Whats your "Go To" Camera? In any sensor size that is...

[Lili]

I have way too many cameras.
I love the different ways each 'sees' due to lens/sensor/imaging processing.
But I find there are 1 or 2 I go to if presented with a shot with little warning.
In my case they are my 2 Fuji's; the F60fd and the S6000fd.
The former because it is so tiny it can be with me all the time, it has a very sharp lens and the IQ is really quite good.
The latter I use when taking a camera bag with; it has a quite decent zoom covering 28-300mm so makes a light kit far thats more compact than either my Oly or Pentax with the lenses needed to cover the same range. Further it is dead quiet in use and, while not nearly so fast in AF or shot-to-shot speed as my Oly or Pentax DSLR's, it is incredibly versatile for all that. Plus it uses the same sensor as the cult-hi-ISO-classic-P&S Fuji F30/31 AND does RAW!
Neither yields true DSLR/Large sensor quality, but they give 80% or better every day with little fuss.
So what are your choices and why?

Edit; here are links to my sets for each

S6000fd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colette_noir/sets/72157603977836605/

F60fd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colette_noir/sets/72157613425397833/

 

[otumay]

I would say that my "Go To" camera of all times is Ricoh GRDII. I know that I should not expect a DSLR quality from its files, so I do not scrutinize them in actual pixels mode, but the overall success of the camera coupled with its "stealth" amazes me.
Best,
Osman

 

[Lili]

Excellent Choice, Osman!

 

[otumay]

Thanks Lili, actually I think your choices yield better results than mine. But I think I'm lazy, and I love the way the GRD processes BW. So I just sit back and enjoy.
Best,
Osman

 

[Will]

GRD2
ISO80 hard colour,
ISO400 B&W sepia,
ISO200 low contrast low sharpening.
All set to infinity then flip the macro if I need to focus at all.
All fine jpg and RAW

Almost impossible not to get a reliable image if there is one there to get.

The Ricoh puts me in a similar mode to my longbow, so intuitive you are hardly conscious of it being in your hand, just see the target/image and begin firing away.
(My DP1 is more like my heavy warbow, bloody hard to use but hugely satisfying when you manage to get it right )

 

[kweide]

Still my GRD....

 

[Bob]

Any sensor size?
The P45+ on a Mamiya AFD III with the 150mm 2.8 D lens.
-bob

 

[Per Ofverbeck]

My D-Lux 4.

In some special cases, my G1, but I´m surprised how often I prefer the D-Lux 4...

 

[PeterA]

My M8 - of course! -

 

[Streetshooter]

The DP1......
finder, screen off, hyper focal distance......

 

[jonoslack]

I'm with Peter . . it's the M8

 

[DavidL]

Was the Olympus C-8080w which I picked up for a snip. I say "Was" because my flatmate took it to work to do some shots with and it's still there. She assures me it's a well protected premises locked up and alarmed and if people do break in they won't bother with the camera because there is better stuff to take. So it's safe, even from me. She's even said that she would like to buy it off me, probably for very little. As it is she has it for nothing :thumbdown:
David

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

The D80 with Tamron 17-50/2.8 + Nikkor 85/1.8.

Actually, I don't like that camera, neither the ergonomics nor the blown highlights, but I like the size and the detailed RAW files. It will be replaced later this year, either with a K-7 or with whatever Olympus comes up with that compete with the K-7, 4/3 or m4/3.

 

[ddk]

I have to say that its my Fuji S5, I have a particular affinity for this camera since day 1 and know that I'll capture what I'm after with it.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

I have to say that its my Fuji S5, I have a particular affinity for this camera since day 1 and know that I'll capture what I'm after with it.

I have to say that I agree, but the S5 is big and heavy, and the lenses that work well on the S5 are big and heavy as well.

 

[TRSmith]

M8.

 

[johnastovall]

With money on the table, Canon 5D...

 

[Lisa]

Most of the time, it's my Nikon D300 - but for a small carry-around-always camera, it's my new Fujifilm F200 EXR. Like you, I love how Fujifilm does compact cameras!

Lisa

 

[Oxide Blu]

I have way too many cameras.

That's because you put a greater priority on the technical side of photography, and less on the compositional side. Not good and not bad -- just your choice, just the way it is. That is not to say composition is less important, it means perhaps you look to the hardware to resolve your compositional desires.

I would say that my "Go To" camera of all times is Ricoh GRDII.

Ditto. Preference is for a full manual SLR and manual lens (Nikon FM3a + Zeiss optics), but 99% of the time it is the Ricoh GRDII that 'walks' with me. Actually, it is with me 100% of the time, even when I am shooting film.

Fwiw, the GRDII replaced an old film Lomo camera that was with me 100% of the time.

 

[Lili]

That's because you put a greater priority on the technical side of photography, and less on the compositional side. Not good and not bad -- just your choice, just the way it is. That is not to say composition is less important, it means perhaps you look to the hardware to resolve your compositional desires.

I will grant that since I do go back and forth on gear I spend less 'quality time' learning this craft and more adapting to whatever camera I am using. I have often said I wish I had saved the cash and time spent on differing gear to simply concentrate more on shooting/learning more. Gear does not matter nearly so much as skill and talent, I've found I do my best when the equipment is 'transparent' to me. As it very much is with my Fujis and was with my GRD

Ditto. Preference is for a full manual SLR and manual lens (Nikon FM3a + Zeiss optics), but 99% of the time it is the Ricoh GRDII that 'walks' with me. Actually, it is with me 100% of the time, even when I am shooting film.

Fwiw, the GRDII replaced an old film Lomo camera that was with me 100% of the time.


Good choice, I USED to feel that way about my GRD till the now-solved battery issue came up. Now, however, I have to learn to trust it all over again
PAX