Olympus Pen F is technically considered an SLR because there is a mirror that flips sideways (instead of up and down in a normal SLR) and the lens can be interchanged! I have one, and it is my favorite halfframe film camera
The half-frame design translated well into the E300 4:3 digital. Great camera to use and 8mp is plenty for most work. Mirrorless killed the E-Volt line of lenses, now requiring the mirror box adapter.
@@leonarddaneman810I have the G.Zuiko 40mm f/1.4, the one shown in the video on the Pen F, with an adapter for my OM-D EM-5 Mk II micro 4/3 and it's great. Pentagonal bokeh!
The Pen F is easily one of the most gorgeous designs ever. I have a not-so-functional but mint 1963 example that I’m more than happy to just leave on the sheet as a decoration!
After the Hasselblad camera, my favorite camera is the Linhof Kardan B 4x5 view camera, I had one and used it for years, it never ceased to impress with the design and quality.
SO SORRY I mis-spelled and mis-pronounced Rollei. Unfortunately, I can't correct the video 😞 Plus many thanks to everyone who has commented and made excellent suggestions, and important corrections (e.g. on the Olympus Pen F). I've consolidated other beautiful cameras suggested by viewers below, in this new video: studio.ruclips.net/user/videoPfEQrBadL6A/edit I'll be posting a "second/revised edition", probably within the next two weeks. 🤞 If you have strong views you don't feel like sharing below, please contact me at: simons.utak1@gmail.com Here are the time links to specific camera types: 00:54 Box cameras 04:51 Folding bellows cameras 07:23 Twin lens reflex cameras 09:05 Compact cameras (e.g. point & shoot, fixed lens, film and digital) 17:18 Interchangeable lens cameras (e.g. rangefinder, SLR, MILC)
Hi Simon. I like your videos! I am a camera collector with about 400 cameras, you have made a very good choice! A little correction for Rollei (never Rollie!) and for Voigtländer. Almost nobody knows, that the letter i is an old German sign for spelling the o longer: we spell "Voogtländer".
I have really enjoyed this video of classic cameras. My dad owned a number of the Kodak folding cameras from the 1930s and took many photographs of New York. When I was assigned to the US Air Force Photo School in January 1962 the very first camera we were introduced to were 8x10 folding field cameras. We were surprised to find that most of these were made between 1917 and 1918. They still made some very nice photos and taught us how to be careful when loading sheet film into the wooden holders. We then moved on to the standard USAF camera, the Graflex Speed Graphic. We used all the film types of the era, Kodak XX, Plus-X, Pan-X, and Tri-X in sheet and film packs. I especially liked the Polaroid film packs which gave us an instant photo and also a 4x5 sheet film. These films were some of the best in high ASA speeds and smooth tight grain. My first SLR was the Pentax SV and I used it for many years before buying a used Leica M-2. I went back to Pentax in the digital age with the K10D, K-3, and K-1. Thanks for the memories!
After testing Asahi, Nikon and Canon I went for: Minolta 303b (old school look - big and heavy) + Minolta X7 (SLR of choice for everything) + Minolta TC-1 (super compact titanium) + Minolta CLE (small powerful leica)
A video so good I have to watch it again. I own the OM-1 and Vito II and agree the ate bot functional and beautiful. I'll add my Yashica 35, the original non electro, to my beautiful camera list. Sure a Leica copy but really well done with its own flare.
The Werra 1 is definitely the camera I am going to buy. I was born beside that river “the Werra” , today it’s very beautiful. It took a couple of years to get clean. When I was young you could not swim in the Werra. Now you can. Greets from hessian Peter
Silver Nikon F2 with Photomic head is IMHO the most lovely looking SLR ever. I don't find rangefinders like Leica's to be particularly pretty, but holding them is a joy because you get to feel the craftsmanship of their build.
I have just acquired a Konica 11A. This is at the very top of my list of favourite cameras because it looks fantastic and the build quality is superb. I cannot recommend this beauty enough.
I have an old Hasse 500c and think/feel its the most beautiful camera I've ever seen. I love the older Canon FD cameras too, more than you I see. Hower, I do respect some of your picks, especially, the really old ones.
So many others as well. The Pentax Auto 110, and the ME/MX were very pretty designs, as was the Contax 159. Nikon's EM and Canon's EOS 5 were attractive as well. For digital, I think Panasonic's Lumix GM1 in silver is a design classic, and both Leica's SL, and Canon's R3 will age well. Great video. Brings back some memories.
There are 2 cameras that will always be my favourites - the Olympus OM1 and the Rollei 6006, both of which I have owned (I still have the 6006, though no longer used) and, in their day, used extensively
Can't go wrong with the Yashica Electro 35. The later models weren't hugely different from a design standpoint, so any of those is worth considering. Easy to use too. Same can be said of the Canon AE-1. It's the quintessential 70s camera, I think. A bit plastic-y, but still nice to look at.
Agree, I personally love the Nikon D4s model, over any other camera for pure beauty! As a lifelong Nikon user and NPS member, my second choice would be the F6. Currently I’m shooting Nikon D6 and D500. Great combo, and the D6 is the best autofocus DSLR ever made! As far as beautiful though, my ultimate favorite piece of kit is the Nikon 13mm f/5.6 lens. Ken Rockwell brought one into the camera store I used to work at, it was impressive. Although for $25,000-$30,000 I’d rather have something else. However it’s such a beautiful lens inside and out. I can’t remember but I think we tried out with a D800E or something. It held up to todays standards. It’s extremely sharp and just incredible overall. As far as beautiful cameras, I’d have to pick the new Leica Q2 Reporter. I know it’s new, not a classic and it’s certainly not film. But if I had a spare $5k you could bet I’m buying one!
I had an Electro 35 back in the 70s as my first camera. A GSN model to boot. Never liked it for its lack of manual exposure controls and ended up giving it away. Imagine my surprise years later when I found that it had become a collectors model among Yashica enthusiasts.
13:49 Your thumbnail featuring the Werra instantly caught my eye, for this is the camera that I inherited from my father long time ago. Last year I started selling stuff I do not need anymore, just to simplify my life. But this camera will *never* go, because it's connected to the memory of my parents through hundreds of pictures from my early childhood, which my father took with this very camera. Wonderful to find it in your list - thanks a lot! What a great overview, bringing my attention to so many beautifully designed and well-engineered products of their time.
Fascinating some of the more obscure models in your video, it was very enjoyable to watch. My own personal beauty is the Pentax MX, a simple clean design that I have owned and used for 39 years.
The Pentax MX is a beautifully made camera that has lived in the shadow of competing models such as the Olympus OM1 and Nikon FM. I bought an MX around 10 years ago, not to take pictures, but as a reminder of the SLR I should have bought back in the 80s.
Awesome. I have lusted after many and owned some of these beauties. What a wonderful invention, and a great era. As far as looks go, the early Leicas, the Graflex, and the Nikon F make no bones about what they're up to.
What a great list of amazing cameras. The Spotmatic SP is my most beautiful camera of all time. The clean lines, the simplicity, the weight and the handling are all just perfect to me. I love replacing the leatherettes to give them even more character.
I agree. I've got a black Pentax SL, which is the spotmatic without a light meter, so it doesn't have that tacked on plastic stop-down lever, and it's by far the prettiest camera I've owned. Second up would probably be the Zeiss Ikon Nettar 517/16. The ugliest.. probably the Zenit E.
I still today use my beloved Werra 1 camera (my father's camera, on which I learned how to take pictures in the early '70...), and not only is it a beautiful little camera but also comes with one of the best 50 mm fixed lenses ever made. Unsurpassed for B/W pictures, overall almost on par with the classic Takumar 50 1.4...
Thank you SO much for all the effort you put into this production. I especially loved the fact that I have owned and used many of these cameras for fun and commercial work since 1962! These days it’s a number of Fuji models!
A very entertaining video. I've got nine of the cameras you listed! I know you weren't covering movie cameras, but the Swiss made Bolex D8 is also a design and engineering beauty. It was the boss of 8mm movie cameras with its three-lens turret.
What an enjoyable video! As you said "beauty" is very subjective but I like your way of thinking. My Asahi Pentax (AP) and K agree 100% with you. I also find the original Asahiflex very attractive. A contender for my all time favorite is the Pentax SV, the last meterless model. A series of consumer cameras I love is the Kodak Pony series from the 50's, especially the Pony 135 Model C. Bakelite and Arthur Crapsey brought style to many consumer cameras in the mid 20th century. I also love the look of 620 folders from Kodak. Currently shooting with a Tourist II and a Junior six-20 Series II. Love the simplicity of the Brownie box cameras, which I restore and use. An early digital camera I loved was the Fuji S3000 from around 2003 as it looked like a miniature SLR. The Pentax Auto 110 is the cutest miniature. Great topic! Thank you!
Two German cameras that definitely belong here are the beautiful golden "Penti II" and the wonderful shiny "Zeiss Ikon Contessamat". And as a German I'm sorry I have to say that the "i" in "Voigtländer" is a silent/non spoken letter and the brand "Rollei" is "Rollei" not "Rollie" - the proof is on every Rollei camera. Thanks for the great video, the wonderful selection of stunning cameras all the research and inspiration!
I love German rangefinders from the 1950s. It was a Zeiss Ikon Contina that kicked off my camera collection. Not an expensive camera, but it has exquisite mechancial detail. And thanks for reminding us of the correct pronunciation of "Voigtländer". I've just realised that I've butchered the word over the last 40 years!
I agree with your ultimate SLR as the Asahi Pentax K. One sits on my desk because I love to look at it and feel the beautifully smooth operation. The S2 and S3 are very similar but a lot cheaper to buy.
The Pentax K1000 always brings me back. The tooth pick light meter. Older brother had, had one (1975-2014) and found one in a swap shop had to take it. Been my most used and most elegant for several Christmas portraits. Also have a Canon rebel eos xs from a thrift shop both of which are in my bag including the so ugly it’s cute Holga 120z
The Soviet Chaika half-frame, specifically the original model, is one of my favourite compact camera designs. The writing and logotype both have such a great style, and the simplicity of the controls make for a really nicely minimal design.
As a photographer, and for a short while- camera repair tech, great selection! I have several of your selections, and have worked on some of them, too. Wish I had more. Kinda sad that film has become so rare, but I do like my Pentax D100 and the hundred of photos it can take and store (that and the huge selection of K lenses available).. Thanks for the look back.
Magnifique sélection...je connaissais peu les appareils pré-60's, et grâce à toi j'en découvert des fabuleux. Merci. J'ai utilisé beaucoup de reflex dans ma vie, surtout Canon et Nikon, mais celui qui a toujours fait chavirer mon cœur, et encore maintenant c'est le Nikon FM black. Jamais je ne me lasserai de le contempler....
A thoroughly enjoyable and informative video, thank you for sharing it. I was always a great admirer of my Minolta SR-T101 SLR. For me it was the perfect blend of tactile functionality and aesthetics - loved by many I suspect.
Love the range of cameras you had on show, my favourite would be the Nikon F2 Photomic it is almost brutulistic in design with no sleek line just built for the job of going anywhere in the world and not missing a shot. Cameras I have owned and loved Rollieflex 3.5 T, Minolta Autoflex CDS, Rollie M SLR and last but certainly not least Soligor SM SLR with waist level finder which is bullet proof, one I really did think you missed was the Pentax 110 camera with interchangable lenses, a woman I knew used to get beautiful results from hers, she used it as she was born with only one arm and found it hard to use most SLR's
Marvellous video. I’m literally out of the darkroom, watching with a glass of wine. Love your choices and am proud to say I own a number of these - very little research, just saw and simply had to have…
I just made a thrift-shop buy: Asahi Pentax Spotmatic S -- which was the first model SLR I used back in the mid to late 60s. It's in the shop for a CLA + light meter repair. All of this will cost more that the camera is worth, but I don't care. Love the camera. Thanks for this and your other videos which are works of art themselves!
i like my Canon 5D ergonomically as well as for handling and operation with vintage lenses. i never considered it to be a 'beautiful' camera but very practical and simple, fun to use.
Just by chance I came across this video. I'm fascinated by the beauty of these pieces of art. I had no idea that camera manufactures went to such extremes so many years ago. Now I want to start a collection of my own. Oh and BTW I subscribed to the Chanel as it all looks interesting to me.
In the fixed lens rangefinder category, I’d like to mention the Graflex “Graphic 35”. While known mostly for the Speed Graphic, this 35mm rangefinder has a very unique focusing mechanism, and wonderful vintage industrial design look to it. Thanks for your really fun rundown of beautiful cameras.
I have loved cameras all my life. I still have my grandfather's Kodak bellows camera from 1907, and I loved this video's review of classic cameras. I am familiar with many of them! For a modern camera design , I'd like to nominate the KanDao Qoocam EGO, a 3D stereo still and video camera, which is helping to bring back 3D to a new generation of people using VR headsets and lenticular, glasses-free tablets like the Lume Pad 2. I bought the Qoocam EGO recently, and I am still evaluating it. The design and the concept are absolutely brilliant. The camera itself is not that intuitive, however, but young purchasers will catch on quickly and love it. I think the best 3D digital camera of the last decade is the Fuji FinePix 3D W3, introduced around 2011 and which I also purchased recently. The design of this camera is absolutely wonderful. I have worked with stereo photography for much of my life (I inherited my dad's Stereo Realist from the late 1940s) and there's an almost continuous archive of stereo 3d in my family collection. I am now ready for stereo video. I live in Hawaii, I have four different stereo rigs (all used except the Qoocam) and I will be uploading stereo video to my RUclips channel soon. I realize this is a niche and there won't be many viewers yet. But it's Hawaii. I also deplore "exploitative" photos and videos which emphasize dramatic visual effects instead of the normal 3D we all see all the time. 3D should NOT be a "gimmick". It also should not hurt peoples' eyes when watching it. That comes from poor depth editing.
Small correction : The Pentax ME-F (1981) and Nikon F3-AF (1983) were the 2 first 35mm AF SLR. To be fair, the Minolta 7000 was the first SLR AF "system" with 12 AF lenses available from 24mm to 300mm.
Yes, apologies, I should have made that clear. I posted a video last year on the history of cameras, and made it clear there - and posted a photo of the PentaxME-F and it's auto-focusing lens.
I have quite a few of these. I'm most proud of my SWC. I was hoping it would be in here. It really is perfect. I leave it out on my tripod in my studio. Its gorgeous. And the images are next level. Sharp from corner to corner wide open.
I do love the Ferrania Zeta Duplex, the camera that smiles and the Olympus XA series. Also the Durst Automatica from the early 1960ies is a beautiful camera.
Loved that. Lots of great selections, as expected. A little surprised you omitted the Leicaflex SL2. I find it absolutely gorgeous and great to use. Other personal favorites, I love the Nikon F3 Titanium and the Leica M6 titanium and ostrich model.
Wonderful video. A thoroughly interesting and entertaining trip though the most beautiful cameras in the world. Although they were all mechanical marvels, some were definitely works of art. I grew up in the Pentax era, so to this day are drawn to the black paint versions of the Spotmatic and MX. To me the Hasselblad was the panicle of design.
I had to find out what the "periscope" (as you described it) on the Vitessa was for. it was a push button(? [hardly a button]) film advance and shutter cocking implement.
Learned film in 1960s. My favorites for use that I own: Large format: Speed Graphic Med Format: Pentax 645 and Zeiss Super Ikonta C folder, Rollie f3.5 TLR with Lumier 100 or PXP. RF: Nikon SP, Canon 7s, Voigtlander Bessa R3 Olive and R4M Black 35 SLR: Nikon FE, Nikon 8008s, Olympus Pen F (1/2 frame) Pocket: Rollie 35 SE, Olympus XA Spy: Minolta 16II (I collected up all the 16mm models and have a Minolta 16mm enlarger and projector as well. I cut and load my own film.) Digi: Epson RD 1 (takes any Leica thread OR M-mount lens with FEW exception made in the past 90 years)
There were some very pretty early digital compacts, as well, during the period when 2 and 3 megapixel sensors were still premium and the "bar of soap" design had not yet become the standard. Some of those have recently become crazy expensive. In film SLRs, I've always liked the Voigtlander Bessamatic, with its central selenium cell above the lens. Coupled with the period chrome or zebra-pattern lenses it's a very attractive package.
My favorite is the Voigtlander Vitessa. I received one as a Christmas gift in 1962 and used it for years. I was also very fond of the Canon Elf in APS format. Again, I received one as a gift and used it quite a lot before digital killed the APS system.
It is too easy to forget some of these cameras. Though I've been into photography since I was ten years old, (1960 ), I've not owned very many cameras. Yes, I've gone digital, but I still shoot some film as well. Thank you for the memory lane trip. I spotted several cameras from the past that I saw family using at our gatherings. Every body had the cameras out!
Thank you for making this video. As I was watching I kept thinking of cameras I was hoping you would mention then you did, like the Polaroid SX70, Rolleiflex TLR and the Rollei 35, (the Queen, her husband and sister all had a gold plated one) and the little Minox. I had a lot of these cameras, even the Minox, I used to have to make my own film for it by cutting down 120 stock in a home made jig. You even mentioned all the parts in the Contax, they were so hard to work on when they broke. You really know your stuff 👍
My favorite has to be the art deco Rolleicord I. It took some searching for me to find one in good condition and still function. It is beautiful as it ages with a gorgeous patina
Many thanks. I agree! After finishing this video, and reading some of the comments, I decided to buy an art deco Rolleicord 1 as well! It's not in perfect condition, but it works, and it is utterly gorgeous! And a little smaller that I thought it would be. I'm going to feature it in my revised/up-dated video.
That's awesome. I look forward to it. Mine doesn't work at every shutter speed, but I still use it because it is such a beautiful camera to take out in public. A lot of people stop to look at it
I still think the Nikon F3 HP is one of the best examples of form following function, like a fine mechanical watch still managing to be slim and sleek. To me it's what a camera SHOULD look like, and I have found myself comparing every other camera to it since I first saw the F3 many years ago when it was still being made. It was improbably massive to me back then, and so compact now compared to any comparable level Canon or Nikon DSLR.
I have one of these F3s - a beautifully designed camera, in my opinion. I bought it in about 1981 and still have it. I already had an F2s, which was bigger and clumsier, and a more compact camera was definitely an attraction.
Totally agree with your choice of the Xpro3, Inlive mine, it’s the brushed black version - it receives comments whenever i take it out, great review thanks
One of the smartest camera on the market today for it's design, ergonomics and construction quality is the Hasselblad X1D, and the camera with today's most original retro design the Hasselblad 907X, both in the digital mirrorless with interchangeable lenses category
Olympus Pen F is technically considered an SLR because there is a mirror that flips sideways (instead of up and down in a normal SLR) and the lens can be interchanged! I have one, and it is my favorite halfframe film camera
The half-frame design translated well into the E300 4:3 digital. Great camera to use and 8mp is plenty for most work. Mirrorless killed the E-Volt line of lenses, now requiring the mirror box adapter.
@@leonarddaneman810I have the G.Zuiko 40mm f/1.4, the one shown in the video on the Pen F, with an adapter for my OM-D EM-5 Mk II micro 4/3 and it's great. Pentagonal bokeh!
Never seen it before. Very beautiful camera
The Pen F is easily one of the most gorgeous designs ever. I have a not-so-functional but mint 1963 example that I’m more than happy to just leave on the sheet as a decoration!
After the Hasselblad camera, my favorite camera is the Linhof Kardan B 4x5 view camera, I had one and used it for years, it never ceased to impress with the design and quality.
13:36 The Olympus Pen F is a half-frame SLR camera with many interchangeable lenses and accessories...
Agreed. I have one loaded with film here, I was thinking of getting some gold leaf to refurbish the f.
When you talk about beautiful cameras, I didn't expect a history class on cameras. And I am fully loving it!
SO SORRY I mis-spelled and mis-pronounced Rollei. Unfortunately, I can't correct the video 😞
Plus many thanks to everyone who has commented and made excellent suggestions, and important corrections (e.g. on the Olympus Pen F).
I've consolidated other beautiful cameras suggested by viewers below, in this new video: studio.ruclips.net/user/videoPfEQrBadL6A/edit
I'll be posting a "second/revised edition", probably within the next two weeks. 🤞 If you have strong views you don't feel like sharing below, please contact me at: simons.utak1@gmail.com
Here are the time links to specific camera types:
00:54 Box cameras
04:51 Folding bellows cameras
07:23 Twin lens reflex cameras
09:05 Compact cameras (e.g. point & shoot, fixed lens, film and digital)
17:18 Interchangeable lens cameras (e.g. rangefinder, SLR, MILC)
Panasonic Lumix GM1 in all black!
Hi Simon. I like your videos! I am a camera collector with about 400 cameras, you have made a very good choice! A little correction for Rollei (never Rollie!) and for Voigtländer. Almost nobody knows, that the letter i is an old German sign for spelling the o longer: we spell "Voogtländer".
I absolutely adore your videos. Simple. Well made. Not over-producded. AND without some generic 'royalty free' soundtrack overdub.
Perfectly said!
I have really enjoyed this video of classic cameras. My dad owned a number of the Kodak folding cameras from the 1930s and took many photographs of New York. When I was assigned to the US Air Force Photo School in January 1962 the very first camera we were introduced to were 8x10 folding field cameras. We were surprised to find that most of these were made between 1917 and 1918. They still made some very nice photos and taught us how to be careful when loading sheet film into the wooden holders. We then moved on to the standard USAF camera, the Graflex Speed Graphic. We used all the film types of the era, Kodak XX, Plus-X, Pan-X, and Tri-X in sheet and film packs. I especially liked the Polaroid film packs which gave us an instant photo and also a 4x5 sheet film. These films were some of the best in high ASA speeds and smooth tight grain. My first SLR was the Pentax SV and I used it for many years before buying a used Leica M-2. I went back to Pentax in the digital age with the K10D, K-3, and K-1. Thanks for the memories!
Fujifilm X100V! That thing is absolutely beautiful!
After testing Asahi, Nikon and Canon I went for: Minolta 303b (old school look - big and heavy) + Minolta X7 (SLR of choice for everything) + Minolta TC-1 (super compact titanium) + Minolta CLE (small powerful leica)
A video so good I have to watch it again. I own the OM-1 and Vito II and agree the ate bot functional and beautiful. I'll add my Yashica 35, the original non electro, to my beautiful camera list. Sure a Leica copy but really well done with its own flare.
The Werra 1 is definitely the camera I am going to buy. I was born beside that river “the Werra” , today it’s very beautiful. It took a couple of years to get clean. When I was young you could not swim in the Werra. Now you can. Greets from hessian Peter
Silver Nikon F2 with Photomic head is IMHO the most lovely looking SLR ever.
I don't find rangefinders like Leica's to be particularly pretty, but holding them is a joy because you get to feel the craftsmanship of their build.
I have just acquired a Konica 11A. This is at the very top of my list of favourite cameras because it looks fantastic and the build quality is superb. I cannot recommend this beauty enough.
I have an old Hasse 500c and think/feel its the most beautiful camera I've ever seen. I love the older Canon FD cameras too, more than you I see.
Hower, I do respect some of your picks, especially, the really old ones.
Absolutely first rate presentation! Many a RUclipsr would benefit from this video's structure and narration qualities. We'll done!
So many others as well. The Pentax Auto 110, and the ME/MX were very pretty designs, as was the Contax 159. Nikon's EM and Canon's EOS 5 were attractive as well. For digital, I think Panasonic's Lumix GM1 in silver is a design classic, and both Leica's SL, and Canon's R3 will age well. Great video. Brings back some memories.
Simon, you are an icon also....I coul listen to you for hours!!!
Beautiful Video. Education and entertaining.
There are 2 cameras that will always be my favourites - the Olympus OM1 and the Rollei 6006, both of which I have owned (I still have the 6006, though no longer used) and, in their day, used extensively
yes and please pronounce "Rollei" as "roll eye" - but with short "o", like in "toll" or "poll" or "doll" - says a german lover of Fujifilm X-E2s!
@@thepirateshootsRol-lay
That was a fun watch, thanks!
Tank you so much! I have owned and used many cameras that you have show, starting with my first Baby Browny. Thank you, a real kick.
Can't go wrong with the Yashica Electro 35. The later models weren't hugely different from a design standpoint, so any of those is worth considering. Easy to use too.
Same can be said of the Canon AE-1. It's the quintessential 70s camera, I think. A bit plastic-y, but still nice to look at.
Agree, I personally love the Nikon D4s model, over any other camera for pure beauty! As a lifelong Nikon user and NPS member, my second choice would be the F6. Currently I’m shooting Nikon D6 and D500. Great combo, and the D6 is the best autofocus DSLR ever made! As far as beautiful though, my ultimate favorite piece of kit is the Nikon 13mm f/5.6 lens. Ken Rockwell brought one into the camera store I used to work at, it was impressive. Although for $25,000-$30,000 I’d rather have something else. However it’s such a beautiful lens inside and out. I can’t remember but I think we tried out with a D800E or something. It held up to todays standards. It’s extremely sharp and just incredible overall. As far as beautiful cameras, I’d have to pick the new Leica Q2 Reporter. I know it’s new, not a classic and it’s certainly not film. But if I had a spare $5k you could bet I’m buying one!
I have, and use, an Electro 35 as well as quite a few DSLR and Mirrorless cameras. The Yashica is great.
I had an Electro 35 back in the 70s as my first camera. A GSN model to boot. Never liked it for its lack of manual exposure controls and ended up giving it away. Imagine my surprise years later when I found that it had become a collectors model among Yashica enthusiasts.
13:49 Your thumbnail featuring the Werra instantly caught my eye, for this is the camera that I inherited from my father long time ago. Last year I started selling stuff I do not need anymore, just to simplify my life. But this camera will *never* go, because it's connected to the memory of my parents through hundreds of pictures from my early childhood, which my father took with this very camera. Wonderful to find it in your list - thanks a lot!
What a great overview, bringing my attention to so many beautifully designed and well-engineered products of their time.
Wonderful history of cameras. Thanks
I agreed with all your picks…some beautiful works of functional art…subscribed!
Superb video, nice production. A joy to see some of the cameras I have used/owned and will maybe come across in the future. Thank you!
Fascinating some of the more obscure models in your video, it was very enjoyable to watch. My own personal beauty is the Pentax MX, a simple clean design that I have owned and used for 39 years.
The Pentax MX is a beautifully made camera that has lived in the shadow of competing models such as the Olympus OM1 and Nikon FM. I bought an MX around 10 years ago, not to take pictures, but as a reminder of the SLR I should have bought back in the 80s.
13:47 wasn't Olympus Pen F an SLR that had interchangable lenses and could use the OM system glass as well?
Many thanks for pointing this out. I wish I could amend this video, but I can't...so I'll re-post the whole video soon.
@@Simonsutak overall a great video, I would suggest the Robot Royale and Zeiss Ikon contessa rangefinders
Thank you for the trip down memory lane.
just outstanding! liked and subscribed.
Great review!! The new hasselblad is gorgeous!!
Awesome. I have lusted after many and owned some of these beauties. What a wonderful invention, and a great era. As far as looks go, the early Leicas, the Graflex, and the Nikon F make no bones about what they're up to.
Love the design of my Zenza Bronica S2 , and Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SPII
When I was small my older brother had a Pentax Spotmatic and that set the standard in my mind for a classic SLR. So good looking
I did use the S2A, I was a plank to sell.
Thanks for the time line and history. Beautiful cameras are plentiful.
What a great list of amazing cameras. The Spotmatic SP is my most beautiful camera of all time. The clean lines, the simplicity, the weight and the handling are all just perfect to me. I love replacing the leatherettes to give them even more character.
I agree. I've got a black Pentax SL, which is the spotmatic without a light meter, so it doesn't have that tacked on plastic stop-down lever, and it's by far the prettiest camera I've owned. Second up would probably be the Zeiss Ikon Nettar 517/16. The ugliest.. probably the Zenit E.
I still today use my beloved Werra 1 camera (my father's camera, on which I learned how to take pictures in the early '70...), and not only is it a beautiful little camera but also comes with one of the best 50 mm fixed lenses ever made. Unsurpassed for B/W pictures, overall almost on par with the classic Takumar 50 1.4...
My first serious camera was my Werra 1C, bought new in 1963. I had work taken with it published in the UK.
A wonderful overview, so many interesting cameras in there!
Thank you SO much for all the effort you put into this production. I especially loved the fact that I have owned and used many of these cameras for fun and commercial work since 1962! These days it’s a number of Fuji models!
A very entertaining video. I've got nine of the cameras you listed! I know you weren't covering movie cameras, but the Swiss made Bolex D8 is also a design and engineering beauty. It was the boss of 8mm movie cameras with its three-lens turret.
Great video. My first camera was a 126 Kodak Instamatic. You really made me feel nostalgic for that camera. Such a simpler time.
What an enjoyable video! As you said "beauty" is very subjective but I like your way of thinking. My Asahi Pentax (AP) and K agree 100% with you. I also find the original Asahiflex very attractive. A contender for my all time favorite is the Pentax SV, the last meterless model. A series of consumer cameras I love is the Kodak Pony series from the 50's, especially the Pony 135 Model C. Bakelite and Arthur Crapsey brought style to many consumer cameras in the mid 20th century. I also love the look of 620 folders from Kodak. Currently shooting with a Tourist II and a Junior six-20 Series II. Love the simplicity of the Brownie box cameras, which I restore and use. An early digital camera I loved was the Fuji S3000 from around 2003 as it looked like a miniature SLR. The Pentax Auto 110 is the cutest miniature. Great topic! Thank you!
I just discovered some cameras I had no idea even had existed. thank you!
A great Video, ended up picking up a Zeiss Werra after this video. I would definitely say the agrus c3 would have a place on this list for me!
One of my personal favourite camera designs is actually the Agfa Optima 200 Sensor. It has a certain Bauhaus-esque minimalism to it.
A very fun video. I enjoyed every minute of it!
Two German cameras that definitely belong here are the beautiful golden "Penti II" and the wonderful shiny "Zeiss Ikon Contessamat".
And as a German I'm sorry I have to say that the "i" in "Voigtländer" is a silent/non spoken letter and the brand "Rollei" is "Rollei" not "Rollie" - the proof is on every Rollei camera.
Thanks for the great video, the wonderful selection of stunning cameras all the research and inspiration!
I love German rangefinders from the 1950s. It was a Zeiss Ikon Contina that kicked off my camera collection. Not an expensive camera, but it has exquisite mechancial detail. And thanks for reminding us of the correct pronunciation of "Voigtländer". I've just realised that I've butchered the word over the last 40 years!
I agree with your ultimate SLR as the Asahi Pentax K. One sits on my desk because I love to look at it and feel the beautifully smooth operation. The S2 and S3 are very similar but a lot cheaper to buy.
Rollei had a wonderful Art Deco TLR ..... love the look !!!!!
The Pentax K1000 always brings me back. The tooth pick light meter. Older brother had, had one (1975-2014) and found one in a swap shop had to take it. Been my most used and most elegant for several Christmas portraits. Also have a Canon rebel eos xs from a thrift shop both of which are in my bag including the so ugly it’s cute Holga 120z
I always loved the look of the Contax 159mm camera.
The Soviet Chaika half-frame, specifically the original model, is one of my favourite compact camera designs. The writing and logotype both have such a great style, and the simplicity of the controls make for a really nicely minimal design.
Mamiya C220 TLR interchangeable system has superlative optics and the minimalist ethos is pure joy. The 50mm is stunning.
I loved the Olympus Stylus. We had one and it was a pleasure to slide open the lens cover. It also took great photos.
I enjoyed this a lot, a real trip down memory lane... My first camera was a Kodak Instamatic 155X, bought in 1974. I now own and use a Fujifilm X-H1.
As a photographer, and for a short while- camera repair tech, great selection! I have several of your selections, and have worked on some of them, too. Wish I had more. Kinda sad that film has become so rare, but I do like my Pentax D100 and the hundred of photos it can take and store (that and the huge selection of K lenses available).. Thanks for the look back.
You got my favourites exactly.
I'm going to add a camera I just got for Xmas, a 1949 Konica Type Cs Rangefinder (later referred to as a Konica 1). Can't wait to try it out.
Personally I think the Fed 2 and Fed 3 are absolutely gorgeous
Glad to see our tastes are similar I have a good few of those and now know a few to look for.
Well done Simon for this excellent video
Magnifique sélection...je connaissais peu les appareils pré-60's, et grâce à toi j'en découvert des fabuleux. Merci. J'ai utilisé beaucoup de reflex dans ma vie, surtout Canon et Nikon, mais celui qui a toujours fait chavirer mon cœur, et encore maintenant c'est le Nikon FM black. Jamais je ne me lasserai de le contempler....
A thoroughly enjoyable and informative video, thank you for sharing it. I was always a great admirer of my Minolta SR-T101 SLR. For me it was the perfect blend of tactile functionality and aesthetics - loved by many I suspect.
Love the range of cameras you had on show, my favourite would be the Nikon F2 Photomic it is almost brutulistic in design with no sleek line just built for the job of going anywhere in the world and not missing a shot. Cameras I have owned and loved Rollieflex 3.5 T, Minolta Autoflex CDS, Rollie M SLR and last but certainly not least Soligor SM SLR with waist level finder which is bullet proof, one I really did think you missed was the Pentax 110 camera with interchangable lenses, a woman I knew used to get beautiful results from hers, she used it as she was born with only one arm and found it hard to use most SLR's
Marvellous video. I’m literally out of the darkroom, watching with a glass of wine. Love your choices and am proud to say I own a number of these - very little research, just saw and simply had to have…
I just made a thrift-shop buy: Asahi Pentax Spotmatic S -- which was the first model SLR I used back in the mid to late 60s. It's in the shop for a CLA + light meter repair. All of this will cost more that the camera is worth, but I don't care. Love the camera. Thanks for this and your other videos which are works of art themselves!
I love the look and function of my Olympus XA cameras. Also, the svelte, silver Stylus.
I have a Rolleiflex Automat and I love the camera. Beautiful and a joy to use.
i like my Canon 5D ergonomically as well as for handling and operation with vintage lenses. i never considered it to be a 'beautiful' camera but very practical and simple, fun to use.
Just by chance I came across this video. I'm fascinated by the beauty of these pieces of art. I had no idea that camera manufactures went to such extremes so many years ago. Now I want to start a collection of my own. Oh and BTW I subscribed to the Chanel as it all looks interesting to me.
In the fixed lens rangefinder category, I’d like to mention the Graflex “Graphic 35”. While known mostly for the Speed Graphic, this 35mm rangefinder has a very unique focusing mechanism, and wonderful vintage industrial design look to it. Thanks for your really fun rundown of beautiful cameras.
Alpa 11 (1971) from Switzerland
second this
Was close to get a duo of this one ... but as a fully post modern child I run into money problems. The only almost camera purchase I really regret...
Great video!
I love the look of Agfa Optima Sensor series, very iconic design.
Yes. I've kept one of those, the Optima 5000 and its flash, as an ornament. Also a Canon Ixus s400 :-)
I have loved cameras all my life. I still have my grandfather's Kodak bellows camera from 1907, and I loved this video's review of classic cameras. I am familiar with many of them!
For a modern camera design , I'd like to nominate the KanDao Qoocam EGO, a 3D stereo still and video camera, which is helping to bring back 3D to a new generation of people using VR headsets and lenticular, glasses-free tablets like the Lume Pad 2.
I bought the Qoocam EGO recently, and I am still evaluating it. The design and the concept are absolutely brilliant. The camera itself is not that intuitive, however, but young purchasers will catch on quickly and love it.
I think the best 3D digital camera of the last decade is the Fuji FinePix 3D W3, introduced around 2011 and which I also purchased recently. The design of this camera is absolutely wonderful.
I have worked with stereo photography for much of my life (I inherited my dad's Stereo Realist from the late 1940s) and there's an almost continuous archive of stereo 3d in my family collection.
I am now ready for stereo video. I live in Hawaii, I have four different stereo rigs (all used except the Qoocam) and I will be uploading stereo video to my RUclips channel soon. I realize this is a niche and there won't be many viewers yet. But it's Hawaii.
I also deplore "exploitative" photos and videos which emphasize dramatic visual effects instead of the normal 3D we all see all the time. 3D should NOT be a "gimmick".
It also should not hurt peoples' eyes when watching it. That comes from poor depth editing.
Thank you so much for this. I've noted your RUclips Channel and look forward to seeing your stereo videos.
Small correction :
The Pentax ME-F (1981) and Nikon F3-AF (1983) were the 2 first 35mm AF SLR.
To be fair, the Minolta 7000 was the first SLR AF "system" with 12 AF lenses available from 24mm to 300mm.
Yes, apologies, I should have made that clear. I posted a video last year on the history of cameras, and made it clear there - and posted a photo of the PentaxME-F and it's auto-focusing lens.
Great video! Hard to skip even a second.
I have quite a few of these. I'm most proud of my SWC. I was hoping it would be in here. It really is perfect. I leave it out on my tripod in my studio. Its gorgeous. And the images are next level. Sharp from corner to corner wide open.
I do love the Ferrania Zeta Duplex, the camera that smiles and the Olympus XA series. Also the Durst Automatica from the early 1960ies is a beautiful camera.
I find the Pentax Q very appealing and recently bought one
Loved that. Lots of great selections, as expected. A little surprised you omitted the Leicaflex SL2. I find it absolutely gorgeous and great to use. Other personal favorites, I love the Nikon F3 Titanium and the Leica M6 titanium and ostrich model.
Wonderful video. A thoroughly interesting and entertaining trip though the most beautiful cameras in the world. Although they were all mechanical marvels, some were definitely works of art. I grew up in the Pentax era, so to this day are drawn to the black paint versions of the Spotmatic and MX. To me the Hasselblad was the panicle of design.
I had to find out what the "periscope" (as you described it) on the Vitessa was for.
it was a push button(? [hardly a button]) film advance and shutter cocking implement.
Learned film in 1960s. My favorites for use that I own:
Large format: Speed Graphic
Med Format: Pentax 645 and Zeiss Super Ikonta C folder, Rollie f3.5 TLR with Lumier 100 or PXP.
RF: Nikon SP, Canon 7s, Voigtlander Bessa R3 Olive and R4M Black
35 SLR: Nikon FE, Nikon 8008s, Olympus Pen F (1/2 frame)
Pocket: Rollie 35 SE, Olympus XA
Spy: Minolta 16II (I collected up all the 16mm models and have a Minolta 16mm enlarger and projector as well. I cut and load my own film.)
Digi: Epson RD 1 (takes any Leica thread OR M-mount lens with FEW exception made in the past 90 years)
Excellent review. Delighted.
There were some very pretty early digital compacts, as well, during the period when 2 and 3 megapixel sensors were still premium and the "bar of soap" design had not yet become the standard. Some of those have recently become crazy expensive.
In film SLRs, I've always liked the Voigtlander Bessamatic, with its central selenium cell above the lens. Coupled with the period chrome or zebra-pattern lenses it's a very attractive package.
My favorite is the Voigtlander Vitessa. I received one as a Christmas gift in 1962 and used it for years. I was also very fond of the Canon Elf in APS format. Again, I received one as a gift and used it quite a lot before digital killed the APS system.
Really fun video! Cool concept. I love those deco vintage bellows cameras, have almost pulled the trigger on getting one a few times.
It is too easy to forget some of these cameras. Though I've been into photography since I was ten years old, (1960 ), I've not owned very many cameras. Yes, I've gone digital, but I still shoot some film as well. Thank you for the memory lane trip. I spotted several cameras from the past that I saw family using at our gatherings. Every body had the cameras out!
Thank you for making this video. As I was watching I kept thinking of cameras I was hoping you would mention then you did, like the Polaroid SX70, Rolleiflex TLR and the Rollei 35, (the Queen, her husband and sister all had a gold plated one) and the little Minox. I had a lot of these cameras, even the Minox, I used to have to make my own film for it by cutting down 120 stock in a home made jig. You even mentioned all the parts in the Contax, they were so hard to work on when they broke. You really know your stuff 👍
Many thanks for your kind words. They are much appreciated.
My favorite has to be the art deco Rolleicord I. It took some searching for me to find one in good condition and still function. It is beautiful as it ages with a gorgeous patina
Many thanks. I agree! After finishing this video, and reading some of the comments, I decided to buy an art deco Rolleicord 1 as well! It's not in perfect condition, but it works, and it is utterly gorgeous! And a little smaller that I thought it would be. I'm going to feature it in my revised/up-dated video.
That's awesome. I look forward to it. Mine doesn't work at every shutter speed, but I still use it because it is such a beautiful camera to take out in public. A lot of people stop to look at it
Beautiful, vulgar, or totally over the top. Yes...yes indeed. Excellent video.
I still think the Nikon F3 HP is one of the best examples of form following function, like a fine mechanical watch still managing to be slim and sleek. To me it's what a camera SHOULD look like, and I have found myself comparing every other camera to it since I first saw the F3 many years ago when it was still being made. It was improbably massive to me back then, and so compact now compared to any comparable level Canon or Nikon DSLR.
I have one of these F3s - a beautifully designed camera, in my opinion. I bought it in about 1981 and still have it. I already had an F2s, which was bigger and clumsier, and a more compact camera was definitely an attraction.
Fabulous video. Contax RTS worth a thought.
For ultimate simplicity in a very functional camera I would choose the Olympus Trip 35.
Totally agree with your choice of the Xpro3, Inlive mine, it’s the brushed black version - it receives comments whenever i take it out, great review thanks
One of the smartest camera on the market today for it's design, ergonomics and construction quality is the Hasselblad X1D, and the camera with today's most original retro design the Hasselblad 907X, both in the digital mirrorless with interchangeable lenses category
My personal favs...
Pixii, Epson RD-1, Leica M6, Fuji X100, Canon AE-1, Fujifilm Tiara 1000ix, Edixa Reflex.
Bonus: my beloved 35mm f1.4 Voigtlander (bokehmonster) lens.
Just want to mention the Contax G.. Anyway, very nice video! Enlightening.
My retro Olympus Pen EE from the 1960s is quite pleasing to the eye.