3M -- Metal, Manual, Mechanical

[benjiboy]

Canon F1 N with the AE head if you need aperture priority metering.

[philosomatographer]

Based on your criteria, I assume you want the camra to "do" as little as possible. Of course, you immediately have to decide between SLR and rangefinder.

For SLR, my vote must also go for the Olympus OM-1. It is so much smoother, quieter, smaller, and with a bigger viewfinder, than the otherwise very nice Canon/Nikon "heavy metal" cameras like the F1.

Of course, the OM-3 just builds upon the OM-1 by remaining manual, but by including arguably the best metering system ever put into an SLR.

But for the essence of what you seem to be wanting here, the OM-1 it is. It is, for lack of a better word, svelte. The Canikons are bricks, good as they are. And the Olympus Zuiko lenses are legendary.

For rangefinder, the best is surely the current Leica MP, it is built to unimaginably good standards, but then again, so are most of the M-series cameras. So, excluding the electronic M7, any Leica M is hard to beat. For a rangefinder.

You can buy 10 good OM-1's for the price of one good Leica M, though :-(

[zenrhino]

Oooh, fun. When you say mechanical and manual, do you mean a camera that needs no batteries at all? Or a camera that needs batteries only for the meter? Or a camera that has mechanical controls and manual focus, but uses batteries for the meter and shutter?

-Laura

Batteries for the meter is just fine. I'd just like something very fail-proof and rugged with excellent glass available.

[Christopher Walrath]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102 UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

I'll be the first Minolta voice and scream sr-T101 from the mountain tops. I love those tanks.

[JBrunner]

Pentax k-1000. Simply simple. Everything is digital, including exposure.

[chriscrawfordphoto]

I'd say Olympus OM-3 or OM-3Ti. The spotmetering system is incredible for manual exposure. I have 3 OM-4T bodies. The 4T is metal but has an electronically timed shutter to allow for its optional aperture-priority auto mode (which I never use). In manual mode it works identically to the OM-3/OM-3Ti but the bodies cost 1/3 as much used. I could never have gotten 3 OM-3 bodies, but I could afford the 4T in triplicate! I keep different films in each at all times. The mechanical shutter's not a big deal to me, the 4T is not a battery killer.

Another mechanical metal camera I like is the Nikon F2. Yeah, its huge and hasn't got the cool spotmeter of the Olympus 3 and 4 bodies, but it has a solid feeling that I love and it operate effortlessly. I wish I had one!

[Ian Grant]

And there's a good K1000 at a bargain price - $50, in the Classifieds right now

Ian

[CuS]

you are all high - Voigtlander Bessa R3M - period.

=)

(I'm feeling opinionated today)

[nyoung]

In reverse order of age, Nikon FM2n, FM2, FM, F2, Canon F1, Nikon F.

There are many fewer of the Canons in the marketplace b/c they were many fewer pros using them during their era. Very good mechanical picture box if you can find one that hasn't been beaten to death.

With all due respect to the K1000, in today's market there is little reason not to have Nikon or Canon.

[pappastratos]

I will go with the Nikon FM, I have one that is almost mint condition.