Film If you could only have one (film) camera for the rest of your life?

If you could only have one camera for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?

  • Leica M6

    Votes: 8 27.6%
  • Leica M5

    Votes: 1 3.4%
  • Hasselblad 500 C/M (any one of the 500 series)

    Votes: 2 6.9%
  • Hasselblad Xpan

    Votes: 2 6.9%
  • Widelux (35mm)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Widelux 1500

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Rolleiflex TLR 2.8

    Votes: 5 17.2%
  • Any one large format camera (which one?)

    Votes: 1 3.4%
  • Any one SLR (which one?)

    Votes: 10 34.5%

  • Total voters
    29
If I had to go back to film, I'd like to have my Nikon F3 again, with all the matte screens and finders options. It just worked and I especially liked that I could keep the finder image clean so easily. I even opened up some prism finders to clean them, which was very easy to do because there were no electronics in it and the design was very simple. I'd also need all those Nikkors again, beginning with the 2/35 and PC 4/28. The Minolta SRT303b would be my second choice.
 
I spent a day and a half visiting 10+ used camera stores in Tokyo, in particular film cameras.

There are a ton to choose from - so many SLRs, gazillion Leicas, a fair few Hasselblad 500 c/m, many TLRs, and a huge range of non-Leica rangefinders too. Also film compacts. All in very good to excellent condition. Really spoilt for choice here.

But of course the one camera I was really looking for can't be found - the Widelux 1500. Was told that even though it is a Japanese camera, it was made for the overseas market.

There are zero options in my city back in Australia so I want to come back with something.
 
Xpan, for sure. If I could choose only one lens it'd be the 90mm for its cinematic effect.

One option not listed here is a Nikonos (5). If I can only have one camera, it might as well be one that can be used in virtually all circumstances.
 
None of the above... I have my "forever camera"...


ImageConverterIID 5cm Nickel Elmar.jpg

 
Under the given assumptions, Mamiya 6. I'd actually prefer the original to the MF version I have - I don't mind the more cluttered viewfinder too much, but it *can* be irritating. The camera and its three lenses fit into a small bag (ONA Bowery) - along with an additional roll of film, too. Its only downside is its bulk - it may be compact for MF, but it's quite a big camera nonetheless.

That why there's a couple more contenders I have to mention here: Leica M4-P (I don't know why I prefer it to the clearly more polished and full-featured M6 TTL, but I do - it just feels right; if Leica hadn't pasted its name all over it, I'd like it even better), Nikon FM3A (what a camera!), Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 531/16 (great shooter's camera, very well thought out - and still really compact for MF rangefinder), Voigtländer Bessa RF with its Heliar lens (a tad fiddly, but so very ewarding to shoot - for its day, a revelation).

M.
 
For me, I think it would be a tossup between 2 cameras I have never shot with or owned...but wanted to shoot with for a long, long time.

Either the Nikon 35ti

Nikon-35Ti.jpg
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Or its sibling, the Nikon 28ti

nikon+28ti.jpeg


In fact, just thinking about it....I may have to break down and either get a job or start robbing banks...to acquire one of the aforementioned.
 
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