A Camera Is A Tool; A Camera You Like Can Be A Tool Of Inspiration

18th Century replica tools at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.  It really doesn't matter what year or task,

the right tools for the right job can make a difference in one's creativity and final product. (click to enlarge)

Back on April 13, 2013, I wrote a blog post listing all of the cameras I can remember owning.  If you are interested, you can find that post here.

The other day I found myself thinking about some of the gear I've had over my photographic lifetime.  I'm not sure why I was thinking about all of those cameras, but it struck me that the cameras I really enjoyed using, the ones I kept for long periods of time, are the same cameras that allowed me to produce some of my best and most satisfying images.  The ones that I purchased, used for a period, didn't like much for a variety of reasons, then sold, didn't inspire me to make good images.

This is not to say that I didn't make bad images with my favorite cameras or good images with my least favorite cameras, but it was easier to use tools that I felt handled and worked just right for me and the types of photography I practiced.  It was a joy picking them up, taking them out and using them.  No fiddling or fumbling or struggling to make them work the way I wanted and needed them to work.

For many, many years I could honestly say I had one all-time favorite camera.  I can't say that today since there are now four cameras that tie for that title.  Previously, my 20 year relationship with my Pentax 6X7 camera was at the top.  I lugged around that big heavy Texas-sized 35mm looking camera body and four lenses all over the country and loved the images I made with it.  I almost exclusively used negative film as I developed and printed my own black and white prints, up to 16" X 20" (40 X 50 cm)., A close friend owned a professional photo lab and allowed me to develop and print my color enlargements there, which was a real treat.  A negative 4 times the size of a 35mm negative gave me the minimum quality i desired.

Since the digital age, I now consider the Pentax, the Nikon D810, the Olympus E-M1 and the Fujifilm X-T1 as tied for my all-time favorite camera bodies.  Each of those cameras worked just right for me, allowing me to take my mind off the technical aspect of fiddling with settings, controls and dials and allowing me to concentrate on the creative aspect of my photography.

Here is an update to that list in alphabetical order, not in the order in which I purchased and used them over the past 46 years.  Still way too many.  Can you say gluttony?  Or embarrassment?

As you can see, brand really doesn't matter to me.  It is finding the tool that does the job best for me.

Calumet 4X5 Studio Camera

Canon A-1

Canon EOS 650

Canon EOS 620

Canon F-1

Canon F-1n

Canon G11

Canon G2

Canon G9

Canon S95

Contax T

Fujifilm X-T1 (2)

Holga 120N

Kodak Brownie Flashmate 20

Kodak Instamatic 102

Koni Rapid Omega 100

Leica M3 SS

Leica M6

Leica M6 TTL

Leica M7

Leica Minilux

Leica R4SP (2)

Leica R8

Mamiya C330F

Minolta Dimage A-1

Minolta Hi-Matic 7

Minolta SR-T101

Nikkormat EL

Nikon D200

Nikon D300

Nikon D70

Nikon D700
Nikon D7000

Nikon D800E

Nikon D810

Nikon F2A

Nikon F2AS

Nikon FE

Nikon FE2

Nikon FM

Nikon FM2n

Nikon N2020

Nikon N8008

Nikon N90

Nikon N90s

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Olympus OM-D E-M1

Olympus XA

Panasonic GX1

Pentax 645 (2)

Pentax 645N

Pentax 6X7 (3)
Plaubel Makina 67

Speed Graphic

Tachihara 4X5 Cherry Field Camera

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

All content on this blog is © 2013-2016 Dennis A. Mook. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution. Permission may be granted for commercial use. Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.