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.
(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."
The Olympus E-M5: it's not got the objectively highest image quality of any camera and it's not the smallest, but it hits the right price / performance / size / lenses combo for me.
When I shot with DSLRs I missed a lot because the DSLR was too cumbersome to take out.
Posted by: Jseliger.wordpress.com | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:30 PM
The Fuji X-100
Mi dos pesos!
Posted by: Hugh Smith | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:34 PM
Fuji xPro-1
Posted by: Chris | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:34 PM
Olympus E1 with a Panasonic/Leica 25mm f1.4.
Posted by: Brian Small | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:36 PM
I supposed I liked my Nikon D700 the best, because its high-ISO performance was so dramatically improved over everything that came before that the camera finally became essentially transparent to me. The thing did away with the last annoying limitation that used to keep me fiddling and compromising all the time. I like my D800, but that D700m was the first camera to fit me like a glove.
Posted by: Joe Holmes | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:38 PM
Simple... Leica Digilux 2 ... the photo's still shine out. Part Exed for an M8...
Posted by: Bill Murray | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:39 PM
I have owned quite a few, we have a number now and have even had highly regarded recent models but my all time favourite is the M9 and 50mm lens.
Just works for me, simple, quick and after two models is always just an extension of my hand, no thought necessary, just do!
Does not get any better, and image quality that I love :)
JRB
Posted by: Jrbelmuda | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:41 PM
Favourite film camera: Olympus Pen EE. Tiny with a fixed focus, sharp 40mm-e lens and automatic exposure. Snap, snap, snap. Street-shooting Derringer.
Posted by: Jeff Hohner | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:41 PM
Much as I'm smitten with the X-T1 (seems photographers on the internets are buying new cameras every 2-3 months), I'm thankful for my F3 and my 20mm (and 40mm Ultron) to take care of business as usual...
Posted by: Stan B. | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:45 PM
My favorite camera of all time, hands down, was the lovely Pentax MZ-S. This was the last 35 mm film SLR from Pentax. Released in 2001, it was delightfully quirky and very compact yet extremely capable. It provided 95% of the ability of the big pro CaNikon monsters at half the weight, though its autofocus was so-so.
It had two fabulous features. First, its exposure/metering system remains the best I have ever encountered. Two big control dials, one for your thumb and the other for your index finger; one shifted aperture and the other shutter speed. You could shift exposure on the fly using the bar-graph in the viewfinder. And the little 'reset' button instantly centered the exposure if you got lost.
The other great feature was ergonomics, still the best I've ever seen. The top plate angled back toward the user, so you could read the two little LCD's easily. The pentaprism viewfinder was excellent. The 'naked' camera was marginally too small for my large hands, but the matched battery grip made it just perfect. And unlike the ugly 'industrial' grips for CaNikon, it was sleek and sinuous like something out of H.R. Giger's notebook. Everything fell to hand perfectly.
Also worth mentioning were Pentax's superb lenses. The 85 mm f:1.4 remains the finest lens I have ever used, from *any* manufacturer. Crazy sharp at most apertures, just soft enough wide open, perfect bokeh. The 200 mm f:4 macro was fabulous. The 80-200 f:2.8 zoom was not quite as good as Canon's equivalent grenade launcher, but it was also half the price and 40% lighter.
I sold my entire Pentax system to fund my jump to digital. No regrets about going digital...but I still mourn for that 85 mm f:1.4......
Posted by: Geoff Wittig | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:48 PM
I am currently in the midst of a passionate affair (cheating on a FF Canon) with a Fuji X camera, as a "poor man's Leica", but I suspect this comes from my love for the camera I bought in the dying days of my film experience. The camera I'd therefore nominate as my favourite camera of all time is the Voigtlander R3A.
For digital... well I wish I wasn't a "poor man".
Posted by: Marc Lawrence | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:50 PM
Ricoh GX100/GX200. My ultimate decisive moment cameras, so many of my best pictures came out of these.
Because they worked so well for me, Ricoh decided to discontinue the series. I tried substituting with the GXR S10, then more recently the APS-C GR. The experience was not to be repeated.
Now I have a smattering of very good cameras on my desk, the most appealing being the OM-D E-M10. But I usually do better with the iPhone than any of them. RIP, GX series...
Posted by: Francois | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:50 PM
Olympus OM-D E-M5
Posted by: Marvin G. Van Drunen | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:50 PM
X100s. Easy!
Posted by: Ben | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:51 PM
Despite its many faults, the Kodak DCS-Pro SLR/n.
Posted by: Dave in NM | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:53 PM
Leica M8 for its Gestalt, sadly electronically immature, thus Nikon D700.
Posted by: Darko Hristov | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:54 PM
Olympus E-PL5, with the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm/1.4. Or for people shots, the Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm/1.8 on the same camera.
Posted by: Wolfgang Lonien | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:54 PM
The next one coming down the pike.
Posted by: Bob Dales | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:57 PM
Sony Nex 7 with Canon 40mm pancake. Great combination.
Posted by: Grant Kench | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:59 PM
Ricoh GR Digital II/IV
Posted by: Philip | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 03:59 PM
hello Mike,
I really started photography with digital cameras (a nikon d70), but I owned quite a few digital and film cameras from various brands. I never really liked nikon ergonomics thoug. clearly my favorite cameras were the the Canon 5D and 5D II camera, with the last one being my absolute favorite. I sold it a few days ago, as I am switching to mirrorless cameras, but the ergonomics, sturdniess, reliability and image quality of my 5D II always amazed me. It´s a great tool that I had great pleasure using. I really like the compact size and weight of my a7r, but it really is a gadget compared to these two canon cameras.
Posted by: romain CR | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:02 PM
The Olympus E-1 was definitely my favorite. It had everything going for it: size, toughness, responsiveness, color response. Too bad Olympus belatedly replaced it with a D200 copy, and then gave up on the SLR business when they figured out that people were buying their D200s from Nikon.
The 5D Mark II is a close second. It's a camera that you can just forget about and concentrate on images.
Posted by: Bernard | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:03 PM
Sony a99. Why Nikon and Canon don't put a flip-out screen on their pro bodies is beyond me. Once you use one, you'll never want to go back.
And because you're (not) asking. The a99's favorite lens. CZ 135mm f/1.8. These go together like a bagel and smoked sable.
Posted by: Eli Burakian | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:08 PM
I am an optical viewfinder photographer. In spite of the not full frame category I started a love based relationship with my Fuji X pro 1. I lost one some days ago when my car ended all burned with a very appreciated 23 1.4. But now I am knowing more a 28 mm that is more compact and a focal lens prime that I never used. Interesting times for me.
Posted by: Hernan Zenteno | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:09 PM
I,ve got a special place in my heart for the old nikon D200. Build like a tank and solid performance.
Posted by: Salvador Moreno | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:09 PM
In time, it's my good'ol'300D (aka Rebel), because at the time the gap with anything nearly as affordable was quite significant.
Used it for 7 years (and most of my galleries' photos). Now it's my E-PL5 : better IQ and wayyy better interface for less weight.
Posted by: Nikojorj | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:11 PM
I haven't had all that many digital cameras (2 point and shoots, 2 dslrs, and 1 mirrorless), but for what it's worth my favorite is the OMD EM5. I have to admin that most of my best shots were taken with the dslrs but I've only had the EM5 for 2 years. However, I'm far more likely to pull out my EM5 than I ever was my dslr.
Posted by: bencr | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:12 PM
Olympus E-1
Absolutely the best ergonomics of any DSLR, before or since. Amazing image color. Awesome lenses. Perfect H/W format for portraiture. Uniform noise across the entire brightness range. Oh, and quiet.
Pixel count, high ISO performance and AF stunk up the show. But if none of those mattered, the camera is best of class.
Posted by: Ken N | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:12 PM
I only use film cameras, and I have many, but my main gear philosophy is to find the right tool for a given job: right format, right type( SLR, TLR,PS, Panoramic or RF), right lens, and once it has been calibrated and tested, stick to it. In practice, given that I am predominantly a 50mm man, my favourite everyday rig is a Leica M7 with the motor drive and a 50/2.8 or 50/1.4 lens, depending on the available light.
Posted by: Marek Fogiel | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:14 PM
Film: OM4Ti + 2,8/24mm, 2/40mm, 2/85mm (for years!)
Digital: GX7 + 9-18mm, 1,7/20mm, 1,8/45mm (think not so long as 4Ti)
Future: Fuji X ??? ;-)
Posted by: charlyR | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:16 PM
I have to agree with you on Konica Minolta 7D. It was also my first DSLR and it had some really nice features that I've been missing in some newer cameras, for example interval timer. I still have it around and occasionally use it.
Posted by: Richard Johnsson | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:16 PM
Panasonic GF1 with the 20mm f1.7. Made me realise I didn't need a dSLR all the time and made shooting fun.
Posted by: pete | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:27 PM
Fuji F30. What a great little camera, and the files had a nice look.
Posted by: Will | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:27 PM
Olympus Pen E-P5 with the Pan-Leica 25mm f 1.4 (Konica Hexanon AR 50mm f1.7 is a close second lens)
Posted by: Suprada | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:33 PM
Canon S3 IS.
My first non-previously-used digital camera. Ergonomically perfect, light, adaptable to several situations. I took it with me almost everywhere. Then I switched to Pentax K10D, largely superior as a photo-machine, but too heavy and bulky. Now I have a Panasonic G3, much better than the Canon, but not so versatile.
Posted by: Marco Sabatini | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:34 PM
The go every-where, rock-solid, never-failed-me camera is the 12 MP Nikon D3. I wrote "do-everything" too, but erased it just now knowing that someone would object due to lack of video. I don't use video that much, so it just isn't part of the analysis for me. Man, the files on that thing just sing. Great low-light performance (which I define as better-than-film), pleasing skin tones, works with, I don't know how many lenses. The M9 is nice, the Fuji X-1 Pro is fancy, and the Olympus P2 is tiny. . . but the D3 is just bomb proof. In fact I caught myself cruising past KEH's web site to see what a used one runs . . . you know, just in case.
Posted by: Benjamin Marks | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:36 PM
Ricoh R4.
Killed by a rouge wave in Habana.
Posted by: Rube Redfield | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:38 PM
I love my Fuji X20. It's small, with a very fast built-in 28-112mm zoom, an optical viewfinder, and easy navigation. Best of all is the quality of the RAW files I get from it. Also, in size, feel, and build quality it reminds me of the Contax TVS, my all-time favorite film camera.
Posted by: Rodger Kingston | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:39 PM
Sony rx100
Posted by: beautox | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:39 PM
Nikon D700
Posted by: HD | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:41 PM
After a year of discomfort I have bonded with my OM-D E-M5. It gives me great color and with any of three lenses, the 17mm f/1.8, the 25mm f/1.4 and the 45mm f/1.8 I get wonderful files.
Posted by: James Weekes | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:43 PM
My all time favourite camera is a toss-up between the Rolleiflex SL66 and the Toyo 810 M MkII, though decades apart. The Toyo lacked the precision control of my Sinars, but it always made me feel connected with the subject.
Posted by: Walter Glover | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:44 PM
I've only ever used Nikon's best - D1x, D2x, D3s,D700, D800. None of them have been my favourite (unlike my film days with the Hasselblad 500cm or the Leica M6). I'm still waiting and I would hazard a guess I'm not alone.
Posted by: David in Sydney | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:50 PM
Digital - Canon 6D with 40mm pancake lens
Film - Leica M6 with 35mm Summicron
Posted by: MichaelW | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:54 PM
Pentax 6x7 and the Takumar 6x7 105mm F2.4, with Velvia 100F, Fuji acros 100 or Tri-X.
Posted by: Nigel Robinson | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:57 PM
M3.
Posted by: Soeren Engelbrecht | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:57 PM
I mainly shoot black and white film, my favorite camera is the Leica M6 I currently own.
Posted by: Gunnar Marel | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 04:59 PM
The Epson RD1 was probably the camera I liked the most. It wasn't perfect in any sense, and I wouldn't want one today. What makes it special for me is that it far exceeded my expectations, and that is something no other camera has done.
Posted by: Michael Hultström | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:06 PM
First "real" camera, Nikon F, 50 F1.4, black, 1968, built like a tank, heavy like a tank, even sounded like a tank .... no wait, .... Canon S110, small, fits in pocket, almost silent, shoots in available darkness, and is usually with me. Like it a lot! 8-)
Posted by: Bron | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:14 PM
Film: Leica M3
Digital: Pentax K5iis
Honorable Mention: Nikon V1
Posted by: Randy Lewis | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:15 PM
I have very fond memories of the Epson R-D1 and '70's 35mm Summilux Combo I used to have.
Posted by: Nick | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:16 PM
My all-time favourite camera is always the one that I currently use. Otherwise I would have kept the old one. For the past two years, my main shutter squeeze and all-time fave has been a Canon 5D2.
Posted by: Gerry | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:20 PM
Olympus E30.
It made me feel more like a "real photographer" than any camera since my first Argus C3 50 years before!
It's too slow (congress could act while it writes to memory), too heavy (better than a Speed Graphic for fending off muggers), only has 5MP resolution, and cost $1500 in 2002.
But in the first month I got more printable images than I'd gotten with all of my Linhofs and Leicas in the previous 10 years.
(My new Sony RX10 may be it's logical do-everything all-in-one successor -- I hope.)
Posted by: Bil Mitchell | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:22 PM
Equal first place: Fuji X100S and Leica Digilux 2
Posted by: Geoff Morgan | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:33 PM
Favorite would have to be the Nikon D800. The files are fantastic and I love how the camera handles. Plus the f1.8 primes are great for the money.
Second would be the Canon 5d MkII. Improved on the original, and still a very capable camera all these years later. The 6D really isn't all that different from what I have seen.
Honorable mention goes to my first digicam, the Sony DSC-S30. 1.3 megapixels and a somewhat unusual design, but I still miss the old guy sometimes. Nostalgia!
Posted by: Josef | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:35 PM
As primarily a film photographer, the Cambo Wide DS, a compact flat-plate technical camera. It's large format lite. With it, I can use wide angle and ultra wide angle lenses with shifts to keep everything vertical in combination with the elegant 2:1 ratio 6x12 cm format (using a Horseman roll-film back) or 4x5" full-frame. The WDS has no bellows, and instead uses lenses on helical focus mounts, doing away with getting under a dark cloth to focus. Gives me very distinctive images of landscape, industrial and architecture.
Posted by: Rod S. | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:44 PM
Pentax Q with 15-45.
It's like having a 5D with a 2.8/70-200L, but you can carry it in your pocket!
Posted by: Andrew | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:45 PM
iPhone 4.
It's the one I use most. It gives me great pleasure.
Posted by: Roger Overall | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:45 PM
The Nikon F4 is the best camera I've ever used. Solid, accurate, reliable, and worth about $50 these days. Sad, huh? Having said that, I haven't shot film in years, so I'd have to say that the Canon EOS 5D Classic is my favourite digital camera, but the Panasonic GF-1 comes a close 2nd.
Jeff
Posted by: Jeff Wilson | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:55 PM
Work: D4+f/2.8 zooms
Personal: D700+f/1.8 primes
The D700 gets the most love, the D4 the most work. One day, Nikon will update the D700, I hope. Love the 85 mm and the 50. Today the D700 and the primes are really great value.
Posted by: Jean | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 05:57 PM
NEX-6 and the Minolta XE-7 (old film cam, used longer than all of my other cameras combined (I think)!).
Posted by: Art in LA | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:03 PM
Favourite for ergonomics: Lumix GH2. Shame about the sensor and distortion on the kit 14-42mm lens.
Favourite for sensor: NEX-7. (The ergonomics are middle of the road: ISO changing from auto in P,A,S modes to 100 in M saves a lot of dial-spinning, but you can't beat having 3 custom modes to choose from.)
Posted by: Tim | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:06 PM
I've always liked the Canon G series compacts (currently have a G12) but the camera I love is my Nikon D800E. The quality of the images it produces is just so amazing. I've been going back through my image library lately and the old images from my D70 and D300 are just so poor in comparison!
Posted by: Tony Ayling | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:07 PM
Fuji X-Pro1
Posted by: Fiddlergene | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:11 PM
Canon 5D (original). So simple ... but OMD-EM5 may take its place.
Posted by: Colin Work | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:13 PM
Nikon D5100. Only my second digital camera.
Posted by: John Krill | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:15 PM
Minolta Maxxum 7 (not D). Considering getting a third just in case the two I already have wear out...
Posted by: Q | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:16 PM
Nikon FE2 with motor drive and Kiron 28-85. Served me well for 25+ years. Guess it says something that I listed the film camera first. Favorite digital - Nikon D700 but I own a D7000.
Posted by: James Hildreth | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:17 PM
epson rd1 with rollei 40/2.8
Posted by: joe rizzuto | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:19 PM
Nikon D700 with primes. Runner up: Ricoh GR
Posted by: Steve | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:21 PM
Primarily a film photographer now, so my favourite camera is the Hasselblad 500CM + 80/2.8 lens.
Posted by: Tham Jing Wen | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:23 PM
Oh, I forgot....
The most important reason that I loved my Olympus E30 is that the images look like they were taken on Kodachrome II through an Elmar lens. They are just GORJESUS!
Posted by: Bil Mitchell | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:32 PM
Very close call. The two cameras I regretted selling and repurchased later are the X100 (makes me work, rewards me with superb images from a discrete camera that allows you to blend into the background) and the Olympus E-1 (like shooting with a Rolex, and superb images at the lowest ISOs). But my most capable camera by far is the Pentax K-5iiS. Thing is, I prefer to use the Fuji, and turn to the Pentax only when I need to.....
Posted by: Jon Schick | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:34 PM
Fuji X100 in black - it reminds me of my Konica Hexar AF...
Posted by: Gary Mortensen | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:40 PM
Olympus E-M1. What I wished every camera I had ever owned would have been.
Posted by: Dennis Mook | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:41 PM
Pentax K-5IIs. Just plain fun, and great photos as a sidelight.
Posted by: Bob Keefer | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:42 PM
Canon 7D is my favourite. I have 2 of them, one with a 400mm F5.6L lens permanently mounted to shoot birds and the other with an 18-200 zoom as a walk around. After 4 years, I don't have to stop and think about how to use them.
Posted by: Sherwood McLernon | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:51 PM
I still really like my old D70. The 18-70 is very sharp and what shortcomings it does have are easily fixed by software. I keep threatening to replace it but the old tank just keeps chugging along.
For those rare occasions when I sill shoot film (two or three times a year) a fifty year old Rollei 2.8f does the trick and it's a great conversation starter at national parks. It's the only camera that makes me happy just to carry it around.
Posted by: Mike Plews | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 06:51 PM
Mike, I have liked everyone of my nikon cameras but my d800 is far and away the best camera I have ever owned. It generally lives with a 24-120 f4 lens on it or the 50. I have owned it for almost 2 years now and had to send it for service once, but it makes photography so easy and enjoyable. Hope this wasn't too long. Thanks for asking.
Posted by: Albert Erickson | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:00 PM
i've hated all the digital cameras i've ever shot with mostly because of the interface. i guess the nex-7 bothered my the least, but it was still super annoying.
the rx1 is my favorite digital lens though.
Posted by: thomas hobbes | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:09 PM
Digital EOS 5D MKIII - it feels like a mature camera and it just lets me work the way I want!
Film EOS 1V - Great body that sits in my bag beside the 5D MKIII and I only need one set of lenses and speedlite's for both! If it had the thumb joystick it would be perfect.
Posted by: Trevor Sowers | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:12 PM
It would have to be my Pentax K20D, which has served me well. It does what I say, it does what I ask.
It's usually seen with the 16-50 f/2.8 zoom, but I've started going out with just a Sigma 28-105mm, as I'm a bit of a wide boy when it comes to lenses and I feel that I should spend more time on the long side of the standard length, rather than trying to get as wide as possible.
I hope to buy a K3 soon, and the K20D will be relegated to 2nd camera.
It is only the second digital camera I have owned, the first being a secondhand Minolta Dimage S414, which I still have and does give nice muted colours.
Posted by: Roger Bradbury | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:13 PM
My 7D became a brick, so I switched to Canon and really like my 50D.
Posted by: Bernie Kubiak | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:13 PM
Might have been a tough call between the Nikon D700 and the Fuji X-E1 I bought when I sold the Nikon, but loving the X-E1 and 3 lenses I got for it lead me to the Fuji X100s, which is the clear no-contest winner for me.
Film camera would be the Pentax K1000 I learned on, by a mile.
Posted by: Will | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:14 PM
Canon 5D. First digital camera I could have happily used for the rest of my life (as if).
Posted by: JK | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:19 PM
Dear Mike,
The Canon 20D was my 'first' and still my favourite. Photographer nostalgia reigns supreme.
Posted by: Mal West Aussie | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:24 PM
Since you turned me into a film photographer with your "best bargain in medium format" article my favorite is the Fuji GW690III. My GF670 which just arrived yesterday could very well take it's place.
Posted by: Ned | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:26 PM
Got to agree with the Minolta 7D - waited a long time for that and it was worth the wait!
Posted by: Andy Johnson | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:32 PM
Nikon D2H, 4 large Mp, love the way B&W files look. Camera is fast, fast, and fast. Also,
my old Sony F717, 5 Mp love the color, but camera is slow, slow and slow.
Film: My Nikon Ftn from 1969 with a bunch of non AI and AI'd lenses. All still click'n
Posted by: SLOjoe | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:38 PM
Olympus E-M5
Minolta X-700
Posted by: Jim Hart | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:41 PM
Canon S95, because it's generally the best camera I have with me. tl;dr justification here: http://thesetbackpost.com/photography/the-faithful-companion/
Posted by: Matthew Allen | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:41 PM
In order:
1. D700 while I used it.
2. Panasonic LX-3
3. iPhone 4 and 5.
4. Olympus OMD.
Posted by: psu | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:44 PM
The Noritsu at my local lab because it accepts all kinds of accessories: Nikon F3s, Fuji GW690s, Hasselblads, etc.
Posted by: Andre Y | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:48 PM
digital: monochrom (for usability and the wow in the pictures)
for film, i'm pathetically undecided between M4, pentax spotmatic, and rollei 35
Posted by: sebastian | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:48 PM
I'm primarily shooting film, and my favourite is easy to say: Pentax MZ-S. It's small, fast, has a very ergonomic design resulting from Pentax's brave attempt at a "clean sheet" redesign of the modern camera interface. It's the perfect match for the FA 43mm and 77mm Limited lenses. The results on Kodak BW400CN make me very, very happy.
Posted by: David W. Scott | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 07:52 PM
Film: Ebony 45SU, especially its asymmetrical tilts.
Digital: Sony A900. The Intelligent Preview feature works well. I wish the Custom Modes 1-3 could remember the image stabilisation setting though, since I usually forget to activate it for handheld.
Posted by: Leigh Perry | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 08:00 PM
My favorite film camera : Zeiss Ikon ZM, 50mm Planar, contact sheets and prints.
Posted by: Yves Papillon | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 08:05 PM
Fuji Xpro1. Though it may become the XE2 I am planning to buy next tax year....
Posted by: Steve Jacob | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 08:15 PM
Nikon and Canon score pretty low here, considering their enormous market share...
Posted by: John | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 08:16 PM
Canon 10D, my first DSLR
Posted by: Seth Friedman | Thursday, 13 March 2014 at 08:20 PM