Was there ever a "Best" 35mm Film SLR? ... if so, what was it, in your opinion?
Jan 23, 2018 16:25:34 #
There were many great 35mm SLRs- Certainty, ain't nothing bad about Leicaflex gear- Alpa and many other fine cameras, however my all-time favorite was the original Nikon F.
It was kinda standard issue when I was worked on a newspaper. I mean, the things were built like the proverbial "brick outhouse"! We used them to the point where the black finish rubbed off and the still functioned well in pretty hard service. There was a wide variety of lenses available- the Nikor lenses were great plus many of the aftermarket manufacturer made lenses for it so we had a wide choice of optics and price points. Nikon did not change its lens mount in that model line for decades. The original was all manual but it accepted the FTN addition for those who wanted on board metering. There were interchangeable viewing screens in the later models as well. Back in the day, the Nikon professional division gave us impeccable service on repairs and modifications. They also provide free equipment pools (with very long lenses etc.) to media photographers at major events like the Olympics.
I held onto mine for over 30 years and it is still in service with the person I handed it down to. Nothing exotic- just a great bread and butter camera!
It was kinda standard issue when I was worked on a newspaper. I mean, the things were built like the proverbial "brick outhouse"! We used them to the point where the black finish rubbed off and the still functioned well in pretty hard service. There was a wide variety of lenses available- the Nikor lenses were great plus many of the aftermarket manufacturer made lenses for it so we had a wide choice of optics and price points. Nikon did not change its lens mount in that model line for decades. The original was all manual but it accepted the FTN addition for those who wanted on board metering. There were interchangeable viewing screens in the later models as well. Back in the day, the Nikon professional division gave us impeccable service on repairs and modifications. They also provide free equipment pools (with very long lenses etc.) to media photographers at major events like the Olympics.
I held onto mine for over 30 years and it is still in service with the person I handed it down to. Nothing exotic- just a great bread and butter camera!
Jan 23, 2018 16:27:55 #
gwilliams6 wrote:
I enthusiastically agree, Canon F1 ! br br For m... (show quote)
Sounds like you had quite an adventurous life in Nicaragua - huh, G?
Dare I say it? ... You're probably lucky to be alive, and all ....
Glad it holds memories for you, and the Canon F1 - holds a special place in your heart .... great camera!!!!
Jan 23, 2018 16:28:57 #
Virgil
Loc: The Hoosier State
Loved my Canon A1. Still have it and the auto-bellows and lenses. Have a Canon 60D now and I miss the auto-bellows.
Jan 23, 2018 16:32:03 #
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
There were many great 35mm SLRs- Certainty, ain't ... (show quote)
Tell you a secret, Ed ... Nikon STILL hasn't changed the F mount, since it was released in 1959 ... Canon abandoned their FD mount when they switched to EOS!!!!
You know, I still have a few focusing screens for my old Fs .... I wonder if they're worth anything, now .....
Jan 23, 2018 16:33:37 #
DIRTY HARRY wrote:
Manolta XD-11
Neat camera and all, Harry ....
Jan 23, 2018 16:38:13 #
Mr palmer wrote:
Are you kidding me? Any real pro knows that the best 35mm camera of ALL TIME was ... Oh, look a squirrel!!
No, seriously, a Horseman with a 35mm back. Or maybe the original OM-D. No, the Original "F" Nikon. No, the M-6, obviously. Wait! That's just the top shelf. Well, 42, clearly.
No, seriously, a Horseman with a 35mm back. Or maybe the original OM-D. No, the Original "F" Nikon. No, the M-6, obviously. Wait! That's just the top shelf. Well, 42, clearly.
Sounds like you're all over the lot, there, huh, Mister?
So, tell me ... who finally won out ... was it - the squirrel, perhaps?
Jan 23, 2018 16:39:28 #
DBW
Loc: near Edmonton AB
The best one that I ever had Was the Canon F-1 35mm, still have it, haven't used it in over 15 years. Did underwater photography in an Ikelite housing, and have had it down around 90 ft, and up in the air at about 30,000 ft. That is why when I went digital, I bought Canon. Right now I have 4 Digitals, first one I bought was the 40D, then the 50D, and then a 5D MK II and now I have the best camera in the world, ( my world ) 5DS R 50.6 MP.
Jan 23, 2018 16:39:49 #
I still have the Canon F1 I bought in '73. I also have the speed finder which became a permanent fixture. Unlike the contemporary Nikon F, the viewfinder could be changed without losing the metering.
Jan 23, 2018 16:41:52 #
Diamond41 wrote:
Thanks Chris, The teacher for my J class knew a great deal about writing but little about photography. K1000 allowed for mistakes which were very often in the beginning.
J for Junior? ... is this HS or College?
K1000 was a great camera, wasn't it?
Lacked all the frills of later cameras ....
But in its basic-ness - lay its usefulness ....
Jan 23, 2018 16:43:33 #
Jan 23, 2018 16:47:14 #
Mr palmer wrote:
Yes! The ST-701 was my first love. So simple. Peace and love were so simple back then too. Sigh.
Yes, it was, Mister ... but then, AIDs came along ... and simple love dried up ...
As did Fuji's involvement with DSLRs ... last was the S5 Pro - with Nikon mount ... had dual pixels and all ... so its 6MP was more like 12MP ...
Then they turned to mirror-less designs ... oh, and ... er ... mustn't forget ... the MF GFX 50S ... quite an achievement!!!!!
Jan 23, 2018 16:52:21 #
Diamond41 wrote:
Thanks for the information Chris.
Sure, Diamond ... I had a few Vivitar lenses, myself - back in the 70s ... for both my Nikons and my Canons ... and those Series Ones were great lenses, too ....
Shame they've pretty much gotten out of the Third Party lens market ... but that super tele proves they're still around ... not like Soligor ....
Jan 23, 2018 16:58:01 #
donsyler wrote:
You'll get as many answers to this question as there were film SLRs. In my mind, the Minolta SRT Series cameras were right up there with the best in terms of optics and reliability. I was a photography minor in the late 60s and subjected my poor SRT-101 to quite a bit of abuse, (such as falling 25 feet through a rotted barn floor while focusing for a shot). Not only did that camera survive that period but it still works perfectly today, 50 years later.
Don ... I think Sony held onto that philosophy when they took over Minolta ... a couple of my SLTs have dropped to the floor, and are not any the worse, for wear ....
These things happen, don't they?
25' feet, huh? .... But, I'll bet it landed in the hay, hey?
Jan 23, 2018 17:04:19 #
ORpilot wrote:
Good thing adapters were only about $10. The beauty of the Exakta was that it was modular, the pentaprism came off and apart, the back could come off. So it dried out well. The film turned into a gooy mess. The 35mm Vivitar lens fogged and the iris rusted in place. The camera recovered no problem. I used it the next day. The film became trash. The lens became the stick shift knob on my Triumph Spitfire. I'm the lens preferred being in my car than the trash.
A Vivitar four-on-the-floor, there, huh, OR?
Glad the Exakta enjoyed the swim, and toweled off, okay ....
Sorry about your film, though ...
Still - you wound up finding a good second use for that lens, huh? .... doesn't the front glass catch the light, though? ... can be distracting ... no?
Jan 23, 2018 17:05:46 #
TheShoe
Loc: Lacey, WA
Olympus OM-1MD - my first camera, well built, sturdy, smaller and lighter than many of today's cameras, great lenses. The only real problem with it was that it was designed to use mercury batteries. When they were outlawed in the US, the replacement batteries were not the same. The TTL light metering became very erratic. The last I saw, there was one repair shop that offered modifications to the circuitry to compensate for the differences at a cost the was equal to or greater than the current value of the camera at the time.
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