I have too many cameras. There, I’ve said it.
I have, at some point, used all of them, but for my day-to-day use I feel that I need to rationalise. Trouble is, each of them is unique and interesting in its own way, and so the choice is almost impossible.
My main ‘working’ camera is currently the Yashica FX-3. I originally intended to use it as a backup for the FX-D, the FX-3 is a fully mechanical 35mm SLR which doesn’t even need batteries (it uses a pair of SR44 for the internal meter, that’s all). The FX-D on the other hand won’t do anything without its pair of SR44s – of course the aperture-priority auto-exposure of the FX-D is very handy for more spontaneous captures…
So, I’ll keep the FX-3 and FX-D (but perhaps slim down my lens collection…?)
I also go out and about with a rangefinder now and then – leaf shutters are so much more discreet than the mirror-slap of an SLR – but again, I have two: The Yashica Electro 35 (original model) which is a brick of a camera, with a rather nice f1.7 lens and auto-exposure… Compare this with my compact Werra 3; fully mechanical, extremely compact and completely manual… it can also take different lenses, although I’ve only the standard 50mm f2.8 Zeiss job.
Then there are the three TLRs I have: Lubitel 166B, a Rolleicord from 1934, and a YashicaMat. All of these are completely manual, but each produces different results dues to the difference in age and lens quality…