[matthew]

I can't believe that there's a camera thread that has managed to go six and a half years without me jumping in.

I would like to welcome everyone to the forums, and just to get the ball rolling, - two simple questions:
1. What camera do you currently have, and why did you choose to purchase it?
2. What camera would you like to have, and why?
Feel free to elaborate!

My current roster of cameras, limited to those that I've used recently:

• Olympus E-1 with a 50/2 macro lens. My main reason to buy this was that it's weather-sealed, but the Canon 20D wasn't. I've bought and sold two other Olympus SLRs and eight lenses, but this one endures. I had it out again recently to take some photos in the snow last week.

• Nikon D700 with the 85/2.8 PC-E tilt-shift lens. My other main lens for this is the 105VR Micro. I bought it because of its huge dynamic range for studio photography, where I like to photograph shiny things, and for its flash control. I pair it with an SB900 and two SB600's, and was using the whole set just a few hours ago.

• Nikon F100 with the 35/2D, 50/1.8D, and 85/1.8D. I bought it used - for about a tenth of its original cost - to give me somewhere else to put my Nikon lenses. I haven't actually run any film though it since the summer, but had it out a couple of days ago while planning an outing for this weekend.

• Panasonic GH1 with the 14-140, 7-14, and 20/1.7 lenses. I bought it as a cheaper, smaller alternative to my D700 that will still give me excellent image quality; it has handled video recording on a couple of occasions as well. It's my main digital camera now.

• Zeiss Ikon with 2/35, 1,5/50, 4/85. I added this about six months ago, and it's the camera that I enjoy using the most. I bought it because I really liked the results with film from my F100, and combining the rangefinder form factor with Carl Zeiss lenses has been awesome. This fits neatly into my camera bag with the GH1, and the two together make my favourite travel setup. I scan the 135 film with a Nikon Coolscan V.

• Fujifilm GX680iii with 80/5.6 and 210/5.6 lenses. I found out about this medium-format camera when browsing an article on rollfilm formats, and bought a used one the next day. It's the size of a 4x5, with bellows focusing and lens movements on the front standard. The negatives are better than four times the size of a 'full frame' sensor, and I get nine shots on a roll of 120. It and all of its components take up a sizable backpack, but I like its results the best out of all of my cameras. I scan its film with a Canon 9000F flatbed.


Cameras I would like to have:

There's not much I would like, which may or may not be surprising. I'd love a Fujifilm GF670, which is a medium-format folding rangefinder that's about the same size as my D700 body, but there's no way to justify getting one and I have other fiscal priorities. What I'm trying to get is a compact digital P&S as a simple little thing to carry around in my work bag or for when I have my GX680. I've actually tried to buy a P&S a couple of times over the past few months, but haven't yet found one that I like.