My Top 5 List*

This was tougher than you think. Going through my cabinet, I had to eliminate some personal favorites, such as several Rolleiflex TLRs, a Rolleiflex SL66, a Zeiss Ikon Contarex and a large number of Kodak Retinas. After thinking about it for a while, here they are ... my five favorite cameras:

1. Contax IIa: Hands down, this is my favorite. I like its feel, its operation and its lenses. I can pick up the IIa, lift it too my eye and start shooting immediately. I love the photos it produces. If I had to give up every other camera, this would be the one I would keep. Equipped with the 50mm f/1.5 Carl Zeiss Sonnar, of course.

2. Tenax II: I had the Leica M6 in this list, but I removed it. Why? I sold the M6 to pay for the new Zeiss Ikon from Carl Zeiss. So what does that have to do with the Tenax II? Well, nothing. But a conversation with a fellow enthusiast reminded me how much I really like the square format, and how Zeiss Ikon really got it right with this little camera. Easy to use, great Sonnar lens and a compact package make for a winner.

3. Nikon F2A: It's big and brash and in your face. You can take it to a fight, and you know who the winner will be. With a great stable of lenses, this is the one camera that will never let you down. I used this camera daily for about four years, running all kinds of film through it. And it emerged unscathed.

4. Rollei 35S: It's small and pocketable and fully manual. The 40mm f/2.8 Sonnar lens earns its keep. It can be your everyday camera or the one you take to a posh party. That's right. It looks great with jeans or a fine suit. And it delivers the goods.

5. Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 530/2: This camera -- the Super Ikonta C -- replaces the 520/2 Ikonta C (the non-rangefinder model), which I had listed here previously. My comments remain the same: Every photographer should have at least one medium-format camera. Although it hails from the mid-1930s, the Tessar lens is excellent, easily holding its own with the more complex designs of today. Get a look at a 6x9 chrome, and you'll see what I mean. Although certainly no lightweight, it folds flat and tucks easily into a briefcase.

* Why just five? Well, 10 is too easy. Selecting your five favorite cameras of all time requires you to think really hard.