The worlds 7 best cameras!

Since my passion for photography was lit some decades ago, I have used, owned, borrowed and rented quite a few cameras. Lots more than I will mention here. But the cameras listed here are the 7 cameras that have meant the most to me. And when I say ”best camera”, I’m not talking about technical quality, buttons or functions. I don’t really give a damn about what kind of camera I use, what it’s called or who’s made it. The camera is a tool. Period. It’s not the camera that makes the pictures, it’s the person using it.

But there are some cameras that triggers something inside of you as a photographer. And as a person. Some cameras have soul. And some cameras just makes you more creative. More playful. Yeah, they actually makes you better. And this is a list of the 7 best and most inspiring cameras I have owned.

To get things started, we have to go back to the days of film. I had used quite a few models from Nikon, Canon, Minolta and others. But the ones I had used felt like sterile and anonymous boxes. They got he job done, but nothing more. No charm. Nothing but soulless tools. But I knew some fantastic cameras existed out there. And then, in 1997 I came upon a review in an english magazine, and suddenly I had a new wet dream:

Pentax MZ-5n
A beautiful small camerahouse. Easy to handle. Charming. Lovely looks with a hint of retro feeling. And it had lots of good optics because of the famous Pentax legacy. This is a camera that even today is one of my big favourites, and I still own it. Just the fact that it was small, lightweight and easy to use, made it a trigger for some real inspiration. This camera was the essence of photography.

Hasselblad 500CM
In addition to the Pentax 24x36mm film format, I was in love with 6x6 medium format. And this camera was just a beautiful piece of metallic machinery! I mean, come on, you just have to love a camera with a crank! Very few buttons and unnecessaries that got in the way of making great pictures. A lovely viewfinder with an almost 3D like effect, and very good optics. Especially a 60mm lens I had that was close to a 35mm on the Pentax. I used this Hasselblad all the time. Both for personal shots and commercial jobs. Pure inspiration! And I still regret selling it, but sometimes you just to stupid things…

Hasselblad H1D
I was a bit unsure if this camera deserved a place on this list. But it taught me so much that it made it after all. I was one of the very first in Norway to own an H1D. At the time it was a beast, and 22 megapixels was on the border of what was technically possible. A big, bright and fantastic viewfinder, that was like looking out of your livingroom window. Coupled with some excellent optics, it got so heavy that my physiotherapy and kiropractor expenses skyrocketed. H1D had great influence on me as a photographer. Maybe most of all because it had so many faults and cryptic error messages, plus the fact that Hasselblad’s repairs and customer service in Denmark was a mixture of hell and a nightmare at the same time. Three times this camera had to go on a vacation to Denmark. And where other manufacturers could fix things often the same day, Hasselblad used 8 weeks…! And that was just one of these three occasions… H1D had a personality all on its own, it lived its own life, and very often just decided to argue like hell on photoshoots. But it taught me a lot. It taught me not to be afraid of opening things, fixing stuff, and doing all sorts of things to keep it away from these Danish vacations. And it taught me to stay calm when it just decided to go from Hasselblad to Hassle-bad on photoshoots. And that unfortunately happened way too often…

Nikon D3x
Professionally, this may be the camera I have loved the most. Good technical quality on the files, and files with a very organic look to them. First of all, this camera haven’t got that typical ugly digital noise look on higher ISOs. The noise on this camera resembles more the lovely organic grain structure of films. It a real joy to work with on assignments. The flow and the feeling coupled with the organic files makes me feel like I’m creating instead of just shooting. Just like a camera should make you feel. I would love to have this camera in a lighter version, because I think it is too heavy for personal use. Sadly…

Nikon D3s
Wow! It can actuyally see in the dark…! That was my first thought. Plus the fact that the housing is identical to the D3x, with the same good feeling in my hands. Suddenly I had a camera that could handle very high ISOs, and still deliver high quality files. It literally could see in the dark. That made it possible to do things that just hadn’t been possible before with good enough results. And it made it possible to "play around" in situations with very little light. D3s did something with me, just because of the fact that it opened up a whole new world of possibilities. But beeing identical to the D3x and a bit too heavy to lug around on vacations, it’s too exhausting beeing creative with it outside of work.

Diana+
Suddenly the playfulness came back in the shape of a turquoise plastic box. Fun. Inspiring. No-frills. And so far away from good technical quality that you could possibly come. Very rough around the edges. A small plastic house that eats 120 medium format film, but my God how charming! So the playfulness came back. It wasn’t a camera for the kind of commercial photography I do (visit my website here), but it gave me so much and inspired me a lot. I used it quite often for personal projects until around december 2011. And even for some art projects that may see the light of day some time in the future.

iPhone 4s
But then, in december 2011, Diana+ was to a great extent (but not fully) reduced to a prop that I use from time to time in my photos. Like in a fashion editorial when the model need a cool camera in her hands. iPhone, expecially in combination with the Hipstamatic app, was a tremendous boost for my creativity. It is so harmless. So available. And I carry it everywhere. But hush, don’t tell anyone that I have delivered a couple of Hipstamatic shots even on commercial jobs…

And that’s about where I am today. So what happens now? What’s up for the future? Is there any kind of camera equipment I look forward to? That I’m curious about? Feeling enthusiastic about? Of course there is! One thing that has made me very curious lately is the range of Fujifilm X cameras. Especially X100s and X-Pro1. Small. Lightweight. Good solid quality. Delicious retro looks. Like an english colleague said about its predecessor X100, "Some cars just beg to be driven and owners will find any excuse to go out for a spin. The Fuji X100 is the camera equivalent."

From what I can see from other users, the X100s is a real creativity booster, with its fixed optics and a no bullshit approach to life. It manages to bring out the best of you, even the things you didn’t know you had inside of you. It brings out the goodness in you as a person and as a photographer. I have great expectations to this camera, and I’ve been so lucky that Fujifilm Nordic have offered to borrow me one for some time to check it out. I’m thrilled! Maybe also because I’m seeing a possibility of the X platform as a professional alternative for me. Ditching a lot of weight would be great. Work smoother. Back to the essence of photography. Good quality without always having to lug around a ton of equipment. The whole X thing seems very down to earth to me. And I’m really looking forward to testing it! It actually gives met he same great feelings and expectations I had when I waited to get my hands on the Pentax MZ-5n in 1997. I feel like what I waited for in 1997, is the same future I’m waiting for now.

In the words of the famous Dr. Emmet Brown in Back To the Future: "If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour... You're gonna see some serious shit."

So I'm sending myself back to the future! 1997 - here I come!