OK... I'll play
I'll start with the K-3 and K-3II. Yes, they're a
bit different... I actually wanted a second K-3, but the K-3II was briefly discounted to a price I couldn't ignore (never to be repeated, in fact - even when final stock was cleared), so that's what I bought. For the purposes of this thread, I think they qualify as (almost) the same camera
I have an enduring love affair with the Pentax K10D and Samsung GX-10, which are more-or-less the same camera. I have just one "genuine" K10D, but no less than three GX-10s
I love the simplicity and ruggedness, plus of course the output, whether it's due to the CCD sensor and / or manufacturer's colour profiling. Oh, and I have two SBG-D1V battery grips for the GX-10s, which it seems are only slightly less rare than hen's teeth. The K10D grip doesn't fit, due to a cunning (and, I'm sure, wholly intentional) design change on the body.
I have two Olympus Trip 35 film compacts, both in near-pristine order with working selenium metering and fresh light seals. Sadly, I never got round to using them before I switched to digital. I really must run a roll through one of them, just for the fun of it. If it was good enough for David Bailey, surely it's good enough for me?
I also own two Russian Lomo LC-A 35mm film compacts - one, an earlier model with GOST film speed settings, and the other a later ASA-calibrated model... plus an LC-A+ which is a much later, tinny, rattly Chinese-made "evolution" of the original. I became fond of the LC-A during my "Lomo" period, and still like the quality of images it produces, even if I've moved on from that particular (lack of) photographic discipline.
Next up are two Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim 35mm compacts, one still boxed and unused. Like the LC-A, this is a bit of a cult camera for the Lomo hipsters. Fashioned entirely from the finest lightweight Chinese plastics (the lens too, I believe) and with its 22mm fixed focus, fixed f/11 aperture lens and fixed (vaguely) 1/125s shutter, it is the very essence of a throw-away camera - except when it comes to image quality, which really is a delight. Due to the weak plastic gears inside, 36 exp film is its Nemesis... only 24 exp rolls must be used (I know this, because the first one I owned broke on the second 36 exp roll). Perhaps this is why there are so few of them around these days. Hipster appeal has pushed used prices above $50 which is utter, utter madness... unless, I suppose, you absolutely
must own one at
any price...
Finally... two Holga 120N 6x6 medium format cameras. Even more plastic in it than the Vivitar UW&S, and much lower image quality - but it's medium format, so it
must be good. The 60mm "f/8" (?) lens is inscribed with the words "OPTICAL LENS", which is a helpful reminder for any professional photographer. Wikipedia says: "
The Holga's low-cost construction and simple meniscus lens often yields pictures that display vignetting, blur, light leaks, and other distortions. The camera's limitations have brought it a cult following among some photographers, and Holga photos have won awards and competitions in art and news photography. As of November 2015, production of this camera has ceased.". What can I say? It's full of character, but not nearly the 645Z backup you were hoping for...
Last edited by BigMackCam; 12-17-2020 at 11:58 AM.