The 50 Greatest Cameras of All Time

[Hamish Gill]

I sorta do that with my cameras anyway ...
Here is my list http://www.realphotographersforum.com/general-discussion/9210-my-top-ten-cameras.html#post76866

 

[Art Meripol]

I've owned or still own 1, 6, 7, 8, 18, 24, 31, 36, 38. In fact I own all but two of those and have used them all in my career.
The one that 'got away' is one of the biggest regrets I have and that was selling off my #7 kit, the Mamiya 7Ii system.
I still kick myself almost daily after all these years. The other I no longer have is the Pentax 67. The writer of this list was so right in this statement ..."and tendency to spend more time being repaired than used. "

 

[Brian Moore]

the Mamiya 7Ii system

I want one. But I will have to win the lottery first.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

All I have is #15 from that list.

I suspect the list would certainly be different today.

 

[Chris Bennett]

It should be a universal rule that no 'Best xxxx of all time' list should be allowed to contain any product that is available to buy new at the time of writing. The inclusion of such prodects almost always proves to be utter loblocks on reflection.

 

[Gord Tomlin]

None of the above.

I was reading the list with some puzzlement that no cameras from the last 15 years were on the list...then I hovered the link and saw it was from 2010.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

no cameras from the last 15 years were on the list

I'm pretty sure that many of the so-called "best of all time" film cameras won't compete with some of the best from the digital age. Maybe it's time for a new list?

 

[Gord Tomlin]

Maybe it's time for a new list?

Agreed...and a quick search found this one, which is only a few weeks old:

100 Greatest Cameras of all time

Top 100 cameras of all time - as voted for by you!

amateurphotographer.com

It promises a list of 100, but only provides 50.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

It promises a list of 100, but only provides 50.

But there are 2 columns of 50 each. To be honest, that list seems as focused on film cameras as the other one. While it is possible, I suspect that many shooters of the last 5 years would identify their latest as one of the best.

 

[Gord Tomlin]

But there are 2 columns of 50 each.

They and I are idiots. Me for looking at the top left and bottom right of the table and seeing 1...50, and they for not numbering their list of 100 from 1 to 100.

I suspect that many shooters of the last 5 years would identify their latest as one of the best.

Me too. There's a lot of goodness in current gear.

 

[Gary Ayala]

The greatest camera ... is the one you have with you. (But you all know that.)

 

[Charlotte Ortelli]

Agreed...and a quick search found this one, which is only a few weeks old:

100 Greatest Cameras of all time

Top 100 cameras of all time - as voted for by you!

amateurphotographer.com

It promises a list of 100, but only provides 50.

Is there a particular reason the EOS 5D MII is number one?
I'm not very familiar with digital camera history

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Is there a particular reason the EOS 5D MII is number one?

I don't believe that list is intended to indicate rank within the 100, I think it's just a list of 100 great cameras.

In my personal opinion, it's unlikely that a 17-year-old camera (from Canon) is going to be rated as "better" than cameras from the main players that are only a year old.

 

[Gary Ayala]

As the list combines film and digital, large, medium and miniature formats ... it is a comparison of apples and oranges.

 

[Keith Drysdale]

There is a camera missing from that list, available from 1963 until 1988 (through various updates), sold over 50 million units, and introduced millions of people to the idea of photography. The Kodak Instamatic is in my opinion the most important camera ever. The lens wasn't sharp and the two shutter speeds were slow meaning camera shake was one of its main charateristics, but how many memories has it recorded?

 

[Gary Ayala]

There is a camera missing from that list, available from 1963 until 1988 (through various updates), sold over 50 million units, and introduced millions of people to the idea of photography. The Kodak Instamatic is in my opinion the most important camera ever. The lens wasn't sharp and the two shutter speeds were slow meaning camera shake was one of its main charateristics, but how many memories has it recorded?

Agreed! Every family had an Instamatic (with the rotating flash cube). It was the Brownie which made photography available to the average person ... but the Instamatic which delivered photography to the masses.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

but the Instamatic which delivered photography to the masses.

I thought that was the iPhone?

 

[Gary Ayala]

I thought that was the iPhone?

I think the Instamatic beat the iPhone by a few decades.

 

[Keith Drysdale]

I thought that was the iPhone?

While I recognise the value of the iPhone, I think the Instamatic began the belief that every family could and should have a camera.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

So where does the disposable film camera fit? I suspect that if you tally all available brands, you'll end up with a unit volume greater than the Kodak Instamatic.