Surprised no Olympus cameras made the list! The bodies are pretty simple to use and the lenses are real lovely

I had a lot of fun watching your video. It's not a surprise my two favorites are fully mechanical, these are: 35mm : Olympus OM-1 Medium Format: Hasselblad 500CM Happy 10 years anniversary JCH!

Olympus Maitani OM1 pre N. I'm a rangefinder guy and this is the only one reflex camera I own and I love to use. Light, good finder, great lenses and most important all commands are placed and studied to be such an ergonomic joy. Great ranking and great video JCH

Yay - my fave Pentax LX made the list! Thanks for this vid Bellamy. The F3 has been on my wish list for some time now.

My top 5 favourite SLRs are 1. Nikon F with plain prism 2. Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SP 3. Nikon F3 4. Olympus OM-1 5. Pentax MX

I have my Nikon Fm 3a that I bought new in 2005. It is my only 35mm slr, the rest are all medium format camera's. But it is indeed a fantastic camera that goes out of the way to let you concentrate on making good pictures. Now I am looking for a second Nikon body and you convinced me that I should get a F3. Thank you for your nice reviews.

My first SLR camera is Pentax K1000 then in 2003 I bought my dream SLR camera Nikon FM2. Still I've both of them in running condition. Thanks. Monir, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

I actually bought F3 since you seemed to love it so much in your other videos, and totally convinced me to get one! I totally love it!!! However my favorite is Hasselblad 503cx. Because it’s medium format, and the qualities it produce are just astonishing!!

I love this camera pageant!!!

Nice list. My top 3 list: 1. Nikon F2 (AS/Photomic) 2. Hasselblad H2 3. Nikon F5

Merry Christmas everyone at JCH!! Great video and topic for the camera lovers!! No surprise that Nikon F3, Hasselblad 500CM and FM3a are on the top. Cameras that really deserve to be on that list are the Olympus OM-1, Minolta X700, Canon F1, Canon Elan7, and Mamiya 645. Also, the points should be an individual thing but nevertheless is a cool idea to use it to value a camera. Excellent!!!!!!

After toying a bit with the FM, F3 and F2 I bought an FM3a for a good price, the fact that those where made in the early 2000s means that everything inside that camera is more or less 20 years newer, maybe it doesn't really matter that much but I'm sure it will last a long time

Here are my 10 favorite film SLR cameras: 1. Nikon F2 2. Mamiya RB67 3. Pentax Spotmatic 4. Nikon F4 5. Nikon F3 6. Nikon F 7. Nikon N2000 8. Nikon N70 9. Nikon EM 10. Pentax ME I have owned and used all of them. I still own and use all except the Nikon F and Nikon F3.

I totally relate to the emotional connection my "dad cam". For me that'll always be the Olympus OM1. Thanks for the great run-down!

In the past month I've bought 3 Mamiya medium format and 1 SLR, that slr made me sell every other 35mm, it's the only one I need. That camera is F3, easily one of the greatest cameras of all time.

Great content as always. Thank you!

Love my black paint F3/T... And my Mamiya RZ67. Very different cameras, but still, I love them all the same.

As always, appreciated the video and the wonderful mix of analysis and humor. I probably would have put the Hasselblad off to the side and done a different review of medium format cameras. There’s probably a category dealing with the je ne sais quoi factor that we’d use to catapult our favorites to the top….which is where I’d have to put the FM3A. Wishing you the best for 2022 and another great 10 years !

Merry Christmas Bellamy!

I would take an Olympus OM1 (in all black) over any of the cameras on the list. Beautiful, simple, easy to use. Throw a Zuiko 55mm f1.2 lens on it and you have the sexiest camera / lens combo money can buy.

The f3hp, fm3a, f100 and f6 are my favorite Nikon SLR’s but my “dad cam” has to be the N2000, I love shooting with it. It’s cheap, plasticky, but i love it’s 80’s aesthetic and feel. It takes AAA batteries, has a 1/2000 shutter, has a 2.5 fps motor drive, and if it breaks it’s easy to find another. I can slap on a zeiss Milvus lens with a roll of ektar, throw it in Ap and take gorgeous photos, with no one knowing if I used my $800 fm3a or the $25 n2000.

Nikon F3/T great camera. Love to photograph with it if I don’t fancy autofocus, otherwise I take the Nikon F4 (Game changer) or the Nikon F6 (Best [Nikon] SLR ever !!!)

That was fun, just what I needed. Thanks!

Love my F3 and now I want an FM3a too! In my top ten would be the Minolta X-700 and the Minolta a7.

Cattle shinbones- wonderful! And that intro was particularly satisfying. Great cameras, Belami

I prefer my FM2 over the F3 because the meter is easier to read for me. But I have a couple of favorites that I like as much and sometimes a nudge more; the Olympus OM1 and OM2 cameras.

I picked up the F2 earlier this year which I primarily shoot paired with the Voigtlander 40mm ultron. The quality is amazing and it looks stunning.

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the Nikon FA. I found one in perfect shape for around $50 dollars and I'm not sure why nobody talks about this camera considering how revolutionary it was.

My bizarre list: 1. Bronica GS-1, 2. Mamiya RZ67, 3. Leicaflex SL2 and 4. Rolleiflex SL35. Great video have a good Xmas!

Nikon F5, Nikon F100, Nikon N90S, Nikon FM2n, Nikon F3, Pentax MX, Nikon F. Most are late model Nikon SLRs The Nikon F5 was an amazing camera Build quality: 10, Range quality:9, UsABILITY 8, STYLING 9.

I'm surprised the Nikon F2 did not make the list, it still is easy to find servicing and has looks that kill. My other all time favorite is the Minolta Alpha 9, the glass is superb and the body is as tough as they come, not much in the way of repairs though, if the need ever arises.

Yesssss been wondering if you’ll do this and I’m not disappointed 😍🔥 such a wonderful list. For me personally it’ll be: 1. Nikon F 2. Nikon F3 3. Nikon F2 (with A Photomic finder) 4. Pentax Spotmatic (End list cause those are the only SLRs I have) After picking up an original 59 Nikon F in damn good condition.. I’ve just been having so much fun with that, although the F3 is practically the perfect and easiest to use SLR I’ve ever handled. Love my F2 when it comes to portrait stuff as I can select in between shutter speeds and with the needle meter I can get really accurate with my lighting. I do like my Spotmatic but being used to Nikon for so long the winder feels quite gritty (maybe it could use a CLA), but I enjoy it for the range of available M42 lenses and it’s arguably one of the best looking cameras ever.

You totally underrated the Pentax LX. I have 3 of them and they don’t break🤞also very easy to get repaired.

My favorits are the f2 with the de-1 finder because you can use virtually every lens that nikon make and is build like a tank, and the olympus om4 that is wonderfull piece of equipment, super small and lightweight and have a brilliant metering sistem. Merry christmas Bellamy!

It was good to see one of the Nikon FM series make the list. So, without a lot of blah, blah on my favorites - Merry Christmas everyone!

1) Nikon F2, 2) Nikon F3, 3) Nikon FM2, 4) Canon F-1 new, 5) Pentax 645n 6) Olympus OM-3, 7) PENTAX MX, 8) Hasselblad 501cm, 9) Nikon F4, 10) Canon F-1

I prefer the F2 over the F3 and the FM2n over the FE2 and I own all four of them. You can’t beat the old Nikons.

Where to start .... Nikon FE, Minolta XD-s, Contax N1, Contax RTS II, Nikon FM2n and the Nikon F100 are tied for the last spot, that's my top 5, in no particular order. With honorable mention going to the Mamiya 645 Pro TL. Thanks.

Great video! Personally I bought an F5 this year because I wanted a body that would take all my AFS lenses & the F6 was just out of my budget. One day I will treat myself to an F3 though. I love that camera. Such an icon. All the best to you Bellamy.

Well done. I, like most geeks out there, would have used a few different cameras, but the Nikon F3 would still come out on top.

I mainly shoot Leica, but there is something special about my F3, perhaps because it was my first serious film camera. Great list.

My favorite SLR right now is the Nikon FE2. Just got it a few months ago and like it for it's lenses and user interface with viewfinder info of all important data. I also like my old Canon EF (with fd lenses) had it since 1977 and works as good as when I purchased it used. It also provides it's user with good viewfinder info.

Thank you for the helpful timestamps. May you have plenty of Christmas stuffing ...

My favorite are my F3HP and Hasselblad 503 Cxi. They are tied since I use them in such different ways.

My choices are rather modest; 1> Pentax Program Plus 2> Nikon EM 3> Canon T-50 4> Nikon FG 5> Canon AL-1

Hello, I saw that at least the Zeiss Ikon from the former GDR made it into your top 10. However, there is still one representative missing from the model series of the world's first single-lens reflex camera. I would recommend the Exakta Varex IIb and you would be delighted with all its functions and possibilities, even if the camera itself is purely mechanical and the inner workings are relatively easy to maintain and repair. The only thing that can be electronic on this camera is the TTL prism viewfinder, but this is one of many interchangeable viewfinders that you can swap out as you like depending on your needs (if you have several yourself). There is also a light well viewfinder for the camera, which might also be interesting for street photography, as the camera is very compact, perhaps slightly larger than a Leica M6, but definitely heavier. With 35mm lens and light well viewfinder 877 grams. There are also many different lenses from Carl Zeiss (aus Jena or Jena S is also Zeiss), Isco Göttingen, Meyer Optik, A.Schacht Ulm, or Schneider-Kreuznach. It should be noted that the lenses have a release button directly on the lens, which is coupled to the camera, resulting in a vibration-free release. Apart from the last slimmed-down model, the Exakta VX500, all other models have a small cutter built into the interior, with which you can cut through the film with the back closed, for example if you are testing a new film and want to develop the first exposed images and then expose the rest of the film later. The speeds range from bulb to 1/1000, but apart from the 12-second self-timer, you can also take long exposures of up to 12 seconds without having to press the shutter release button or the shutter release wire the whole time. There are also many accessories, even for medical microphotography. And to conclude the description, this model series is calibrated for left-handers. A little tip, if you should get one, the last CLA should not be longer than 5 years ago and the light density of the cloth shutter should be checked. Many of the really exceptionally beautiful cameras have ended up with collectors, hence the tip. However, I assume that this tip is nothing new for you. And as I said, if you get yourself a camera from this model series, I hope you have a lot of creative fun with it, because this camera guarantees it. Greetings from Germany Lutz

Most of those I also have and shoot too, I would add the Olympus OM1-OM4 Ti ; the Mamiya RB 67 with it I can also shoot Instant peel apart film at 7x7cm; and the Hasselblad 2000-200 F series, for their faster shutters and lenses, fully compatible with the C lenses and magazines as well. My Konica Autoreflex is also solid built and is the only SLR that can also shoot half frame . I also have Nikon F3 , but that small LCD shutter screen is sully.

In my collection of SLRs, like you, the Nikon F3, slightly edges my Nikon FM3a. Included would be my first SLR, a Minolta XG-M, which I still own, 4 decades later. And, finally to round out my top 5, the Nikon FA and Nikon F100. I love, and still use, them all!

Favourites of mine - Canon A-1, Minolta XD-11, Olympus OM-1 and Mamiya 645 1000s.

Ibought FM3a new with a new 24 mm manual lens in 2003. Even back then it was clear that this must be the best mechanical camera. I am so happy that i didn`t waste my money on a 3 megapixel digital camera. Still have it and still using it.

1. F2AS 2. F2 No Name 3. F2 Titan 4. F2 5. F6 6. F100 7. FA 8. FM3a 9. FM2/T 10. F5 Runners up F4, F, and of course the FE2.

I have the entire Nikon F single digit camera line. All of them are great cameras in there respective time periods. I have used every one of them in the last 12 months. Its fun to shoot them all for different reasons. Nikon F is so old school with the loading process but it slows you down to enjoy the process. My favorite of the group is actually the F4S. I love how its all knobs and dials and feels great in the hand. Just my 2c. Love the video!

Best film camera I have from a usability standpoint is my Nikon FM; excellent build quality and simple straightforward dependable manual focus/manual exposure SLR camera operation. Most 'fun' to use camera? My Nikon F with Ftn Photomic meter head circa 1971. Fun to use because it is an iconic film SLR and it feels like such a 'tank' of a camera. Yeah it has that big angular chunk of the prism/meter finder on top of it but that's part of the charm of it.

Perhaps an F5 to that list. My personal preferences would be Nikon FA, Nikkormat FT3, F100, FM2, Canon F1 New AE, N8008s and of course the F5. Merry Christmas to all.

I've loved my F3 for a long time now, I remember when I was living in Japan I visited Nara Park and came accross two other photographers both sporting Nikon F3s, as well as shooting Fuji Venus (RIP), same as I I need to send it in for some maintenance though, back lock button got knocked off and it's got that issue with a strip of uneven exposition on the right of the frame at certain shutter speeds

It was lovely to see my old Contarex Bullseye, which I later swapped for a Contarex SE, and I gradually built up a fair collection of Contarex lenses, too. Until the Rollei SL2000F came along, the Zeiss Ikon Contarex the only 35mm camera with interchangeable magazines, (except for the Zeiss Ikon Contaflex, but that camera didn't have the wide range of lenses that Zeiss made for the Contarex), and at the time it was regarded as 35mm's answer to the Hasselblad, even down to the Hologon Ultrawide camera, which was a complete super-wide body, which accepted the Contarex magazines, a 15mm fixed focus Hologon lens, which had a 110° angle of view, and the whole camera was a direct competitor with the Hasselblad SWC.

Great video again. Thx for that. Pity you didn’t have an Olympus in your list. As I’m an Olympus shooter I wish you would have but of course I get it that it is YOUR list so fair enough. May I ask what lens was on the Nikon f3 Thx and all the best for you in 2022. Best regards, Robert

Good choices.

I haven't had a lot of experience with film SLR's, but I did just this year pay an arm (not quite a leg also) for a 501CM. It has been an absolute joy to use!

Great stuff - Loving the opinions. I've got too many cameras - amongst those the F6, FM3A and F3/T sit together on the shelf. Rushing out to burn off some film the hand seems to gravitate to the F3/T more often than not. It just feels so good to use. If the house were on fire however I would save the FM3A (with the Leica MP in the other hand - obviously!) They are just too perfect for the world to lose them. So - there's your next video. What camera would you save in a disaster situation !! I would love to see your scoring system for that decision.

Pentax S2 - buttery smooth, Pentax S3 - not as buttery but still superb, Pentax K - buttery but awkward fast speed dial, OM2n - the bees knees in size, quality, usability, OM1n - classic, Nikon FE, great body but I prefer OM and Pentax lenses, Nikon F - as FE, Nikon F3 - as above, Pentax MX - love the size and meter, Pentax ME - as above but with Aperture Priority

maan, I wanted the hassy for a while and this vid is itching me more

My top 5 would be ... Canon EOS1 Canon F1 Hasselblad 501 Pentax LX Pentax MX

Can't agree strongly enough on the FE2, had mine for about 10 years. It is my definition of of the ideal "no frill" manual SLR. My recent personal favorite is the Contax 167MT. It is a beast for family snapshots on the go on film with wonderful Zeiss Contax lenses. I mount either the 25mm or 45mm and just have a fun day.

My Dad-cam is a Kodak Retina IIa that he purchase in the commissary while on duty in Germany during the Korean War. A rangefinder with a finder so small I can't see through it anymore, and fiddly to use. I learned to shoot film with it in the 70s and still have it. I sold 2 F100s to buy and an F6 and have always regretted it. The F6 was a beast, but I loved the F100.

Nikon F3 There are *Limitations* on the old F/Pre-AI lenses. You need to move the Meter coupling lever out of the way using the little button next to it (just beside the lens mounting index dot) You can then meter using the stop-down button. To use AI lenses properly, you then need to release the Meter Coupling using the button. Which is a nuisance. You're plum out of luck if you attach one of the "G" series AF lenses that have no manual aperture control.

Not a single canon FD mount made the list? I get you're a nikon guy (i guess i am too), but the F1 and A1 are lovely cameras. And the FD glass lineup, second only to nikon, has some real jewels in it.

I love my Nikon F3

Canon F1 original. I like my Minolta x700 with 50/1.4 too because it looks like new and i got it for free. I have nice collegues!

Pentax LX gangggggggg, only slr I shoot. And have like every focusing screen possible lol

My favorites are: Nikon D3, Nikon F5, Pentax Z-1, Pentax LX, Canon G15.

Based on your scoring system I would agree with the F3, but my list would have somewhere the Leica R6 (much nicer looking than the R8), but also missing is the beautiful Olympus PenF half frame. Great video, thanks

Think for me my favourite slr is the Canon eos 1V HS, bit of a forgotten gem I think

fe edges out the fe2 for value and range. You can mount pre ai lenses

I've got a FE2 for a very reasonable price a few years ago, selling my old Yashica FX3 for something more reliable and versatile. Never regret it, it is still in a very good condition, very easy to use. I replaced the focusing screen with a split image one in a bounch of seconds at my very first attempt. Love that camera, very happy to see her in this list at a very high place.

My favourites are the F3 and the F2AS. The F3 is the one that I take up into my hands and everything is where it should be ...

the F3 is my favourite too ! i absolute adore it. on the other cameras now, i would pick the Leica R6.2 instead of the R8, and the Pentax K1000 instead of the LX. should we expect a point and shoot top 10 soon ?

Nice job. Nikon FTW 😎

Canon New F-1 in many ways is arguably waaaay better than the F3. I personally consider the New F-1 to be the best 35mm manual focus professional SLR ever made!

Surprised the Nikon FE2 was chosen over the FM2 (or that it failed to make the list however you warned us this was subjective). The fact that the latter was purely mechanical won me over. Given that, my Dad's F3 was the SLR camera I lusted after. Would have my pick too: Italian style, what more can one say?

Love my F3!!

Great video and fair rating..I expected to see an olympus OM4 somewhere

Great video and fun list idea. Been doing my own and its a nice way to be objective tho we can also just love the looks. 😎

Great video yet again! Got to agree, my F3/T that you sourced for me is utterly fantastic. The only negative I can find is the small and dim LCD readout, but otherwise it’s flawless! Also a big fan of the F2AS & Fm2n

my choice is Ur # 3 Nikon Fm3a , just love & very easy 2 use my favorite slr that I own

500cm the best mechanical I have used one a long time nothing beats the lenses I had the big Pentax and that came dammed close. for beauty function build and of course the system plus a sound like no other I wanted a chrome mines black but now it's super trendy as well

Great list Bellamy. Love my F3. The only extra ones I thought of for my list were the Topcon RE Super and the original Nikon F.

The Olympus OM system had the range to compete with any camera system. I gave it a 44 mainly because of status, price and service issues didn't make it to the 50 points it deserves. Since the 1970's till now I've never tried of handling such easy to use equipment. Thanks for your brilliant JCH program and sense of humor. Best wishes 🥂

my favourite slr is the sx70

Like everyone on this list I too have my favorites, usually cameras that I didn't own. My list would include the Alpa 11D, Canon F1

So many slr camera! A few mentionable beauties: no particular order. Contax RTS3, Canon F1N, Leica R9, Nikon FA, Canon EOS 1n, Leica R6.2, Nikon F5, Reid & Sigrist III .

I prefer my F2 over the F3. Another favourite SLR is my Grandfather's Rolleiflex SL350. The viewfinder is huge and bright. The lenses are nice too.

For me is very difficult to choose between the Nikon F3 and F2 .

I had an F3 that I used for about a decade and by the time I had moved on to other camera systems I was glad to be rid of it. The little optical window to show the f-stop was pretty hokey, and if you used the F3 in rough/wet conditions it got dust and moisture inside pretty easily, servicing was expensive. In the Nikon world, I preferred the FM2 over the F3; but over all, I preferred the Contax cameras (RTS, 139Q) and Hasselblad (500C) to Nikon (especially their later cameras). I still have the Contax 139Q, and I'm looking for a Zeiss Ikon ZM as I get back into shooting film again.

I like the early Exatca, Praktica, Contax, etc Cameras. Almost all TLR's appeal to me as well.

Nikon FE & F5 here. Now I need an F3!

Nikon f2AS better than f3 ?

I wonder what your opinion is on the FE vs the FE2. I prefer a needle meter, personally

My favorites are Pentax 67ii and Nikon F3.

1.Nikon F3 2.Contax RTS III 3.Olympus OM-1