I have a friend who has something like 50 view cameras. When I asked him why, he said he felt the need to "demystify" the subject: he wanted to understand the view camera—experience what other photographers had experienced, survey the developments over time—and the only way to do it was to get familiar with the quirks and foibles of many of the available types and historical alternatives.
I have certainly demystified cameras in my lifetime. I have no idea how many different cameras I've used, but it must be in the hundreds. I'm familiar with the Canon Xapshot, the Instamatic 104, the Olympus C-3040Z, the Argus C3, the Mamiya C33; the Kodak Disk Camera, the Wisner 20x24", the Sony F707, the Nikon F2, the Deardorff 5x7, the Zeiss Contessa; the Konica T-3, the Bronica SQ-A, the Nikon D700, the Mamiya 6, the Hasselblad 500C; The Konica-Minolta 7-D, the Minox B "spy" camera, the Panasonic GF1, the gigantic Fuji GX680, the Ricoh GXR with its odd removable sensor modules. The list goes on and on. Rangefinders; cameras with wire frame viewfinders; TLRs; view cameras with fresnel lenses on the groundglass; SLRs; DSLRs; smartphone cameras; pinhole cameras; copiers used as cameras; scanners used as cameras; tailboard cameras; digital cameras with less than a single megapixel before the word "megapixel" even came into currency.
I used to have a sense that there were lots of cameras I still wanted to try, but I'm not sure that's true any more. It's possible I've about had enough. Now I just want to use my cameras. I'm very happy with my current cameras, warts and all, but they have made me lose interest in lots of other cameras, including many of the old ones I own. The most recent sea change in ("real") cameras was the switchover to FF mirrorless c. 2018, and this is maybe the first major development in 40 years I haven't kept up with personally. (I do know they're great cameras, because I keep my ear to the ground.)
But when I pose the question to myself—any cameras out there I still want to try?—the answer comes up "yes." The one that come to mind is the Ricoh GR IIIx.
Who says the Ricoh GR IIIx doesn't have a viewfinder?
The GR line is one of the stoutest and most durable lineages in cameradom at the moment. There have been 13 of them, beginning with the (film!) GR1 in late 1996—when Bill Clinton was President, Larry David had just left his decade-defining show "Seinfeld," the Spice Girls were a thing, and the rounded "jellybean" Ford Taurus was the best-selling car in America. In 1996, there was no iPhone, no YouTube, and Netflix hadn't even started mailing out physical DVDs in those little red envelopes. In other words, long time ago now. The GR made the changeover to digital in 2005, without losing its established identity. And the GR cameras seem to have something rare that used to be true of Leica—they seem to have a far higher percentage of devoted fans than their market share would predict. Their partisans love 'em. I've never tried one, in all those years, but I'd like to. Not now, though. Someday.
So how about you? Any cameras you've missed? What have you always wanted to try for yourself but never have?
Mike
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Featured Comments from:
Andrew L: "I had a jellybean Taurus in the mid-2000s, a cheap used car which ran for just over 200k miles for me before the transmission needed a major fix or replacement which I couldn't afford/didn't want to afford. The trunk space in that thing was amazing, all of the hockey gear for me and my friends was a breeze to pack around, and the 3.0l V6 Vulcan engine was absolutely bombproof. Ugly car, chintzy interior, but its utility was unassailable.
"I own the GRIIIx, and it's totally unique out there for a standard-lens compact that goes into any pocket. Snap focus is a bit harder to use than the wide angle 28mm version due to shallower DoF, and it's still hard for me to point and shoot without looking at the screen for sneaky street shots. Something about the small size of the camera makes muscle memory a difficult proposition, you never know precisely what your lens is aiming at. But the lens is one of the best I've ever seen, superbly optically corrected, and the GR imaging engine is second to none, even if the sensor isn't cutting edge anymore. It's a truly great camera, it could be your only camera, giving up absolutely nothing except edge use-cases."
Epson rd1 …
Did get a z9 / 445 for my Alasaka trip just finished. Still …
Posted by: Dennis Ng | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 11:16 AM
I've always wanted to use a Leica, but somehow, when they were almost affordable, I didn't get my hands on one, and now they're priced way too high, even used.
Posted by: Bill Tyler | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 11:54 AM
I miss simplicity. The most over-complicated, pro camera of days of yore had two dials and a DoF preview button. That’s it.
I’m not a Leica fanboy (and definitely can’t afford to become one), but if I had to choose one camera to use for the first time would be any of their digital M rangefinders, I really like the minimalist ethos.
Posted by: Gaspar Heurtley | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 12:20 PM
An 8x10 Deardorff.
Posted by: darlene | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 12:46 PM
"Not now, though. Someday." That's what I always used to say too. And for some reason I was always surprised when "someday" somehow morphed into "tomorrow."
Posted by: Carl Siracusa | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 01:14 PM
ILCs are so last year. I'm more than satisfied with my Samsung Galaxy S21 plus 5G phone. I'm listening to "Flying Burrito Brothers" as I write this post. You can't do this with any camera 🙂
There is a difference between lighting and illumination.
Posted by: c.d.embrey | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 01:19 PM
Someday...someday!...I'm going to get myself an M6 and DR Summicron and do The Leica Year. I'm getting better at minimizing the gear I use. While I have a ton of cameras sitting on shelves, I find myself using three at the moment: an FM3a with an AI 50mm f2 and Tri-X, my Rolleiflex 2.8D and my 8x10 Kodak 2-D. I'm not even using my Z7 kit too much right now.
The FM3a sees the most use and it's almost a OC/OL/OY type thing. While I have other F mount glass, I just like shooting with the 50mm. Likewise, loading anything other than Tri-X just doesn't feel right in that camera. It hasn't been a conscious thing, but it's almost the Leica Year with a Nikon instead.
I'd still like to try the Leica year, though. As you said long ago, "Until you get to grips with a Leica, you haven't gotten to grips with a Leica." I must confess, despite all of my photographic experience, I've never gotten to grips with a Leica. Indeed, it's one of the few brands that I haven't at least tried out. Spending a year with a legend still has an appeal that I hope to someday fulfill.
Posted by: Christopher J May | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 01:41 PM
I really wish that I just bit the bullet and bought the over-priced Nikon Df when it came out. I was just moving completely out of film and into digital, but I was still an analog person at heart and that Df was basically a digital in film clothing. I just couldn't accept the near $3000 price tag based on the construction.
A perfect 16mp sensor from the D4, dials and knobs and a perfect platform for my 2 dozen Ai/AiS Nikkors. I sure missed that boat.
Posted by: Albert Smith | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 02:28 PM
I'd actually like to give the Sigma SD Quattro H a second chance. When I first owned it, I only shot jpeg. Those files were filled with too many 'artifacts', so I sold the camera. Many years later, now with a bit more patience, I'd like to try that camera again, shooting RAW and processing in Sigma's proprietary software.
Posted by: Jamie Pillers | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 02:35 PM
I would like to try a Nikon Z5. I have a favorite lens due to its focal length and rendering, the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm F/2. I currently use it with a Nikon FE2 and Nikon D600. I’d like to see what it’s like to use with a more modern sensor and IBIS.
Posted by: Vijay | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 02:36 PM
I've been very fortunate to have been able to indulge most of my photo equipment curiosities and caprices over the years. Today I have a formidable array of cameras ranging from a Phase One IQ3-100 Trichromatic system down to compacts such as the Ricoh GR3/GR3x*...with pretty much everything in-between. There are only two types of cameras that I've never owned or used. First, I've never used any Nikon camera. I've never even touched a Nikon camera. (A story for another time.) Second, I've never used a view camera with full movement. I'd like to have this retro experience but not enough to actually buy a rig or fool with film again.
What I've learned after nearly 50 years of fiddling with photography: Wherever I go, there I am. That is, the pictures I make have little relationship to the camera I use. (Browsing my web site will provide amble evidence of this.)
* I heartily offer my high-regard for Ricoh's little GR cameras! My first encounter was with their compact film cameras which were very reliable and excellent. The current GR3/GR3x cameras are as close to the original GR experience as I could imagine...but even better. Browsing my web site (linked below) will reveal many images made with GR cameras. In fact I'm usually hard-pressed to distinguish between a GR3 and Leica Q2 image!
Posted by: Kenneth Tanaka | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 03:03 PM
Pixii or a Leica R9 with the digital back. Cannot explain why.
Also have a lingering fondness for the Epson rangefinder camera they briefly produced. My understanding is that it had the same 6mp CCD found on my beloved Nikon D70.
Low on resolution, low light chops or video that D70 still produced gorgeous files. Lately I have been using my time to go through old pictures.
I keep hitting D70 pctures that I just love.
I'm 73 and I am kind of past the need for more kit with the possible exception of a top of the line iPhone.
Currently a D7100 is all the camera I seem to need.
Posted by: Mike Plews | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 04:21 PM
I have been tempted by the GR over the years, but have always resisted. On the other hand, if they put the sensor from the K3 monochrome into a GR body... Whoo boy!
Posted by: Yonatan Katznelson | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 04:37 PM
Cubert Ultris X20 Plus (https://www.cubert-hyperspectral.com/products/ultris-x20-plus) and use it to "fake" photographs of the world as seen by different animals which do not have our RGB visual system. Could be fun and very instructive.
Posted by: Pedro J. Aphalo | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 04:40 PM
Not original but relevant to this post? Someone more clever than I, perhaps Philip Reeves, said "I have two hobbies, camera gear and photography. Sometimes they coincide, sometimes not."
I LOVE camera toys, lenses in particular. I have more than I'll ever need. Obsessing over them is something I do almost every day, unless I'm out making images. I read people discussing the color or other character of a lens or sensor and then remind myself that now, one can take almost any file from a decent camera and make it look like anything one wants, bad or good. Lightroom and Photoshop, within limits are great equalizers.
Posted by: Eric Brody | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 06:14 PM
Just one more!
Posted by: Greg | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 06:52 PM
That is a real interesting question. I've had my Leica and destroyed it. Don't ask. That was probably the only camera that I wanted to try. Did and really didn't care for it.
Recently I've become interested in the 6X17 cameras. Nick Carver has a video on the different versions 6X17 cameras out there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlFEqZeg1mM
I would be interested in one of the 6X17 cameras with a fixed lens on the wide side.
Now here's where I climb out of the box. I would use it for street photography and documentary photography.
I can imagine the looks I would get walking down the street with one of there cameras. No hiding, that is for sure.
Posted by: John Krill | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 07:37 PM
For me, nostalgia usually pulls on how I feel when I see a certain type of car. Either a photo or in person. And usually not a car I once owned, but instead it will be for a car that I pined over but couldn't afford back in the day.
As life evolved to this place where I can afford pretty much anything I could possibly want, I find sometimes I'll acquire things only to answer the question "What would owning that really be like?".
And then I'll give it away once (or sell it on) once I've come to my senses. It's a cliche, but we're all a work in progress.
Posted by: Kye Wood | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 07:38 PM
The monster 20 x 24 Studio Polaroid…
Posted by: K4kafka | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 07:57 PM
I missed the Rolleiflex 3003 35mm SLR Film Camera.
I coveted this 35mm camera when it came out.
The build was German amazing. It had things that only existed with medium format film SLRs, with interchangeable film magazines. Want a fresh roll of film, or switch from color to B&W, just switch magazines. It had a built in motor drive! Of course interchangeable lenses, and a complete range of lenses. It had a top mounted viewfinder along with an optical normal viewfinder. They called it a “built in twin reflex viewfinder system”.
Of course most mirrorless digital cameras today give you two viewing options now. And they all have motor drives, and you can switch from B&W to color digitally. And a digital card gives you more shots than many film magazines would provide. But the Rollei 3003 was an engineering marvel. I never could afford the price that in today’s dollars might have been $15,000. Not many could.
It was available on eBay for $880 recently. I’m glad it found a home.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/166184628446?chn=ps&mkcid=28&nma=true&si=vN3x4VFG0ROaNkzsTVne0QTQpiY%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Posted by: Jack Mac | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 08:14 PM
There are cameras I missed. Most begin with the letter “L”. Right now I am in a retro digital phase having fun with a very nice looking Nikon D200 I picked up for peanuts. One camera I missed and might pull the trigger on is a Leica TL2. The reviews are all over the place but it was a unique and brave attempt and something throughly modern and unique.
Posted by: Mike Ferron | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 09:02 PM
Yashica T4.
Posted by: Robert Roaldi | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 09:40 PM
Camera doesn't matter. Photographer does. Simple as that.
Posted by: c.d.embrey | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 09:54 PM
Oh, I like this exercise very much, Mike.
I've never shot anything in large format and long, deeply to. I have (probably overly) romantic visions of mastering the adjustments of a wooden field cameras. Sadly, costs prohibit.
I've never developed my own film or prints. In any format. The camera in this context isn't what I long to use (I have, many times), but the lens on the enlarger & the developer trays are.
Any Leica film rangefinder with 35mm f/2 Summicron
A Leica M11 Monochrom digital rangefinder with 35mm f/2 Summicron.
The Nikon Z9. If there is a Porsche 911 GT3 RS of cameras, I feel like this might be it.
Any reasonably-capable, digital interchangeable-lens camera mounted on a remotely-controlled gimbal, carried by a sturdy drone, operated by a highly-qualified drone pilot.
Anything through which I could learn, practice and master wet-plate collodion photography (the aforementioned large-format camera?).
Posted by: Ben Shugart | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 10:41 PM
Oh, my. I would love to have a matched set of standard and mono Pentax K3 Mk IIIs with glass to play with, shoot b/w and stars and just have fun.
The Ricohs...I understand why they are loved but they never quite felt right.
I miss the Coolpix A and Fuji X70, and mourn the never released Nikon DL series. The Ricohs are the closest but not quite the same, but it's not a market we'll see new entires in, alas.
A Leica CL or TL would be fun, but the lens are, um, Leica priced.
However, I love my Z glass and the Z bodies are fine. If I can eventually get the rumored 35 1.2 I'll have the svelte 27 2.8 for daytime tiny camera work and the honking 35 for dead of night wonder. I was excited what I was getting w/ 1.4 in New Orleans at night, but that little bit more would help.
Posted by: Rob L. | Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 10:53 PM
Having turned professional in about 1977, I've owned and used quite a few cameras. Here are some I'd like to work with.
Linhof Technikardan S45. I've wanted one since they were introduced.
A banquet-format view camera, 7x17" or 8x20".
Leica M2 or M4, to replace the M3 that I managed to soak in salt water (after 32 years with it).
A digital Leica M, because I'm used to the form factor.
Posted by: Mark Sampson | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 12:29 AM
When I first tried medium format in 1980, brand new Rolleiflex 3.5F or 2.8F cameras were still available from the NY vendors. They were about $2000. These were the late white face models. I had just started my first job and did not have that much spare cash. Maybe I'll look for one....
Posted by: Kodachromeguy | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 12:47 AM
X100V and then GRIIIX.
Posted by: Sumanta Mukherjee | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 02:19 AM
i have had the great privilege of trying out many different cameras and lenses in my relatively short experience as a photographer, covering most popular formats. the one(s) i really want to try to use and get to know still are the foveon-sensored Sigma dp-1/2/3 Merril cameras, because i have been on the verge of buying twice but had to redirect the funds into something else both times.
Posted by: almostinfamous | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 02:48 AM
I have done a typical journey ... Canon 10d,20d,40d,5d,5dm2 ..Following frustration with Canon sitting on the mirrorless fence I jumped to Sony at the A7R3.
At various times I lusted after Leica, Hassleblad, medium format, etc...
I recently bought the Sony A7RV .... and said to myself after a few days.... this is the camera I would have designed for myself... It is not perfect...but getting close...
Yesterday I ordered the companion A6700 ... for lots of reasons...1) have been waiting for Sony to upgrade their crop sensor range 2) Same battery and menu system as A7RV. 3)Lotss of other upgrades. I plan to purchase the Sony E 20mm f/2.8 Lens, to act as a lens cover while giving me a small portable, carry around camera. The a6700 is also a capable backup camera for the longer trips, etc... and gives me the option to build a travel kit of the a6700 plus the pancake, plus a few more very small primes.
I no longer pine for the Leica / Hassleblad era goodies ... happy with technically competent and well formed modern devices.
Posted by: Matt O'Brien | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 05:33 AM
A proper camera (+ lens) combination under $1000. I know quite a few people who would like to try something more serious next to their phone camera for the first time. Unless you go for second hand there seems nothing left to buy. Most potential starters that I speak, even the young ones, are not only put off by costs (you need a computer and software too) but also by the complexity of it all.
Posted by: s.wolters | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 08:12 AM
The Ricoh GR III and IIIx are absolutely wonderful cameras, except unfortunately for the long-term reliability……. I have had three, all of which have had premature quality failures that have turned me off of them for good. My last one bricked during firmware update due to a faulty battery door.
To me though for a small high quality compact, their usability and lens/sensor match are just great.
And while I always favor 35mm and find 28mm too wide, I prefer the III to the IIIx. A III monochrome would be both welcome and appropriate.
ACG
Posted by: aaron c greenman | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 08:58 AM
Canon Pellix.
Posted by: Dan Khong | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 09:53 AM
I can’t think of any camera I feel I missed trying. Yeah, maybe a 150mp PhaseOne, but not seriously.
Then again, I’ve bought, sold and rented tons of stuff out of curiosity. At the moment, I’m renting the Hasselblad X2D. It will be out of my system after this, because it’s too heavy for me to use except for special occasions for which the price isn’t justified.
There are cameras I’ve tried that I wish existed in digital form, but that’s another story.
Posted by: John | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 01:16 PM
I have had most of the cameras I have wanted to have, but I am a realist and have not had much on my wish list. I had Leica M7 and some Summicron ASPHs, when they were affordable, and everything I had was second hand, and that was the summit of my equipment wish list. My current camera is available in any color you want as long as it is black (Sony A7). No wish list at present.
You remember the saying "the most important piece of equipment for a photographer is a pair of good shoes". I got these last month, wish I had got them much earlier.
https://www.paraboot.com/homme/derbies/rousseauactem-nv-noire-lis-noir
Posted by: Christer Almqvist | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 03:07 PM
Every now and then I get a twinge of nostalgia for my Konica Hexar. It had quiet, fast autofocus and leaf shutter. Very hand-holdable. It even had a “Silent Shooting” mode. You could actually stand right behind someone and snap over their shoulder without being noticed. Super sharp 35mm f2 lens, and the film gate had a little notch in it (ala Hasselblad) so you could always tell that the negative you were holding came from it.
Posted by: Glenn Allenspach | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 04:19 PM
John, if you're interested in 6x17 cameras you might want to check out what Stuart Klipper has done with them over the years. His own site is http://www.stuartklipper.com/ (navigate to 'selected work' and scroll horizontally), or google up other displays, like maybe the one at the Guardian. I'm particularly fond of his arctic and antarctic work myself.
Posted by: David Dyer-Bennet | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 09:35 PM
"The most over-complicated, pro camera of days of yore had two dials and a DoF preview button. That’s it." Um. Certainly not true of professional view cameras, which had tilts and shifts front and back, and so forth. You also missed the focus control, which all over-complicated pro cameras had. Over-complicated professional SLRs generally had mirror lock-up, too (necessary for your ultra-wide-angle lenses, or just for extra steadiness).
If you had a light meter, built in or separate, there's a whole batch of additional things, but that was hit and miss depending on the year, and if you chose you could ignore a built-in one even.
There are also a bunch of infrastructure controls that don't directly affect a photo—but if you get them wrong you get no photos. Changing magazines on your Hasselblad mid-roll, say. How to load a film holder on your view camera, remove the slide, take the picture, replace the slide, and take out the film holder. How to cock the shutter! But if you don't know how to do that, no photos. Getting your lens properly coupled to the meter on a Nikon F with Photomic FTN meter :-).
Posted by: David Dyer-Bennet | Friday, 14 July 2023 at 09:44 PM
I miss my Pentax 6x7 with the wooden hand grip. It was a wonderful camera and a joy to work with those large negatives.
Posted by: Mitch Krupp | Monday, 17 July 2023 at 03:48 PM