how many cameras is enough?

[jonoslack]

JONO
YOUR A LITTLE PIGGY and I'm jealous......

as for me ( having just sold my Mamiya 645 pro & Digilux 2 )
which leaves me with:
Digital / D lux 3 & Grd2
Film / Rollei 35S

HI Helen
I am a piggy - we had a VAT inspection yesterday, and even our accountant looked shocked!
But you should see what I haven't got anymore!

 

[Terry]

HI Helen
I am a piggy - we had a VAT inspection yesterday, and even our accountant looked shocked!
But you should see what I haven't got anymore!

Actually Jono....when I saw the post I laughed because of all the stuff I know that you have had at one time or another....

 

[Ruhayat]

Mine would be (in order of ownership):

1. Panasonic LC-40 -- nice lens; still great pics even after 5 years, but body a bit wonky now
2. Panasonic FZ5 -- took a while before I could get usable shots out of it; Vario Elmarit lens not as nice & sharp as Vario Summicron, IQ also not so good
3. Leica D-Lux 3 -- bought on a whim out of lust, really; I still haven't mastered this camera, I might just sell it off one of these days
4. Leica Digilux 2 -- my favourite, it's just about perfect
5. Ricoh GRD -- was my favourite before I got a bag for the Digilux 2 that allowed me to carry that around; I much prefer the 40mm lens than the standard 28mm now.

I suppose I could get the 410 with a couple of lens to replace them all. But then I'd lose the unique characteristics of each -- for some reason, each of cameras above compel me to take photos in different ways.

I think the other day I finally figured out why I can't seem to gel with the D-Lux 3: it's characteristics and the shots it takes are quite SLR-like (to me). It's also very suitable for the kind of shots I'd imagine an SLR excels at -- the pretty pictures that take time to compose properly. I discovered a while ago that I'm pretty much a Rangefinder Type -- SLRs just get in the way too much for me -- which is why I've bonded far easier with the Digilux 2 and GRD.

 

[jonoslack]

Actually Jono....when I saw the post I laughed because of all the stuff I know that you have had at one time or another....

Okay Okay, confession time - I'll start from the digital era (otherwise it'd be too embarrassing ).

Olympus C3030
Olympus E10
Olympus E20
Olympus E100RS
Canon G3
Nikon D1x
Nikon 5700
Nikon D100
Kodak 14n
Olympus E1
Olympus E500
Nikon D2x
Olympus E330
Nikon D200
Leica V-Lux1
Leica M6
Leica M8
Ricoh GR-d
Leica M8
Olympus E510
Ricoh GX100
Olympus E3
Leica d-lux3
Ricoh Gx100

Where cameras occur twice, it's because I've bought two of 'em!
Actually, these are just the ones I can remember - I do sell them too, they've all had their points (some of them bad ones), and most of the decent photos I've taken could have been taken with any of them!

 

[nostatic]

Jono, you're my new hero

 

[Player]

I thought this was just about cameras you currently have. Let's see if I can remember all my cameras, since I became serious:

Digital (same as current list):

Canon A95*
Ricoh GRD2*
Nikon D80*
Nikon D200*

Film:

Pentax SF-10
Pentax SF-1n
Pentax K-1000
Pentax 67 (2)
Fuji 670II
Hasselblad 500CM
Nikon FM2n
Nikon FM2T
Nikon FM3A*
Nikon F2*
Nikon F3HP
Nikon F4
Leica M6 (one black/ one silver)
Minox 35GT-E*
Minox 35ML

*Cameras I currently have

This doesn't hold a candle to Jono.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

My list would be two pages, if I could remember them all. LOL

 

[nostatic]

while the historical perspective is interesting, I think my curiosity is more around what you use now and why/for what. Guy, I've read your comments about using the M8 for a lot of stuff, but there being occasions where you need to go to the dslr. In my case I'm rarely shooting for a "client" but rather for my own "art", so that is less of a pressure on me. But I do want to explore different looks and push myself to try different things. I know that the nut behind the wheel is most of it, but the gear does seem to influence things, whether it is the way the sensor and lens draws or the way the ergonomics/ui get in or out of the way.

 

[helgipelgi]

At the moment I have these:

Lomo LC-A, Holga CFN120, Diana+, SuperSampler, Panasonic LX2, Ricoh GRD2, and a Canon 10D + 50mm f/1.8 and 28mm f/1.8

All bought/acquired since last Christmas, so I've been on a bit of a spree lately. Feel a lot less guilty about my collection after reading this thread, so cheers everyone

Oh, and the answer to the question is obviously: n+1

 

[DominicPerry]

Or in Jono's case 2(n+1)+1

Dominic

 

[gromitspapa]

I'm just going to have to say 30 cameras is enough. I think.

I tried to buy a unused Nikon FM-10 with its 35-70mm kit lens on eBay last night for $130. I'm not sure why. Just seemed like fun to have a super basic film SLR that will mount some of my lenses. Also looking for a 45mm pancake lens for the D300. I'm not sure why. It'll make me feel like George Costanza coming out of the pool with shrinkage. But I guess that's cool in cameraville.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

while the historical perspective is interesting, I think my curiosity is more around what you use now and why/for what. Guy, I've read your comments about using the M8 for a lot of stuff, but there being occasions where you need to go to the dslr. In my case I'm rarely shooting for a "client" but rather for my own "art", so that is less of a pressure on me. But I do want to explore different looks and push myself to try different things. I know that the nut behind the wheel is most of it, but the gear does seem to influence things, whether it is the way the sensor and lens draws or the way the ergonomics/ui get in or out of the way.

I did leave out having good tools does help see your vision too. This comes down to different looks in lenses and actually sensor also. So yes the tools do count but i would like to express that they are tools that you work to your needs. Now being a gear head ain't a bad thing either. Guilty as charged but I take that knowledge that we learn here on the forum with respect to the gear and than apply that to the look and style you want to shoot. And let's not forget about the raw processing and this is were the workshops are really good is you get the most out of those images in the raw processing. You may have great vision and a great eye but if you can't process worth a darn than your missing out what you can draw from the raw file. This part has become a very important part of the new digital process and a lot of folks miss this end of it. The beauty of this forum and this is a huge pat on the back to everyone here is that we are helping each other in this regard . i see a ton of teaching going on from all forum members here and believe this is the type of forum Jack and I want. You get something here and that is learning the whole digital process. Pretty cool stuff

 

[jonoslack]

while the historical perspective is interesting, I think my curiosity is more around what you use now and why/for what. Guy, I've read your comments about using the M8 for a lot of stuff, but there being occasions where you need to go to the dslr. In my case I'm rarely shooting for a "client" but rather for my own "art", so that is less of a pressure on me. But I do want to explore different looks and push myself to try different things. I know that the nut behind the wheel is most of it, but the gear does seem to influence things, whether it is the way the sensor and lens draws or the way the ergonomics/ui get in or out of the way.

Hi There - sorry to leave the straight and narrow!
Basically I currently have 3 cameras for 3 situations!

M8 for 60% of my work - I only discovered rangefinders with the R-D1 and then the M8, and they've been a real revalation.

SLR - for 30% - I've settled down with an Olympus E3, and for most of the time it has the splendid 12-60 f2.8/f4 zoom attached (24-120 equivalent). You can take it out in the pouring rain, plonk it down on sandy beaches, drop it down slipways and it seems to carry on regardless. The lens focuses down to a couple of inches for the whole range and the flip out live view is great for odd angles and tripod work. It's not as good at high ISO as a full frame camera . . . but if I'm shooting in low light I'll nearly always be using the Leica with a fast prime.

small sensor camera - 10% I seem to have both a D-Lux3 and a GX-100 at the moment, trying to figure out which I like best. I love looking at Mitch and Lili and others work with the GRDII, but the truth is for me that if I'm shooting in those conditions I'd be using the M8 - so I only want a small camera on the very few occasions when even my small billingham bag is too much to carry, and the temptations of a zoom lens are too much to resist.

So, the answer to your question is straightforward:

3 cameras is enough for me:

rangefinder
slr
compact.

if I were to win the lottery then an MF back might make that into 4

 

[Cindy Flood]

My current gear:
Leica M8 and MP with Leica and CV lenses (Coolscan V)
Canon Xti with 17-55 f/2.8 IS and 70-200 f/4 IS and extenders (for kids and wildlife). Sees very little use.
GX-100 in my purse all the time.:clap:

If I could only have one, it would be my M8...no contest!
The list of former gear is so long it would bore you.

 

[PeterLeyssens]

Hi,

Here's my complete camera history ! I started out with an Olympus OM-1. When the light meter broke, I swapped it for a discount on an OM-3. Later, I completed my SLR setup with an OM-4T. As I was following a photography course at the time, I got interested in different types of cameras. I found a decent Rollei SL66 on the Internet, but it arrived broken, so I got a refund. Handling it for a second convinced me that I wouldn't have liked it. It's a brilliant tank of a camera, but I wanted something more practical that I could take anywhere but that was still serious enough to do decent work. The camera I got was a legendary Minolta TC-1, which I recently sold to fund my move to digital.

2 years ago, I found myself in a cool old-school shop in Poland and, having read up on rangefinders, I managed to get a Zorki in pristine state for very little money. The Leica iiic I got afterwards was always a bit of a disappointment compared to the Zorki, even after the CLA, so I sold it again for funding. Soon, I will get a Ricoh GX-100 which will get an external VF. One, because swapping them the whole time feels like a hassle and they're not cheap at all at €150 a piece. It'll probably be a 50mm, but a 35/50/75mm one would be perfect

Somehow, I don't feel attracted to DSLRs at all. I feel that I only started to get in touch with my subject when I bought the Minolta TC-1. It seems that I prefer a simple stupid little window to look through, over looking through the lens. If a Leica M8 would've been €1500, I would've gotten one of those a long time ago and used it with my Summitar 50/f2 and Summaron 35/f3.5. So I'm going pocket camera first and that should keep me busy for a few years until Leica and Zeiss have something a bit more sensible out.


Peter.

 

[kai.e.g.]

Hi,
2 years ago, I found myself in a cool old-school shop in Poland and, having read up on rangefinders, I managed to get a Zorki in pristine state for very little money. Peter.

I love my little Zorki, too. I once contemplated getting a Leica iii, but since the Zorki works perfectly and looks almost exactly the same (albeit without the slow speed dial), I couldn't see the point. Mine came straight from the Ukraine, but like you, I bought several lenses for it while traveling in Wroclaw, Poland. It's a great little kit that feels like it could never break.

 

[PeterLeyssens]

You found old camera stuff in Wroclaw ? You lucky ! People in several second hand stores there told me that they only sold old SLRs because all the tourists had bought all the old rangefinder stuff I also didn't find as attractive an old shop as I found in Krakow.

I'm reading up on the Epson R-D1 now as it turns out it's only a bit over €1000 on eBay. It's not the €1500 M8 I mention above, but if I can try one before buying and I like it, then at that price level, the decision will be easy.

I'm not worried about the "lack of megapixels", just like I wasn't worried when I bought the Zorki. A camera body that feels good and that can take good lenses, will produce a hundred times more pictures than any camera I don't like using, even if the latter has double the megapixels.



Peter.

 

[kai.e.g.]

It took me forever to find the shop; another shop closer to the square pointed me vaguely in the right direction. When I found the shop, they did have some older rangefinder stuff (much more in the way of old SLR gear), but not much in the way of lenses. Another (local) customer standing at the counter told me to wait and he'd come back with some lenses, which he did after about 30 minutes or more, his pockets and shoulder bag stuffed with various Soviet lenses, some of which I bought, right there in the store.

You found old camera stuff in Wroclaw ? You lucky ! People in several second hand stores there told me that they only sold old SLRs because all the tourists had bought all the old rangefinder stuff I also didn't find as attractive an old shop as I found in Krakow.

 

[meilicke]

After recently acquiring a ricoh gx100, I am using that full time for the moment. I had a Canon 20d for two years, and loved it to pieces because it came kind of close to the Canon T90, which fit my hands like a glove. Oh, I do like the T90.

But then the Pentax 31mm prime came along, and I sold the Canon and bought a K100D. I could almost care less what the focal length is, I just really like the colors on that lens. The 77mm is similar, but not the same for me. I'm not sure what it is yet. I was given a 35-70 F4 pentax zoom, and much to my surprise, like it quite a bit. Easy to focus, great IQ, and small.

If I had to keep just one, it would be the K100D with the 31mm. But for now, that has been gathering dust as I play with the GX100. The Ricoh is *so* different and liberating compared to a DSLR due to weight, not having to bring it to my face, the lack of audible noise, not worrying about which lens to take, etc. Maybe I will want to keep the GX100 over the K100D/31mm in the not too distant future.

 

[4season]

My list:

M8
GX100
Canon SD1000 which fills no particular niche except that it's cute, tiny, and it works pretty good, all things considered. At high ISO, the extreme grittiness reminds me a little of Agfapan as shot with a Minox submini camera.

Nikon D100 which I should probably sell, but once in awhile it's nice to have an SLR, and I have no idea what, if anything, I'd replace it with.

Film cameras that I really ought to sell:
Leica M6
Toko 4x5 triple-extension cherry wood field camera