I'm using now.

[Alan]

I'll follow your lead and choose my first serious DSLR, a Fuji S2. Yes it was a bit of a Frankencamera, but it had amazing picture quality.

[Moose]

If you can't be with the camera you love, then love the one you are with.

By and large, the camera I'm using is the one I love.

I loved the 5D for about five years. At the moment, it's a camera ménage à quatre, with Oly E-M5 and E-PM2, Panny GX7 and GM1 and a bag full of µ4/3 lenses.

As the shooting season goes on, I expect more loved and less loved may emerge. Maybe it's a group thing because they are all so closely related, yet each has qualities the others lack, together with its own limitations. Time will tell, until the new love arises.

But at the moment, I love them all, more than any that came before.

Moose

[Chris Donovan]

The fujifilm s3 pro with 28-70/2.8 I used for several hours a day for a few years as a school photographer in the mid-2000's. I just loved the way it hung off my fingertips as I carried it around - perfectly balanced for me, but only for work; I'd never carry something that heavy around on a walkaround.

[Steve Jacobs]

Favoite digital camera? That's tough. I think my all time favorite is/was the Fuji x100, the original model.

So why am I using an OM-D EM-1? interchangeable lenses, water resistance, etc. But the x100 was just about perfect.

[jay moynihan]

Favorite digital camera: Fujifilm x100s.
Favorite film camera, current use: Rolliflex TLR.

[Nick]

My favourite is the image quality from the Canon 1ds (original) at low iso, where is the updated 11mp full frame sensor!

[Pak-Ming Wan]

Leica M-E (typ 220) + 35/2 Asph. The only camera I own that my girlfriend is truly jealous of.

Pak

[Steve L.]

Pentax K7 w/ DA35 Ltd. I now have the K5, and it's probably just as good or better, but I haven't used it enough to be sure.

[Jack]

My favorite digital is a four year old Leica S2.
It's a dream to look through it's huge bright viewfinder, and is so good I haven't been tempted to buy another digital camera since. That's a long time to be pleased with a digital anything.

[Rod Purcell]

Just to get it off my chest my favourite camera of all time was a Contax 139 with 35mm lens. However, my favourite digital camera was a Nikon D70 with the 18-55 standard lens. It helped me to my MA degree and an exhibition on Tibet. The 30 x 20 inch prints still stand up today. Raises the question why I pay so much cash for cameras I like less?

[Ricardo Silva Cordeiro]

Easy: the Fujifilm X100.

It's the first camera I've felt really connected to. It managed to change the way I photograph (in a good way), made me progress a lot in photography.

[Eric Rose]

Film - Nikon F2, second runner up, Nikkormat FTN

Digital - Nikon D700

Yes I am a Nikon guy. Started using them in 1973

I've had affairs with Canon, Leica and Minolta, alas I keep coming back to Nikon.

My dalliance with Minolta was probably the most torrid. I loved her so, but in the end once the initial passion subsided, she let me down. I still pine for her sweet curves and smooth silky glass.

[Michael Martin-Morgan]

Digital: Sony NEX-6
Film: Canon T-90

[Dean]

Canon 5D, which is now 9 years old but puts out images I like better than what I get from the 5D2.

[Jim Simmons]

Digital - Fujifilm X-E2 (I own the X-E1 but would like to upgrade.) I used to be a Leica guy, so for me it's the lenses, and Fuji is now my lens company. I still shoot large format, and half my LF lenses are Fuji.

[Dennis]

I've owned 6 digital cameras (not counting cheap family p&s's) and can't say that any of them approach my favorite film cameras in terms of likability. That said, I'd choose the Sony RX100 over my more practical cameras for likability. The KM 7D was pretty likeable, though, as was the Sony F717.

[Dave Levingston]

Nikon D7000. Files are beautiful. Quality way better than 35mm film ever was. High ISOs look great...way better than Tri-X in Acufine. It's going to take something very major to get me to upgrade from this one. For me, it's the digital FE.

[Tony]

Bronica ETR. Relatively terrible results, but I just love using that camera. How it feels, the sound it makes, how I feel using it and the pace.

[Nerdie McSweatervest]

Sony DSC-V1. By today's standards, it's thick as a brick and has a comically small display, but 10 years ago it was compact, had good resolution, good color (Sony toned down their then-usual intense saturation), and it could focus in complete darkness. Cheaper than the king of the hill Canon G5, too.

[Keith Alan]

Sony F717. Loved the lens.

[Manuel]

An interesting theme to debate. I have an admittedly short experience with cameras, having fiddled in my teens with my father's Minolta Hi-matic 7S and a horrible Agfa Pocket 100, which nearly convinced me I would never take a decent photograph in my life. (Not that I take any decent photographs now, mind you!)
Thirty-three years fast-forward and I found a deal in the form of an Olympus E-P1 with 17mm-f/2.8 lens and a cute optical viewfinder. The day I bought it was one of the happiest of my life. After two years, however, I had already learnt all there was to know about noise, blown highlights and poor depth of field. Having seen so many people shooting film, I decided I should give it a try. In the meantime I had bought two OM lenses, the 28mm-f/3.5 and the 50mm-f/1.4, to use on the E-P1 via an adapter, so all I needed was a body to mount them on. Come June 12, 2013, I bought a Olympus OM-2n in pristine condition.
Consequently, my digital workflow dropped down from a fairly substantial 500 pictures per month to four or five. The E-P1 lacks the sharpness, resolution and depth of field I get with the OM - especially when I load the latter with the almighty Ilford FP4.
To cut a long story short, my favourite camera is my Olympus OM-2n - but things might not stop right here...

[Rick Wilcox]

My first digital camera was a Nikon Coolpix 950. Steep learning curve for me coming from film. But I loved it and took it everywhere. In 2004 I bought a Nikon D70 with the 18-70mm kit lens. This was, IMHO, the model T of digital cameras. The perfect walk around camera. And for some reason, it had the most perfectly balanced fill flash of any camera I have ever owned, before or since. I sold it later after lusting for a D300. I've always regretted it. However, the guy I sold it to was very appreciative and knew exactly what he was getting. Small comfort in that. I still wonder around with a wide angle or a short zoom on my latest D600. But I still recall that D70 with fondness.

[Michael Roche]

Sony 7 & Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.4 classic,also Fuji x100s and countless others too numerous to bore you with.

[MarkB]

Pentax K20D. Loved the resolution, the colors, the physical SR switch, even the blobby feel of that plastic brick in my hands... and the auto-exposure bracketing... oh the AEB!

Sold it for $300 after my K-5 arrived, and I sometimes still miss it.

[Harold GLIT]

Well if I can only pick one I would choose the Ricoh GR. I have used several digital cameras of all kinds from DSLR's to compacts. But for those of us who have grown up using film cameras ( MF cameras in my case) the Ricoh has the user interface which is the most geared towards photographers who want to control the parameters of creating an image
Remember back when the Leica M6 was advertised as the natutal extension of your hand (GESTALT). Well The GR is like the digital incarnation of having a camera that feels so right that using it becomes quickly a "second nature"
28mm FOV is not my favorite and I do not like the 3:2 ratio so the fact that the GR is still my top choice is saying a lot

[Dave Jenkins]

Gosh, that's hard. My Canon 5D (original) served me very well for seven years, but now I have a 6D and like it even better. The Olympus OMD-EM5 also has many virtues, including the best auto color balance and exposure metering of any camera I've ever used.

My all-time favorite camera? The Olympus OM-2n, hands down.

[Christian Kurmann]

fuji x100s
haven't been able to use it in months though as I lent it to a friend for two weeks and it took three months to come back. It's also his favorite camera now I think.

[D. C. Wells]

Leica Digilux 2 (http://www.overgaard.dk/leica_digilux2.html), even more than my M9.

[Matthew Jude Brown]

I have to agree with you about the 7D. Still have mine, sometimes shoot with it, even though it's a beast and its images are small by current standards.

[Dan Benjamin]

Back yonder - Olympus XA - almost SLR image quality, favorite focal length (35mm), pocketable, inconspicuous in operation.

DSLR days - Sony Alpha 900 - wonderful viewfinder, easy,simple and reliable operation. If Sony had just updated the sensor I'd have that potential replacement today.

[jean-louis salvignol]

The loyal Nikon 1 V1 is the one that emerges undoubtedly because it restores the happiness of photographing without stress, being only concerned with framing and some adjustments at the margin. Moreover the NEF treated with DXO Pro9 are simply superb. I should add that I am very excited by the Nikon 1 V3 presented today.

[John Krumm]

It has to be my first DSLR,the little Olympus 420, paired with my first "better than kit" lens, the Zuiko 50 f2 macro. Size was very similar to my current EM1. They sell for around $100 on KEH when they get them in.

[David Keenan]

Several year old Leica M9 which was (now regretfully) dumped for a Typ 240 since (happily) dumped and replaced by M9-P.

[Paul Mc Cann]

I'm with you on the Minolta. You persuaded me to buy one in the day and only the onset of trouble persuaded me to change.
Tried a used one recently but it felt really dated.

[Ed]

Nikon F, a 35 2.8 + Adox CMS + Nikon CoolScan.

[Tim]

I've yet to deeply connect with a digital camera, but my favorite film camera is my Bessa R. I really enjoy the experience of shooting film with a rangefinder.

[Frank]

Canon EOS 5D + EF 50/1.4 is my favorite combo.

I like to take pictures of my family members and my friends under available light, mostly indoors or under lights at night. 5D with 50mm makes the pictures I want.

[david]

I loved my Fuji F10 P&S because it did a reasonable job indoors without a flash. I had it when my son was a baby, so the nostalgia factor is there too.

[Ian Thompson]

I've been shooting digital since 2004, but my favorite of all time is my old Nikon F5 film camera. These days I shoot with Sony E and FE equipment. The NEX-7 and 24mm ZA is a great combo, despite the frustrating menu, and the A7 and 55mm ZA is growing on me.

[Tom Robbins]

My favorite is the Canon 5DMKII and TS-E 45mm lens. Neither is state of the art, but the combination consistently delivers the goods.

[Andreas Manessinger]

My latest, the Olympus OM-D E-M1. A finely engineered tool, exemplarily usable and actually quite cheap for what it is and can do. Love that camera :)

[Kevin Purcell]

Ricoh GRD 4

It's clearly designed by people who actually use the GRD cameras for photography in public ("street").

All the basic stuff is there so you can customize it onto a button or at the flick of one of the dials or levers when you need it.

There are some complicated features which once you understand what they do you can see the use case they address. You may not need it but when you do need it it's invaluable.

[Steve J]

Leica M2; perfect for my style, needs, and ergonomic thrills. Lens, 50mm.

[Simon Meek]

iPhone 4S. Because it freed me from the pressure of "proper" photography and actively encourages experimentation. Plus, it's always in my pocket.

[Rich Sajdak]

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1. Amazing lens, great handling.

[Chuck]

Nikon D700. Why? Takes all my existing Nikon mount lenses. It is Full frame, and no other camera bests it in the dark...

[Daniel Evan Rodriguez]

My favourite digital camera was one I unfortunately never had the opportunity own...The Olympus E-5, which was perhaps the most holistically designed digital camera I've ever used. There was a handsome straightforwardness to it that I find lacking in the current high end m4/3 cameras.

I'm shooting mostly 35mm film these days, and doing so happily with two wonderful Leica R6.2's. The R6.2 certainly is not a perfect camera (it iss too finicky and precious compared to it's Japanse peers), but it is one that I consider a "collaborator" more than a "tool".

[SeanG]

A tie - Sony F717 and Minolta 7D

[Erik Ahrend]

Sony Nex7 is my best\favorite camera ever, bar none. In the last 18 months I've travelled 7 countries with just it and a wonderful Yashica ML35/2.8 (I actually prefer it to the Contax Distagon 35/2.8) mounted on a Metabones Speed Booster. What a wonderful combo. Never wished I had anything else. Well, Ok, maybe a portrait lens on a few occasions...

[Frank Baldé]

Without a doubt, my 2004 Minolta A1 digicam with "shaking sensor" for vibration reduction, electronic viewfinder that could be positioned in different angles (same as the lcd screen), complete manual zoom, sharp, good range (28-200mm f/2.8-3.5), lots of buttons and dials, light, compact and after all these years still working perfectly well!
(Sony even replaced the sensor for free in 2007 because of a known problem). I picked it up for an "incredibly low" €599 ten years ago...:)

Now shooting with multiple Nikon SLR's.....

[JGW]

Nikon D70. My first DSLR, and I only had the 18-70mm kit lens. Yes, it was noisy above 400 and had none of the bells and whistles we expect now, but I'm afraid my images haven't really improved at a rate commensurate to the improvements in camera technology since.

[Tim A.]

Leica M6. Still the one I reach for the most for my personal stuff...which I should post more of...

[James]

Hands down it is the Leica Dlux4, which is actually the Panasonic LX3 with a red dot. This little marvel takes a better picture than any of my other (too many) dslr's. Many pics from this camera are here: pbase.com/borderrose/viewgallery

Regards,

Jim

PS: I am another who will miss Ctein

[Airraid]

Nikon Coolpix 900. My first.

[Philip Flower]

I bought a Sigma DP2M last year and since then have hardly touched another camera except out of guilt that I am not using them. Now reduced to the price of an expensive meal in London it outperforms every other camera I have used in terms of resolution. The shortcomings don't bother me one bit.

[BH]

Mine is the wonderfully frustrating X100. (In all fairness to Fuji they've improved it dramatically with new firmware.) I like it's small form factor, and I can live with 35mm the vast majority of the time. But what I really love about this camera is the image quality. The files are wonderful to work with in post-production, and as someone who is color blind I feel comfortable relying on their (film-based) color profiles during the times I'm not converting to black and white. The camera handles difficult light extremely well, and colors don't seem to all bleed together which is great for adjusting luminance levels in B&W conversions.

I love this camera for the files it gives me. Things like the tiny buttons and so-so autofocus/useless manual focus are really unfortunate, and are the only things still tethering me to my DSLR rig. My Canon files have zero magic, as far as I'm concerned, but as a functional tool it's unsurpassed.

[Curt]

Hmmm, tough call, but maybe the Leica M8, because I think I learned the most while shooting with it.

[Tim Bradshaw]

Pentax MX / 50 1.4. Though I make better pictures on bigger film

[Hugh]

Canon 5D3.

First camera I've loved since the EOS RT (film, 1989) - for the same reasons - just so quick and responsive, and with the "silent mode".

[Mark McCormick-Goodhart]

Favorite film camera:

My two Mamiya 6 cameras + the 3 lenses Mamiya made for them, no contest.

Favorite digital camera: My Fuji S3 as it was, IMHO, the first relatively affordable digital camera to give color negative film a run for the money in terms of color fidelity and dynamic range. That said, having photographed almost exclusively now with a Nikon D800E for almost two years, the D800E is like a new mistress - I'm getting to know her limitations and she is getting to know mine, but we get along just great.

[Michael Eckstein]

I've owned a number of digital cameras, including the Canon D30,10D,20D,30D,40D,50D,60D and the 7D, as well as a few point and shoot cameras. I recently purchased the EOS M and find it to be my favorite digital camera of all time. The size, the weight, the lens and image quality make it the all time winner for me.

[Bryce Lee]

A cheap Canon point and shoot fished out of the trash barrel at a local pawn shop. Guess something wasn't quite right with it. Uses two AA batteries and doesn't take more than a 2 gig
card. Works fine for me, and it is simple to operate, a bit like me oflate.

[Will Whitaker]

Rolleiflex 2.8F. I've probably had more "keepers" from that camera than all others combined. Odd when I consider that I was resistant to the TLR configuration for so long.

Wish there were a digital version available. But know darn well I could never, ever afford it if it were.

[Ed Grossman]

Konica-Minolta A2. Bought it on a whim. My love for photography was rekindled with it in my hands. Learned more using it than with any other camera prior or since.

[Adrian]

Canon S95, because it's the one I have always with me and its output is good enough to the point that technical quality is hardly ever the reason for an image to fail.

[Ed Steinerts]

My Favorite Film Camera: Fuji 6x7GW67II.

Favorite Digital: Olympus OMD EM1
Runner-up: Sony A850.

[eric]

The original Digital Rebel, 300D + the 50/1.8.

Mine died a way back from over use, replaced it with a 40D, but just haven't ever had the same success with the new one. I think the camera's limitations pushed me farther than I've been able to go with the far more capable 40D.

[Dovydas]

For all manual focus lenses:
Ricoh GXR A12 M mount with VF. Special Sony sensor with no AA filter and excellent arrangement of microlenses. Will handle any RF lens with no smearing and only Super UW need some easy-to-do color drift correction. Will also handle all SLR lenses with ease. 13x19 prints at least equal those of the AFs below. Very nice in the hand and with great intelligent settings.

AF cams and lenses:
In the process of deciding among Sony Nex 6, Fuji X-E1, and Olympus PL-5 with VF4. IQ the same for 13x19 printing. Tilt LCD, quality of VF, UI, my lens preferences and many other considerations mean much more use needed before final choice is made.

[Mark Bridgers]

Panasonic G2, Sigma 30mm f2.8 lens

[Dan]

35mm - Nikon F3HP
120 - Hasselblad 501
Large Format - Deardorff 8x10

[Dave]

I adore my Panasonic GF1. I have all but permanently attached the Olympus 15mm body cap lens to it and as a result the camera goes with me almost everywhere. I keep it in standby mode (it'll last for weeks of casual shooting), have it fixed at ISO 800, and use the lovely Dynamic B&W mode. Setup like this, I can take a photo faster than I can unlock my smart phone. I'll only replace it when it breaks, or they have a fire sale on the GM1.

[Peter Williams]

Nikon D3s - It just works

[Anders]

Olympus e-pm2 with Panasonic 20mm 1.7. Face detect AF on. Good cheap fun.

[Alejandro Martinez]

Panasonic DMC-LC1.
Beautiful images, beautiful handling, built like a tank. It was also stupidly slow and pretty much only ISO100 was usable. I'm now using another camera with similar 'features' the Sigma DP2M.

[Tom Duffy]

Despite long term use/ownership of Leica M cameras, beginning with an M3 owned by my high school in the late 60's, My favorite film camera is the Contax 645 medium format with a microprism focusing screen and the 140mm lens. This camera, introduced in 1999 was amazingly ahead of its time. Autofocus, a standard f2 lens, motor drive, and great controls allow it to be a perfectly useful camera today. It is a pleasure to use.
My favorite digital camera is also my first digital camera, a Canon 5D Mark III. I think I waited long enough to try digital that the design had matured. :) Canon got so much right about this camera. I find the high ISOs to be incredibly liberating.

[Mick]

Haven't owned many cameras, but my vote goes for the venerable Olympus OM 1 with 50mm 1.8. It's just lovely in the hand - mechanically satisfying, light and convenient.

[almostinfamous]

I got started in photography pretty late, but hands down it's my Nikon D200. I own a pair of D7000s for work now, and while the files are nicer in low light, i've been going back to the rock-solidity and dependability of the D200 in good light recently.

[Adrian]

The Mamiya 7II. For me, the best compromise between technical image quality (6x7, superb three lens system) and portability. It has the limitations inherent to a rangefinder, of course.

[Nigel Voak]

Olympus OMD-E-M5 with Lumix 13-35 2.8

[Chris Rusbridge]

Favourite digital camera: X10

Favourite film camera, and my most-used cameras in the past few years since coming back to film: Pentax MX (one for colour, one for mono film!). Simple, classic, brilliant...

[Ale Muñoz]

Panasonic GF1. I bought it years ago out of curiosity, and it ended up replacing my Nikon D90. I've tried to "grow out" of it, first with a Fuji X100 and then with an OMD E-M5, but I sold those and I'm still in love with my old faithful : )

[D B]

D700.

[Stephen Cowdery]

Of the half-dozen digital cameras I've owned, my Samsung EX-1 point and shoot is the "most favorited", does so many things right and fits in my pocket.

[JG]

Then: Leica Digilux 2 ... although its files are noisy and smallish by comparison to those from today's cameras, they nonetheless had a certain something that I've yet to see in the files from any other camera. Aperture and focus rings on the lens and a shutter-speed dial on the top plate didn't hurt, either.

Now: Fuji X100S ... for an everyday carry camera, it's great just as it is. I have had mine for almost a year now and haven't had even a single thought about replacing it, which is perhaps the highest praise I can offer about any camera.

Runner up: Contax 645 with Phase One P30+ digital back. Too big and bulky to be used very often, but also too good of a performer to be sold without a replacement waiting in the wings.

[Robert Hudyma]

Olympus OM-D E-M5 with 12-to-50mm Zuiko.

[Gordon Cahill]

Without a doubt my favourite digital camera is my M9. Dust magnet sensor. Crappy LCD. Focusing errors. What's not to love?

It has so many "issues". But it's a joy to use and at base ISO the files just sing.

Film cameras? XPan, by a mile.

Gordon

[Marc Gibeault]

I had the Konica-Minolta A2 for a few years and I understand perfectly what you mean.
But my favorite of all times is the EM-5. After a year, the controls are now second nature (it took longer than usual with this camera), the image stabilization is fantastic and the two lenses I use with it are perfect:
The very small 17mm ƒ/1.7 is always ready and makes the camera mostly pocket-able while the 45mm ƒ/1.8 is in another pocket.
The 45mm is an excellent portrait lens, it's fast enough to have the nose blurred when the eye is sharp.
And the image quality... I do not lust any other camera, a first!