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

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I loved my D70 as it represented my return to photography in any serious way -- my last camera before that being of the vintage of pre AF cameras, an old RICOH. So when I jumped to the D200 I thought I'd found true love indeed. THEN the D3 showed up and gave us the ability to shoot in the dark, handheld.... I still hold my D3 with some reverence so I figure from an affection point of view it's my favourite. But as for favourite, e.g. the one I reach for, it's definitely the Z9. Yah it's a super computer, but ultimately my favourite as it simply feels the best in my hand (even better than the D3 and D6); a perfect fit . Literally why I got rid of the Z6 within weeks of buying it for example was I hated how it felt carrying it in my hand, didn't feel like a camera at all to me LOL
 
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First and last film cameras Olympus OM10, Nikon F80.

First forage into digital Nikon Coolpix 4500 to “get into” digiscoping, what a faff that was so moved on to DSLR with the D70, 2x D300s (one got nicked), D700, D4, D500 (still have) and currently the Z9.

Out of that little lot my favourite without a doubt is the D700 being the first full frame camera I owned and being built like a tank I LOVED that thing, kind of regretted trading it in for used D4 but win some lose some 🤦‍♂️.

After the D700 honourable mention should go to D300 also really good.
 
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Fuji X100V - the first camera I ever owned, purchased new in October 2020. It's what got me into photography. as someone else said, it's the camera that's always with me no matter what. easy to pocket. always a no-brainer regardless of activity.

Canon R5 - cheap, lightweight, amazing specs. very rarely let me down. my first real wildlife body.

Nikon Z9 - my first "pro-feeling" body. made the R5 feel like a child's toy, but is considerably larger and heavier. has almost everything I could want in a body.
 
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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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BTW Hi to all of you I´m new here from Iceland I love photography , especially landscape and now I want to try some wildlife, birds ,,,,,. Look forward to learn from you all.

I think my favorite was my first real camera Olympus Om2n. Bought it before knowing anything about camera´s and how to take photos. Was only 16years old ( now 63) and had to pay it in 12 payments because of lack of money. Bougth along with it a book something like " Everything you must know about photography " :). Love it and loved to learn how to use it. Ended up buying a bulk film with bulk film loader and a film developing kit. That was my start into photography. Yes that was my favorite regarding warm feelings and memories , I was young at the time and loved to explore this new toy with everything that it offered. Next was Nikkormat EL and then Nikon F2SB ( still have that one ) And yesterday got a almost new Z8 all the way from Australia and now going through the menu´s and trying to understand how to use it :).
 
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I miss my D4s some days. Felt great in the hand, had great color science, and was just a great all around camera.
I also had a lot of fun with the Sigma SD14. A little love for the Foveon sensor.
 
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O said:
Yes, I find a lot of people today that are mirror less Influence-rs snub the Df as they now do most models that are not currently popular.

The Df is a D600 carcass with a retro top with dials was a cheeky venture for Nikon, the Df didn't fly out the door but over time got some traction slowly but steadily, it actually reached the hearts of many people and photographers simply never had a bad word to say about it.

At the time my main camera was my D3X that did everything for me, yep a studio camera did everything. I wanted a camera that could deliver high ISO performance and be easy to travel with but wasn't a D4 D4s etc, so i got at trade a demo model, silver DF.

It slowed me down, made me look think compose more, i shot it in JPEG Fine MONO and Raw at the same time. That said i can do this with any camera in full manual, but there was some sort of connection in the way the dials were set up.

The D4s Sensor delivered 12800 ISO genuinely super super well. Some say 6400 was its max, i tend feel differently about that.

It worked super well with the large pixel pitch and 16 mp that had little to no issue with a 2 x Tc III on a 300 F 2.8 VR II, 5.5 FPS was perfectly fine.
Most of the traveling was on a 28-300 or 24-70 F2.8 or 50mm 1.4 Zeiss especially, it was a magic combo especially for street photography. Or in Southern light of Tasmania or New Zealand.

Yes the ZF, D850 Z8 Z9 are all different but i still take the Df in my pocket and get money shots, its not worth selling as i can only get about $1500 AUD $975 USD, so i would rather just keep it and use it for street photography or travel as it with a 50mm fits in my coat pocket, the battery last for ever.

I hone my skill sets regularly and enjoy it.

The image files in mono are very very nice.

Using group, 3200 ss with floated iso to 12800, -07 ev, manual, F4 or F7.1, JPEG Fine mostly, it was just focus on composing or finding the magic subject or moment.

Love DF still have it i don't care if they have come out with computerized cameras that do everything for you.

Had the Z9 for 2 years sold it just recently while i could still get good money for it, also its out of warranty, because what i do now its to big and heavy for travel and hiking, currently i have the smaller lighter Z8 as a interim tool that fits my current needs far better.

Have the D850 as a stand by, and the Df still.

At the moment the D850 and Z8 are my go to tools, the D850 will remain on my hall of fame wire shelf next to my old freind the D3X that has so many memories we made togeather, LOL.
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I’m curious if you’ve handled the Zf and what you thought about it? Having migrated to the Z system a couple of years ago, I was super-excited when Nikon announced the Zf. I’d hoped it would have the same impact on me that the Df did, but when I finally had a chance to see it in the flesh at my local dealer I was disappointed. It felt more bulky than it looked in the product photos and I just found it uninspiring. I’ve read great reviews and apparently many users love it, but it didn‘t make me want to own it.
 
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Tiktok67 said:
I’m curious if you’ve handled the Zf and what you thought about it? Having migrated to the Z system a couple of years ago, I was super-excited when Nikon announced the Zf. I’d hoped it would have the same impact on me that the Df did, but when I finally had a chance to see it in the flesh at my local dealer I was disappointed. It felt more bulky than it looked in the product photos and I just found it uninspiring. I’ve read great reviews and apparently many users love it, but it didn‘t make me want to own it.
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Yes i have used it, the focus system is excellent and has some features yet to surface in the Z8 Z9 from memory, its not ultimately as good as the Z9 Z8 but gee i was very very happy with it.

It has the option to get to 14 fps compared to 5.5 in the DF.

The ZF iso is very very good, its 24mp not 16 and its clearly noticeable,

The ZF has a very friendly screen, as well as other options, image quality and mono features are superb,

the best thing is it has spectacular VR or IBIS you can hand hold it and take a slow water fall shot its that good, in fact its IBIS or VR is better than the Z9 Z8 they were only 5 stops the ZF is 8 stops, also the low light low contrast focus is 10 stops not 8 like the Z8 Z9.

With the ZF awesome VR/ IBIS it makes all your FX DSLR glass outcomes instantly VR.

The ZF shoots up to 1/8000 sec where the DF is limited to 1/4000 sec and In the ZF using manual exposure mode you can select long exposures of up to 900 seconds (15 minutes) if you want.

All in all the ZF technically and feature wise is a far far superior camera compared to the DF by a enormous amount.

That said do i like my DF as simple as it is, do i like the image files, yes, do i need more than what it can offer me, not for what i use it for.

Simple answer the ZF is so superior to the DF.

I would have got the ZF as a temporary camera but nabbed a super cheap deal on a Z8, so i am parked there for just a little while, i am waiting to see what the Z7III brings to the table.

If your confident of handling the ZF learning curve its a no brainier, they are only as complicated as we make them.

My Z8 Z9 i would simple set them up no different to my D850, just with a couple of buttons that would let me go from a portraiture shot to tracking a BIF at the touch of a button.

I love my D850, i really feel happier with the Z8 over my Z9 purely due to its size and weight for travel and hiking, i mean i have the strength and grip of Dwayne Johnson the Rock but still.

The ZF is a great back up tool for a Z8 Z9, the DF for what i use it for its good enough plus for the little i get selling it its worth more to me keeping it, i use it mostly in full manual with Zeiss glass, street travel and totally with old school skill sets.

Above all you have to love what you do and if your happy that's all that counts.

I am not dependent on the latest gear and new tricks and features with my photography as i have excellent skill sets.

I see cameras and lenses just as different tools.

Only an opinion
 
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I am very new to photography compared to others responding. Started when I retired at the end of 2008 and borrowed my wifes Canon Rebel her first digital in 2009 and her canon pocket camera and went to Alaska in 2009. I explored a lot of photography types and styles, macro, 4x5 large format film, studio portraits, light painting and on and on.

I was a hunter, fisherman, backpacker, bike rider, xc and dh skier etc. and love the outdoors.

The camera that got me hooked on wildlife was the D300s, and the camera that got me hooked on birds including birds in flight was the Nikon D4s, that was my first introduction into high frame rates, fast focus, low light high ISO capability even up to 12,800. It was a great camera and along with Sigma 150-600 sport and Tamron 150-600 G2 that got me into the world of VR/IS and very portable hand held bird chasing photography.

D500 was a great bird photography body and D850 had a D500 built in. D6 was a souped up D4s.

Number 1 is:

For a birder and bird ID photographer where subjects are unpredictable all sizes, all terrain, weather, habitat and light but seldom closer than 20 feet the Z9 (about fW 4.0 and up now at fw 5.0) and Z800 mm have been my dream come true.
 
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O said:
Yes i have used it, the focus system is excellent and has some features yet to surface in the Z8 Z9 from memory, its not ultimately as good as the Z9 Z8 but gee i was very very happy with it.

It has the option to get to 14 fps compared to 5.5 in the DF.

The ZF iso is very very good, its 24mp not 16 and its clearly noticeable,

The ZF has a very friendly screen, as well as other options, image quality and mono features are superb,

the best thing is it has spectacular VR or IBIS you can hand hold it and take a slow water fall shot its that good, in fact its IBIS or VR is better than the Z9 Z8 they were only 5 stops the ZF is 8 stops, also the low light low contrast focus is 10 stops nit 8 like the Z8 Z9.

With the ZF awesome VR/ IBIS it makes all your FX DSLR glass outcomes instantly VR.

The ZF shoots up to 1/8000 sec where the DF is limited to 1/4000 sec and In manual exposure mode, you can select long exposures of up to 900 seconds (15 minutes) if you want.

All in all the ZF technically and feature wise is a far far superior camera compared to the DF by an really an enormous amount.

That said do i like my DF as simple as it is, do i like the image files, yes, do i need more than what it can offer me, not for what i use it for.

Simple answer the ZF is so superior to the DF.

I would have got the ZF as a temporary camera but nabbed a super cheap deal on a Z8, so i am parked there for just a little while, i am waiting to see what the Z7II brings to the table.

If your confident of handling the ZF learning curve its a no brainier, they are only as complicated as we make them.

My Z8 Z9 i would simple set them up no different to my D850, just with a couple of buttons that would let me go from a portraiture shot to tracking a BIF at the touch of a button.

I love my D850 i really feel happier with the Z8 at the moment due to its size and weight for travel and hiking. The ZF is a great back up tool for what i use the DF for its good enough plus for the little i get selling it its worth more to me keeping it, i use it mostly in full manual with Zeiss glass.

Above you have to love what you do and if your happy that's all that counts.
I am not dependent on the latest gear with my photography as i have excellent skill sets.

I see camera and lenses just as different tools.

Only an opinion
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"Above you have to love what you do and if your happy that's all that counts."

Says it all for me and how Z9+Z800pf fits my "current" birding photography love. Then with the Z 24-120 and Tamron Zmount 35-150 f/2-f/2.8 the Z9's and I can handle all of the indoor and outdoor special events photography for my church.
 
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I am happy with my Canon R7 and 5Ds. Cheap to run and much better at taking photographs than I am. That being said I believe I was happiest taking landscapes with a Sinar 5x4. Slow but gave me time to compose the image.

Forgot to mention that one of the best portraits I did of my mother was a polaroid BW.
 
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Ken Miracle said:
"Above you have to love what you do and if your happy that's all that counts."

Says it all for me and how Z9+Z800pf fits my "current" birding photography love. Then with the Z 24-120 and Tamron Zmount 35-150 f/2-f/2.8 the Z9's and I can handle all of the indoor and outdoor special events photography for my church.
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Hi Ken, with you on your journey, i am looking for a exclent tool in that 24 to 200 range smaller lighter but needs to be good, how do you find the two lenses you mention.
 
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Steve said:
From my film days, my FA, 8008, and N90.

From my DSLR days (you know, like last week), the D850, D5/6, and D500

All time favorite, Sony a1 - nothing else is even close. The camera feels like it's working with you to get the shot and if I do my job, it does its job. I don't think I've ever has more fun with any camera.
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interesting about the a1 ...
 
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Barbara said:
... And then a fully manual Miranda SLR that I bought in 1968 when I really wanted but couldn't afford a Nikon F. (You could get the Miranda and a 50mm lens for the same price as just the Nikon body.) But I kept that Miranda for 25 years, and took many of my most treasured photos with it.
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I too had a Miranda that I bought in 1970 or so while stationed in Rio de Janeiro. It was a fraction of the price of a NIkon, which I just could not afford on the $300 per month I made as a Sgt. in the Marine Corps. I shot it for many years until it simply died of old age. I then had a Cannon or two until finally getting a Nikon after my accountant told me I had two days until I could not buy and add the camera to my business equipment at a tremendous tax savings. I think it was the D300, which was brand new and the cat's meow at the time. I loved it and used it for several years taking photos of jewelry. One day it simply refused to connect to my computer anymore so I upgraded to a Nikon 7100, which I can still use to take jewelry photos while attached to my computer.

I also bought a Nikon D500 which I enjoyed for many years and a couple of years ago I upped my ante for the Nikon Z9, which I must admit is my favorite camera, and most likely my last, as at 77, I don't see spending that kind of money again for a camera.
 
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O said:
Hi Ken, with you on your journey, i am looking for a exclent tool in that 24 to 200 range smaller lighter but needs to be good, how do you find the two lenses you mention.
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I have really enjoyed my 24-200 lens. It is great for walk around photography, as it is super light and easy to carry. (I do wish it had a manual focus button as I can rarely get it to focus on birds, squirrels, etc. that are in the bushes.)

For birds and animals, I find the 180-600 to be a much better lens, and if I was as serious as my friend Ken, I would save up my pennies and get an 800mm.
 
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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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Great question! I loved my Nikon D70 as it was my first digital camera. It allowed me to experiment with various techniques and genres without the high cost of film and development. I currently own 2 Z8s and it is definitely my all time favorite camera due to the excellent ergonomics and AF performance.
 
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O said:
Hi Ken, with you on your journey, i am looking for a exclent tool in that 24 to 200 range smaller lighter but needs to be good, how do you find the two lenses you mention.
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Z 24-120 is light and produces great images. The Tamron Z mount 35-150 f/2-f/2.8 is flat out amazing but it is far heavier as you might expect than the 24-120 I have used both indoors and outdoors but for the most part I use the 14-120 outdoors and the 35-150 indoors in all the funky light and non stop action of the special events I photograph at church and I have never had a lens with the capabilities it has as the Tamron rep says it is a workhorse.
 
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Wink Jones said:
I have really enjoyed my 24-200 lens. It is great for walk around photography, as it is super light and easy to carry. (I do wish it had a manual focus button as I can rarely get it to focus on birds, squirrels, etc. that are in the bushes.)

For birds and animals, I find the 180-600 to be a much better lens, and if I was as serious as my friend Ken, I would save up my pennies and get an 800mm.
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Thank you, good to know, i hear good things about the 24-200 especially that its light. The 800 from what i have seen is a very very good lens, a few club members have it and WOW.
 
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Ken Miracle said:
Z 24-120 is light and produces great images. The Tamron Z mount 35-150 f/2-f/2.8 is flat out amazing but it is far heavier as you might expect than the 24-120 I have used both indoors and outdoors but for the most part I use the 14-120 outdoors and the 35-150 indoors in all the funky light and non stop action of the special events I photograph at church and I have never had a lens with the capabilities it has as the Tamron rep says it is a workhorse.
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Thanks Ken, it sound impressive, i will have a closer look at one, i don't want to invest heavily into mirror less glass, but the odd one as you say a regular work horse makes sense.
Because i do such a wide variety of things, and not that often in one specific category i find renting or borrowing a specific lens i need one is proving to be far better for me.

In the main stream i am a F2.8 kind of glass lover...............
 
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