Of all the camera's you've used/owned what's your favorite?

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First Camera - Kodak Brownie
Early years - Argus C-3
College - Konica Autoreflex that made me a good bit of extra money shooting sports all those years ago
Overall - Nikon D500. Best camera I've ever owned and with the 500 PF I've got my ideal wildlife setup.
 
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I learned on a Crown Graphic 4x5 sheet film camera, which was a pedagogical marvel -- but I don't ever want to shoot with it again (even though I still have it.) I loved the Voigtlander Vito CLR 35mm that I used for many years but somehow lost in one of the many moves of my younger years. But my favorite camera is my current digital camera -- the D500.
 
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Whiskeyman said:
My Hassy 500 was one of the last they made before switching to the 500 CM, and has the removable focusing screen. If Nikon wants to create shutter sounds for the Z9, they should try creating one that mimics the Hassy's Compur shutter "Pop!" That sound added to make a great camera and film pairing into an unforgettable creation. I wish I could get a good and inexpensive adapter to mount my Nikon telephoto lenses onto that camera.
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Sure it might scare all animals within 1000 yards, but I could get behind 20 FPS with the Hasselblad pop 😂
 
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Stephen Berger said:
not necessarily the best but your favorite. Maybe for sentimental reasons or cause it was so much fun, etc.

The camera's I've owned...

in the early 70's a Kodak instamatic as a kid (I got a shot of Evel Knievel popping a wheelie during the Thanksgiving Day parade in NYC when I was 9).

MANY years later (1995) a Canon EOS (don't remember which but entry level) film camera which I took on trips to Nepal, Tibet and India

A Pentax K1000 which I bought for a photography class in 1996

Then from 2006 through last May a Nikon D70, D200, D7000, D600, D800, D810, D500 and 2 x D850's

And now an A7RIV and A1

The Kodak stands out for being the first, the Canon for the trips I took with it. The Pentax because I loved that photography class. The D800 onward because that's when I started getting into wildlife. The Sony's because I love shooting mirrorless and the A1 is the bomb.

But the winner for me would be the D200. That's when I went from someone who was curious about photography to someone who started carrying a camera much of the time and more importantly really started seeing the world in terms of shape and light, etc.

Yours?
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Stephen, I have a side story related to Evel Knievel. In 1970 when I was about 8 years old, my dad took me to Pocono Raceway in PA on his 900cc Harley Sportster. We rode with a group of his motorcycle buddies. Dad had his Sportster all decked out...every single nut and bolt was chromed. Pocono Raceway was sponsoring a motorcycle race with the main attraction being Evel Knievel attempting a jump. I may have the sequence wrong, but after the race, everybody, and I mean everybody, crowded into the track to watch Evel jump between two ramps. He did his thing and it didn't go well. Broken bones, cracked vertebrae and so on. He got carted off in an ambulance. After watching the remaining activities everyone disbanded and headed to the parking lot. Got to the spot where my Dad's bike was parked....and it was gone! We ran around the lot and eventually out to the main gate asking for help. Just then a large U-haul truck exits the lot onto the main road, never to be seen again. No one made any attempt to stop it. We assume my dad's bike was in that U-haul. Later we found out that seven more bikes were missing. When Evel was jumping, everyone, including security, was watching the jump! Perfect time to load up some bikes into a large U-haul. We both ended up riding home as passengers on his friends' bikes. Dad was devastated. No more Evel Knievel jumps for us!
 
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JimFromAZ said:
Stephen, I have a side story related to Evel Knievel. In 1970 when I was about 8 years old, my dad took me to Pocono Raceway in PA on his 900cc Harley Sportster. We rode with a group of his motorcycle buddies. Dad had his Sportster all decked out...every single nut and bolt was chromed. Pocono Raceway was sponsoring a motorcycle race with the main attraction being Evel Knievel attempting a jump. I may have the sequence wrong, but after the race, everybody, and I mean everybody, crowded into the track to watch Evel jump between two ramps. He did his thing and it didn't go well. Broken bones, cracked vertebrae and so on. He got carted off in an ambulance. After watching the remaining activities everyone disbanded and headed to the parking lot. Got to the spot where my Dad's bike was parked....and it was gone! We ran around the lot and eventually out to the main gate asking for help. Just then a large U-haul truck exits the lot onto the main road, never to be seen again. No one made any attempt to stop it. We assume my dad's bike was in that U-haul. Later we found out that seven more bikes were missing. When Evel was jumping, everyone, including security, was watching the jump! Perfect time to load up some bikes into a large U-haul. We both ended up riding home as passengers on his friends' bikes. Dad was devastated. No more Evel Knievel jumps for us!
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Yikes. Losing the bike and knowing people can suck that much is a serious double whammy.
 
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A Kodak 35 mm film camera from 1947. Dad took all my baby pictures with it and I inherited it in high school. Used it for years.
Favorite film camera - Canon FTb a work horse that hiked to a lot of beautiful spots
D750 - took my professional portrait work to a new level
D850 - fueled my journey into runway fashion and started my passion with wildlife, particularly birds
Current
- Z6ii is my favorite for portraits and events
- Z7ii without grip is my landscape go to especially if I have to hike
- Z9 after four months it has reached the point where birds are easier to catch than with the D850
 
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Nikon F, black body -- bought it in 1962, still own it. Served me well for several years as a news photographer (definitely not a "photojournalist"!) Added a Nikkorex and an FM2, but the F was my "go to" camera. Served me well when the kids showed up. Set it aside when the D1h arrived. The Z9 and D850 are today's substitutes, but the F occupies a place of honor in a display case on my office wall.
 
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Stephen Berger said:
not necessarily the best but your favorite. Maybe for sentimental reasons or cause it was so much fun, etc.

The camera's I've owned...

in the early 70's a Kodak instamatic as a kid (I got a shot of Evel Knievel popping a wheelie during the Thanksgiving Day parade in NYC when I was 9).

MANY years later (1995) a Canon EOS (don't remember which but entry level) film camera which I took on trips to Nepal, Tibet and India

A Pentax K1000 which I bought for a photography class in 1996

Then from 2006 through last May a Nikon D70, D200, D7000, D600, D800, D810, D500 and 2 x D850's

And now an A7RIV and A1

The Kodak stands out for being the first, the Canon for the trips I took with it. The Pentax because I loved that photography class. The D800 onward because that's when I started getting into wildlife. The Sony's because I love shooting mirrorless and the A1 is the bomb.

But the winner for me would be the D200. That's when I went from someone who was curious about photography to someone who started carrying a camera much of the time and more importantly really started seeing the world in terms of shape and light, etc.

Yours?
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D3X, D4S, DF, D850
 
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Stephen Berger said:
not necessarily the best but your favorite. Maybe for sentimental reasons or cause it was so much fun, etc.

The camera's I've owned...

in the early 70's a Kodak instamatic as a kid (I got a shot of Evel Knievel popping a wheelie during the Thanksgiving Day parade in NYC when I was 9).

MANY years later (1995) a Canon EOS (don't remember which but entry level) film camera which I took on trips to Nepal, Tibet and India

A Pentax K1000 which I bought for a photography class in 1996

Then from 2006 through last May a Nikon D70, D200, D7000, D600, D800, D810, D500 and 2 x D850's

And now an A7RIV and A1

The Kodak stands out for being the first, the Canon for the trips I took with it. The Pentax because I loved that photography class. The D800 onward because that's when I started getting into wildlife. The Sony's because I love shooting mirrorless and the A1 is the bomb.

But the winner for me would be the D200. That's when I went from someone who was curious about photography to someone who started carrying a camera much of the time and more importantly really started seeing the world in terms of shape and light, etc.

Yours?
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I miss the skintones of the fuji S5 Pro - which is a D200 Nikon in fancy dress...🦘
 
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My favorite is my very old D3S. I still have it, and I can't get rid of it. I still use it from time to time. I used it heavily until 7 years ago. I took with it more than 400 000 shots in more than 20 countries. I shot with it in most National Park in US. It never let me down and I 've never needed to send it for repair. Along with the D3S , at that time, I used to shoot with a Mamiya DM33. The last one, even if does a wonderful job in landscape and portrait photography, I could not rely on it in bad condition as I could do it with the D3S which it never let me down. So It is very sentimental feeling toward the D3S that I can't let it go. Now along with my Z9 and the D850, the D3S still have place in my heart and in my bag.
 
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When I was bit by the photography bug in high school (early 1980s) the Nikon F3HP was THE camera that pros used. I could only round up enough cash bagging groceries for a well-used Nikon FM. Added a bargain MD-12 with a broken battery door (had to replace the duct tape holding it on every time I replaced batteries) when I started shooting sports for the school paper. But I lusted after that F3, mounted on top of the massive MD-4 motor.

Life went a different direction, and when I picked up photography again about 10 years later, there were newer and better cameras that caught my eye and then of course digital came along and stole the show. A few years ago, I decided to get back into shooting and developing film. Went into a local used camera store and came out with a mint F3HP still in the box for a ridiculously low price. Although I didn’t have a need for it, I also bought the MD-4 motor sitting in the case next to it…for $35 I couldn’t pass it up, lol!

I’ll admit I never ended up shooting much film, but the F3 still sits proudly on the shelf in my office. And although I haven’t had a roll of film in her for quite some time, I keep fresh batteries in that MD-4. When I’m feeling nostalgic I pick up that beautiful, hefty handful of metal, press the shutter and listen to the whine of that motor and the slap of the mirror.

Best….camera…ever!
 
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O said:
D3X, D4S, DF, D850
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Glad to see someone mention the Df. It was a “love it or hate it” camera, but one of the digital bodies I enjoyed shooting the most. I’m sure it’s because of the old-school dials and body profile—reminded me of my old film Nikons, which was obviously Nikon’s intent. I thought the sensor rendered lovely images, and I resurrected a few of the old manual focus Nikkors I still had collecting dust. They worked wonderfully with the Df.
 
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Activert said:
My favorite is my very old D3S. I still have it, and I can't get rid of it. I still use it from time to time. I used it heavily until 7 years ago. I took with it more than 400 000 shots in more than 20 countries. I shot with it in most National Park in US. It never let me down and I 've never needed to send it for repair. Along with the D3S , at that time, I used to shoot with a Mamiya DM33. The last one, even if does a wonderful job in landscape and portrait photography, I could not rely on it in bad condition as I could do it with the D3S which it never let me down. So It is very sentimental feeling toward the D3S that I can't let it go. Now along with my Z9 and the D850, the D3S still have place in my heart and in my bag.
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That’s not a camera, that’s a traveling companion. It’s worth little money on the used market. I suggest you place it on the mantle, so you can smile every time you walk past it.
 
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