[freepor]

For me it’s film cameras. Because they were not a rapidly obsoleting product, they were built for decades upon decades of use. The mechanical perfection is just a joy to use in every knob and click. My two favorites are a Canon F-1 with 85mm f1.2 Lens, and a 1953 Rolleiflex with a 75mm Schneider f3.5 lens. Neither one needs a battery. A modern camera is built with the expectation that its sensor will be obsolete in 5-10 years so nobody will pay for the build quality for a 50 year service life.

As I tell people when they ask about them, I’m not a photography enthusiast, I’m a camera enthusiast, taking pictures is just what I do to find an excuse to use these exquisite pieces of machinery.

[timw4mail]

There is just something about a decades-old mechanical device that still works. I'm not sure any company made a smoother film-winding mechanism than Nikon, especially on the Nikkormat series.

And on the other side, you have the clunky soviet cameras, which one wonders how they worked in the first place, yet they still do.

[smileypete]

If you like old soviet tech then this channel might appeal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvvFI9XEW1w

Lengthy reviews of soviet consumer electronics, in one of the most ASMR sounding voices I've heard (subs available)