Pretty cameras

[David Murphy]

Yes posting pics like this on RFF is like hanging red meat in front of hungry dogs.

Originally Posted by Keith

And of course ... hard to go past one of these. Some of the pics Jonmanjiro has put in the RFF classifieds really shouldn't have been allowed!

[john neal]

My vote(s) go to the black paint MP, my (ex) Wista 5 x 4 in cherry wood, any IIIc and the Retina series

[lorriman]

I've avoided anything from the mid 80s onward because they tend to be plastic uglies. I want my chrome tops.

On another note: I proposed some of the minolta hi-matics to a female friend, spelling out the technical differences. The Minolta Hi-Matic 11 was chosen because, her voice weakening at the knees, "I like the silver lens".

She has no doubt in her mind that the silver lens will vastly improve her photos. I eventually realised that this is probably true in her case.

[Dunk]

Originally Posted by mabelsound

Ilford advocate, yeah!! Forgot that one. Didn't they also make the Witness?

Ilford financed the Witness and it was made for them by Peto Scott.

Cheers

dunk

[Dunk]

Originally Posted by gdi

I need that one!

Check these websites regularly where Advocates have been offered in previous months and where more are likely to offered in future. There are several versions of the Advocate.

http://www.peterloy.co.uk/Stocklist.htm
http://www.mwclassic.com/
http://www.collectablecameras.com/

Cheers

dunk

[Abbazz]

Not many 6x9s around here. What about a Kodak Regent?





Or a Royer Altessa, a dual format 6x9/6x6 with interchangeable lens?





Or a Musashino Kōki Rittreck, a 6x9 SLR:





Cheers!

Abbazz

[principe azul]

Originally Posted by lorriman

I've avoided anything from the mid 80s onward because they tend to be plastic uglies.

Avoid no longer...!

[monochromeimages]

Leicas with the proper rewind knob - M3, M2 and MP and metal advance lever. I just love them. I really dislike the look of the funny angled rewind and plastic tipped advance on the M4, M6 and M7. Another favorite of mine is the original Canon F1.

[John Robertson]

Originally Posted by principe azul

Avoid no longer...!

Barfff!!!!!!

Whats that old saying about making a silk purse out of a pigs ear!!!

[tvagi]

Voigtlander-Vitomatic II
Zeiss-Ikon-Tenax I
Welta-Welti
Bencini-Comet S

[JohnTF]

Originally Posted by Wiggy

The "Prettiest Camera" will surely be the Leica M9 when it is announced on September 9th.

999, hope they have not got it upside down. ;-)

[Sonnar2]

Voigtländer Bessa Rangefinder (Prewar, black)
Rolleiflex 2.8 TLR
Leica II/III (pref. black)
Asahiflex IIa
Canon VI
Leica M2, MP
Nikon S2 chrome (or black SP)
Original Pentax
Nikon F (pref. FTN prism)
Olympus Pen FT (black)
Voigtländer Ultramatic
Rollei 35S
Pentax MX, ME

[dee]

Do you know .. I feel a metallic pink Kiev koming on ... there is a metallic Ice Blue Kiev III pending .. so why stop there ? [ Check out Honda Jazz Ice blue and Rose Red - and scream ]

[chris00nj]

Hands down, this wooden SICO from 1922.

From cameraquest:




Canon P with a 50/1.5. I'm surprised that no one mention the Canon P. I always thought that the "P" should have stood for pretty.


Pretty, but mentioned already:

• Black Leica II, with nickel finish and nickel elmar
• Leica IIIf RD ST and Summitar
• Leica M3 with Rigid Summicron.

[JohnTF]

I do have a RF somewhere called a "Beauty", not bad as I recall.

[John Robertson]

Originally Posted by dee

Do you know .. I feel a metallic pink Kiev koming on ... there is a metallic Ice Blue Kiev III pending .. so why stop there ? [ Check out Honda Jazz Ice blue and Rose Red - and scream ]

Oh Sweetie you are a tease!!!

[naql]

I just recently got a Rolleicord III type 2 from approximately 1952 and I have to say it is a beautiful camera. I can't wait to get it back from its CLA.

[amateriat]

Sigh...

For me, it's a "pretty is as pretty does" thing. My long-gone Canon F-1s sort of epitomized what an SLR should look like (along with the Nikon F, which I got to later, ironically).

For RFs, believe it or not, my main shootin' iron rules in terms of pared-down elegance:



I like to think of the Hexar's design as "purposeful beauty." Of course, I happen to gravitate toward things like Lamy fountain pens (I own a Persona and 2000, as well as a "vintage" Lamy 99), as well as Alex Moulton bicycles, so my idea of "pretty" might be a bit out-of-turn.

As far as other cameras I regard as beautiful:

- Nikon SP

- Leica M2, MP3

- Tessina

- Contax RTS III

- Contax G2 (black)

As far as digital cameras go, the closest thing I've found to aesthetically-pleasing is the upcoming Pentax K7. I mentioned to a friend that if I were in the market for a dSLR, I'd pick the K7 in half-a-heartbeat. This camera seems to come closest to nailing the dSLR zeitgiest for me, and I'm baffled as to why it's taken so damn long for this to come about. It's almost as if someone had the cojones to say "Look, forget what Brands N and C are doing right now, let's go for something special." And, somehow, it looks the part, too. Maybe dSLRs don't have to suck as much as I think they do? Here's hoping!


- Barrett

[schaubild]

For me, these are the ones

Done in their own way.

[Roger Hicks]

Originally Posted by schaubild

For me, these are the ones

Done in their own way.

Nah, Alpas aren't pretty.

They're beautiful!

Cheers,

E.

[schaubild]

Originally Posted by Roger Hicks

Nah, Alpas aren't pretty.

They're beautiful!

Cheers,

E.

I have to agree.
Thanks Frances ;-)

Best regards
Stephan

[Ricko of Fla]

I am new to range Finder cameras and I have a M8 Black and silver.
Which IMHO is beautiful . IN the eye of the beholder.---------ect

[John Robertson]

I agree with Frances, I just wish they weren't so expensive!!

[dee]

Alpha ... I wish ! Surpasses '' Pretty '' into magnificent !

[dee]

Hmmm - how about '' prettifying '' [ spelling ? ] a camera ?
I fully intend to have a nickel Kiev II , maybe a III ... nicely finished brick ?

[John Robertson]

Ivor Matanle article on Alpa in this weeks issue of Amateur Photorapher.

[Toyoca 35]

Maybe not the all time best looking rangefinder, but for Champaign tastes on a beer (OK, maybe an imported beer) budget, the Lordomat Standard. If I had a hundred dollars burning a hole in my pocket in 1958, one of these would've turned my eye.
Shame that they ruined those clean looks on the C35. Built in Selenium filters ruined the looks of many a German camera!

[John Robertson]

Yes nice looking but not too great lenses! Speaking from experience, also the back to front wind wasnt that handy.

[Toyoca 35]

I have to agree with you on the lens. I was, indeed seduced by Lordomat's good looks. When I put a film through I was disappointed. It does not rate well compared to the contemporary Staeble Braun Color Ultralit 2.8/50 which could be fitted to a competitively priced Super Paxette II.
This thread was, however labelled Pretty Cameras, and though the Super Paxette II might fit that bill, Even Dr Braun's fans (of which I am one) couldn't call the Super Paxette II BL pretty.

Run! The Cylon's are coming!
The backwards winder on the Lordomat doesn't bother me as much as its clackity-clack ratchet, which kind of renders the quiet Prontor leaf shutter superfluous.

[Cpitch]

Yes" I know the view finder is small but it is a very pretty folder. Zeiss Ikon Contessa 35

[John Robertson]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Diax range, made by Voss & co of Ulm. Very pretty little cameras with excellent Schneider range of lenses, they also had a cheaper range of less than good Isco lenses which are best avoided.
About 20 years ago I had a Diax 11b with three lenses, another of my stupid moves was to sell it to a club member, regretted it ever since!! The 35mm Xenagon was particulerly good.
There is a good Diax website.
http://mitglied.lycos.de/fotopete/wsite.html



another is the little leica mount Navax.

[LeicaFoReVer]

produced in limited amounts and the company kyocera bankrupted. Contax N digital

[gilpen123]

My Rollei 35SE

[Toyoca 35]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Diax range, made by Voss & co of Ulm. Very pretty little cameras with excellent Schneider range of lenses

John, I also think that the Diax is lovely, & I've just bid on a Ia (not quite as svelte as the IIb) to prove it!

[PatrickT]

I'd have to nominate the Yashica GSN:

[emraphoto]

Originally Posted by schaubild

For me, these are the ones

Done in their own way.

EGAD that's a fine slice of Alpa heaven!

[Brian Sweeney]

Subminiature Cameras always caught my eye.

[adrianzg]

my diy panda iiif looks quite pretty to me..



but it will never beat this..

[urban_alchemist]

Originally Posted by John Robertson

another is the little leica mount Navax.

Oooh... pretty AND interesting! A little history-lesson I believe is in order (as google doesn't seem to throw anything up)

[Toyoca 35]

I know that it defeats the purpose of defining the prettiest camera, but I can't help muti-posting on this topic. I guess that is why I'm a sucker for shiny steel & glass boxes!
Although it breaks the rules of form over function by being very functional, the Canonet strikes me as being one fine-looking rangefinder.
I'm sure that its handsome lines contributed to its original success and the current cult status of the GIII QL17.
For me, the original Canonet's looks are damaged a bit by the Selenium meter, but the QL series was extra clean, and it only got nicer when Canon shrunk it in the wash for the "New Canonet" and the GIII.
With its lack of excessive stampings or plastic extrusions, the Canonet led the way in camera styling and features. This from the Canon Museum:
"The camera industry went into an uproar upon learning that Canon, maker of high-end cameras, was to introduce a mid-class 35mm camera with a fast f/1.9 lens for less than 20,000 yen. However, the Canonet safely went to market in January 1961. A week's worth of stock was sold out in only two hours. It was the start of the Canonet boom. Two and a half years later, a million Canonets were sold. "
I don't think that it is any coincidence that the competition - Hi-Matics, Electros, etc., lost their fiddly plastic extrusions in the early seventies and started taking their styling cues from the Canonet.
The stark simplicity of the original Canon P had become the norm.