1991. Great year. I just began dating my wife and was taking black and white photography in college. My professor showed us her Nikon F4s which she shot weddings. It was a heavy beast.
I've had a Minolta 9000 since '91. It's my favourite camera of all time. As far as I'm aware, it was the only 'AF system' camera from any manufacturer to retain a manual film advance. Everything else was motorised. This made it great for doing classical music concert photography and wedding ceremonies where winder noise can be really obnoxious and intrusive. It was also a bit nuts. The camera was powered with 2xAA batteries. The motor drive took 12x AA batteries. The 'Control grip' to fast charge the flash unit took 6xAA batteries. The 4000AF flash took another 4xAA batteries. That's 2 dozen AA batteries for shooting a wedding! :)
Hi Azriel Thanks for giving the Olympus OM4 (T or Ti) its number one position. Yes it has a great metering system. And still around with such a great choice of Lenses and accesseries. I have enjoyed your programs on photographery so much. Thank you for your efforts.👍 Please Stay Classic 📸
I like this video and how the cameras are described. I have vivid memory from 1991 involving the Leica M6. I have always wanted and M6. In March 1991 I was walking past our local photgraphic shop with enough cash in my pocket to buy the M6 and 50/2 lens they had in the window. The money was to pay the solicitors fee for the house me and my fiance, now my wife, had bought (we still live in this house). I know what Frodo must have felt with the weight of the ring at mount doom. The cash weighed heavily in my pocket and it was all I could do to walk past the shop and M6 and go further to the solicitors to pay their bill. I remember that M6 with crystal clarity. I would still like and M6 and 50/2 lens today but still can't afford one.
I had a good laugh at the Frodo analogy. Thanks Richard :) I can see here you're one of my top commenters. I'd love to see you on the Discord. discord.gg/4XndbGvV
Fun video!😁 I was still rocking the Minolta Freedom II my parents gave me in ‘86. Everything about it was laggy and slow, I really hated using it. I eventually replaced it with a tiny blue Canon Elph, which I loved. It took APS film, and you could shoot 3 widths, including panoramas. It was like a miracle.😂
I was sorry to see the Pentax Z-1 didn't make the list, but I guess it couldn't since it was released the same year. Anyway, thank you for the most entertaining video. I am about 3 years younger than you, but I totally get the nostalgia about that time. I really like your videos. Take care.
Fantastic video, really like all the nostalgia interwoven into the reviews. Still prefer all the charm of the SLR's released in the 70's and 80's over the ones from the nighties, but the tech advancements in just a short time were impressive for the era.
My first Nikon, F801 (N8008) from 1989, I still have it, it still works perfectly. I tended to use the AF in single rather than continues and the metering in centre or spot but the matrix mode wasn’t bad. The auto wind gave you 4.5 f/s which is not so shabby and it feels bulletproof in the hand.
The camera that the pros used, the camera that introduced the world to matrix metering, was the Nikon F4. It was THE camera to own if you were a professional in modeling, sports, or wildlife. It was also the first Professional SLR with autofocus. Few cameras have ever been as ground breaking as the F4 and I’m truly surprised it wasn’t #1 on your list.
The Nikon F4 was an acquired taste. I use one regularly but AF is slow (I am probably too used to digital cameras) and while I like dials as opposed to menus, every dial has a lock which makes changes a two handed affair in a lot of cases. Still, it takes great photos and I think the weight contributes to stability.
@@graemelever-naylor6721 agree about the slow AF. But remember your video was about the hottest cameras of 1991 so a 1991 standard is how we should judge them. The f4 ruled professional photography for 8 straight years and was only surpassed by the Nikon F5 which had screaming fast AF and FPS. The problem for Nikon was their telephoto lenses’ (specifically the 300mm and longer AF-D and AF-I) autofocus motors lagged behind Canon’s so Nikon eventually lost out to Canon for sports and wildlife pro photographers and have never really recovered because of it. Well done video, keep up the great content.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. The Nikon N8008s was one of my favorite Nikons of the era. It seems that more pros used it vs the F4s because they did not need a battle camera for everyday use. Tis may have been subliminal marketing, but 8008s looks a lot line the word BOOBs LOL I still have mine, and it still works but with 19 DSLRs I never use it.
Thanks, loved this liked the last one. Great research and presentation. My older brother gave me his Minolta 9000 and I became hooked on all things Minolta. Wish they were still with us.
No It was not - it was design by the guy that design the Nikon F3, it was industrial design by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the F4 was short live then came the F5 design, and the F6 by him for Nikon, and along the Nikon Digitals like the D2H, D3, D4, and D800. As he also design cars for mostly the Italian auto industry, along later the German, and the American industry. This is what happens when you work at a camera store in San Francisco for 33 years can do to a person that knows photography history Right....
9/19/21 Another informative video. My brother just recently gave me his like-new Olympus IS 1 zoom camera, your right on how it shows the transition from film to digital in the construction of bridge cameras, it is a lot heavier than today's digital bridge with a lot more limited digital zoom. On Olympus T 4 when they went digital the Olympus OM-D 5 came with a titanium body and was somewhat weatherproof. The Minolta cameras were somewhat heavy with lots of buttons to push which changed somewhat with its later models that became more plastic and advanced systems, the good part on later models was that when Sony purchased Minolta Maxxim they carried over the A-mount so that 90s AF lenses can still be used on Sony digital cameras with all the features. I was surprised to see that Konica didn't place since they were ahead of the other brands on auto exposer, but no auto focus, I have taken many a great photo with the different models and lenses.
Thanks for the comment Robin. Konica didn't make the list due to lack of google results. Not the perfect way to order them, but the best I have access to.
In working at the camera store for 33 years that the Nikon F4 Was not the Nikon Favorite as we sold more of the Nikon F3, N8008s, FM/FE then later FM2 & FE2 but the F4 not as much since it was not as DURABLE like the Nikon F & F2. We took in of an average of 3 a month for Shutter blades off it's track, Prism Housing cracking, AF not focusing, and my favorite a photo student went sailing, and had his F4 on the deck while a SPRAY of Salt water splash onto the camera, and waited a week to bring it in for repair. Nikon said DOA & BER Corrosion has form inside the electronics, and the lens had water vapor between the elements. Thank you for the video, it brings back memories working at the store, and as me I have a Nikon F 3 models, and F2, as for the rangefinder ones, Yes I could not afforded Leica Anything, So I got a Yashica YF, and Canon 7, Canon Vt, and my prize Babies 2 Contax II & III with Carl Zeiss Jena Lenses.
Basically, I took the top cameras listed in a magazine of the era, then placed them in the order of Google result popularity with a couple restrictions. So top cameras of the time still relevant today. Hope that helps!
The Canon 10s was the first auto focus I added to my manual Canon's. A couple of the great features it has is a built in intervalometer that went from 1 second to 23 hr 59 min 59 secs up to 36 frames and you could do up to 9 multiple exposures on a single frame. It also came with a cordless remote that you could fire 15 feet away that clipped on to the neck strap. Very versitle and it does have mirror lockup.
@@AzrielKnight Yup - after I got into photography in high school, I saved my money for 6 months and for Christmas my parents put in the rest to get me an 8008s.
Really cool video! I was shooting with a Fuji STX-2 back in those days, which I dragged out and started using again when I got back into film. I purchased a couple of cameras off this list on ebay. Very fun, but I really worry about the future of film when it’s glory days were in the 1990s. Most of these cameras will not last forever
T in OM-4T stands for one much more important thing which is not mentioned in ads - fixed bug with battery drain. (OM-4 without T drains battery in about a week even if not used)
Azriel, the RTS III was the SLR of my dreams, as a teenager, back into 1990. It had so many features, incl. a ceramic vaccum pressure plate (a feature the later 1998 645 Contax also had) 1/8000s top speed, 100% OVF, and tons more...but the problems are, the LCD Display inside the OVF is way often being damaged, or what is worse, the DC/DC board onto the PCB is being broken, and guess what - you've got the nicest Doorstop ever! Sad but true, i can tell, because i do own 2 (!) damaged RTS III, and both look otherwise like new. There's no chance of repair into 2021, and even some firms says they can do so nowadays, it would cost you a fortune - be prepared to loose >400 EUR at best, minimum. Kyocera Japan suspended the RTS III support back into 2015. There are no more spare parts being avialable.
Yeeaah finally Olympus OM-system on the top - But you forget the unique precise and unparallelld small and livhtweight Zuiko lenses. Though in my oipinion the OM-1 and OM-2 was more unique as the first of its kind as really compact and lightweight camera bodies, for the timeperiod of 1972 and 1976, and in handling with shutterspeed as a ring around the lensmount. The fast manuell handling capabillity with aperture, shutterspeed and focus with your left hand in a firm grip from under the compact and lightweigt camerabody and the right hand and fingers always ready at the trigger and thumb on the lever. The speed and precision of working totally manuel including manuel focus is unmatched even today 2021. And the OM-2 with the unique Off the Film metering system that used two silicon blue cells towards the filmplane to read the acutual light and change the shutterspeed during exposure with the still longest automatic exposure up to 120 seconds and the first to controlling flash during exposure. And the Pro durabillity in that compact housing. And the Zuiko lenses again, wow. In my opinion The OM-2 was just as a unique invention as the UR- Leica 35 from 1914 as the Leica Standard as the Leica M3 Rangefinder. And that would not come as a surprice since one of the biggest influensers to the Olympus OM-system was the compact Leica M-system, camera body and lenses. To make a really compact and lightweight camera and interchangeable lens system with the possibillities as a SLR design and one of the biggest accessory system during -70 and -80 with a large macro system with the unique automatic macro tube the uniqque totally automatic multi flashsystem and automatic macro ring-flash. The OM-2 could actually automatically controll several Olympus flashes with cable with the OTF-metering to shut off the light when it was enough to the exposure. Many forget or don´t know of the fast and super compact winders or the motor of 5 f/s that covered only 75% of the length of the body! The Nikon F2 or Canon F1 together with a fast motor was more then twice the size and weight, during the -70´s, not to mention price The Leica rangefinder are probarbly the most copied cameras ever, but Olympus OM-system, and then OM-2 is probarbly the most copied SLR and still with a lot of unique features still today and for the OM-4 as you mention the multi spot meatering. I really wish that Olympus would make a digital hybrid DSLR of the OM-2 same as Leica have with M-series and with a hybrid OVF and EVF Finder. Just lock the mirror with the knob and you start EVF.. My thoughts and yes some things was actually better before.
I was still using the Olympus OM-1 back in 91. I think it was in 96 that I purchased the Canon Elan II. I did not want to take a risk with Nikon because I was expecting them to eventually do a "Canon" thing and switch from the old F-mount. Twenty plus years later and I'm finally proven correct except Canon did it again. 🤣
1) Olympus had to be daring in the early 90's (the same time as the Mju1 was introduced), to save themselves, after the debacle with the OM autofocus (OM707 and on) series of cameras. 2) Yes, agree about N8008 / F801, 100%. You'll talk me into buying one 😁 3) All do they are amazing cameras, Contax's didn't age well. Same to say about the Contax 645, which will cost you arm end leg even today. Course those cameras are getting impossible to get fixed without cannibalisation. Much more than some other brands. From what I heard... 4) Oh god... I've stopped counting how much those old autofocus Minoltas I've seen listed for sale, with LCD screens gone bad or alright dead. Without those screens the camera is virtually inoperable. 5) Leica was always too expensive, period. 6) Olympus OM4T / Ti is itching me, for decades...
Hi, the Minolta 9000 has the LCD bleeding fault but the bleeding stopped always before the LCD lost its usefulness, it was not pretty to see but it kept showing everything that was necessary to show. By today I have two Minolta 9000 and the LCDs are still in full working condition.
It was the era of noisy and slow AF, melting soft-touch surfaces, flimsy plastic consumer cameras from once proud manufacturers, bridge cameras nobody wanted, brick-like point-and-shoots, and batteries than cost more than film and ran out as quickly. On the up side there was huge diversity of film stock in all popular sizes and types, and many unpopular ones.
Well I have a used Canon Rebel G and I've used my Fotodiox FD to EF adapter on it with great success as well as putting the adapter on my 5D mark III and 90D and photos turning out with a beautiful organic feel with my old FD lenses from my Frandfathers AE-1. To bad Canon didn't think to release an adapter for FD lenses to appease the FD users. They did do this for the new RF mount for EF mount users and people still bought RF lenses.
@@AzrielKnight its fir the mirrorless full frames they now have. It's the RF mount. The lenses can sit closet to the sensor without the mirror and offer much better options then if I were to shoot with the mirror flipped up on my regular DSLR. I dont own any mirrorless yet. I'm quite happy with my Canon 90D, My 5D mark III and my 35mm Canon Rebel G.
You know Azriel, the 230 AF (230 Super) was a try of Yashica (=means Kyocera) to deal with AF, but these AF Series have been a miss onto the market, it couldn't compete with Minolta, Nikon and/or especially Canon, which brought their EF Mount into March 1987, starting with the EOS 650. Only a few AF Lenses are being avialable for the Yashica AF Series, means AF 200, 230 (Super) and AF 300 SLR Bodies. But the Lenses are great, and the Rendering is often great. I own the 35-70, 28-85, 50/1.8, 60/2.8 Macro from these AF Series. Problem was the competition, and being bulky, the AF 230 was especially like a typical Japanese car into the 80s, way boxy, nothing bad meant.
The N 8008 or N 801 was a Prosumer camera not consumer, it was in many Pros bag as a back up second body or some a budget main body , i owned one in 92 loved it
Man...in 1991 I can't remember, I would have been 9. I might have still had my 110 or maybe my little basic Kodak point and shoot or a hand-me-down 35mm.
In 1991, the Nikon F4 was the undisputed leader for professional photographers. Serious pros shooting 35 mm used Nikon, Canon, or Leica, not Olympus, lol.
I do not agree with the order!! (Just kidding). The F4s should have been #1. Nikon is the king/queen of 35mm to me. The F4 was one of the last cameras that could use all Nikon glass including non ai. I have the F5 and it’s amazing and amazingly over kill but I’m still very tempted to pick up another F4. The F4 having dials and AF combines the best of both worlds. One focus point isn’t a problem in practice. It’s a beast. I hope you can test one some time. I think you’ll like it. These list videos are tons of fun, I hope you make some more!
Hey Kyle, thanks for the comment and feedback. The order is entirely based on number of google results. I would have picked a different order myself ;)
Not sure why you chose the Minolta 9000 over the Maxxum 8000i which was released in 1990. It was a huge leap in most ways over the 9000. It wasn't pro-level, per-se, but beats the 9000 in most ways. I would have given the 9000 the honorable mention and instead focused on the 8000i, which was far, far more commonly available in 1991.
Did the Nikon F4 make it into Canada? The only way I got one in the US was to buy from Japan. We got the F4S and F4E here, and of the two, the S was by far the most common. With all the interlocks keeping me from accidentally changing things, it's my least favorite Nikon.
The plain F4 was definitely available here in Canada, used to sell them. The F4s was much more popular though so it’s rare to see the more compact F4 configuration here.
I had yet to wake up to photography in 91- I was 20- so I had a Halina 110 point and shoot and eventually some no-name 35mm point and shoot. I was an idiot.
So Nikon's revolutionary FA didn't make it here nor in the last video, as it was released in '83. It was my last camera before digital. Unfortunately it was quickly overshadowed by the auto-focus era, which I skipped entirely, (until now when prices are hilariously low on such gear).
I just went back and pulled the magazines from the shelf to double check. The Nikon FA didn't even make Popular Photography's top cameras for 1991 list. The closest was the FM2. Neither did it make Modern Photography's list. The FE FG and (again) FM2 did, as you said, wasn't released until '83.
@@AzrielKnight Thx for checking. Yes I have the impression that Nikon was a bit unlucky there. It's all in the Wiki, I see. Massively underrated and ahead of its time when it comes to metering and exposure timing.
I was there in 1991. Leica was definitely NOT hot in 1991. It was around the time that Leica went broke because so few photographers were buying Leica. They might have gotten print space in magazines, but they weren't getting many cameras in photographer's hands. As a pro the hottest cameras were named Nikon and Canon, but in the newsroom it was the Kodak DCS. Few people had them, because they were hideously expensive and they were very new, but digital was clearly the future, and it was the hot topic in camera discussions - whether digital will ever replace film. The following model, the DCS200 was half the price and quickly became a newsroom standard. 1991 it wasn't quite at that point yet, but it was certainly the hot camera subject on news photographer's lips in 1991. Never forget that medium format was still big in 1991, so Bronica, Mamiya, and Pentax were still objects of lust by pros, (memories at staring at the window display at Fletchers with a Pentax 6x7 in center spot... ahhhh) however in the 135 world, the big thing was that Nikon was innovating, but the better Canon AF meant we were witnessing the Canon takeover of the pro 135 market from Nikon, and while Nikon still sold more cameras, Canon was growing fast. Minolta had respect, but they were living on the glory of the Maxxum 7000, and realistically, they didn't have the depth of lens selection to go toe to toe with Nikon, and Canon was eating their lunch in the AF department. Pentax had lost its way by that time, and Olympus was like it always was, a player, but nowhere nears the top of the heap. Olympus, however, was leading the charge in point and shoot 135 with the Mju line. Contax was well on its way out. I never saw anyone using Contax and they were regarded as very unreliable that broke quicker than an eggshell, but they were like Leica, had a small cult of users who were clinging to the past and a mythology of photography that was never quite real. I would have put the EOS-1 at the top of the list, here. The F4 got a lot of things right - it is still a great camera as far as ergonomics goes, but it had a reputation for slow AF, and the EOS-1 had a reputation for fast AF and that was like a magnet for people to do the unthinkable and switch from Nikon to Canon. The EOS-1 was upending the pro-photography world by ending Nikon dominance. And while I think the Nikon 3D matrix metering was superior to Canon, especially when working with flash, Canon seemed to market their multi-point metering better, and plenty of people were believing the Canon metering as better purely because of marketing. Canon was definitely doing the best marketing job out of any camera company at the time. And Bronica marketing was by far the worst, although Nikon was doing a good job of missing the mark, and failing to communicate well about Nikon's real strengths in camera technology. I would thus have chosen differently for this video based of real world sales numbers as opposed to magazine articles. Leica and Contax wouldn't have made the cut, and Canon would get elevated (why isn't the original Rebel here?). While Kodak sales numbers were low, the digital buzz that started in 1991 and the way digital would sweep away film, would probably make the Kodak DCS100 the most important individual camera of 1991, a much talked about camera, and the talk would make it a contender for hottest camera, and way hotter than Contax or Leica.
@@AzrielKnight From my own experience, there was an amazing explosion in new types of RISC architecture CPUs used mainly in very high performance Unix-based computer systems. I tested and used many of them. Oddly, the big survivor from that era is the humble ARM processor, which is by far the commonest computer chip in the world. From the photography angle, the most annoying thing, was Canon abandoning the FD mount. They have never been forgiven for that by photographers of that era. The worst about it is that there is no reasonable way to adapt FD lenses to EF, because the back focal length is shorter for FD. Just thinking about it still annoys me now! This is another great video again, by the way! The top ten for 1971 could be an interesting challenge, because I suppose your magazine collection does not go back to before you were born. :-)
Interesting video which I have greatly enjoyed. You mention that the "Golden Age of Photography" was (in your opinion) from 1975 to 1995. It would be great to see Top 10 Camera Videos for 1975 and 1995 from you !!
1991. Great year. I just began dating my wife and was taking black and white photography in college. My professor showed us her Nikon F4s which she shot weddings. It was a heavy beast.
Thanks for sharing :)
I have an F5 and that thing is a beast. Also useful as a bludgeoning weapon.
These list videos are fascinating, and the work that must go into making them 😮…Thanks Azriel!
You're welcome Justin! Thanks for watching :)
I've had a Minolta 9000 since '91. It's my favourite camera of all time. As far as I'm aware, it was the only 'AF system' camera from any manufacturer to retain a manual film advance. Everything else was motorised. This made it great for doing classical music concert photography and wedding ceremonies where winder noise can be really obnoxious and intrusive.
It was also a bit nuts. The camera was powered with 2xAA batteries. The motor drive took 12x AA batteries. The 'Control grip' to fast charge the flash unit took 6xAA batteries. The 4000AF flash took another 4xAA batteries. That's 2 dozen AA batteries for shooting a wedding! :)
That is an insane amount of AA batteries, but the good news is any 7-11 had your batteries available in case something happened.
I really love these «yearbook videos». Thorough, well made and entertaining. Thank you! 😄👍🏻
Thanks very much Bernt!!
Hi Azriel
Thanks for giving the Olympus OM4 (T or Ti) its number one position. Yes it has a great metering system. And still around with such a great choice of Lenses and accesseries.
I have enjoyed your programs on photographery so much.
Thank you for your efforts.👍
Please Stay Classic 📸
Hey Peter, thanks for the kind words :)
I like this video and how the cameras are described. I have vivid memory from 1991 involving the Leica M6. I have always wanted and M6. In March 1991 I was walking past our local photgraphic shop with enough cash in my pocket to buy the M6 and 50/2 lens they had in the window. The money was to pay the solicitors fee for the house me and my fiance, now my wife, had bought (we still live in this house). I know what Frodo must have felt with the weight of the ring at mount doom. The cash weighed heavily in my pocket and it was all I could do to walk past the shop and M6 and go further to the solicitors to pay their bill. I remember that M6 with crystal clarity. I would still like and M6 and 50/2 lens today but still can't afford one.
I had a good laugh at the Frodo analogy. Thanks Richard :) I can see here you're one of my top commenters. I'd love to see you on the Discord. discord.gg/4XndbGvV
Fun video!😁
I was still rocking the Minolta Freedom II my parents gave me in ‘86. Everything about it was laggy and slow, I really hated using it. I eventually replaced it with a tiny blue Canon Elph, which I loved. It took APS film, and you could shoot 3 widths, including panoramas. It was like a miracle.😂
Thanks for the comment Joel. Oh yes, the crop lines...total magic ;)
I was sorry to see the Pentax Z-1 didn't make the list, but I guess it couldn't since it was released the same year.
Anyway, thank you for the most entertaining video. I am about 3 years younger than you, but I totally get the nostalgia about that time.
I really like your videos.
Take care.
Thanks Sokol!!
I too was 11 in 1991. Such a nostalgic video! Thank you!
Glad you liked it!
Fantastic video, really like all the nostalgia interwoven into the reviews. Still prefer all the charm of the SLR's released in the 70's and 80's over the ones from the nighties, but the tech advancements in just a short time were impressive for the era.
Thanks Craig. I may do a 1970s one next.
LOVE LOVE these retro year videos!!! Keep em coming! great job Azriel!
Another great one! Love this series so much. Thanks for making them!
You're welcome Phil :)
I love these almost as much as the camera reviews!
Thanks Phillip!
My first Nikon, F801 (N8008) from 1989, I still have it, it still works perfectly. I tended to use the AF in single rather than continues and the metering in centre or spot but the matrix mode wasn’t bad. The auto wind gave you 4.5 f/s which is not so shabby and it feels bulletproof in the hand.
Thanks for the comment David!
The camera that the pros used, the camera that introduced the world to matrix metering, was the Nikon F4. It was THE camera to own if you were a professional in modeling, sports, or wildlife. It was also the first Professional SLR with autofocus.
Few cameras have ever been as ground breaking as the F4 and I’m truly surprised it wasn’t #1 on your list.
The Nikon F4 was an acquired taste. I use one regularly but AF is slow (I am probably too used to digital cameras) and while I like dials as opposed to menus, every dial has a lock which makes changes a two handed affair in a lot of cases. Still, it takes great photos and I think the weight contributes to stability.
@@graemelever-naylor6721 agree about the slow AF. But remember your video was about the hottest cameras of 1991 so a 1991 standard is how we should judge them. The f4 ruled professional photography for 8 straight years and was only surpassed by the Nikon F5 which had screaming fast AF and FPS. The problem for Nikon was their telephoto lenses’ (specifically the 300mm and longer AF-D and AF-I) autofocus motors lagged behind Canon’s so Nikon eventually lost out to Canon for sports and wildlife pro photographers and have never really recovered because of it.
Well done video, keep up the great content.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. The Nikon N8008s was one of my favorite Nikons of the era. It seems that more pros used it vs the F4s because they did not need a battle camera for everyday use. Tis may have been subliminal marketing, but 8008s looks a lot line the word BOOBs LOL I still have mine, and it still works but with 19 DSLRs I never use it.
I was born in 1991 and it is so interesting to me what was happening at that time in Photography
Solid production as always. Thanks a bunch! :)
Thanks, loved this liked the last one. Great research and presentation. My older brother gave me his Minolta 9000 and I became hooked on all things Minolta. Wish they were still with us.
Thanks Craig. As I'm sure you know, they live on, in part, by Sony ;)
The Nikon F4 body was designd by Porche apparently. I had the F4s and it was like carrying round a Buick engine block. It was very heavy indeed.
No It was not - it was design by the guy that design the Nikon F3, it was industrial design by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the F4 was short live then came the F5 design, and the F6 by him for Nikon, and along the Nikon Digitals like the D2H, D3, D4, and D800. As he also design cars for mostly the Italian auto industry, along later the German, and the American industry. This is what happens when you work at a camera store in San Francisco for 33 years can do to a person that knows photography history Right....
Thanks for the info!
wow, this was an excellent episode, I really enjoyed it, but at least a third of these cameras are certified doinkers. More like this please!
lol
9/19/21 Another informative video. My brother just recently gave me his like-new Olympus IS 1 zoom camera, your right on how it shows the transition from film to digital in the construction of bridge cameras, it is a lot heavier than today's digital bridge with a lot more limited digital zoom. On Olympus T 4 when they went digital the Olympus OM-D 5 came with a titanium body and was somewhat weatherproof. The Minolta cameras were somewhat heavy with lots of buttons to push which changed somewhat with its later models that became more plastic and advanced systems, the good part on later models was that when Sony purchased Minolta Maxxim they carried over the A-mount so that 90s AF lenses can still be used on Sony digital cameras with all the features. I was surprised to see that Konica didn't place since they were ahead of the other brands on auto exposer, but no auto focus, I have taken many a great photo with the different models and lenses.
Thanks for the comment Robin. Konica didn't make the list due to lack of google results. Not the perfect way to order them, but the best I have access to.
THIS SERIES IS AWSOME !!
Thanks Casa!
Great series. I like it very much.
My Forrest thought was, „where is the futuristic looking Minolta Maxxum 9xi?“. But yes … it was released in ‘92…
Thanks for the comment :)
@@AzrielKnight funny auto correction .. „first thought“ of course not „Forrest“ … haha 😆
I have 9xi. It is truly an innovative piece of gear and a pleasure to behold )
Very cool list! Be interesting to see more of these for different decades or time periods. See how interests and tech have changed
Thanks Joshua!
Nice! :)
Have a good weekend!
Thanks Sina!
The hottest of 2000 would be a cherry on top, awesome videos!
My magazine collection ends at 1998 but I may change that!
In working at the camera store for 33 years that the Nikon F4 Was not the Nikon Favorite as we sold more of the Nikon F3, N8008s, FM/FE then later FM2 & FE2 but the F4 not as much since it was not as DURABLE like the Nikon F & F2. We took in of an average of 3 a month for Shutter blades off it's track, Prism Housing cracking, AF not focusing, and my favorite a photo student went sailing, and had his F4 on the deck while a SPRAY of Salt water splash onto the camera, and waited a week to bring it in for repair. Nikon said DOA & BER Corrosion has form inside the electronics, and the lens had water vapor between the elements. Thank you for the video, it brings back memories working at the store, and as me I have a Nikon F 3 models, and F2, as for the rangefinder ones, Yes I could not afforded Leica Anything, So I got a Yashica YF, and Canon 7, Canon Vt, and my prize Babies 2 Contax II & III with Carl Zeiss Jena Lenses.
If I had been around back then, I probably would have wanted a Contax. Happy with my eos cameras now.
Don’t understand the criteria determining that particular ranking (even after your explanation), but I just love this series, man. Awesome!
Basically, I took the top cameras listed in a magazine of the era, then placed them in the order of Google result popularity with a couple restrictions. So top cameras of the time still relevant today. Hope that helps!
This is my favorite series. Keep em coming.
Thanks Alexis!
Enjoy your videos. This one was well done.
I was expecting to see the Nikon f90x or n90s!! It's really similar to the f8008 so I don't got no complaints!!
N90 I think was 1992?
The Canon 10s was the first auto focus I added to my manual Canon's. A couple of the great features it has is a built in intervalometer that went from 1 second to 23 hr 59 min 59 secs up to 36 frames and you could do up to 9 multiple exposures on a single frame. It also came with a cordless remote that you could fire 15 feet away that clipped on to the neck strap. Very versitle and it does have mirror lockup.
Good info to know, thank you :)
Hey man, you're videos are nostalgia incarnate!
lol, thanks AJ :)
That brings backs some memories.
Good ones I hope :)
@@AzrielKnight Yup - after I got into photography in high school, I saved my money for 6 months and for Christmas my parents put in the rest to get me an 8008s.
I bought and still use my M6 since 2016. Now prices for it are simply crazy. But the camera is great indeed.
Looks like you got one at the right time, congrats!
These videos are awesome 😃👍🏻
Thanks very much Gianluca.
I never had my Minolta 9000, switch metering by not having a lock on it.
It was a great camera!
I had the motordrive and the data back on it.
And with the right back the 9000 has the multiple spot metering long before the Olympus OM-4
While you were describing the Leica R6 advertising, in my head I kept hearing Barry White in the background.
Wish I had the rights to that music it would have been perfect.
Loved this!
Thank you.
great job
Ah the Nikon F801, i have that camera and i love it. I wish you could do a review of it one day!
I just might!
I remember reading National Geographic’s preferred the N8008 over the F4. It was constantly advertised in the front section of the magazine.
Really cool video! I was shooting with a Fuji STX-2 back in those days, which I dragged out and started using again when I got back into film. I purchased a couple of cameras off this list on ebay. Very fun, but I really worry about the future of film when it’s glory days were in the 1990s. Most of these cameras will not last forever
At some point, someone will have to produce a serious 35mm camera again.
@@AzrielKnight Let’s hope so. Leica does, but I can’t swing that $5K+
T in OM-4T stands for one much more important thing which is not mentioned in ads - fixed bug with battery drain. (OM-4 without T drains battery in about a week even if not used)
Interesting!
Nice vid, tho I'd add Rollei 3003 slr somewhere there
Whoa, no one ever talks about the Yashica 230 AF. That was my first film camera!
Nice!
Great video!!!
Thanks Maryanne!
Azriel, the RTS III was the SLR of my dreams, as a teenager, back into 1990. It had so many features, incl. a ceramic vaccum pressure plate (a feature the later 1998 645 Contax also had) 1/8000s top speed, 100% OVF, and tons more...but the problems are, the LCD Display inside the OVF is way often being damaged, or what is worse, the DC/DC board onto the PCB is being broken, and guess what - you've got the nicest Doorstop ever! Sad but true, i can tell, because i do own 2 (!) damaged RTS III, and both look otherwise like new. There's no chance of repair into 2021, and even some firms says they can do so nowadays, it would cost you a fortune - be prepared to loose >400 EUR at best, minimum. Kyocera Japan suspended the RTS III support back into 2015. There are no more spare parts being avialable.
The Leica ads are hilarious. Haha
It's hard to keep a straight face and read them. I may do a whole video on them at one point.
It would be interesting to see one for 2002 or so. Nikon f5, fm3, canon Eos 3 and 1v, Minolta alpha 9. Can't think of any others!
Yeeaah finally Olympus OM-system on the top - But you forget the unique precise and unparallelld small and livhtweight Zuiko lenses.
Though in my oipinion the OM-1 and OM-2 was more unique as the first of its kind as really compact and lightweight camera bodies, for the timeperiod of 1972 and 1976, and in handling with shutterspeed as a ring around the lensmount.
The fast manuell handling capabillity with aperture, shutterspeed and focus with your left hand in a firm grip from under the compact and lightweigt camerabody and the right hand and fingers always ready at the trigger and thumb on the lever. The speed and precision of working totally manuel including manuel focus is unmatched even today 2021.
And the OM-2 with the unique Off the Film metering system that used two silicon blue cells towards the filmplane to read the acutual light and change the shutterspeed during exposure with the still longest automatic exposure up to 120 seconds and the first to controlling flash during exposure. And the Pro durabillity in that compact housing. And the Zuiko lenses again, wow.
In my opinion The OM-2 was just as a unique invention as the UR- Leica 35 from 1914 as the Leica Standard as the Leica M3 Rangefinder. And that would not come as a surprice since one of the biggest influensers to the Olympus OM-system was the compact Leica M-system, camera body and lenses. To make a really compact and lightweight camera and interchangeable lens system with the possibillities as a SLR design and one of the biggest accessory system during -70 and -80 with a large macro system with the unique automatic macro tube the uniqque totally automatic multi flashsystem and automatic macro ring-flash.
The OM-2 could actually automatically controll several Olympus flashes with cable with the OTF-metering to shut off the light when it was enough to the exposure.
Many forget or don´t know of the fast and super compact winders or the motor of 5 f/s that covered only 75% of the length of the body!
The Nikon F2 or Canon F1 together with a fast motor was more then twice the size and weight, during the -70´s, not to mention price
The Leica rangefinder are probarbly the most copied cameras ever, but Olympus OM-system, and then OM-2 is probarbly the most copied SLR and still with a lot of unique features still today and for the OM-4 as you mention the multi spot meatering.
I really wish that Olympus would make a digital hybrid DSLR of the OM-2 same as Leica have with M-series and with a hybrid OVF and EVF Finder. Just lock the mirror with the knob and you start EVF.. My thoughts and yes some things was actually better before.
19:59 - "90's Velcro Wallet" - yup! Had a few of those, but they never had as much as $1,939 USD in them...
Same, five bucks max ;)
I was still using the Olympus OM-1 back in 91. I think it was in 96 that I purchased the Canon Elan II. I did not want to take a risk with Nikon because I was expecting them to eventually do a "Canon" thing and switch from the old F-mount. Twenty plus years later and I'm finally proven correct except Canon did it again. 🤣
I fair precaution but Nikon really came through. I just bought two lenses, brand new, for my Nikon F100.
1) Olympus had to be daring in the early 90's (the same time as the Mju1 was introduced), to save themselves, after the debacle with the OM autofocus (OM707 and on) series of cameras.
2) Yes, agree about N8008 / F801, 100%. You'll talk me into buying one 😁
3) All do they are amazing cameras, Contax's didn't age well. Same to say about the Contax 645, which will cost you arm end leg even today. Course those cameras are getting impossible to get fixed without cannibalisation. Much more than some other brands. From what I heard...
4) Oh god... I've stopped counting how much those old autofocus Minoltas I've seen listed for sale, with LCD screens gone bad or alright dead. Without those screens the camera is virtually inoperable.
5) Leica was always too expensive, period.
6) Olympus OM4T / Ti is itching me, for decades...
I always get nervous when people make buying decisions around my videos....
@@AzrielKnight 🤣🤣🤣
Hi, the Minolta 9000 has the LCD bleeding fault but the bleeding stopped always before the LCD lost its usefulness, it was not pretty to see but it kept showing everything that was necessary to show. By today I have two Minolta 9000 and the LCDs are still in full working condition.
@@marcelocampoamor4761 Well I guess you kept them in your home, instead of a cellar or attic as many people do...
WOw!!! best film camera clip of 2021!!!! I whish you could do one for 2001..
My magazine collection only goes to 1998 but I might change that!
Loved this. Sold all of these cameras back in the day…and barring the awful Olympus IS, they’re all bangers I’d easily own.
The IS-1 was a little inconsistent in quality.
1991…My Sophomore year in High school! I was taking pics back then but with one of those cheap 110 cameras! 🤣
I'd be curious to know how those 110 negs held up over the years.
EOS-1 back then and EOS R3 today. Lots of changes in technology but similar style in the front I’ve noticed.
I agree Nelson.
It was the era of noisy and slow AF, melting soft-touch surfaces, flimsy plastic consumer cameras from once proud manufacturers, bridge cameras nobody wanted, brick-like point-and-shoots, and batteries than cost more than film and ran out as quickly. On the up side there was huge diversity of film stock in all popular sizes and types, and many unpopular ones.
Well I have a used Canon Rebel G and I've used my Fotodiox FD to EF adapter on it with great success as well as putting the adapter on my 5D mark III and 90D and photos turning out with a beautiful organic feel with my old FD lenses from my Frandfathers AE-1. To bad Canon didn't think to release an adapter for FD lenses to appease the FD users. They did do this for the new RF mount for EF mount users and people still bought RF lenses.
I heard Canon changed their mount again....strange.
@@AzrielKnight its fir the mirrorless full frames they now have. It's the RF mount. The lenses can sit closet to the sensor without the mirror and offer much better options then if I were to shoot with the mirror flipped up on my regular DSLR. I dont own any mirrorless yet. I'm quite happy with my Canon 90D, My 5D mark III and my 35mm Canon Rebel G.
You know Azriel, the 230 AF (230 Super) was a try of Yashica (=means Kyocera) to deal with AF, but these AF Series have been a miss onto the market, it couldn't compete with Minolta, Nikon and/or especially Canon, which brought their EF Mount into March 1987, starting with the EOS 650. Only a few AF Lenses are being avialable for the Yashica AF Series, means AF 200, 230 (Super) and AF 300 SLR Bodies. But the Lenses are great, and the Rendering is often great. I own the 35-70, 28-85, 50/1.8, 60/2.8 Macro from these AF Series. Problem was the competition, and being bulky, the AF 230 was especially like a typical Japanese car into the 80s, way boxy, nothing bad meant.
AF has a whole new meaning today. Lol
lol, never mind that Sigma had FAP lenses LOL
@@AzrielKnight 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I didn't know that. That's great.
The Camera that caught my eye in the 90s was the Ricoh Mirai.
The N 8008 or N 801 was a Prosumer camera not consumer, it was in many Pros bag as a back up second body or some a budget main body , i owned one in 92 loved it
Definitely an unsung hero!
Yay olympus Om-4 Ti! also of note, featured with shameless product placement in the intro of James Bond - License To Kill!
Ah neat! James bond in the 90s, man......
I have to admit the Leica R6 sounds like my kind of camera.
I'd also like to try it at some point.
Man...in 1991 I can't remember, I would have been 9. I might have still had my 110 or maybe my little basic Kodak point and shoot or a hand-me-down 35mm.
More than I had. I just noticed you have been subbed a very long time. You should join the Discord! discord.gg/4XndbGvV
In 1991, the Nikon F4 was the undisputed leader for professional photographers. Serious pros shooting 35 mm used Nikon, Canon, or Leica, not Olympus, lol.
Not a single pro Olympus shooter in 1991? Source? :)
I can't remember what year it was but I had a vivitar big view 35mm when I was a kid.
I do not agree with the order!! (Just kidding). The F4s should have been #1. Nikon is the king/queen of 35mm to me. The F4 was one of the last cameras that could use all Nikon glass including non ai. I have the F5 and it’s amazing and amazingly over kill but I’m still very tempted to pick up another F4. The F4 having dials and AF combines the best of both worlds. One focus point isn’t a problem in practice. It’s a beast. I hope you can test one some time. I think you’ll like it.
These list videos are tons of fun, I hope you make some more!
Hey Kyle, thanks for the comment and feedback. The order is entirely based on number of google results. I would have picked a different order myself ;)
I haven't watched the previous episode and I guess 1982 was more interesting, but yeah, 1991 is my year of construction so, let's start with '91 :)
Can you make a list of top range finders of every decade? Maybe from the last 50 years? Thanks.
That would take some time, but doing a rangefinder video is an excellent idea!!
Not sure why you chose the Minolta 9000 over the Maxxum 8000i which was released in 1990. It was a huge leap in most ways over the 9000. It wasn't pro-level, per-se, but beats the 9000 in most ways. I would have given the 9000 the honorable mention and instead focused on the 8000i, which was far, far more commonly available in 1991.
Ah yes, great decade. I was 15 and borrowing a P&S Minolta my mom had.
You were 15 the whole decade?! ;)
@@AzrielKnight touché - I walked right into that! Nah, just in '91 🤣
Did the Nikon F4 make it into Canada? The only way I got one in the US was to buy from Japan. We got the F4S and F4E here, and of the two, the S was by far the most common. With all the interlocks keeping me from accidentally changing things, it's my least favorite Nikon.
tbh I'm not sure if it made it into Canada, I presume it did since I have Canadian magazines with Nikon F4 ads and reviews.
The plain F4 was definitely available here in Canada, used to sell them. The F4s was much more popular though so it’s rare to see the more compact F4 configuration here.
@@tomwiebe Thanks Tom.
Canon T-90 has multi-spot function, built in motor drive and the most advanced flash (using the 300TL flash). Check it out.
I own one actually. I'll be doing a video on it in the near future.
Why don't you make timecode?
That's a pretty good idea. I may add one, thank you.
I added one, thanks again!!
Time to finish the trilogy and see camera's from 2003 (I need closure)... Need to see if the F100 and Olympus Mju can make the list or not.
Hi Craig. I'm more likely to go back and than forward, as I don't have any magazines past 1998 right now.
I had yet to wake up to photography in 91- I was 20- so I had a Halina 110 point and shoot and eventually some no-name 35mm point and shoot.
I was an idiot.
naw, don't be hard on yourself :)
It’s interesting to see that Leica used to offer even worse value than today.
lol, what do you mean?
@@AzrielKnight The adjusted prices for Leicas then are higher than the price of a new film Leica today.
So Nikon's revolutionary FA didn't make it here nor in the last video, as it was released in '83.
It was my last camera before digital. Unfortunately it was quickly overshadowed by the auto-focus era,
which I skipped entirely, (until now when prices are hilariously low on such gear).
I just went back and pulled the magazines from the shelf to double check. The Nikon FA didn't even make Popular Photography's top cameras for 1991 list. The closest was the FM2. Neither did it make Modern Photography's list. The FE FG and (again) FM2 did, as you said, wasn't released until '83.
@@AzrielKnight Thx for checking. Yes I have the impression that Nikon was a bit unlucky there. It's all in the Wiki, I see. Massively underrated and ahead of its time when it comes to metering and exposure timing.
I was there in 1991. Leica was definitely NOT hot in 1991. It was around the time that Leica went broke because so few photographers were buying Leica. They might have gotten print space in magazines, but they weren't getting many cameras in photographer's hands.
As a pro the hottest cameras were named Nikon and Canon, but in the newsroom it was the Kodak DCS. Few people had them, because they were hideously expensive and they were very new, but digital was clearly the future, and it was the hot topic in camera discussions - whether digital will ever replace film. The following model, the DCS200 was half the price and quickly became a newsroom standard. 1991 it wasn't quite at that point yet, but it was certainly the hot camera subject on news photographer's lips in 1991.
Never forget that medium format was still big in 1991, so Bronica, Mamiya, and Pentax were still objects of lust by pros, (memories at staring at the window display at Fletchers with a Pentax 6x7 in center spot... ahhhh) however in the 135 world, the big thing was that Nikon was innovating, but the better Canon AF meant we were witnessing the Canon takeover of the pro 135 market from Nikon, and while Nikon still sold more cameras, Canon was growing fast.
Minolta had respect, but they were living on the glory of the Maxxum 7000, and realistically, they didn't have the depth of lens selection to go toe to toe with Nikon, and Canon was eating their lunch in the AF department.
Pentax had lost its way by that time, and Olympus was like it always was, a player, but nowhere nears the top of the heap. Olympus, however, was leading the charge in point and shoot 135 with the Mju line.
Contax was well on its way out. I never saw anyone using Contax and they were regarded as very unreliable that broke quicker than an eggshell, but they were like Leica, had a small cult of users who were clinging to the past and a mythology of photography that was never quite real.
I would have put the EOS-1 at the top of the list, here. The F4 got a lot of things right - it is still a great camera as far as ergonomics goes, but it had a reputation for slow AF, and the EOS-1 had a reputation for fast AF and that was like a magnet for people to do the unthinkable and switch from Nikon to Canon. The EOS-1 was upending the pro-photography world by ending Nikon dominance.
And while I think the Nikon 3D matrix metering was superior to Canon, especially when working with flash, Canon seemed to market their multi-point metering better, and plenty of people were believing the Canon metering as better purely because of marketing. Canon was definitely doing the best marketing job out of any camera company at the time. And Bronica marketing was by far the worst, although Nikon was doing a good job of missing the mark, and failing to communicate well about Nikon's real strengths in camera technology.
I would thus have chosen differently for this video based of real world sales numbers as opposed to magazine articles. Leica and Contax wouldn't have made the cut, and Canon would get elevated (why isn't the original Rebel here?). While Kodak sales numbers were low, the digital buzz that started in 1991 and the way digital would sweep away film, would probably make the Kodak DCS100 the most important individual camera of 1991, a much talked about camera, and the talk would make it a contender for hottest camera, and way hotter than Contax or Leica.
I have 5 on the list and 3 on the 2nd. list.
lol, not surprised :)
The Minolta 9xi or Canon A2E
I was 24 in 1991.
What was your favourite part of being an adult in the 90s?
@@AzrielKnight From my own experience, there was an amazing explosion in new types of RISC architecture CPUs used mainly in very high performance Unix-based computer systems. I tested and used many of them. Oddly, the big survivor from that era is the humble ARM processor, which is by far the commonest computer chip in the world. From the photography angle, the most annoying thing, was Canon abandoning the FD mount. They have never been forgiven for that by photographers of that era. The worst about it is that there is no reasonable way to adapt FD lenses to EF, because the back focal length is shorter for FD. Just thinking about it still annoys me now! This is another great video again, by the way! The top ten for 1971 could be an interesting challenge, because I suppose your magazine collection does not go back to before you were born. :-)
I own half of these :-)
Not surprised :) BTW Don I'd love it if you joined our Discord! discord.gg/4XndbGvV
@@AzrielKnight I must admit that I have no idea what a Discord server is, but I will definitely have a look :-)
If Jesus made cameras, we'd probably have some photographic evidence for his existence today 😁
I love the content but that over-loud bg musak not so much...
Noted!
It's hilarious how leica talks about "cameras"
lol, I know, so pompous.
I thought it was Yasheeka
So did I. But as I research stuff and have to say it on camera I google pronunciations just to make sure.
@@AzrielKnight I've been saying wrong for forty years
These videos are dangerous because I get curious and may make an unnecessary impulse purchase on eBay.
control yourself Connor ;)
First yay!
Yashee ca
ya·shuh·kuh
Took 2 seconds to Google it.
@@AzrielKnight 😆 wrong. Ya Shee (i) ca
Interesting video which I have greatly enjoyed. You mention that the "Golden Age of Photography" was (in your opinion) from 1975 to 1995.
It would be great to see Top 10 Camera Videos for 1975 and 1995 from you !!
Thanks for the idea, I'll keep it in mind :) Would be hard to narrow down to ten for sure.
@@AzrielKnight It would certainly interesting to watch if you did make these videos.
great job
Thank you Ben