First real cameras

[Rob C]

https://www.bing.com/search?q=voigtlander+vito+b&form=PRESES&pc=UE07&httpsmsn=1&refig=b9b9491c329a47c3970d789f7b0446f9&pq=voightlander+vit&sc=8-16&sp=3&qs=SC&sk=SC2

For me, this was it: my girlfriend helped me buy it.

I think it cost us £25/3/11 in the second-half of the 50s. I bought a rangefinder for it too, a while later.

I don't remember paying her back, but perhaps we just get married instead.

;-)

Rob

[Peter McLennan]

Rob, I'm pretty sure that is the camera that got me started with photography, oh so many years ago.  It belonged to a friend's father and he arranged for me to shoot with it for a couple of weeks.  My sole previous experience was with a Brownie Hawkeye.   I never looked back.

[Telecaster]

My dad's first "real" camera was a Voigtländer. I've long had it in my head that it was a medium format Bessa, but there are no 120 negatives among the photos he took prior to getting his treasured Kodak Retina IIc (in 1957). There are 35mm b&w negs along with some mounted Anscochromes, though…maybe the Voigtländer was a Vito B. The timeline is right anyway. Dad said the Voigt was temperamental, which was in part why he switched to the Retina.

The first "real" camera I owned was a Canon AE-1, though the first such camera I was allowed to use was Dad's Leica M2 (which he tended not to use 'cuz it didn't fit inside a jacket pocket like the Retina did). The M2 was what I learned on.

-Dave-

[James Clark]

Mine was a Nikon EM.  Coincidentally I just found it in storage when we moved a year ago

[JoeKitchen]

My first real camera was a Nikon FM2 in 8th grade, however I did not get bit by the photo bug until I got a Toyo View 45GX. 

Sadly, that Toyo is mounted to my shelf as a decor element in my office and has not been used for at least 10 years. 

[Larry Heath]

Nikon F2 photomic, I got it from B&H photo the year they opened, I think it was like 1973 or so. I still have it as a matter of fact along with the motor drive and a few lenses and other stuff. The body and motor drive as Joe has pointed out has more or less become a decorative/paper weight item on my desk. Last time I used it was about 6 or 8 years ago on a trip to California. Put a bunch of film through that body over the years. Yes many fond memories associated with that camera.

Later Larry

[HSakols]

when I was about 12 years old, I saved my earnings from mowing lawns and other odd jobs to buy my first SLR, a Fujica 605n.  The longer I hold on to it the more nostalgic it becomes.  I feel quite lucky to have first experienced the wet darkroom before the technological tidal wave hit us. Remember back then when you at least had to make a contact sheet.  Photography was more genuine and real because you couldn't just shoot JPEG and be done with it. 

[drmike]

Mine was a Practica FX2 with waist level finder which for 35mm wasn't very practical. The shutter release was mounted on the front of the body and you pressed it inwards (towards your face) which again didn't seem very practical. Nice enough camera though and only £15 used in the late 60's. I still have the pentaprism (well system of mirrors) for it to create an eye level viewfinder.

[tom b]

My first real camera was a Pentax Spotmatic F. In camera metering, luxury!

Cheers,