In a refreshingly unscientific exercise, Amateur Photographer’s Jon Stapley has ranked major camera manufactures by nothing more than vibes. He’s listed the main contenders one to twelve on his decidedly personal frost list. But where do our favourite cameras fare in the cool stakes? Does it mean that you are also super cool for making the right choice?
We’re safe and shivering well, as things turn out. Our favourite brands, Leica and Fuji are right up there in Lapland. Super cool. And that probably makes us super cool, too.
Jon’s case for Leica leans on heritage and permanence: “It’s the brand that made some of the most iconic professional film cameras that ever existed, then transferred to the digital era with dazzling élan. No spec sheet needed — the red dot still carries weight decades on”. And Fujifilm holds its position, despite being something of a comeback kid.
Least cool
And what about Panasonic Lumix, you might ask? This is also one of our favourite brands, and you might be interested to know what position it holds. Not good, unfortunately. Jon rates it ninth out of twelve – pretty uncool, but slightly cooler than GoPro, Sigma and the warmest of the lot, anything made by Kodak. Lumix will be hoping that the arrival of the L10 will improve its reputation according to the cool brigade.
Comeback story
Meanwhile, Stapley frames Fujifilm’s cool factor as a comeback story. As he puts it, “’cool’ was basically how Fujifilm rescued itself from oblivion… Now, it’s the brand that blows up on TikTok every other week”. He credits Fuji’s Film Simulations with making creative shooting “cool in a way that ‘Creative Filters’ are not,” and notes that Fujifilm has “even somehow made medium format cool” — no small feat for a format once reserved for studio purists.
Two very different routes to the same place: one built on legacy, the other on reinvention. But both brands that our readers love — and so do members of our editorial team, although we try hard not to be tainted as “fanboys”.
What do you think? Jon readily admits that his ranking is a personal assessment and others will certainly differ. Do you agree with his list? Which brands used to be cool but have lost it? Which brands are becoming cooler at the moment? Furthermore, what are the indications of “cool”?
It’s a great article and worth paying a visit: Which camera brand is the coolest? Here’s my definitive and unscientific ranking
Featured image at the top of this article: Kool Kats in Chongqing, China, herded with Fujifilm’s world-beating and coolest camera, the X100VI © Mike Evans
| Macfilos Articles | Other Links |
|---|---|
| Leica Heritage: William Fagan looks back over the past century – The permanence and legacy behind Leica’s case for cool | Which camera brand is the coolest? Here’s my definitive and unscientific ranking – Jon Stapley’s original ranking that prompted this piece |
| A Guide to Fujifilm’s Film Simulations and Techniques – The creative tool Jon credits with fuelling Fuji’s comeback | Film Simulation | FUJIFILM X Series & GFX – Fujifilm’s own rundown of the modes turning heads on TikTok |
| Panasonic Lumix L10 Review: A premium compact camera for enthusiasts – Our verdict on the camera Lumix hopes will thaw its ninth-place ranking | Panasonic announces the new LUMIX L10 fixed-lens camera – Panasonic’s own case for the L10 |
| Fujifilm GFX100RF Long-Term Test – Our verdict on the medium-format compact Jon says has made the format itself cool | FUJIFILM GFX100RF – Fujifilm’s own product page for the camera |
| Fujifilm X100VI arrives at last – The camera behind Fuji’s TikTok-fuelled comeback story | FUJIFILM X100VI – Fujifilm’s own product page for the camera |
| 10 Years of Leica Q: A photographic revolution – A decade of the Q line that carries the red dot’s weight | Leica Q3 – Leica’s own product page for the current Q |
Make a donation to help with our running costs
Did you know that Macfilos is run by five photography enthusiasts based in the UK, USA and Europe? We cover all the substantial costs of running the site, and we do not carry advertising because it spoils readers’ enjoyment. Any amount, however small, will be appreciated, and we will write to acknowledge your generosity.
Comments: Please add a comment to this article. Our comments section is a thriving community and everyone is treated with respect. In addition, please identify yourself (and add an email address, which will not be published, if you would like to see answers to your posting). Our system will automatically delete any “anonymous” posts on the basis that they are likely to be spam.
In the analogue days I would put Olympus at number 2. Compact size bodies with excellent TTL and superb lenses
Mike, you and I are well past the stage of using terms like ‘cool’. Young people use it, but I always pretend I don’t know what they mean by the term. If I was not already involved with Leica I would find the designation here of Leica as the ‘No 1 Cool Camera’ somewhat off-putting and I might never go near the brand. I tend to go counter-culture on such matters and before I looked at the article I had chosen Kodak as the ‘coolest camera brand’ in my head. It is the most significant brand in the history of photography for a myriad of reasons, followed by Leica, of course. I would have put Nikon higher because not only was Nikon ‘cool’ in the 1960s, the Nikon F changed the face of photography.
This is all good clean fun, of course, and I hope nobody takes this too seriously.
William
Tongue in cheek, William. “Cool” in this sense isn’t in my normal vocabulary. Nor is “amazing” as in “My name is Mike Evans and I have an appointment at 11 am. Response by young party: Amazing”, but I do find it all rather cool, if not quite amazing. — Mike
I am ‘amazed’ that you are so ‘cool’ about this, Mike. The one that kills me is ‘awesome’ but, thankfully, that has not reached our side of the world, yet.
William
Which part, Ireland? Awesome is alive and kicking in the UK, that’s for sure. Next to Amazing, it is top of my hate list.
But William we could always talk knowledgeably about “Birth of the Cool”…
Well, I popped over to Amateur Photographer to read the article and, I have to say, I like the cut of that journalist’s jib. An almost entirely irrational basis for judgement, wholly prejudiced, with a dash of Zeitgeist awareness and, most importantly, an unmistakably correct conclusion.
Bravo, Sir!
Well said, Andrew . . . It’s a bit of whimsy that I thought our readers (who might not also read AP) would find amusing. All nonsense, of course, but amusing nonsense. — Mike
“our readers (who might not also read AP)”
Quite.
One minute on the AP site sent me scurrying back here. I appreciate the background of the editors here, in traditional print journalism.
Thanks for your endorsement, Kathy!
On second thoughts, Andrew, this sounds like many articles I’ve written for Macfilos: “An almost entirely irrational basis for judgement, wholly prejudiced, with a dash of Zeitgeist awareness and, most importantly, an unmistakably correct conclusion”.
I must employ you as my scriptwriter . . .
I have the feeling that the pay for that job wouldn’t be great 🙁