Recently I sold about $3,000 worth of cameras from my heaving camera shelves. This was partly to free up some funds and partly to free up some space… for what turned out to be another $3,000 worth of cameras. Ah well, at least I tried!
Deciding what kit to sell (to MPB.com, if anyone is looking to do the same – I've always had nothing but great experiences buying and selling with those folks) was tricky.
I got rid of a bunch of mirrorless cameras and lenses, mostly Canon and Olympus kit, some of which I was kinda surprised that I had (I found an E-M1X that I thought my ex had taken when we split up, along with a couple of quirky lenses I hadn't used in years).
But throughout the whole process, there were a handful of cameras that were on my "nope, never" list. Short of having to pay for a kidney transplant, there's no way I'm ever selling these; some I'm keeping for sentimental value, some for performance, others because they're curios.
Anyway, I thought you might be interested to see the 10 cameras (in no particular order) that will be on my camera shelf forever!
1) Olympus PEN-F (digital)
This would've been a smart one to sell, because its demand and value has rocketed of late, but the Olympus PEN-F is probably my favorite camera ever. I took it with me on a trip to Japan earlier this year, which reminded me just what a fantastic camera it still is – despite being released in 2016.
One of the prettiest cameras ever made (milled from a single piece of aluminum, like many cameras that fall into that category), its 20.3MP sensor takes gorgeous images – and it boasts the Creative Dial that was unappreciated (scorned, in fact) upon release but is now one of the most celebrated features of its spiritual successor, the OM System OM-3.
2) Olympus PEN-F (analog)
The camera that inspired its mirrorless descendent, the original PEN-F was a similarly beautiful beast – and a genuinely groundbreaking camera. Released in 1963 it was the world's first half-frame SLR camera – meaning that it only exposed on a half of a 35mm frame, producing 72 photos from a standard 36-exposure roll of film.
With its extremely small body and compact lenses, it was an incredibly portable and nimble shooter – setting the stage for the Micro Four Thirds cameras that Olympus would later pioneer – and is regarded by many as one of the best film cameras ever made.
3) Canon AE-1
Speaking of the best film cameras, no conversation would be possible without this bad boy – the legendary Canon AE-1, which reversed Canon's fortunes in the West and became one of the most popular cameras of its time. In fact, it's still one of the most popular 35mm cameras today – remaining just as popular for folks wanting to get into film photography.
I'm not just holding onto this camera for its pedigree, though – it's also the first camera I ever owned, given to me by my dad. Obviously that makes it invaluable for sentimental reasons, so it's really just a cherry on top that it also takes great pictures!
4) Canon Ivy Rec (Pikachu)
While the previous cameras each have some sort of claim to being among the best, that's not something you could ever say about this camera. In fact, a few years ago I wrote about how it might be the worst camera I ever bought! Still, one look at this special Pikachu edition of the Canon Ivy Rec probably tells you why I'm keeping it.
It's a Japan-exclusive and comes with a few Pokémon-themed faceplates, and even has a Pokémon-themed control system on the back (the fact that the power icon is replaced with a Pikachu silhouette never fails to make me smile). Shame about the photos it takes, though!
5) Olympus PEN E-PL7 (full spectrum)
Given the style-over-substance reason I'm keeping the Pikachu camera, you might guess that I'm keeping this one for the same reason – though you'd be wrong! (Even though it is a very pretty camera.) The actual reason this Olympus PEN E-PL7 is staying on my shelf is because I had a full spectrum conversion performed on it.
This is when the UV / IR cut filter is removed from the image sensor, enabling all wavelengths of light to be captured – namely infrared. It's not every day you need (or use) an infrared camera, let alone a full spectrum one, but if you've shot with one you know full well that you can never sell it… as you'll just end up having to convert another one the next time you get the itch!
6) Polaroid 600 (Vnyl)
While my more modern instant cameras, like the Polaroid Flip and Polaroid Now+ Gen 2, are superior in pretty much every way, this old Polaroid 600 has two things going for it: 1) there's nothing as satisfying as using an old Polaroid camera, and 2) it looks bitching.
The latter is due to the fact that this is a refurb by hipster analog company Vnyl, with an iconic Eighties color scheme. And the former is because the clunky, clicky tactility of opening the camera and changing packs of film is almost like using old Transformers toys from that same era. There's just something about the plastic from that decade! Speaking of, this camera also scores points by being from my birth year (1981).
7) Nikon 1 S1
Most people consider the Nikon 1 line of cameras to be a failure – so much so that the majority of folks don't even remember it, even though it was the company's first ever mirrorless system. And yet, I think it's absolutely brilliant – and the system is even experiencing a bit of a renaissance right now, as YouTubers have discovered and started recommending it as a great everyday carry.
And for good reason: the Nikon 1 S1 and its siblings are tiny, because they're built around Nikon's pint-sized CX sensors. This 13.2 x 8.8mm format has a 2.7x crop factor and a peculiar 1.5:1 ratio, with bodies and lenses that genuinely slip into your pocket (you can see just how small it is in this article). This is a just-plain-fun camera to shoot with.
8) Canon EOS D30
A Canon camera with a Nikon naming convention! Yep, Canon hadn't figured out its nomenclature yet – in fact, it hadn't figured out a lot of stuff, as the D30 was its first ever DSLR (rather than the rebranded Kodaks that were cosplaying as Canon cameras in the late Nineties).
Released in 2000, the Canon EOS D30 featured a 3.1MP APS-C sensor, 3-point autofocus system and 3fps burst shooting (that's more 3s than Steph Curry!). But amazingly, despite being the company's first crack of the whip, Canon pretty much nailed the controls, ergonomics and functionality on day one – this camera is basically the template for every EOS that followed, and any Canon user can pick this up today and feel instantly at home.
9) Instax Mini 10
Whaddya know, another first! You might think, from the name, that this camera came between 2017's Instax Mini 9 and 2020's Instax Mini 11 – but you would be wrong. Much like Canon with the D30, Fujifilm hadn't figured out its naming conventions when it invented Instax – so the first ever Instax camera was, bizarrely, called the Mini 10 instead of the Mini 1.
The core technology hasn't changed a whole lot since this camera was released in 1998, so the Instax Mini 10 still takes a decent picture. It's not nearly as durable as later models, though – I dropped mine a few months ago and a bunch of mini screws jumped out of their holes! I guess the plastic had perished somewhat, but hey – that'll happen after 27 years.
10) Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
This one is another sentimental one for me: it's the camera I bought myself following my photography apprenticeship. I've shot so much professional work on this, including magazine spreads and cover images, and it really helped shape my working style and molded my career. And honestly, it's still a very capable camera today.
The only mark against it is its 16MP sensor, but again – I've had double-page magazine spreads published and A3 prints commissioned from this supposedly too-small sensor. The 5-series is my favorite of all the Olympus / OM System camera bodies, but the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II was the last time that it boasted fully-metal construction that felt properly premium.
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Take a look at the best mirrorless cameras of today, along with the best instant cameras.
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