The 10 Greatest/Best Selling/Most Influential Film Cameras

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Just for a bit of fun I thought we might see if we can come up with a list of the 10 greatest/most important film cameras.
I don't expect everyone to do a full list but if you have any suggestions and your reasons for them pop 'em down in here and we'll see what happens.

My ideas are as follows :

Leica I - One of those cameras which changed photography, made it so that ordinary folk could carry a camera.

Voigtlander Bessamatic - Camera system that had the first 35mm zoom lens, the 36-72mm f2.8 Zoomar.

Nikon F - The most advanced 35mm camera of its day. Combined all the attributes of the current 35mm SLR's in one body.

Nikon F100 - This one is in because I like it. Its, for me the culmination of the 35mm film camera design. Simple as you like or as complicated as you want, the ergonomics are superb and its not a particularly heavy camera.

Olympus Trip - Just a classic camera.

Anyway I'm sure we'll get as many different cameras as people but these are just a few from me to get the ball rolling. :thumbs:

Andy
 
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I propose the Minox Subminiature/B, probably not brilliant picture quality wise but certainly a design classic.
 
Maybe, but they are not as good or as knowledgeable and handsome as we are. ;)
 
Not particularly keen on that list on the link, but I think you have the makings of a similar list to where mine would be going, Andy.

I think a good way to think about this is whether a camera was important because it was revolutionary, or because it was the pinnacle of evolutionary development. But then you also need to allow for a camera that was just a fantastic design which captured what the market was looking for at the time, of which obvious example would be the Olympus Trip 35.

I would perhaps nominate a few additional cameras to consider or alternatives:

Nikon F2 (perhaps as the evolution of the F, which was the revolutionary camera). I could argue a case for either being greater than the other. Actually, you could make a case for the F3 as well...

Nikon F6 (instead of your F100), because it really IS genuinely the last word in 35mm SLR design. Probably betters the F100 in every regard (and I don't think it's much heavier either). But that doesn't make me right of course :lol:.

Agree with the Oly Trip. Has to be in there. A brilliant, straightforward design, which worked beautifully (and still does, of course), and sold by the bucketload.

Maybe have a Polaroid in there somewhere (I'm not an expert on these, but they certainly win in being revolutionary)?

I would also add a TLR, and it would therefore have to be a Rolleiflex - not sure it matters much which one.

Perhaps a Hasselblad - which for decades was the staple of fashion/wedding and various other types of pro use. And still very sought after.

Maybe there's a place for a more modern compact camera too: a few to choose from probably.

Anyway, there's a few more to throw into the ring!
 
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There's got to be a Polaroid in there... maybe not the SX-70, even though it's great, it's something of an anomaly in the Polaroid family. I'd say one of the Land Cameras.
 
Hasselblad? Going to the Moon must count for something! ;)
 
Polaroid 24x20 studio camera, ULF instant photography FTW :D
 
The thing is how do you define great? Is it a camera that was first to market with an innovation even if it was a ****** camera? Or is it a camera that is the pinnacle of engineering, or usability, or looks? I'd personally say innovation should be the base and at least one more quality to be great.

The Leica I was a nice camera but it certainly was not for ordinary folk, the first camera for ordinary folk was the Kodak Brownie, the Bessamatic may have had the first commercially available zoom lens but the camera itself is poor, though good looking.

Anyway some of my choices, with opinion thrown in for good measure.
  • Kodak Brownie (1900) - One of the most basic cameras and one of the greatest for bringing photography to the common man, camera was $1 and film $0.15, Kodak did all the processing for you and sent the camera back with prints and new film in it. Slightly odd in that it took circular photos.
  • Graflex Speed Graphic (1912-1973) - One of the great iconic cameras of the 20th century and staple of the photojournalist. I was even watching a TV advert yesterday and all the "paparazzi" in the shot had these camera with huge flashbulb handles, so ingrained is the image of this camera with that job it endures to this day. Cheap, great styling (particularly the later models), very usable and is still a great entry to 5x4" photography even today, though sadly rarer to find here in the UK.
  • Leica II (1932) - First 35mm system camera and rangefinder focusing in one package (though not the first 35mm camera) in a desirable package that influenced many photographers to come, compact, discreet and high quality, though the preserve of the professional or wealthier man.
    This camera was mercilessly copied by the soviets and it's innards were used for decades afterwards in most soviet cameras, pretty much all FED, Zorki and Zenit cameras use the focal plane shutter system design from this camera.
  • Argus A (1936) - Cemented 35mm film and brought the format to the masses, considered one of the most important 35mm cameras of all time for that, small, lovely and sleek art-deco style body with a decent lens
  • Kodak Super Six-20 (1938) - Not a very well known camera due to its ridiculous price and rarity but was the first camera ever with an automatic exposure system (in 1938!), rangefinder focusing and a beautiful art deco clam-shell design by Walter Dorwin Teague.
  • Polaroid Land Model 95 (1948) - The genesis of instant photography created by genius Edwin Land after his young daughter wanted to see photos right away. The Model 95 is also another beautiful Walter Dorwin Teague design, though not the most advanced camera in the world that just made it simple to use, pretty much the Polaroid ethos for many decades to come.
  • Hasselblad 500C (1957-1970) - While not the first 6x6 SLR it certainly brought you the whole package, a true MF system, totally modular and built like a tank, elegant design that is still lusted after by many but bought by few, top notch Zeiss lenses that are still truly great and expensive for that reason. An iconic camera with an enduring legacy.
  • Nikon F and F2 - Kind of cheating putting them together but the F2 is really just a tweaked F. Another iconic and handsome camera, that i would say made 35mm a real option for professionals, other SLR's hadn't really fit the bill until this came along, though you could argue for Pentax though since their SLR came out around the same time.
  • Olympus Trip 35 (1967-1984) - Classic styling, usable, cheap, sharp lens, one of those great common man cameras and well marketed. Worth a punt these days as you can get them for less than £20 in decent condition if you are patient, hell you can even buy a refurbished one like new from the The Tripman for £60, though i'd personally get an XA2 or Mju-II as a carry everywhere camera instead.
  • Polaroid SX-70 (1972) - Birth of modern instant photography in an elegant and very cleverly designed camera. No more messy peel apart films just focus and press the red button and get a great colour print in 60 seconds, "compact" folding SLR design. Another iconic camera of the 20th century, still sort after and used today.
  • Canon EOS 650 (1987) - AF wasn't a new thing but Canon dumped their entire FD system, started from scratch and made a true AF system with no legacy issues. Set the template for most future AF SLR cameras from Canon and elsewhere. A fully electronic system, handsome 80's design, quick AF, was really the new yardstick and you can buy an EOS 650 now for cheap, you'd be lucky to pay £20 and it will still work with all modern EF (but not EF-S) lenses, even IS works, not even Nikon's legendary F4 can do that.
  • Nikon F6 (2004-Today) - Last but not least the F6, the last word in 35mm cameras, basically a Nikon D200 with the digital sensor guts thrown out and film transport put in.

I can think of more but i wouldn't call them great just good or notable. Stuff like the Exakta for making 127/35mm SLR's in the 1930's, Rolleiflex TLR's are good but they aren't great in my opinion the SLR won the battle for a reason, and you can get waist level finders for every medium format SLR anyway so it really doesn't confer any advantage other than not having a slappy mirror. Various old 19th cameras but they are more evolution than revolution. The Nikon F4, innovative for Nikon and good camera but a bit late to the AF party to make it truly innovative across the board.
 
This is the stuff, excellent thoughts and choices. Although I have to disagree about the Bessamatic being poor. I found it to be an excellent camera that took great pics, bit complicated to get used to though, but you're right it looked good.

Andy
 
Surprised that the Canon AE-1, one of the best selling 35mm camera outfits of all time, has not been mentioned yet. Much like the Argus C3, it brought an accessibility to the 35mm format for the right price.
 
Great minds ^
 
What about the very first camera? Admittedly it wasn't mass-produced, but still very important.
 
mothdust said:
What about the very first camera? Admittedly it wasn't mass-produced, but still very important.
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Definitely, as importance goes it was the most but which one was it? Do we include camera obscura? Is it Fox-Talbot is it Daguerre? Tricky one :thinking:
 
Perhaps contraversial, but I'm going to suggest a camera of the Lomo family. the holga, or whatever is the most popular.

I'm not a lomo shooter myself, but it can't be denied that Lomography as a whole has helped film in recent years.

not 'classic' perhaps, but great in the sense of what it has done for film photography in the past decade.


also, what about the Olympus OM system?

would say that hassleblad and leica have to be in the list. don't really know too much about other cameras!
 
Much as the 110 format has its drawbacks there are two cameras that come to mind which were both quite advanced although probably not worthy of being the greatest/most important film cameras:

Minolta Zoom 110 SLR MK II

Pentax Auto 110
 
Great thread. My personal view.

Box Brownie - it made photography available to the masses (sort of).
Canon AE1, just a joy to use.
Ricoh KR-10 - inexpensive, simple bullet proof and took Pentax lenses.
Olympus Trip - well why not?
Nikon F - probably the first SLR to "go pro"
Nikon F6 - the last word in SLR's imo (wish I could afford one).
 
Just having another little think and I remebered the Leica M3, the first of the M series and still considered by many to be the best camera ever made (not sure about this, it is usually said by Leica cultists). It is without doubt a fantastic camera but should it be in our top 10?
Discuss.

Andy
 
Come on guys, the only Pentax in that list is a 110! The ME and MX set in the mid 1970s said you can have a great robust camera that isn't stupidly ginormous (like those ***on lumps I saw in Greenwich :-)!
 
The Auto 110 is a staggering piece of engineering, the viewfinder is brighter and bigger than my APS-C DSLR, and the little lenses are a great novelty - the whole system in the palm of your hand. That said, I think the relative lack of popularity around 110 prevents the Pentax from making a list like this.
 
Well its made this list as have the ME and MX. We'll see in a week or 2 if they make the top 10.
Anyone else have any thoughts, if you agree with any of the choices so far or have new ones to add speak up, there's no such thing as a bad suggestion in this thread.

Andy
 
I think there needs to be some key criteria given for scoring to really make this objective.

Quantity produced
Innovation
Aesthetics
Ergonomics
Overall impact on photography or photographers

The final list should be a mix of the mass produced everyman cameras like oly trips, box brownies and polaroids,

There should be some intermediate cameras like the AE-1 or earlier Nikons or whatever your preference is (this is where the scoring matters). Cameras that featured new functionality or design elements that set them apart and made them a joy/revelation to use. The serious workhorses of the enthusiast - the kind of cameras that allowed enthusiasts to take it to the next level and get near professional images - not just snaps.

And then the professional and unusual cameras that set the standard or did something unique. Leicas, Hasselblads, TLRs, plate or LF cameras that started the whole system off.

Plus a little scope for the less tangible qualities that make a camera personally so important to an individual.

And as you can see I've largely ignored answering the question, but for me the following would be contenders.

A simple compact 35mm like an Olympus Trip
A Nikon F Series
A TLR or maybe a folding rangefinder
A Polaroid (pick whatever model you think best)
A Leica
A Hasselblad
A Box Brownie or similar era mass produced camera for the masses
An early professional camera - would need advice on which would be a suitable suggestion as being very influential

You get the idea though. I think it needs to be less guy instinct and more consideration put into context and impact. Also I'm open to suggestions for the gaps in my list.
 
You make some very valid points Justin and they are criteria which should be considered, but sometimes gut instinct can help. It's not meant to be a scientific list but a more general concensus of which cameras we as individuals feel have contributed most to our hobby over the past 170 years (I know some of the members on here are nearly this old and will be of help with the more archaic cameras) :D
 
I think great needs to be more defined, seems to be going down the route of "cameras i like". I personally think to be great a camera needs to push some boundary (even if the camera wasn't popular) or have been influential enough to change the industry. On top of those i think it would need one extra quality, which could be style, it could be a great camera to use, or something else i can't think of at the moment.
Much like the Argus C3
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I was tempted to include that but felt the Argus A was more important. C3 is definitely next to it though.
What about the very first camera? Admittedly it wasn't mass-produced, but still very important.
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Not really, production numbers aren't that important to make it great either. The type of cameras that were first just built on much older obscura designs, at that point in time i'd argue the real revolution was more to do with the chemicals and materials for making photos rather than the camera, also lenses.
Canon AE-1 etc.
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It's a good camera but not a "great" camera, the most revolutionary Canon from the FD era is the T-90 not the AE-1 regardless of its popularity.
110 format
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Much like 126 i can't think of a great camera from those formats, the Pentax Auto 110 is a cool camera and should probably go in a runner-up list though. Other than making film a bit easier to use 110 or 126 didn't really push the boundaries or offer much you couldn't get elsewhere.
Lomo
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I couldn't really call any of their stuff great even if you leave out the obvious quality issues with their products, most are copies or altered copies, the only exception i can think of is their new 6x12 Bel-Air camera. Lomo has influence and has created an aesthetic with regard to photos but the cameras themselves aren't great.

/all in my opinion
 
Also very valid. I don't want people to just vote for their favourite camera, it does need to have pushed boundaries in some way.
 
Canon A-1 - First camera with a P mode
 
Canon EOS1.

Look at what was around when it was launched, the handling and AF performance was years ahead and ensured Canon were well in front (At the top end) of Nikon until the D3.

I went from an EOS1 (freelancing) to a F4 (staff job for newspaper) it was like going back 20 years.
 
Pentax Spotmatic - first camera with TTL metering (o.k a Topcon camera did beat it to market by a couple of weeks but Pentax made and demonstrated the fully working prototype first at Photokina 1960 even if it was bit different from the final released design)
 
Morinaka said:
I couldn't really call any of their stuff great even if you leave out the obvious quality issues with their products, most are copies or altered copies, the only exception i can think of is their new 6x12 Bel-Air camera. Lomo has influence and has created an aesthetic with regard to photos but the cameras themselves aren't great.

/all in my opinion
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Most of the cameras you mentioned aren't great, in fact barely any of them are.

It means nothing to me if lomo cameras are considered great or not, but to overlook the impact they've had on the industry and innovation they've bought to keep film alive would be silly.

The kodak brownie may have been the first camera bought to mass market, but without Lomo, there wouldn't be much of a film market left today... which is more beneficial, or 'great'? Someone would have made a 'mass market camera' in the 1900s, but would anyone have innovated in the recent years the way lomo have?

granted, it's all opinions but yours contradicts itself ;) as can be seen from this quote:
I personally think to be great a camera needs to push some boundary (even if the camera wasn't popular) or have been influential enough to change the industry.
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interesting discussion though... a lot of cameras I've never even heard of in this thread!
 
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Edtog said:
Canon EOS1.

Look at what was around when it was launched, the handling and AF performance was years ahead and ensured Canon were well in front (At the top end) of Nikon until the D3.

I went from an EOS1 (freelancing) to a F4 (staff job for newspaper) it was like going back 20 years.
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Could also say the EOS 3, I guess?

the focus system it used was used right up until the 5d III got released last year.

not bad for an old film body :p
 
A few more to add to the mix from this jaded old emulsion head;)


Rolleicord V, the poor mans entry into quality TLRs, great quality at a pretty good price, built to last and many are still shooting

Olympus OM-1, the SLR that broke the mold, iconic styling, lovely handling and many still going after all these years

Canon F-1n, a superb quality Canon SLR that never quite seems to have achieved the credit it deserves, a victim of the move to EOS perhaps, shame on you canon, sacrificing your own child!

Zenit E, love it or loathe it, for many it was our first entry into the world of the SLR

Nikkormat FT3, the forerunner of the FM/FE brigade, I still have one and it's lovely:p

Contax RTS, A really great SLR when wedded to the excellent Zeiss lenses, over priced but lovely all the same, although perhaps it is in the 'where are they now' category

Musings complete!
 
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Am surprised that the Nikon F3 hasn't had a mention yet. First pro Nikon with AE, reliable despite the early fears, versatile, a joy to shoot with IMO, in production for the best part of 20 years seeing off its successor the F4 & making it quite a way into the life cycle of the F5 before they stopped making it.
 
DNH said:
Am surprised that the Nikon F3 hasn't had a mention yet. First pro Nikon with AE, reliable despite the early fears, versatile, a joy to shoot with IMO, in production for the best part of 20 years seeing off its successor the F4 & making it quite a way into the life cycle of the F5 before they stopped making it.
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Agree with you, it is a fantastic camera but without doubt it is the ugliest of all the F's so it wouldn't get my vote I'm afraid :lol:
 
How the hell you drove to my house Raggy, I will never know, you must have used the force or something cos you clearly didn't do it by sight...


:D
 
joxby said:
How the hell you drove to my house Raggy, I will never know, you must have used the force or something cos you clearly didn't do it by sight...


:D
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Funniest thing I've read in weeks....:thumbs:
 
RaglanSurf said:
Agree with you, it is a fantastic camera but without doubt it is the ugliest of all the F's so it wouldn't get my vote I'm afraid :lol:
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Never thought of the F3 as ugly. F4 definitely beaten by the ugly stick IMO though :naughty:. Do think that the F3 looks better with a DE2 compared to a DE3 viewfinder mind.
 
It means nothing to me if lomo cameras are considered great or not, but to overlook the impact they've had on the industry and innovation they've bought to keep film alive would be silly ... without Lomo, there wouldn't be much of a film market left today... which is more beneficial, or 'great'?
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I don't think keeping film alive is innovative, the Bel-Air is best they've done so far, i hope they continue down that road and i wish them the best of luck. Saying there wouldn't be a film market without them is going into pure speculation, i don't know that and no one ever could. Since we are talking about cameras and whether any of them are great is surely the point of this thread?
Someone would have made a 'mass market camera' in the 1900s, but would anyone have innovated in the recent years the way lomo have?
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George Eastman made it his mission to get photography to the masses and out of the studio and the advanced amateur, the Brownie was the first real point and shoot camera and achieved his goal, it pretty much created an entire industry for consumer cameras. The only person after him that did this was Edwin Land with the Polaroid camera. Someone may have made a consumer camera at one point but who knows how long it might have taken, an extra 10 years, 20? I have no idea, i can't predict alternate realities.

I won't fault Lomo's business acumen and drive but they haven't really created any cameras, let alone great ones, they've resold or copied them, as i said before the Bel-Air is a nice change and i hope they continue in that direction.
granted, it's all opinions but yours contradicts itself ;) as can be seen from this quote
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In your opinion :p they are all great to me so while they may contradict your definition of great they don't mine :)
 
DNH said:
Am surprised that the Nikon F3 hasn't had a mention yet. First pro Nikon with AE, reliable despite the early fears, versatile, a joy to shoot with IMO, in production for the best part of 20 years seeing off its successor the F4 & making it quite a way into the life cycle of the F5 before they stopped making it.
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I mentioned it near the top of the thread actually. Love my F3 and as you say, there must have been something great about it to have continued in production so long. It was THE photojournalists camera of the 80s and well into the 90s. Only thing is I don't think you can say it's better than the F2. Hmm...

I think mention should also go to the Nikon midrange FM/FE camera series which essentially survived from 1977 with the launch of the FM, up to around 2006 I think with the FM3a. Now that is longevity. If you had to pick one most would probably say the FM2n is the classic of the series, though personally I'd find picking one like choosing which of your children to save from a burning building :shrug:.
 
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