oooo hard question. Im going to ignore the plethora of film P&S cameras I had and jump straight to the point at which I became really interested in photography.
1. Pentax K10D
A large part of me wanted to put an older camera in the top spot, but the fact is Ive taken more and better photographs since getting my K10D than at any other time in my life. This camera just gets out of the way and lets me get on with it. She isnt quite perfect, but shes so close to it that I wont be buying another camera body as long as this one works.
2. Pentax ME-F
It was a close run thing, I wanted to put this baby on top. Certainly it is easily my favourite Film SLR from a users point of view. Simple to use, no nonsense controls with Av and M modes. The early AF system gives focus confirmation in the viewfinder and even tells you which way to turn the lens if its out of focus. Speaking of the viewfinder, even compared to the K10D which has one of the best viewfinders of any crop frame DSLR, the ME-F is astounding. Every time I look through it I feel as if Im going to fall in.
3. Pentax Auto-110
This was my party camera for about 8 months before I got a really good digital compact. For those whove never heard of it, the Auto-110 is an SLR which is hardly larger than a 35mm film box. No one who is even slightly interested in cameras can resist commenting on the 110, especially when they realise its SLR shape isnt just for show. This is a fully functional interchangable lens SLR. The only reason I dont still use it is that it is now almost impossible to get the film processed
=4. Ricoh KR-5 Super-II
Im giving my two "first" SLRs joint 4th. The KR5 was the first SLR I ever bought myself. It cost me £35 from Ebay. It is a fully mechanical K1000 copy with traffic light metering (that is, three lights, under, over and dead on). The metering is inacurate in low light, but it served me well and I learned a great deal about photography working its manual controls. I once tried to sell it and found I couldnt bring myself to go through with it, so it lives in my cupboard even though I never use it anymore.
=4. Pentax MZ-7
This camera and its matching zoom lens pair were my main 18th birthday present, and also my first SLR. On paper it is still my most advanced film SLR and has taken some of the best shots Ive ever got on film. Since the arrival of my first DSLR it is unlikely the MZ-7 will ever get a film through it again
but I will never part with it. One half of the zoom pair (an FA 80-320 long zoom) still sees regular service on my K10D.
5. Panasonic Lumix FX-7.
The only compact on the list. This little camera is the ultimate in the compact makers art as far as Im concerned. Its Leica glass produces superb images and its performance in macro mode is better than anything Ive seen short of a DSLR equiped with a true macro lens. As a "does what it says on the tin" point and shoot camera, this one simply cannot be bettered. I dread the day it finally breaks, since there is no camera on the market today I would happily replace it with.
This doesnt even come close to listing all my cameras, but it covers the important ones.
