Seminal cameras

[tom b]

Michael wrote:

"Over the years there have been only a handful of seminal cameras. The Pentax Spotmatic, Nikon F, Olympus Pen F, Leica M3, Hasselblad 500C, and Canon T90 come to mind, as do the digital Nikon D1 and Canon D30. Each incorporated either a technology, or a design feature, or a price point that made it stand out at the time, and which ensured its place in photographic equipment history."

        (No need to send me other camera names. There are a great many deserving – I just selected a few that came quickly to mind.)

With that in mind I thought that I should ask the huddled masses out there in LuLa land what they think. We don't need Michael to contribute to this topic.

Some off the top of my head.

• Polaroid Land Camera Model 95 – first

• Leica CL – First affordable Leica, compact and with built-in metering

• Olympus OM1 – a very nice compact SLR

• Nikon 990 digicam – first quality/affordable digicam

• Canon EOS 300D – first DSLR offered under US$1000

What do you think are seminal cameras?

Cheers,

[Joe Behar]

Canon Pelix--first to use pellicle mirror

Graflex Speed graphic--an icon that needs no intorduction

Miranda Sensomat--first to feature a removeable pentarism

Mamiya C330--affordable medium format with interchangeable lenses

Kodak disc camera--a dud, but nevertheless unique

Pentax 110 SLR--interchangeable lenses and even a motor winder in a 110 size camera

I'd better stop now, before I really date myself.

[michael]

Topcon RE?

[DarkPenguin]

Kodak disc camera--a dud, but nevertheless unique

My Mom loved that camera.  What a piece of crap.

[tom b]

Minox Rega – really small.

Cheers,

[ndevlin]

Nikon F
Pentax K-1000
Hassy 500 CM
Nikon F3
Canon T90
Canon ELPH
Canon EOS1
Canon D60
Canon 1Ds
Phase One P25
Nikon D700
Canon 5D MkII

[tom b]

Nikon D90 – first DSLR with movies.

On another thought, I was thinking, do we buy seminal cameras or do we wait until someone gets the new concept right?

In the case of the Pentax Spotmatic I bought one because they got the camera right and the price right.

In the case of the Olympus OM1 they got the camera right but I waited until Nikon brought out the Nikon FE and I grabbed one of them.

Cheers,

[Rob C]

Miranda Sensomat--first to feature a removeable pentarism

I'd better stop now, before I really date myself.

Let me join you: Oh, that Miranda!

Dated enough?

Rob C

[Ben Rubinstein]

Canon AE-1 - first camera with a computer inside.
Canon 1Ds - the camera that killed medium format film.
Canon 5D mkII - the camera that brought film quality video to the masses and has probably killed the 1Ds line in the studio/fashion/landscape world due to having the same size sensor and megapixels as the 1Ds for the first time but at a fraction of the price.
Panasonic G1 - First successful EVF.

[Josh-H]

Kodak disc camera--a dud, but nevertheless unique

My Mom loved that camera.  What a piece of crap.

The Kodak disc was my first ever camera - I think I was about 8 when it was given to me.  When your 8 and get your first camera it doesn't matter what it is - you loved it to death. A death came quickly to my Kodak Disc - one trip to the beach, a few grains of sand and that was all she wrote for that camera. I think I only ever shot about 6 'discs'; and shortly after mine died you could no longer buy them or the 'discs'. It was a complete POS - but, for me, has great nostalgic value  

[dchew]

Brownie

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

Agfa Clack (1954-1965):
Bent film "plane" to have the film in the sharpest area of the meniscus lens,
a swing in lens for focal distances from 1-3 meters,
a built in yellow filter and
6*9 cm huge negatives on 120 Film.
It was the last in the series of Agfa Box cameras.

[qwz]

Minolta XK (1971) - first professional eleectronic SLR (just get one;-)
Minolta 7000 (1985) - first autofocus SLR system camera
Contax S (1949) — the first pentaprism SLR

[JeanMichel]

Let's not forget the Exakta!
Another 'first'. First slr, 1936.
Film winder properly positioned on the left side; shutter on the front left; guaranteed DOF preview every single time the shutter is pressed down; interchangeable waist or pentaprism finder...
Never owned one but kept borrowing my older cousin's mid-60's model. I had a Yashica J-35 at the time, still have it.

Jean-Michel

[vandevanterSH]

Brownie

I think that is the winner...

Steve

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Timothy O'Sullivan's 16x20" wet-plate monster camera that he carried to remote parts of the Western U.S. in a covered wagon over non-existent roads in the 19th century. The 16x20" contact prints from that beast are stunning. I have to wonder how many of his glass plates broke before he could get them back to civilization.

Eric

[Joe Behar]

Timothy O'Sullivan's 16x20" wet-plate monster camera that he carried to remote parts of the Western U.S. in a covered wagon over non-existent roads in the 19th century. The 16x20" contact prints from that beast are stunning. I have to wonder how many of his glass plates broke before he could get them back to civilization.

Eric

OOOH...That reminds me

Polaroid 20x24 camera..definitely unique. I had the pleasure of making an exposure on it once.

[John.Murray]

The Hasselblad 500C (1957)

[schrodingerscat]

First auto exposure SLR - Konica Autoreflex. They also produced first motorized auto advance SLR, the FS-1.

Minolta Talker, first talking camera.

[BJL]

My list is biassed, being my first three cameras

Kodak Brownie (6x9 medium format for the masses!)
Kodak Instamatic: for its day, a big jump in portability and kid-friendly convenience (easier film loading than that Brownie!)
Pentax K-1000: the affordable "gateway SLR" for many, many people.