Topic: Your First Camera? (Read 45184 times)

williamrohr · « **Reply #40 on:** June 15, 2005, 09:16:11 pm »

P.S. Got rid of entire Nikon system when I switched to Canon ... but not the Nikormat EL and a few selected lenses like the 45GN .. what a unique piece of glass that is. Bill

boku · « **Reply #41 on:** January 23, 2005, 08:24:18 am »

Minolta SRT-101

blangton · « **Reply #42 on:** January 23, 2005, 05:48:03 pm »

The Praktika 35mm, totally manual. Great to learn with and helped with all those High School photo classes. Several years later, I upgraded and bought the original Olympus OM-1 with a Zuiko 50mm 1.4 lens. I still have that combo, along with the Oly motordrive and a "Soligar" push-pull telephoto, 70-160mm...all nestled in a Haliburton case.

Everything still works like a charm. I think I've only changed the metering battery like twice in the last 27 years. I still marvel at the design and build quality of that camera.

I also get a kick out of going through the plastic crates of transparencies, negative sleeves and prints from that combo that occupy a corner in the garage. I still have all my photo class projects out there somewhere...

Take care all,

Bill

pminicucci · « **Reply #43 on:** January 24, 2005, 09:10:38 am »

An old Ansco 120 format camera, which I used until the bellows wore out. I loved that camera. It could do anything. And learning wet darkroom techniques with 120 film was lovely.

Bought a Nikon F next (which I still have and still use).

framah · « **Reply #44 on:** January 26, 2005, 12:55:35 pm »

Back in High School in the late 60's, I worked in a photo store and the manager would let me take a camera out and shoot it. I would always take the Kowa as it looked cool! Worked well, also. My first camera of my own was the Pentax Spotmatic. Then the Nikkormat El. I bought this camera in NYC at Willowby Peerless where they would have special sales. Everyone would wait outside the store for them to open and make a mad rush to get to the counter as fast as you could, pushing and shoving people out of the way. Great fun when you are young and stronger than the old lady next to you!! I used the Nikkormat El until I couldn't find parts bodies anymore and bought a Nikon F3.
   My foray into Digital was a Camedia 2000. A little fixed lens camera. Worked good until I dropped it and the lens popped off. Never could find all the pieces.
   Finally made the decision to switch to Canon due to Nikons unrealistically high prices for their digital cameras.
   D60, and then the 1Ds.
   I also have 2 old Kodak 8x10 view cameras circa 1900 I was piecing together to make one good one. Sort of lost interest in that, tho. Any takers??

llama · « **Reply #45 on:** January 27, 2005, 01:33:08 pm »

Canon A-1. Was actually my parents', but I used it a lot.

Elan II (1998)

Powershot S30 (2002)

20D (December 2004)

Murph · « **Reply #46 on:** May 15, 2005, 11:39:26 am »

I forgot, my dad gave me a Petri RF that I never did learn how to use. I wish I had that camera back.... Oh well maybe a Voitlander at some time.

Will they use Leica lenses? M Mount?

Flink · « **Reply #47 on:** May 19, 2005, 06:01:28 am »

My first camera was a Zenit EM + Helios 58mm lens + National Flash + tripod. It was my father's gear, and as he got progressively too busy for photography as got progressively more the owner of all this kit.

I still have it (my father gave it to me, he got one of the first compact digital Fujis and now has an S5500) and still use it! I love this camera.

Then, a couple of years ago I got a Nytech digital compact to get me through in digital until I married and had money to buy a REAL camera. Photography was never the same again...

Now I purchased a Pentax *ist DS. I don't care if I can't prononce the camera's name, it still is great and it seems Pentax made it specially for me! When I was a kid, Pentax cameras were my dream; today I have a Pentax at home, waiting for me!

Oh, and with a nice adapter, my old Zenit lenses will still be given some play!

I wonder why mostly everyone jumped into the Canon boat...

jammie*dodger · « **Reply #48 on:** June 16, 2005, 03:08:51 am »

My first camera I remember was a Minolta Dynax 7000i

Neing a tech addict however I have had the following in my time. I'll try and keep them in the right order;

Canon T90
Olympus UZ2100 ~(currently for sale)
Kodak DCS520 (canon d2000)
Panasonic FZ20
Panasonic LC1
Olympus mju mini ~(currently for sale)
Canon 300D

I also still own some "classic" cameras that mean a little too much to me to sell;

Kershaw Curlew III
Yashicamat 124G
Paillard Bolex H16 Cine

bob mccarthy · « **Reply #49 on:** January 23, 2005, 08:32:47 am »

Canon FT, not counting the box cameras

Bob

dlashier · « **Reply #50 on:** January 23, 2005, 05:44:02 pm »

> Brownie (didn't use Dad's Argus),

Me too. Here's a photo of me an my brother with our Brownies, taken with my Dad's Argus

My first "real" camera was a Leica IIIa in 1960, and shortly thereafter added a Speed Graphic 4x5 and a Rolleiflex TLR. I finally got around to scanning some of my old stuff from the 60's, mostly Leica but a few Rollei shots also. My last film camera was a Leica R4 which I still have.

- DL

dlashier · « **Reply #51 on:** January 24, 2005, 01:38:59 am »

> taught me how to guess at exposure since it didn't have a light meter and I didn't own.

I didn't get my first camera with a meter (Canon FT) until the early 70's and I did not own a meter before that, so I shot for 15 years or more with no meter and this was unforgiving Kodachrome. None of those pictures in my old film gallery were metered except the later stuff in "assorted". After I got the Canon I think my exposures actually got worse

. I'd be lost today without my built-in spot meter but it's amazing how good you can get at eyeballing it.

- DL

DiaAzul · « **Reply #52 on:** January 24, 2005, 05:34:24 pm »

Seems that I followed a similar route to many with a 126 film camera when 8, but migrated to Praktika MTL-2 with a home made fisheye lense (door security peep hole mounted on a cokin filter holder in front of a 50mm lens).

The digital route started with the Kodak DC210 - 1 Megapixel and ate batteries for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Possibly the worst camera I owned after the Canon Powershot G2 with the always 'just missed' feature in terms of responsiveness. After frustration with that, migrated to an EOS-10D with the 'please wait 2 minutes whilst I flush the buffer feature'. Now own a monster lugging wallet chewing Canon EOS 1DII. I guess one day some manufacturer will make a camera that doesn't involve compromise for a reasonable weight and price .

boku · « **Reply #53 on:** January 26, 2005, 02:03:17 pm »

Quote

Quote
The Pentax spotmatic was probably the first widely popular SLR and one of the first cameras to include built-in TTL metering. It was and still is a nice little camera.
. . .

- first instant return mirror
- first pentaprism viewfinder
- first TTL metering
- first auto exposure
Another first for Pentax, if I remember correctly, was multi-coated lenses.

Eric

Pentax was the first to overtly declare multicoating by giving it the moniker SMC Takumar (Super Multi Coated).

Around the same time frame (roughly 1970), my Minolta 55m f/1.7 Rokkor had multicoating, but nothing was stated from a branding or marketing standpoint. It was mentioned in the specs though.

That was a great lens. Too bad I was clueless and kept a dirt-cheap Soligor Skylight filter on the front. I always wondered why I got so much flare from a supposedly multicoated lens.

Ben Rubinstein · « **Reply #54 on:** January 28, 2005, 09:39:00 am »

Canon AE-1 with a broken meter

Canon A-1 (the only body I ever fell in love with, what a magnificent camera)

2 Canon Elan II's (I've kept one as a backup for digital and for long night exposures)

Mamiya 645 super

D60

10D

My next upgrade will be the 1D mkII when the prices go down as the next model comes out, for the superior flash metering, 8meg and 1.3X crop. (I don't like the look or feel of the 20D), Having already amalgamated my med format and 35mm into the 10D (less resolution, but no grain, superb 18X12" prints), I don't think I will need to go further than that for a long while, am I boring? :p

Gert · « **Reply #55 on:** May 17, 2005, 01:02:13 am »

My first camera was a second hand Olympus Pen, 18 x 24 mm format. (double capacity = cheaper, I was 12.
In my twenties I bought a Praktika MTL5 with 50mm and 135 mm lens, teleconverter, filters. I used it for 20 years and still have it.
Then came digital: Two years ago Olympus D560, one year ago Canon a75, now Konica Minolta A200. I plan to use the last one for a couple of years, because of a. wide to zoom lens, b. RAW, c. very good neutral photographs, d. lots of unexplored possibilities, :cool:
Gert

jamesdak · « **Reply #56 on:** May 30, 2005, 07:25:50 pm »

My first was some kind of disc camera. But the first real one was a Minolta 7000i. I then upgraded to a 7xi and then my current 2 Maxxum 7 bodies. Along the way I also picked up a Mamiya 645 1000s.

Lately though I've stepped back into time and have been picking up and using a lot of manual focus gear. To date I've picked up the following Minoltas: Sr-7, SRT-101, SRT-101b, XE-7, XD-7, X-700 (son's camera), and two Himatic 7SII rangefinders. I also rescued a Olympus 35RC Rangefinder from a shelf of plastic P&S at a local antique market the other day. I'll either give that to my 9 year old or pass it on to a Olympus fan. I find here lately that unless I'm shooting action I grab the old MF gear over the AF gear

Julian Love · « **Reply #57 on:** June 15, 2005, 07:18:31 am »

My first SLR was a Canon EOS 100 which I bought as a university student back in 1993, with the kit 35-80mm lens.

Since then I have worked my way through:
Nikon FM3A x 2 (I still have one of them)
Canon EOS 3 (sold this year)
Canon EOS 10D (sold this year)
Canon EOS 1Ds (current main camera)

Julian

bob mccarthy · « **Reply #58 on:** January 23, 2005, 08:35:44 am »

Almost forgot, The first pro-type camera I "used" was a Pentax Spotmatic that was owned by the school for those on the College newspaper.
Bob

DaveColem · « **Reply #59 on:** January 23, 2005, 01:39:31 pm »

Brownie (didn't use Dad's Argus), first 35mm SLR was a Ricoh with Pentax screw-in mount.

Author Topic: Your First Camera? (Read 45184 times)

Julian Love