Film What Film Cameras do you use?

M5-User

Regular
It is always interesting to know "why" & "what" film cameras people chose to use.
I have used plenty of film my 41 years as a hobbyist.

The ones I have owned: In order of remembering......
Voigtlander Prominent V1 with a 50mm f/1.5 Nokton (my 1st 35mm at age 15)
Robot Royal 36, Canon: IVS2. FTb, A1, F1, EOS 630, Nikon FM, Nikkormat FTN, Miranda Sensomat, Konica FS-1, Leica M5, Voigtlander R2, Rollie 35, Yashica 645, Olympus OM-1, 2s, 4, Minox C, Pentax Super Program, I'm sure there is more.. my brain fails me.....

The ones in bold have been re-purchased, My 2 current Film cameras... Why?
Leica M5... always loved the RF, I had 3 others over the years, The 1st M5 I bought with a 35mm Wetzlar f/2 Summicron, what a great camera, in weight, operation, Quality of use. Shook the RF world... 1st RF w/ TTL meter! Last M made Wetzlar, until the M6 (M4-2 and M4-P where made in Midland, Canada. But, I couldn't afford the extra lenses.....I was in my early 20s.
The Pentax Super Program, one of Pentax great designs, The A series was there top sellers, there AF cameras "Sucked"... China Designed and Made. read CHEAP!.
The Super Program ("Program A" in EU), is still a great camera if want P/A/S/M modes on a MF 35mm. The body is as the MX size, with a large VF and easy controls. All medal and durable.

I would love a Robot Royal 36 with the 45mm f/2.8 lens... but at $700.00 Not Today! (I paid $150.00 in the 80's)

So, My [2nd] M5 has a 28 and a 50 I use, and the Super Program has a 40mm pancake on it... I like Urban Landscape, Candid street photography, Macro (I have a G1 I put a 50mm on with 14mm of extension tube. But, I would LOVE the New Leitz 90mm f/4 Macro for M cameras!) Or maybe a macro for my u4/3.

What Film cameras have you owned, and own [now]... and why?
 
It´s kind of a long list for me. The first film camera I owned was a GAF 100XF 126 box camera, bought for me by my grandfather when I was 11 years old. I did not use it for very long, because my father and grandfather, both avid amateur photographers, quickly noticed my interest and let me borrow their "real" cameras: my father's Petri FA-1 and my grandfather´s Minolta Autopak 700 and Kodak Signet 35 rangefinders. They taught me all about f-stops and shutter speeds (also the sunny 16 rule since the Signet had no meter and the meter in the Minolta did not work), gave me a book on the basics of photography, and sent me out into the world to find my way (photographically speaking, of course.)

That Christmas (1977), my father gave me as a present my very first real camera, a Yashica MG-1 and a Sunpak 100 manual electronic flash. I used the Yashica until Spring of 1981, when I bought a Canon AE-1. The Canon AE-1 I used throughout high school and college, until its untimely death by drowning in 1989. It was replaced by a Canon AE-1 Program bought used, and by a new Canon T90 bought in 1990.

The AE-1 program and T90 served me well until 1997, when I decided that maybe AF was worth checking out and bought a Canon EOS Elan IIe. Shortly thereafter, I traded the T90 for an EOS IX (a trade that i regret to this day) and bought a Rebel 2000 as a backup body.

In 2000 I acquired a Contax G system (G1 and G2 bodies, 28, 35, 45, and 90mm lenses). I used this almost exclusively until I bought my first digital camera in 2004: the original Canon Digital Rebel. I sold the Contax system shortly thereaftter to fund lens purchases.

I very rarely shoot film nowadays, and when i do, its with either a Canon TX or a Canon AT-1 that were recently purchased through Ebay, for the full retro experience, and mostly as a way of showing my son some photography basics. The problem is that I do not enjoy scanning, and not having a darkroom setup means I am at the mercy of the minilab. I admire folks who are shooting film regularly, but without a darkroom, it´s difficult to join your ranks.

Cheers,

Antonio
 
Every few weeks I think that I would like to take some film, I've got a few film cameras around, (quite a lot really), but I run a film thru one of them and never have it developed, (they still sell film in french supermarkets - not many photo shops around in France),
- digital is just so easy - no where to get film (easily) processed in Europe - and it's expensive - scanning is (very) slow

Digital is just so easy and with the software around these days, (LR), has just transformed the experience and brought millions more into the "photographic fold" - which is really good - I fondle my M6, Nikon Fs and Oly compacts, from time to time and have now bought a nice glass display cabinet from Ikea to display them.

But my old MF glass has come in handy and I have even invested in a few RF lens

Good luck with your M5

Cheers
 
A recent capture with M5
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When I get a roll processed out of the Nikonos (which will have to be underwater, of course), I'll post at least one picture. It's a tank!
 
Let's see, just the ones I kept.
M2...M3...M4,(embarrassed to post how many I have)...M5..M6,(a few I kept).
Sold the M7 because it was well, not an M4.
I don't do film anymore, haven't really this century.
I love the intuitive way I was with photography in my M4 daze.
I never used a meter even for assignments. Many times I would call out the exposures to other shooters at an event.

I used to be a photographer. Now they call me a shooter and I use cameras with AF, ISO stuff, meters etc.
I still dream at night about walking the street with my M4 and a roll of Tri-X in it.
Then in the morning I load a card and battery into the GF1 or LX5 and I try to find the photographer in me...
I need to go back to sleep cause this has got to be a nightmare....
Don
 
I'm kind of embarrassed to post since I don't remember the exact models of the first two SLRs I used. Maybe it's because they weren't mine, they were my older brother's? One was a Konica, the other was a Minolta. I used the Minolta to get into my photography program in college, then I bought myself my Olympus OM-1, which I still have along with two lenses - the 50mm 1.4 and the 24mm 2.8., the 24mm saw the most use. I feel a bit sad as I type this because those were very good photographic days back then...but this is now and I am glad that I have finally come into the digital world thanks to help from a bunch of folks right here on this forum. Now I'll put away my hanky and download some photos from my LX5.;)
 
Speaking of Minolta, I've considered picking up either the CLE or the Leica CL (usually the Minolta's a better buy price-wise), the only M-mount Leica ever made by another company. It's significantly smaller than the M cameras. It's film, but it'd be nice to have something cute and small.

Pic of one with a GF1 (121 x 76 x 32 mm vs. 119 x 71 x 36.3 mm)
My pic of an M9 with a GF1 (139 x 80 x 37 mm vs. 119 x 71 x 36.3 mm)
 
Of course, Cosina makes M-Mount cameras and they are available new. I would trust the more modern electronics over the 30 year old circuits in the Minolta CLE. I have a Leica CL- meter works, but can be erratic. It is on its second CLA in 8 years. They are "jam-packed".

As far as film cameras that I own and use: a lot.
 
I have a ridiculously large number of cameras so I won't name them all. The SLRs I use the most are a Canon 1vHS, Canon T90, Canon EF, Nikon F3HP, Nikon FE2, Nikon F with a standard prism, Pentax LX, Olympus OM-4, and a Minolta XD11. I also shoot a number of rangefinders but the ones that get the most use are a Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII, Fujica Compact Deluxe, Canon GIII-QL17, Olympus 35RC, and a Voigtlander Vitomatic IIa. I honestly do use all of these and at least one or two travel everyday in my camera bag along with my 7D and G12. The 1vHS is the greatest camera ever made in my opinion, but the other SLRs are all simply sublime in use.

Andy
 
I got some nice film cameras I like to use. Unfortunately I use them to seldom because I am lazy, but I never regret it when I use them....

The film camera I use the most is my dear M2:

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I also have a Rolleiflex Automat 4 which is the oldest camera I own, think it is from around 1952.

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Just got a Oly XA with flash which is a nice and compact camera to use. My old Lomo LCA sometimes sees action and of course I have got a nice Holga:)

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My very first film camera was a kodak 127 brownie? then I got my first 35mm a Voigtlander RF I can't remember the lens 50mm lens, then I graduated to a Pracktica 50mm Tessa SLR and added a 100mm lens to the weight. I'm embarrassed to to mention all the cameras I've had since but I had a lovely Nikon SLR for a few years and even somewhere in between a camera called Topcon (anybody remember that one) also a couple of Olympus fixed len's Trip and SP.
I started with digital pocket compacts about 10 years ago very unsure about them at that time what have I left none of the above; but a Blue Holga and a Voigtlander CL Skopar 50mm lens which is heavier than a house brick bought s/h the film winder works on loading the film but the counter doesn't seem to move?
Oh forgot just sold a Panasonic lumix FX8 which I've had for 3yrs and my Oly E-P1 for much less.
At my age I hope I can be forgiven for being rather indulgent over the past 60 years!
 
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