Besides a Leica

[Bill Pierce]

There are a lot of cameras in my toolbox because I earn my living taking pictures for other people. In addition to my Leicas, I use Canon DSLRs a lot. But, even for personal work, there are some cameras that are not Leica M's that I love to use.

I use a little Minilux with its fixed lens and its Zeiss Contax counterpart because they are small and automatic. They eliminate every excuse for not always having a camera with you from "The camera is too big." to "By the time I focus, the picture's gone."

My other "fun" camera is an 8x10 view, because it's sharper than a Leica.

I wondered what cameras outside of Leicas other members of the forum use. And most especially, why they use them, what advantages they have over Leicas. I guess the big question is what advantages. I'd love to hear from everybody.

Bill

[vrgard]

While certainly no great revelation given the amount of discussion directed to it on this forum, the first camera that comes to my mind is the Olympus XA-2 (even more than the XA rangefinder because the XA-2 has zone focusing). With its amazingly small size and tough plastic clamshell case it completely eliminates any excuse about difficulty in carrying a camera at all times.

Of course, lately I've been having more fun with a Minox 35ML although I've read comments from others about its fiddly nature. Yet in my experience (knock on wood) it has worked flawlessly and has the advantage of aperture-priority albeit with the concomitant challenge of scale-focusing. The advantage I'm experiencing over use of my M3, M4, M6 and CL is the autoexposure capability. It's a nice change to be able to simply set a desired aperture for depth of field purposes, scale focus accordingly, and then let the camera figure out the exposure. As much as I like the all manual nature of my Leica's, I have to admit to enjoying the almost point-and-shoot nature of the Minox.

-Randy

[Finder]

Mamiya 6 and 6MF - It is the Leica equivalent of a Hasselblad. It is also compact; one of the smallest medium-format cameras made.

Horseman SW612 - A very cinematic format. Very compact and easy to handhold. The negative is a nice size.

I like the interplay between the 6x6 and 6x12 formats. I can put a 6 and SW612 in a small lumbar pack and move around, whether it is in 10,000 ft mountains for a few months or an 800 odd mile hike.

[rogue_designer]

Well - rather than a leica, I use a Canon P - but it's basically the same thing.

I also have in my pocket a Rollei 35 or an Oly XA - just to make sure I always have a camera. Eliminates the "its too big" argument certainly.

I have Nikon dSLR's but I rarely use them. For me they are mostly a tool of convenience when my clients need large numbers of files quickly - Most of the work I do these days doesn't fit that mold.

My primary workhorse cameras for professional work are my Horseman VHR and my Wisner 4x5 - shooting in studio or on location, products and architecture. With a basic kit of a 90, 135, and 210, I can handle most interiors down through portrait lengths and macro. Thought I should probably start stockpiling wider lenses for if (when) I have to make the switch to digital capture. Image quality is very high, the VHR allows me to use roll-film or sheetfilm with movements - and is just barely hand-holdable with a built in RF if I need it. The wisner is beautiful, sturdy, and has very flexible bellows allowing for both wide-angles (optional bag if needed) and a long bellows for close up studio work. I'll probably get a monorail soon - and additional wides but for now, I've been in pretty good shape with this kit.

I loaned my Wista 8x10 to my sister, I should probably ask for it back.

I also sometimes use a Rolleiflex for environmental portraiture and landscapes. It's still quite portable, and the "normal" lens suits the way I work.

Sometimes for kicks I throw a minox C (8x11) in my pocket - but processing that film is such a bear.

[drewbarb]

There are a lot of cameras in my toolbox because I earn my living taking pictures for other people.
Bill
Me too. I use Nikon SLR equipment- film and digital, though it's 95% digital these days; the film Nikons are lonely- but I rarely use them for any personal work. My Mamiya RZ still gets a certain amount of excercise, though it's wanning. I'd like to get a Rollieflex and retire the RZ, since it's mostly a portrait camera with a normal lens for me these days.

I carry an Olmpus XA for those times I don't want a larger camera, but the Leicas are my main carry around gear. I use them as a notebook, to shoot whatever strikes me. Sometimes I get those serendipitous moments that you can't really re-create, but much of what I shoot ends up being a sort of preliminary sketch for when I go back with a large format camera. Most of my own "real" photography is done with a Toyo 4x5 field camera. I'm saving my pennies for an Arca Swiss- partly for the modularity so that I can move into larger formats as I can afford lenses. Large format is where it's at for me. I love my Leicas, but I get the most pleasure from LF. All the rest of my cameras are just tools, but these are the ones I love- the Leicas, both for the pictures and as fine tools; and I love the LF gear purely for the process and the results. In photographic terms, working with LF is where I most feel like myself.

[Roger Hicks]

Alpa MF. Not only gorgeous quality: also ideal for out-snobbing camera snobs who think they have expensive cameras. I have a 12WA I use mostly with the 38/4.5 Biogon and 44x66mm; my wife prefers her 12 S/WA with 35/5.6 Apo-Grandagon on 6x9cm.

13x18cm/5x7 inch'half plate Linhof (Tech V) and Gandolfi (Variant). The ideal LF size for most applications. Mostly 210/5.6 Apo-Sironar; also 165/6.8 Dagor, 110/5.6 Super-Symmar and 300/9 Nikkor.

8x10 De Vere monorail. Ideal studio portrait camera with 21 inch f/7.7 Ross and Thornton Pickard shutter.

Retina IIa with f/2 Heligon. Goes in a pocket.

Pentacon Six TL. Surprisingly good camera with a reasonably fast (f/2.8) standard lens at a giveaway price. Not as sharp as my KowaSIX but the Pentacon has a prism.

Nikon F with 200/3 Vivitar Series 1, always with orange filter. Great landscape set-up.

The other 143 cameras, including the Pen W half-frame and Gandolfi Universal 12x15 inch, I really should get rid of...

Cheers,

Roger

[ClaremontPhoto]

Leica Minilux, and Olympus OM2-SP.

And a Zero Image for when I fancy pinhole photography.

[dpetrzelka]

I love my Mamiya C330 TLR with 135mm Mamiya-Sekor.
It works beautifully for portraits. The C330 is neither lightweight, nor stealth, however the 6x6 format is a fun change, and the camera is rock steady.

Working with a waist-level focusing screen is also an fun change from the viewfinder.

[back alley]

regarding photography, i am strickly an amateur and sorta like it that way.
i mostly use rf cameras and none of them are leicas. i have a zeiss ikon, a bessa r4a and an r4m and a cle that needs some work. i have an olympus 35rc that was my first 'good' camera and it still works great.
to answer the question...for a carry all the time camera that is small & truly pocketable i use the ricoh grd. it's perfect for me...wide angle, reasonably fast lens and sharp enought for my needs.

[varjag]

I use a Contax II rangefinder as a backup :) It has not any real advantages over M4, but it has some sentimental value to me.

There are cetrain odd pieces and camera systems that the geek in me would like to try someday, but I don't really *need* much stuff over an M Leica with a nice fast 50.

[FrankS]

For paid and personal work: medium format cameras of various types for family and individual portraits, and when I still did weddings, for B+W images, while the colour was 35mm in the Nikon F4. MF gives me enlargement quality I just can't get in 35mm, even with Leica.

For personal work I sometimes use a Contax RF just cuz it feels different and I like variety.

Finder, you go on 800 mile hikes, and spend months at a time on 10,000ft mountains? Awesome!

(I like the interplay between the 6x6 and 6x12 formats. I can put a 6 and SW612 in a small lumbar pack and move around, whether it is in 10,000 ft mountains for a few months or an 800 odd mile hike.)

[M4streetshooter]

I have a slew of Deardorffs including an 8 x 10 that Harry Callahan kinda cristined for me. I use my Epson R-D1s a lot and also an Olympus 510 digital because it's sooo much smaller and lighter than my Canon 5D....

other stuff around but not getting any use.......shooter

[Finder]

Finder, you go on 800 mile hikes, and spend months at a time on 10,000ft mountains?

The reality is not as glamourous as it sounds. But I am grateful for the experience - usually after the blisters heal and the backache goes away.

[Tuolumne]

I am mostly using a Fuji GA 645Zi which I have a hard time putting down. It is as convenient as a 35mm RF but has the image quality of a medium format. The images it makes are sock-knocker-offers. Since it takes 33 images with 220 film and is small and light weight I take it alot of places where a MF wouldn't usually go. I also carry a Ricoh GX-100 everywhere. Small, light, 25-75mm zoom, excellent quality digital at low ISOs and quite servicable at higher ISOs with Noise Ninja.

T

[Finder]

I am surprised at the number of folks who use 8x10.

(Probably too cheap to buy an enlarger. :lol: )

[MikeL]

I'd love an 8x10 for more detail, but I don't think the balloon I've been using would carry it. :) I've been using a light Nikon D40 for work. It's not mine, but I'd like to get a 28mm for the D40 since it's pretty small and quiet.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2344/2007119656_8814d03218_o.jpg

[monochromejrnl]

Hasselblad SWC - smallest, widest, most corrected wide angel lense for MF, fantastic travel camera when ultralight weight isn't a necessity... allows me to make images that 'places' the viewer into the environment...

Ricoh GRD - small, quiet, reasonably fast and more than enough image quality for street and candidate photography where composition is more important that sharpness, noise or other technical qualities... B&W mode is fantastic is most closely approximates 'grain' of any digital P&S or dSLR i've used (minimal requirement for post-processing).

Yashica T4 super - excellent compact film P&S, perfect for long hikes or when weight and weather conditions are a concern... my wife loves it for it's simplicity ...

[FrankS]

The reality is not as glamourous as it sounds. But I am grateful for the experience - usually after the blisters heal and the backache goes away.

Maybe not glamorous, but cetainly impressive! (tip of the hat to you)

[robertdfeinman]

Well I used to carry a Tessina sub-35 in my pocket, but I sold it when I stopped working because I no longer traversed mid-town Manhattan on a regular basis.

I find my Bessa small enough to carry when I'm going out. I keep thinking about sticking something in the glove compartment, but haven't done so yet. I gave away most of my simple cameras.

[Pakmanpdx]

I use my Rollei 35S alot. I have a little Optech belt bag that holds it nicely and it has a primitive but useable meter- and the Sonnar lens is ocassionally stunning! Lately I have been using My voigtlander Bessa 1 6X9 (i love pulling that one out and popping the lens!)and am itching to use my rolleicord IV. I have far more cameras than a sane person should have. I was carrying my little Contax T2 for awhile as I love the lens on it as well but I find that my pictures suffered from automatic everything syndrome- poor framing, throw away shots and too many shots of the same old boring things!

[Nokton48]

Well,

For MF shooting, I use Hasselblads (2-500CM and 2-ELM), and Pentacon-Six/Exakta 66/Kiev 6c&60/Hartblei 1006 for something funky. Got alot of lenses and accessories for both systems. And just for kicks, two Plaubel Makiflex 6x9 SLR's.

For LF, it's Sinar Normas (6x6, 6x9, 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10 in one system), and two 4x5 Plaubel Peco Profia monorail cameras.

In 35 SLR I have gone back to the Minolta SRT system, my first -good- SLR.

[Roger Vadim]

was just browsing thru my images lately and found that my old kiev with the j8 took some of tmy best pictures... rendition of this sonnar-type lens is just beautifull. the mf gear (RB+ 4 lenses) is for my art projects. the beaten up nikon slrs i just love, and the rolleiflex with the scratched front element is just perfect to please the girls...

[cmogi10]

My Fuji S3 Pro handles all my DSLR duties, and I have an FM2N, which until my MP, was always in my bag with my M6, it's been replaced but I still use it for when I need an SLR, a RF doesn't do everything and rather then try to hammer a nail with a screw driver the Nikon is good to have around.

I don't own any medium format gear but I do borrow a 501CM for my friend for a lot of shooting,.

My leica's get 90% of the work though.

[mfunnell]

For roughly half my photography - mostly wildlife - I use a Canon dSLR, while for the other half, lately, its been either a Hexar RF or my Leica M3. However, my Olympus OM-4T (a camera I dearly love) has been getting some use of late (with a new-to-me 55mm f1.2 lens) as has a Mamiya Pro645 which needs some work (patching up a rickety 120 film back). A Konica Auto S3 is in a desk drawer at work just in case I need a decent camera ready to hand.

I keep a little Canon IXUS digicam in my pocket at all times and often carry a Contax T2 on my belt (or an Olympus mju or XA in a pocket) with different film from my main camera.

...Mike

[CanDocGuy]

I use Canon DSLR's for my newspaper work. For my project work I use a Contax N1, which I just love, and the Zeiss glass is esquisite!

However, I am never without my Voigtlander Bessa R. 100% manual, light to carry, it is always on my shoulder on my off days - just in case!

I have been tinkering with the idea of switching to RF's for all my project work.

Cheers.

[Anupam]

Shen Hao 4x5 for everything that doesn't move and affords me the luxury of a tripod.

Bessa T + 21 and 40 CV lenses for most things that don't afford that luxury

Nikon F3 with DW-4 6x prism and parapharnalia for macro.

There!

[Anupam]

the first camera that comes to my mind is the Olympus XA-2 (even more than the XA because the XA-2 has autofocus).

AFAIK, it doesn't even have RF focus - it has zone focus instead. Are you thinking of the Stylus?

-Anupam

[vrgard]

AFAIK, it doesn't even have RF focus - it has zone focus instead. Are you thinking of the Stylus?

-Anupam

Yep, you're right Anupam. Thanks for pointing out my error and I've now corrected my earlier posting. :)

-Randy

[fdigital]

I use canon DSLRs for work - mainly architecture and interior shooting, and event coverage/journalism for newspapers. I used to use a 30d but now use an old school 1d. It's only 4mp but does an excellent job at everything, even printing large. I'm toying going to nikon with their new d3xx cameras.

Personal stuff, I use a nikon F3hp with a normal FL nikkors, and an olympus om2n with some zuiko wides (can't beat them for the price!) I'll also be getting either a Hexar RF or a ZM Ikon before christmas to plonk a sonnar 50 on. After seeing the magic that lens can make I don't ever want another 50.

I really appreciate portrait and fashion using film black and white, and so far haven't really found a combo of anything that is high enough quality in 35mm for me to be satisfied, so I'll be picking up a mamiya 645 body with something like an 80mm lens to do some fine art black and white stuff/build up my portfolio.

Otherwise I always carry an olympus XA with me.

[nikonhswebmaster]

These days I only shoot with Leica, sort of. All my Leicas are Panasonics. I just can't make up my mind about an M8.

I was at a party the other night, with a couple of college professors/photographers and both had decided against, even though they can buy very cheaply. I keep thinking maybe -- but I do not want anthing that needs to be repaired, and would find it very hard to justify two of them. The Leica/Panasonics are so reliable, I am spoiled.

[Uncle Bill]

Besides my M3 I use Nikon Pre AI equipement (F, F2 and Nikkormat FTn) and pair of Olympus OM-1's. I also have a Contax IIIa and a Canonet that lives in my briefcase.

Leica seems to be my "urban" camera and when I am out hiking I prefer the OM-1's and the Nikons.

[newsgrunt]

Holgas and 4x5 pinhole when I need to feel the fun and wonder. Been loving my Mamiya 330 as well. 4x5 and 8x10 not as much as I'd like. Will be getting a pair of D3's for work, end of month.

[amateriat]

Believe it or not, my Hexars get used for both paid work (I don't do that much hired-gig stuff now...the remaining clientele either find it cool that I shoot only film, or just don't care one way or t'other), and just about all my own work. (Working on getting a ZI to add to the mix.)

Other fave cameras in tow include a still-ailing Ricoh GR1 which is getting fixed (love that thing!); A Konica Lexio 70 (which might be retired when the Ricoh is off the DL...better a solid single focal length than a slightly-flaky zoom); a sole SLR, an Olympus OM-2n with just a 50mm f/1.8 and a set of extension tubes (a gift from a dear friend who couldn't deal with manual focus any more; on my advice, she got a Canon Elan 7). (Edit: also a Konica POP, otherwise known as the Japanese Holga [with far better QC].) Sorry, no MF stuff, although I've thought about getting a Minolta Autocord for shiggles. :) I really am a 35mm dreamer/lifer.

Oh, yeah, there is a digital camera in the mix: a new (to me) Casio Exilim EX-Z850, replacing an Olympus D-510 that was given to me. All the digital I need (8MP), and fits in a pants pocket.


- Barrett

[Trius]

Olympus OM-1 and OM-2, XA & Toyo 45A w/ Fujinon 90 & 150. I'm considering adding a 210 or 240 for the Toyo. I'll clear out some of my OM gear to strip down to an "essential" SLR kit, then get a RF M mount kit for my mainstay RF.

[photogdave]

For me the ultimate "one camera that can do it all" is my Olympus Stylus Epic. I bought it at B&H during my first trip to New York almost 10 years ago and it's travelled around the world with me as a trusty companion ever since.
It takes a bit of know-how to get around the quirks, but having a sharp, fast 35mm lens, slow curtain flash and "full frame" image quality in such a small package is tough to beat. Too bad it was discontinued this year. :(
My most fun non-Leica is my Pentax Optio 43WR. This was probably the best waterproof digital made so far - 4MP (more than enough), AA batteries and an actual optical finder! I've taken macro shots of crabs underwater, video of fishes, and infrared landscapes with this thing. The video quality is very good, especially at 30 fps in B&W mode. I now use the Pentax in place of an actual video camera and the footage looks amazing, even on a 50-inch plasma screen!
My Panasonic LC-1 has it's place with that killer fast Leica zoom and unique bounce flash. File quality suffers after 100 ISO so it doesn't get as much use as it should. I like it but if I had to sell something it would be the first to go.
I have a Rolleiflex with a Tessar f3.5 lens. You can't beat these things for quietness and compactness in MF at a reasonable price point. 6x6 is not my natural way of looking at things so I only use it for certain applications, but I'm always happ with the results.
The Rollei seems so nice and small now after shooting with my Mamiya C33, which I got to have a wider lens selection and bellows focusing. I love these features but the camera is a real tank and often stays at home because of this. It's a great camera system when I have specific need of it though!
I use my Nikon F100 about once a year. I sold off most of my Nikon kit except for the AF 20mm f2.8 and 50mm f1.4 (both made in Japan) but I'm now pretty disappointed with the IQ after shooting with Leica glass for the last couple of years. I'm thinking of dumping the F100 in favour of an F4 so I can remove the prism for low angle shooting. However the F100 has the best in-camera metering I've ever used - even compared to the latest DSLRs, and the AF is WAY faster than the F4. (I don't plan on buying and AF-S lenses!)
So after all that, my M4 and M6 see more use than the rest of all those other cameras combined! :D

[Rico]

The M4 is far from neglected, but takes a back seat to the ol' Contax RTS system (Aria especially). Most-used camera is my Contax T3: shutter lag is plain annoying, but its true shirt-pocket size is unmatched for 135 film. Cut my teeth on MF in the '70s, but now just live with a Canon 1Ds (studio mainly).

[David Murphy]

Voigtlander Bessa R: Has a reliable and sensitive modern TTL meter (not that I need one, but on the street at night for instance this can be useful). Bright frame lines and four of them. Swing open hinged back. Window to read the film canister markings. Flash sync and hot shoe. Light, reliable, relatively inexpensive and takes some of the best lenses ever made (LTM).

[David Goldfarb]

Never been bitten by the Leica bug myself, but I did have a Voigtlander Vitessa-L with a 50/2.0 Ultron, which was my favorite 50mm lens for a long time. These days I use 35mm almost exclusively for bird photography, some low light, and occasional copy slides, so I use the Canon New F-1 that I bought new around 1983 for 35mm applications.

The camera I use most lately is a 4x5" Linhof Tech V.

A quick list of the others--Voigtlander Perkeo II, Bronica S2a, Linhof 2x3" Tech V, 5x7" Press Graflex, 8x10" Gowland PocketView, 8x10" Sinar P, 7x17" Korona, 11x14" American Optical. They all get used.

The only digital camera I own is a Coolpix 990 that lives mostly on a copy stand for digitizing documents, and occasionally to photograph items that I'm selling on the internet.

[photobizzz]

I am relitively new to RF photography but have already fell in love with my Bessa-R, ( I just bought a second used body) I have gone full spectrum since I started photography seriously, started with a Canon AE-1, moved to Mamiya 1000s, then to a couple of Speed/Crown Graphics, Burke & James 4X5 view, Canon D60, Mamiya 645E and have now settled on my Bessa-R setup and a Pentax K10D setup.

While I miss the MF/LF cameras for their large negs I dont miss the hassle of carrying them around, and for my current uses 10MP's with nice glass and my RF's suits me.

I did have a couple of Leicas, a III and IIIf RD but although I like the LTM system they just were not for me.

[IdeaDog]

Bill,

Like you, I often prefer a Canon SLR for paid gigs (but it's not how I earn my living). The advantages of the SLR are based on the convenience of speed.

One example: With my SLR (30D currently) I can do spot metering in a theater setting where one person is illuminated by a bright spot in the middle of a pitch black background. I could do the same with a rangefinder by adjusting things manually but it wouldn't be as quick, and the scene changes quickly so I wouldn't be able to keep up. Suddenly the whole stage is lit and I need a wide angle...

Another example - shooting a casual costume competition with people running around on a dance floor. It would have been impossible (for me) to keep up with that with a rangefinder, but was easy with the SLR to bounce my flash off the ceiling while shooting horizontally or vertically, zooming in and out to catch a group or individual, etc.

Shooting an album cover, however, I used my M8, R-D1 and 30D because I had all the time in the world in a relaxed location. Same for shooting models for art purposes.

When I'm in no hurry, I prefer rangefinders, and I prefer being in no hurry.

[Harry Lime]

I mostly shoot Leica M, but also have a some SLR gear that I use when framing accuracy is critical to me. Regardless of what type of camera I shoot, it's almost exclusively with a 35 or 50mm lens.

About a year ago I picked up a Nikon F3-P, which has become my main SLR. Why? It just feels right and is a joy to shoot. The motor drive is very good and I love the ability to remove the viewfinder for shooting over my head or from low angles. The glass is no where near as good as that for the Leica R, but sharpness isn't everything.

Over the years I've been paring down my gear. The more I shoot the less I seem to need. I'm pretty much down to 2 x M bodies and a Nikon F3-P. 35 and 50mm lenses for all. And lots of Tri-X.


That said I still have some items on the shelf.

I love my Leica R6.2. It's tiny and reminds me of a Leica M with a mirror box. The current 2/50 Summicron-R uses the same optical formula of the M version, so prints are a perfect match.

Then there's my IIIc. It's just fun to shoot. Somehow it's simplicity relaxes me.

For medium format work I use a Rolleiflex 2.8/80. It shares many traits with the Leica M. No mirror slap, dead silent, a blazing sharp lens that is relatively fast for MF, short focus throw, compact and low weight, very reliable.

I also have a Hasselblad 503cx, which I've held on to because of it's versatility. I switched to the Rolleflex, because the focus throw on the Hassy 80mm is a mile long and a nightmare for shooting action. It also sounds like a vacuum pump and will turn every head within hearing distance, when you fire it.

I tried cameras like the Canon EOS 1-v HS, but I just can't get used to autofocus. It also looks like a high-end DSLR, which makes it a target for thieves. And it's huge, even with a prime like the 1.4/35L.

I also have an old Linhof III that I picked up a few years ago for peanuts, from a Canadian Mountie (long story). I keep telling myself that I will use it some day for some grand project, but so far it's just sitting there looking pretty.

Someday I will have to add digital to my arsenal. I had a Canon 5D, that I had purchased for a project, but ended up selling it because of lack of use. When I do buy another DSLR it will be a Nikon D300 or D3, because of the ability to use manual focus lenses (as well as AF). I would like an M8, but since I'm not swimming in money, I need something more versatile for $5500.

[PHOTOEIL]

For the earning of the daily bread, on film ( still 66%), it's 15 % leica M5, 65 % Hasselblad, 15 % Technorama 617 and 5 % Linhof Kardan GT 4"x5" with Schneider glass.
For digital it's the K10 D because I used to work wit the Pentax LX system and collected about 9 primes for it, most of them SMC 'A', but the LX is 'unemployed' now, pity.
The M5 is for when everything else fails and the light and subject is asking for it...
For fun : pinhole!

[Ronald M]

I got rid of all except my Leica M and R stuff and my ZoneVI 4x5 and 6 lenses.

Have a Nikon D200 for quick stuff, 2 zooms and 7 primes

[oftheherd]

I don't own a Leica other than a Mini Zoom. I don't do professional photography and haven't since I retired from the US Army. That didn't and doesn't put me in a league with any of the pros here.

My most pocketable camera has to be my Sony Cyber Shot D50 with a nice Zeiss Zoom and 6 megapixels. But I still enjoy film and my Fujicas are rather easy to carry, whether the ST 901, 801 with 50mm lenses, or AZ-1 with a 43-75 lens. The Canonet is easy to carry as well.

For MF, I love my Super Press 23, but it is not a pocket camera for any clothes I own (might be for Paul Bunyan). My Welta 645/6x6 is. I have 4x5 and 8x10, but have yet to use them other than the 4x5 with a 120 back. Someday ...

[sirius]

My workhorse: I use a Canon 20D, EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens, and an older speedlight. The glass is lovely: sharp, great colour, and fixed aperature. I love the image stablization in the lens as it lets me take shots I never could have before. My SLR is great. It gives me a lots of creative control. I can experiment and grow by testing techniques and seeing if they worked. When working, I also know if I got a needed photo and can move-on to the next subject. I had other lenses but sold them---this lens seems to do everything I want (except maybe I'll get a small light and wide fixed focal length). I'm really impressed with the advancements made with the 40D: greater tonal range, very usable high ISOs, and better focusing abilities. Yes, I'm always thinking about equipment but much more about how to make better photos.

I have a Ricoh GRD for fun. It has a 28mm equivalent fixed lens. I like the pictures it takes, it's small and portable, and I can work quickly with it from picture to computer.

All of my cameras are great to work with. Leica is actually the most challenging because of the degree that it challenges me to think rather than just react. I've had good photos from all my cameras though the GRDs small sensor can only go so far with enlargements.

[jan normandale]

Own an M4-P... Shoot mostly MF tho, in the bag, Mamiya 6, Fuji BL G690, Rolleiflex TLR 2.8 / 80

All day carry around and the most popular camera on this thread an Oly XA! I still haul my Yashica GSN out because I love it's glass.

[ClaremontPhoto]

Don't Olympus cameras resonate well with Leica people?

The XA and the OM are very popular choices.

[Bill Pierce]

Just doing a quick count over the morning coffee, none of the "non rangefinder" camera catagories trumps all others. A slight edge goes to the bigger cameras.

Medium format use just about ties with all the larger format sheet film users. Two interesting trends emerge - Clearly, folks who own Rollei TLRs love them; they don't just like them; they love them. Among the sheet film users, almost a third are using really big film - 8x10 and larger.

A majority of the respondees, or whatever we are, have a small pocket camera, presumably so that we are never without a camera. If medium and large format cameras have a slight numeric edge on the "pocketables" it may be because they have been around a lot longer.

Many folks who have a DSLR or SLR system say that they use it for their professional work - a tribute to the sheer versatility of those kits. And a lot of dyed-in-the-wool rf users have a reflex body for long lenses, macro and, sometimes, portraiture.

Boy, did I goof when I asked what folks used besides Leicas. It's pretty obvious I should have said rangefinders.

And bless the pinholes, the Holgas and the Minoxen. They are obviously still making photography fun.

Bill

[Finder]

I just assumed "normal" cameras. I do use custom scientific digital cameras like the Diagonostic Instruments Flex camera - it uses pixel shifting technology to make 4mp, 16mp, and 64mp native images from the same chip. I also have an Olympus C-35 and C-35 AD4 and well as a 4x5 Olympus body - all film microscope cameras. But since you asked...

[jan normandale]

I just assumed "normal" cameras. I do use custom scientific digital cameras like the Diagonostic Instruments Flex camera - it uses pixel shifting technology to make 4mp, 16mp, and 64mp native images from the same chip. I also have an Olympus C-35 and C-35 AD4 and well as a 4x5 Olympus body - all film microscope cameras. But since you asked...

Pix from the microscope cameras ? I'm interested.

[Finder]

Here is a Daddy Long Legs and a fractured crystal under cross polarization. The depth of field is great because 50 (bug) and 11 (rock) images were stacked together. There is another bug image in the Show Me thread.

[Finder]

Here are two film images of bug skin using DIC (Differencial Interference Contrast). The color is due to the specimen causing a phase shift to the light. They would appear white without DIC. (Sorry about the quality as they a grabs from a QuickTime movie.)

[BillBingham2]

When I’m not carrying my Leica, today it’s a Bessa L. That’s about to change tough, I’m going to the Darkside, digital, a GR-D, there, I said it, digital. None interchangeable lens, some manual control, small in size, fast to use and a kick butt lens.

Actually what I want is a digital Bessa L with a 25/4 equivalent on her. So much so I am doing an independent study for my Marketing Class in my MBA program on what it would take to bring this sort of camera to market. I’m sort of this analog type of guy that believes that you should be able to have as much fun with a digital camera as you do with a film. Same way I can enjoy Kodachrome and Tri-X at the same time, just for different things. I enjoy listening to my iPod as well as being on the lawn at Ravinia listening, different but both a lot of fun. The GR-D is close, MKII is a bit better, but I think I can do better, simplify, simplify, simplify. It should drive the cost down a bit too.

IMHO there is way too much post processing going on these days with many digital solutions. Leica is trying to get away from some of this by encoding the lenses to have some processing done in camera. I like the level of control and effort it takes me to shot, soup and print a frame of Tri-X. Applying filters to remove distortion or adjust for vignetting, etc. even if it can be done with macros just does not feel right. Using wide angle zooms that are almost as big as my old 70-210 Vivitar Series-1 just does not feel right.

I think there is something bigger than a niche out there for a Pen-F/OM-1 without these massive lenses. Size does matter, but I wonder if anyone is listening.

My beloved Bessa L / 25/4 combo will be for sale soon. I have the lens on my S3-2000 and while it’s not as small (size or weight) as the L, it will handle my film needs in a most excellent manner. I'm not selling my first Leica, the M4-P, but the M6 Classic will be on the market shortly.

B2 (;->

[Dogman]

I have a lot of different cameras but I mostly use Leicas. Although I have several lenses, you will usually find 35mm and 50mm Summicrons on the two bodies I have. My tastes have simplified over the years and Leicas satisfy most of my needs these days. I also like the look I get with prints from Kiev rangefinders. Pretty amazing for a $60 camera. For long lenses, zooms, macro, etc., I use Canons--EOS 1n, A2E, a Rebel 2000. Medium format is taken care of by a couple of Pentax 645s and several lenses. Sometimes I use one of my old Mamiya TLRs. I've used Mamiyas for over 30 years--the cameras look like hell but still produce good photos. I have a couple of Nikon F2 bodies left over from my PJ days but I haven't used them in years--the lenses have all frozen up due to solidified lubricants. I only kept the Nikons as a way to remind myself how happy I am not to be a working photographer anymore.

I also have a Canon DSLR. I haven't warmed up to it yet and it generally get little or no use.:rolleyes:

[JNewell]

IMHO there is way too much post processing going on these days with many digital solutions.

Feel the same way about enlargers. Too much cropping. Too many tricks like dodging and burning. I'm glad to see the view cameras in this thread. Let's make contacts from 8x10 negs and forget this manipulation stuff in the darkroom.


;)

[photobike]

]I use a Contax G1 that I carry on my bike its easy and auto focus, NikonDLSR, Deardoff Field Camera 4x5, Hassablad and R Leica my favorite is the M7.

[willie_901]

For my personal work, when a SLR is called for, I use a Nikon F3 with an assortment of AI/AIS lenses. The Nikon DW-3 "waist-level" finder accessory allows one to compose from a low point of view and with out raising the camera to the eye. I also use a 38 year old Mamiya-Sekor SLR occasionally.

For commercial work I use a Nikon D200.

[Chuck Albertson]

A Hasselblad 501 that I bought used a couple of years ago, when people started dumping them for digital gear. I use it for portraits and anything else that won't move, when I want the detail and tonality you can get with a bigger negative. It's also lighter than I thought it would be, and packs pretty well into a corner of a Domke bag, so I travel with it more than I expected to. I just wish someone made a rubber lens shade for it, as the plastic one is somewhat fragile for cramming into a bag.

[jan normandale]

Here are two film images of bug skin using DIC (Differencial Interference Contrast). The color is due to the specimen causing a phase shift to the light. They would appear white without DIC. (Sorry about the quality as they a grabs from a QuickTime movie.)


This is pretty amazing stuff. It has an 'abstract' feel to it until you know what it is. I forgot how interesting things get under microscopes. Thanks for the posts.

[Scarpia]

I use my Rollei 35S alot. I have a little Optech belt bag that holds it nicely and it has a primitive but useable meter- and the Sonnar lens is ocassionally stunning! Lately I have been using My voigtlander Bessa 1 6X9 (i love pulling that one out and popping the lens!)and am itching to use my rolleicord IV. I have far more cameras than a sane person should have. I was carrying my little Contax T2 for awhile as I love the lens on it as well but I find that my pictures suffered from automatic everything syndrome- poor framing, throw away shots and too many shots of the same old boring things!
I very recently picked up a Rollei 35S at a good price and can't agree more with Pakmanpdx about the quality of the lens. I carry it in a Lowepro belt holster which is very convenient.
Kurt M.

[Harry Lime]

A Hasselblad 501 that I bought used a couple of years ago, when people started dumping them for digital gear.

That's one good side effect of the dawn of the digital age. I picked up my 503cx around the same time as you did and paid about half of what they were just a few years ago. Oddly enough I recently noticed that prices have rebounded a little.

Even Rolleiflex TLR bodies have come down in cost. Sort of.

[nightfly]

The other 143 cameras, including the Pen W half-frame and Gandolfi Universal 12x15 inch, I really should get rid of...

Yeah, you really should get rid of that Pen W, I'd be happy to help you with that.

[Jamie Pillers]

I sold off a lot of film SLR equipment and went to a DSLR. But something was missing... the feelings of 'artfulness', craftsmanship, and simple pleasures that come from using a film camera. The DSLR just had too many bells and whistles between me and the subject. So I've purchased a beautiful Voigtlander R4A for use out on the streets. And I keep an old Nikon with one of their really nice old 105mm portrait lenses for quiet moments with family and friends. And, to keep up on the digital world, I carry around a Ricoh GX-100.

Over the past 6 months or so I've struggled to figure out what equipment really suits my needs. The wonderful digital equipment advances are very tempting. And I might return to it if someone would design a full-frame sensor rangefinder camera that's much more like a film camera.... no LCD*... a few dials on top, a small body, a big clear viewfinder and interchangeable lenses. Essentially it would be a film camera with the film plane replaced by the digital sensor.

*Regarding the LCD: I know a lot of people think having the instant feedback of an LCD screen is a great step forward. I find it to be incredibly distracting. One is constantly tempted to spend time on in-camera editing of all sorts. Without one, maybe we could be using all this editing time to be thinking about subject matter.

[IGMeanwell]

On the Digital Side, Fuji F30 for a carry all the time

DSLRs, Fuji S5 and D80, for wedding, portrait and macro work. Workflow especially with Adobe Lightroom is 2nd nature to me, probably due to my age and my growing up with computers

A Yashica T4 for fun opportunities, sharp lens, powerful flash

Polaroid 4x5 rail camera, for still lives

[HenningW]

For Digital (work and pleasure): Canon DSLRs and Leica M8.

Film: Various M's and Hexar RF, Nikon mf SLRs, Canon EOS. Medium format Mamiya 6's, SWC, Mamiya 645 (hardly ever anymore). Large Format Sinar p & f, Ikeda and Cambo Wide.

Panoramic: Fiji TX-1, Cambo Wide with 6x12, Horizon 202, Noblex 150U and Roundshot 28/220.

80% of my shooting is now digital, so the film stuff has to get whittled down.

Henning

[aoresteen]

Interesting thread. When I'm not using a Leica (M4P, M3 MOT, or IIIf) I use a Contax IIa. Or an Olympus OM1/OM2 with long fast lenses.

Most often though I use a Hasselblad 500C or 2000FC/M. I'm a MF guy.

When I really go retro I go out with my Grey Rollei 127 4x4 (modded with a Maxwell bright focusing screen! :D ). Lots of fun! For retro 35mm I love my Contaflex Super & Rapid cameras. The 50mm f/2.8 Tessar has it's own look.

I also have a Cambo 6x9 view and a 5x7 view that I don't use enough but will never sell. They are too much fun!

For digital I use a Panasonic 'Leica' Lumix DMC FX07 with an 8 GB SD card. I shoot everthing at 7 MP.

[mfogiel]

Well, I only have one Leica body, so almost everything for me is "besides Leica" - in fact Leica is the last camera I've bought, because I wanted an 0.85x viewfinder for the 50 mm lens and a quiet shutter for shooting indoors. So, the Leica is my "specialist 50mm" body, I use the ZI for the 35mm lenses (and the 50mm and 90mm at times), the R3A for the 75mm and 90 mm, R4A for the 28, 25 and 21 mm and the Bessa L for the 15mm. Alongside a RF 35mm camera, I use a Nikon FM3A. mainly with lenses from 85 to 135mm, although I also have the 20-50mm lenses for it.
When I need a quick shot, I use a Fuji S3 Pro DSLR - a pretty good digital camera even today - it still has unsurpassed dynamic range and colour rendition out of the box, and can make beautiful colour portraits. In fact, although I would enjoy having a full frame DSLR, I am going to skip the D3 in favour o a full frame Fuji sensor, when it comes...

When I have more time and a possibility to pull out a tripod, I try to use the MF: I have a SWC/M, a Hasselblad 503CW for the longer lenses, the 500C/M for the shorter lenses and an 500 EL/M for makro work with the 135 Makro Planar on a bellows.

[oscroft]

My main cameras are a Leica M6 and Voigtlander R4A (with a CL as a backup/pocket M) for RF (with mostly CV lenses), and Olympus OM1n and OM2n with a bunch of Zuiko lenses for SLR.

But I have a number of other cameras for occasional fun use, including a Bronica ETRSi for when I feel strong enough to hump MF gear around (which isn't very often), an Olympus XA and an XA4 for carrying round in my pocket (one of them goes everywhere with me), several fixed-lens Japanese RFs including a Ricoh 500G (which I think is wonderful), A Retina IIa (another wonder - oh Kodak, how could you have abandoned such quality?), a Pentax MX with a 40/2.8 pancake, and a number of FSU RFs.

And I *don't* have a collection ;)

[Vince Lupo]

I've gotten back into using Exakta's after quite a long hiatus. I started out with a VXIIa when I was 12, and quickly got used to the 'left handed' approach. After a 30 year absence, Exakta's are part of my collection again, and when you find a good one, they are really great. I actually took an Exakta II (Version 1) to Dresden a couple of months ago while on vacation, and it felt magical to work with it in its 'birthplace'.

Funny, I just picked up an Alpa 6c, which is kind of a reversed version of an Exakta, and it feels totally uncomfortable!

[sepiareverb]

Missed this one first time around. I went from full-time pro shooting film to teaching rather than going digital. So I'm shooting M's most now. Before it was all SLR for $, and Contax G2's, an 810 Canham and a Frankenstein 1114 (part Kodak part Deardorf? B&J? nobody can tell) for fun. Since getting the M bug tho I've seldom shot anything else. Oh, and T2's and a Tvs for snaps. Coolpix for equipment porn.

[Mudman]

Only work I've been paid for has been shot with film and digital SLRs Canon and Pentax , ranging from Canons Rebel G to Elan 7ne, Pentax Spotmatic F and the new K10d. So thats what I shoot with besides leica. Some of my best photos have been taken with the simple, inexpensive gear that makes me think when I shoot.

[Mateo]

Hey I'm kinda new here and I really liked this thread.

I got allot of cameras in my toolbox because I end up getting new things for specific projects. A year ago I got an M6 and a CL for a handheld lowlight thing that's ongoing and now they've kinda taken over as most used tools. An 8x10 Deardorff has been my main thing for a long time along with 5x7 and 7x17 and then I keep a few Rolleis around because nobody thinks you're taking their picture when you're looking down.

I always had bad things to say about Leica and small negatives until I found a need for one and saw what can be done.

[Andrew Sowerby]

I've always liked small, unassuming cameras. I've bought and sold a lot of small "cult" cameras, but my Lomo LC-A and Olympus Stylus Epic have stayed with me. I like 'em a lot.

[snowwalker]

When not using my M6 I carry either an XA and XA2 or my Panasonic FX12 compact. Sometimes I carry around my OM2N if I want a lightweight slr. If shooting wildlife or landscape digital its Canon 20D and/or 5D with a variety of L lenses, or if using film for landscapes then its a Hasselblad 501 cm or EOS3. Like them all for various reasons.

[berrybd]

For years, I always carried a Nikon F with an 85 and 105, because for the more deliberate portrait, I could see better than I could with my M4's. This despite taking 80% of my pictures with 50 or 28 mm lenses. For twenty years, and still, I keep a Canon QL 17 in my pocket. It is always there, always ready, and with the little Canolite flash and a sync to 1/500th, I can get a picture quickly even with flash fill and not attract attention. Particulary useful in South America and SE Asia, where I travel several times a year. I really don't want people to snap into "posing for a tourist" mode when I get the camera out, almost always after a spell of conversation. Meter's been dead for years, sadly. The Canolite is just right for fill in cloudy-bright light, with Fuji 100 at 8-12 feet, F 2.8. Useful. I have always boiled the pot with a 4x5: currently, a Technika III, with 120 Apo-Symmar and 8 1/2 in. Commercial Ektar. Transparencies for separation is the gig, of artworks, building facades, groups. Sometimes I do documentary work with it, when I want to inpress/intimidate a group with how we are all serious here...the large unblinking eye of a commercial ektar definitely puts the chill on the "v-for-victory" -behind-your-neighbor's-head syndrome, especially when I don't have the foreign language needed to impress the folks with my own natural gravity :). Finally, a Kodak Medalist. Yep. It's fast for 2x3 camera, it's like using a number two pencil when you get used to some of its fussy ways concerning film advance and shutter-cocking mechanisms, and yes, it is built like a tank. What folks may not know -- they all know about the great lens -- is that the film is flat, flat, flat in the film plane. I generally use it handheld on a tripod or on a Tiltall with a Norwood Director, and I can get a view-camera quality neg in about two minutes per shot. And I don't have to go under a darkcloth to do it, or carry a Polaroid back or a reflex viewer or .... you get the picture. And yes, I soup these Tri-X negatives in Rodinal 1:50 for an edge that will cut the paper, and out-of-focus highlights that don't bleed all over. When the contrast is murder I just add that sodium sulfite and up the dilution to 1:100. I keep it simple, rolling Tri-X off of 120 spools onto my stock of 620 spools before I leave home. I don't want to modify it because I don't want to risk losing that beautifully flat film in the filmgate quality. That's my list. I don't carry more than one extra, ever.

[johnastovall]

Besides the Leicas (M8, M4, M3, IIIG)
Canon 5D
Epson RD-1
Ricoh GR-DII

[Trawlerman]

Well I don't own a Leica M yet. Sadly it is but a pipe dream for me at the present time as funds definitely won't allow. But besides that would be my 1939 Leica III and Summar 50/f2.

My main camera at the moment is a Samsung GX-10 w/grip. That is almost always paired up with either a Sigma 50-500mm and a Sigma 10-20mm. I'm a shipping photographer so I need the extra reach that a RF camera just wont give me. Shots of at least 135mm and quite a few >300mm are pretty much the norm for me these days.

The GX-10 is joined by a Pentax Z-1 and a Pentax MZ-S which still see a fair amount of action. I guess I don't really NEED to shoot with these whilst I have the digital around as well but I feel that I don't want to let go of film just yet. So I shoot these usually loaded with Fujifilm and a whole slew of SMC-M and SMC-A primes just because I can.

RF wise, other than my Leica III which I still haven't fully gotten to grips with yet. I use a FED-3a that I got fully CLA'd from Yuri @ Fedka. Also a 1976 KMZ Zorki-4K that I was gifted from an old man who was moving house. The Zorki is particularly nice since I releathered it with a kit from Aki-Asahi.

As my everyday pocket camera I carry an Olympus Trip 35 loaded with a roll of Ilford XP2.


Of all my camera's i'm particularly fond of my Yashica Mat-124G and would like to get out with it a whole load more. My only issue with it is the same as my RF's - the focal length is not really suited to what I shoot but when I do get out and shoot other stuff i'm blown away by it. I do need to find a reliable processor for my films as the major high-street photographic people here in the UK didn't have a clue as to what to do with my last load of films I took in to them :(

[sjones]

I just got into film last month after starting up photography with a Canon 350D DSLR three years ago. As with others, cost constraints have precluded any procurement of a Leica, but I picked up a Bessa R2M, which is very enjoyable. As I was already converting all of my digital images to monochrome, the quality of the Tri-X prompted me to replace the 350D with a Canon Elan 7NE, finally giving my Zeiss lenses a proper "full frame" format, and for less than US$400.

Now that I moved to film, I am excited about trying other systems, including a Holga and Mamiya 330 TLR.

[Ara Ghajanian]

I've been doing about 90% of my work lately with my M6. I realize you can't do everything with one camera. I'm starting to lean more towards medium format for all my other work.

I have a Rolleiflex TLR I've started using more and more. It's great for portraits. The scans from my Epson flatbed are amazing.

I have a Hasselblad 500C/M kit that I use for more serious set up type of work. I want to get a wide angle and bellows for that kit.

I use my Nikon F3's for macro work. If I had the bellows for the Blad, I'd probably never use the Nikons.

I used to use a Canon 5D at my last job. I wouldn't hesitate to buy that camera is I needed it for client work, but so far I haven't needed digital.