What are cameras for someone who is interested in photography and would like to start a collection?
Monday, January 23rd, 2012 at
11:04 pm
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There are wonderful cameras to collect, many of them you wouldn’t easily be able to use. From daguerrorype cameras to stereoscopic cameras, big format ones. Those are really antiques. After, beautiful devices from Kodak, Rolleiflex, Exakta, Zeiss, Contax, all the slr, all medium format ones like the pretty Hasselblad and innumerable photography cameras from everywhere. As a photographer, I prefer using them rather than collecting
Just to be clear, PHOTOGRAPHERS don’t collect cameras. COLLECTORS and HOARDERS collect cameras. PHOTOGRAPHERS buy cameras every once in a while as needed and learn to use each one proficiently and take awesome photos with what they have, over and over again, to the point, of wearing the camera out or outgrowing its features and abilities, and then, only then, do they buy another camera.
Below is a list of some classic cameras you can pick up if you want to actually use them in day-to-day use. They are more than just interesting looking, they are reliable and take quality photos while instilling discipline and knowledge. What you should really do is figure out what kind of photography you want to practice and research and choose cameras based off of that.
In no particular order:
Nikkormat FTn, FT2
Nikon FM, FM2n
Nikon F, F2
Pentax K1000
Pentax Spotmatic F
Pentax ME Super
Olympus OM-1
Olympus XA
Olympus 35 (any from the series)
Kodak Retina IIIc (or any other from the series)
Leica (any rangefinder)
Canon FTb
Canon Canonet (any from the series)
Yashica GSN Electro
Yashica 12, 24, A
Agfa Click
Agfa Clack
Voigtlander Perkeo
Mamiya 645
Mamiya rb67
Rolleiflex (anything)
Rolleicord (anything)
There are many many more "collectible" cameras that fetch insane prices just because they look cool or are rare, the list above are cameras that are prices well for what they are and can be used regularly when purchased at a reliable camera shop or after being serviced by a repair shop.
Buy from KEH.com, CollectibleCameras.com, CameraRepair.com, BHPhoto.com (used section), Adorama.com (used section), PennCamera.com (used section) or find someplace local to you.
DO NOT buy from Craigslist or eBay unless you are only interested in collecting and do not care about functional condition.
And one last word of advice, do not blow all your money on the camera, save a good portion for film, processing, printing and more lenses!
Check out the stuff I’ve written on my website about the topic:
http://www.johnnymartyr.com/martyrmusings.php
Good luck!
Metal & Manual! Film Forever!
The amount of cameras and lenses that I have had come and go from my collection over the years would easily reach three figures. Some I kept for just a few days before selling on, some a few years, others I still have and use now. I have whittled it down to about eight or nine cameras and quite a lot of lenses.
It really depends on how much money you have to spend, what type of photography you intend to do and how much space you have to store them!
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If you ask me what cameras/lenses you should consider buying then I will tell you to buy ones that can be used a modern day DSLR either with or without an adapter. I currently shoot digitally with a Ricoh GR Digital as a compact and a Canon 20D as my more serious tool. The beauty of Canon is that it allows me to use several older manual focus lens systems with my camera body and achieve infinity focus. Therefore I look for cameras and lenses that are also compatible with my DSLR body.
I currently own a few SLR bodies but the film ones which I currently use are a Sigma Mark 1 (M42 mount) and Contax RTS (C/Y mount.) I have quite a large number of lenses for these cameras, all of which I can use with my Canon. After using many, many SLR bodies, these two cameras are now my ‘final two’ which I am so happy with, I don’t ever see myself selling them. If you see them for a good price (and the Sigma can be very cheap) then don’t hesitate to buy them.
As for compacts? Well I have always liked the Olympus MJU II (my carry everywhere camera), Olympus XA and XA2, Olympus Trip 35 is an essential in anyone’s collection, and Leica Mini II.
I think that owning and using a TLR is a great photographic experience. I loved mine but sold it after it got little use. You should certainly use both 35mm and 120 film cameras to gain experience in MF shooting. Be sure to experiment and use many cameras which are fully manual, no electronics, manual everything! It will help you with your photographic technique and skills.
There are no cameras that everybody should have in their collection, it is all down to personal taste and the other reasons I listed above. Good luck with the collecting! Be warned though… Gear Acquisition Syndrome can be very expensive!
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