what is your favorite "beater" camera?

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Many people have a favorite " beater" item. Something that is charitably described as well used, but stays around do to it's long standing use, inability to die, and the lack of overall concern if it gets dinged or stolen. Is there any one besides me that has beater cameras? My favorites are a well used black chrome SL with a 50 f2 and an old contax IIIa with a 50 f1.5 depending upon my mood for a slr or rangefinder.

greg mason

-- greg mason (gmason1661@aol.com), December 06, 2001

Answers

Greg-

Based on what's going on in the "What is Leica Photography" thread, you should be relieved that one of yours is a Leica. I only own one camera so I guess its my beater.

-- jeff voorhees (debontekou@yahoo.com), December 06, 2001.


When I shot with my dad's Nikon F2 outfit my favorite beater was my right shoulder. Now that I'm shooting with the lighter weight Ms my favorite beater is my wallet!

-- John Chan (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), December 06, 2001.

My beater outfit is a Nikon N80 with 28-105 and 70-300 Nikkor zooms. Bought them brand-new. As perverted as it sounds, considering the cost of my Leicas, those Nikons seem practically disposible and I take them wherever conditions might prove fatal for camera equipment.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), December 06, 2001.

I use an old 1960's "pointy prism" Nikon F, simply because it doesn't owe me a thing. I take the word "beater" literally, and when you don't have to worry about rangefinder alignment, water damage (no electronics) or cosmetics (it is brass with some black showing) then it is truly a beater in every sense. Add to that the fact that it is worth about a hundred dollars, and it is more than earning its keep. It gets pictures because I don't care about it as a "thing", only its function.

One time my friend laughed at it, so I hammered a nail in the wall with the camera to hang a picture I took with it. He wouldn't accept that challenge with his current "wonderplastic."

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), December 06, 2001.


My indestructible Nikon F2AS: black, beautifully brassed, dinged and scratched with artistic precision by dropping down rock cliffs and dragged on the ground while hanging from a baby stroller,(it is a thing of beauty)with the only Nikkor lens I've ever used that seems to have a little magic in it - a 50mm f/2 H-C, Ai'd. Great at the beach, in the park with a bunch of kids, as a loaner to one of my kids, you get the picture. Very dear to me. I have not decided who gets it in my will, but it and my Gibson SG will be carefully bestowed. I will photograph it one day with my M6. Seems fitting.

-- Hil (hegomez@aol.com), December 06, 2001.


My beater was an M2 with a collapsible Summicron until it became a collectible. I had the choice of a big-time CLA or selling it for triple what I paid.

-- Joe Brugger (joebrugger@news.oregonian.com), December 06, 2001.

Yashica T4 super - i have dropped off a big rock (3 meters or so), accidentally dropped it in the water, sat on it, etc. and it still works as good as new. it sure looks dinged up, and i don't particularily like the lack of controls, but i use it like the disposable camera it is and am glad i can call on it to do its job when going boating, or skiing or the like.

-- Matthew Geddert (geddert@yahoo.com), December 06, 2001.

My beater camera is a Bessa-T with a Leitz 28mm Elmarit. It is the first camera I reach for and I take it everywhere. The body is light but rigid and the lens superb (2nd version).

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), December 06, 2001.

An Olympus OM1-MD... keeps going and going and....

-- john costo (mahler@lvcm.com), December 06, 2001.

The beater cameras I have in this following order:

1) FED IIb w/ all of my Leica and Jupiter lens.... dang, I paid 40 ducks for the camera plus sharp Jupiter lens too... that's why i can use it like a screw mount Leica (while my Leica IIIF is getting repaired).

2) Leica R4 surprisingly is a beater... I know that I'm going to be getting a R6.2 and R8 in about 10 years so I'm not worried about my R4 being in too bad of a shape plus I have the original presentation case...

3) Nikon F-- bought it used and it works well for a lot of situations... my fiancee loves it quite a bit.

4) Yashica T4-- I don't mind that it can work well and rocks the house (of course, I'm very very careful with my Leica Z2X camera)

5) Leica Mini-- not the best Leica P and S and it got me some good engagement pictures at least :)

Alfie

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), December 06, 2001.



The Leica R8 system w/50, 80, 100, 180 & 280 lenses is my beater outfit. If they get damaged beyond repair, it's easy to replace them with new ones. My other camera systems are all out of production now and are almost impossible to find new replacements anywhere (I don't like buying second-hands). And of course the R system happens to have the best glasses of them all. 8-)

C.H.Tso

-- C.H.Tso (pianonut@netvigator.com), December 06, 2001.


Ohhhhh. I just did a count, and realized that I have more beaters than actual "cameras": a Fed 1, a Kiev with three lenses, (those two are REAL beaters!) a IIIa, an Oly Stylus, and an OM1 that I use with a Vivitar 28-70 zoom when it's in the "beater" mode, and with a 50/3.5 macro in the "real" mode.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), December 06, 2001.

Mine is my Nikon FM. I bought it almost immediately after they were introduced. It has had all the seals replaced and just recently the meter finally died. But it's still working fine other than that.

That thing has been all over the world and...aside from the recent meter demise...has never failed me.

-- snack (jimtardio@earthlink.net), December 06, 2001.


A: Zorki4K with a 50mm Industarf2, AKA Zaiss Sonnar.

-- RICHARD ILOMAKI (richardjx@hotmail.com), December 06, 2001.

I agree with Al.....

Nikon F, standard prism and either 50 1.4 or 43-86 AI zoom (sharper than you think). Though I DO need a -2 diopter...anybody have one they want to sell (F3 diopter wont fit)?

Todd

-- Todd Phillips (toddvphillips@webtv.net), December 06, 2001.



John Chan, you are hilarious :) I handle my M6 with kid gloves, so my beater is my old EOS-50 and 50mm/1.4 lens. Light, not very expensive, and goes everywhere with me.

-- Anthony Wong (nospam@hotmail.com), December 06, 2001.

M6TTL .85, Nikon FM. Both dinged and I'd be ready to lose them.

My M6 Classic Chrome stays in the cupboard. I'd be heartbroken if this beauty were scratched or stolen.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), December 06, 2001.


Al: re: 'pointy-prism Nikon F" - the prisms alone (if in good shape) are edging up towards $300 all by themselves. For why? Because as the unrepairable Photomics die off and leave folks with cameras that won't meter anyway, the pointy prisms are a much more compact replacement. In 25 years of shooting with Nikon Fs I had a Photomic prism for a total of 4 months - swapped it for a black plain prism.

I always figured they'd make a nice pointy dent in the head of any attempted mugger, as well. (Speaking of hammering....)

Still have an F - but no lenses. So my 'high-society' cameras and my 'beaters' are one and the same - one M4-2, one M4-P.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), December 06, 2001.


I'm w/you on the Contax--Zeiss Ikon Contax II w/Sonnar 50/1.5.

-- Chris Chen (furcafe@NOSPAMcris.com), December 06, 2001.

The only gear I have that I wouldn't be sad to lose or trash would be my Nikon 8008. I don't care to risk my FE2's and certainly not my Leica gear. Even if I had a whacked up M3 with a huge dent in the top plate, I would still nurture it. Yet, I'll take my Leicas out in a light drizzle if I think there's a shot. I just spend 15 minutes drying it with Q-tips afterwards.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), December 06, 2001.

to all:

thanks for the civility.

greg

-- greg mason (gmason1661@aol.com), December 06, 2001.


The camera that is always in my briefcase or pocket is a Rollei 35. I only use it for architectural field documentation with Kodak Max, but it's tiny, has great contrast and takes sharp photos (thank God for hyperfocal). I call it my "point & think". Last week I was taking site-documentation shots at a high school and 2 different teachers said that they also had 35s. Unfortunately, neither was willing to part with theirs. The curious thing about Leica "beaters" is that the best value on the market right now seems to be the M6 because even M3s are worth more to collectors. I have three freinds (all in their 60s) who still have the M3s that they bought new in the 1950s. Every time I see them I make an offer, but they won't part with them. Curse you, Red Dot!

-- Pat Dunsworth (pdunsworth@aryarch.com), December 07, 2001.

Seems that a lot of you have cameras to loose which I'd be very happy to find ;-). I really like my cameras, but the one I really don't make a deal of is my Yashica 35-me - I wouldn't take another camera out swimming to take pictures of the boat that brought me out to the middle of the lake ;-).

Otherwise there still is my rollei 35 (which became quite expensive, though) and my Canonet (wouldn't mind to get rid of this, but for a real point, shoot and trash camera it is too difficult to use ...

-- Kai Blanke (kai.blanke@iname.com), December 07, 2001.


A Rollei XF35. Not a Leica, but sure as hell a beater. RF no less.

-- Steven Fong (steven@ima.org.sg), December 07, 2001.

Nikon FM, late production, bought on closeout when the FM2 appeared circa 1982. Replaced the seals as a precaution when the camera became old enough to vote. Meter and shutter still perfect. I use it with the light, plastic, disposable 50mm 1.8 nikkor AF and the almost disposable 24mm 2.8 AF, both fitted with Lutz's ten-cent cable tie focusing tabs for one-handing..........

-- david kelly (dmkedit@aol.com), December 07, 2001.

I have a Kodak Retina II and a Retina IIa. Unfolded, they sport 50/f2.0 Schneider lenses. Folded, they fit in my hip pocket and are excellent for self defence.

-- Jeff Polaski (polaski@acm.org), December 07, 2001.

Konica Big Mini. It's the only camera I have, that, as someone stated earlier, If I lost I'd really not care. Problem is, though it actually takes a reasonable photo (snap!?) it is so automatic that I don't enjoy using it, hence it sits in the cupboard. So if I loose or damage a camera it's going to probably be a Leica :-(

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), December 07, 2001.

Rollei 35. Dropped on pavement long ago and suffering a massive ding, but still capable of great pictures. Also a 111F, but now at Kindermann for CLA, thus maybe moving out of the beater class. Finally a Voigtlander Vito 111 folder with the great Ultron f2 lens. This one acquired used for sentimental reasons. I had one new in 1953, but sold it many years ago and regretted it.

-- Ivor Quaggin (iquaggin@rogers.com), December 07, 2001.

I admire C H Tso's casual disregard for financial expense. My photo gear is similar to his (R8 w/50, 90, 180, 280 and will add 80 soon) BUT they definitely are NOT considered beaters. I use them but also treat them very carefully as I do all my equipment. As a result, my gear lasts a long time. I still have a fully functional Nikon F2 Photomic that I bought over 30 years ago. Guess I don't really have any beaters in my photo gear. Good shooting! :-) LB

-- Luther Berry (lberrytx@aol.com), December 07, 2001.

Leicaflex SL with a 50mm Summicron lens. Bought the lot for $350 on EBAY! Everything works perfectly! :-)

-- Muhammad Chishty (applemac97@aol.com), December 07, 2001.

I recently bought a Tessar lens Rolleiflex to keep under the front seat of my car. It cost $100, makes a great weapon if necessary and that big negative offers lots of information.

-- Bob Chambers (anodise@ili.net), December 07, 2001.

In the sense that I am not too concerned about whether they get beat up or stolen, all of my cameras are beaters. Just can't be bothered to worry about 'em.

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), December 07, 2001.

Leicaflex SL with a 50mm Summicron lens. Bought the lot for $350 on EBAY! Everything works perfectly! :-)

-- Muhammad Chishty (applemac97@aol.com), December 07, 2001.

Wow, I remember you :) I was bidding on the same Leicaflex SL and you won by 1-2 dollars over me on that same ebay auction :) I am happy that you enjoyed the SL. I opted for the R4 instead the week afterwards :)

Alfie

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), December 07, 2001.


M3 and 50mm f/2 Collapsible Canon Serenar. This isn't so much a "beater" (Why would you want to use an inferior camera?) as a "portable". Print film. No meter.

-- Tom Bryant (boffin@gis.net), December 07, 2001.

Rolleicord V, Yashica T-4, Nikon FE.

-- Phil Stiles (Stiles@metrocast.net), December 07, 2001.

Hi, Greg:

I'm afraid I don't really understand the "beater camera" concept. I know you explained it well but still there is no camera I could think of like "well used, but stays around do to it's long standing use, inability to die, and the lack of overall concern if it gets dinged or stolen"

If it had all the characteristis you explain I'd actually be concerned about it getting stolen and excercise all reasonable effort to avoid it from getting dinged or damaged in any way . . .

Now, based exclusively on the "well used, but stays around do to it's long standing use, inability to die" part of the concept, it would be my DS M3, I guess. But shure I wouldn't like it to be stolen . . .

Regards, Greg.

-Iván

-- Iván Barrientos M (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), December 08, 2001.


I call them "beach cameras" instead of "beaters," and the idea is that you may have cameras which you wish to keep out of harm's way. Valuable as collectable, or just very valuable. But a friend says "let's go for a sail!" Capsizing in small sail boats is no big deal, especially if you like to ride on the edge. Might get some great shots, which camera do you take?

-- Phil Stiles (Stiles@metrocast.net), December 08, 2001.

The best camera I ever had till I sold them all (Nikons) and got my TTL was the Nikonos III inclusive of underwater flash (each shot meant addition of a new bulb). The nicest thing I ever heard about this was that it remained the best Nikonos of all time, especially after the Nikonos IV appeared.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), December 08, 2001.

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