It wouldn’t be easy to get agreement on the best line of 35mm single-lens reflex cameras, monorail studio 4×5 view cameras, or folding 8x10s. There would be less unanimity, but the 500-series leaf-shutter Hasselblads might get the nod in the medium-format SLR class. Most people would agree that the Linhof Technikas are the best of the small population of 4×5 rangefinder cameras like the M-series Leicas, they are the only serious competitors for best in their class still in production. Poll a large group of photographers, and most would agree that the M-series Leicas were (and are) the pick of the 35mm rangefinder cameras, and that the Rolleiflex A through F (and maybe G) cameras occupy a similar place among 6×6 twin-lens reflexes. There are occasionally lines of cameras that stand far above all others in their class.
In his New Yorker essay, Lane went further than saying that one camera model could offer tangible advantages to photographers he attributed that property to the whole Leica M-series product line. While not directly on the topic of the relationship of great cameras and great photographs, I got thinking about great lines of cameras, and I thought I’d share my thoughts while I work on the larger topic.
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