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What Was Your First Camera

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dandrewk

New member
The reminiscing occurring in another thread got me thinking: What was my first camera?

For me, well, I had a couple of cameras before I took photography seriously. In fact, I still have them :D :



I can still sing the Swinger's TV commercial jingle, verbatim. I can still smell the lacquer.

I also have my dad's first (and I think, only) still camera:



I was 12 years old when I got my first "serious" camera, just before we took a family vacation to Florida. A Honeywell Pentax H3V. It wasn't the "Spotmatic" with integrated light meter, but it did have a form fitting meter that clipped to the top of the prism. How cool was that? :)
 
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Leigh

New member
My first was a folder using 620 film. I don't remember the name.

I built a darkroom, developed and printed the film myself.

That was in 1952... 62 years ago.

- Leigh
 
pegelli

pegelli

Well-known member
My first was an Agfa Iso-Rapid C. It made 24x24 mm pictures on 35 mm film and used these "cubes" with 4 flash bulbs that turned to the next "unused" flash bulb when you advanced the film. Obviously after 4 flashes you had to replace the whole cube with a new one.

After that it became more serious, I got my father's 1949 Leica IIIf with an Elmar 50/3.5 lens. I still have that lens and use it on my NEX camera's today:

 
Elderly

Elderly

Well-known member
My first from about 50 years ago; also 24x24mm. Built in clockwork motor drive, all very serious!
I still have it.

 
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Viramati

Member
I can remember a box brownie and having a Kodak Starmite but it had a round flash reflector. I suppose my first serious camera was the Olympus OM-1
 
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psy501

New member
OM-1 with 50/1.8 here, too..bought in 1980 from my first job during the school holidays..great camera..the lens i still have..working fine as new..the camera i sold unfortunately a few years later to get a OM-2SP and a motordrive..wish i still had the OM-1..
 
Tim

Tim

Active member
As a young lad I was given a Kodak Instamatic 126 by my parents.
I still have the first images made from it, including a box of 126 slides. Circa 1972 I think.

I think the first camera I bought myself was an Olympus OM20 with a Zuiko 50mm f1.8.
Not long after that GAS set in and hasn't stopped since.
 
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SamSS

New member
For digital:
1MP HP C-20 (this one was really terrible to count as my first love.)
3.3 MP Epson PhotoPC 3000Z (paid $999 + tax FOB in June 2000)
The Epson's color was nice but very slow camera.

 
jeffnesh

jeffnesh

Member
In 1977 I was gifted a used Minolta SRT-100. Not the 'fancy' 101, but the more basic version. Loved that beast and still have it (which reminds me, I should take my own picture of it).



Got me through high school and college before I moved to a Minolta X-570, 600si, 9, some Nikons when I went digital, then a850, some Leica dabbling, and now back to the a7r. Can't seem to shake the Minolta vibe ;-)

-Jeff
 
ptomsu

ptomsu

Workshop Member
In 1968 I saved long time and finally could buy my first SLR - a Minolta SRT 101. Beautiful camera at this time.

My only lens for years was the Rokkor 1.7/50, which served me really well. Later I bought the Rokkor 2.8/135.

Still own all of them.
 
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darrellc

New member
First an Argus C3 in elementary school, then Pentax K1000 in middle school, then Nikon FE (don't know why I didn't buy the FM) used from around 8th or 9th grade until I went digital in 2003 or so. I remember lusting after a Nikonos as a teen, even though I'd never dived or snorkeled (except in a pool). Just thought it looked cool.

Thanks Mom & Dad!
 
f6cvalkyrie

f6cvalkyrie

Well-known member
My first ? A Mamiya DSX 500 with a 50mm lens on it. Like this one, but shortest shutter speed 1/500



Actually, I wanted a Rolleiflex, but my camera dealer couldn't get one on a relatively short notice. So Mamiya it was ..

Later, I bought a 300mm lens for it, for a "safari" in Kenya, and shot a lot of film there. The slides must still be somewhere in a box, I need to look for them, and find a way to scan them. After all, they are from 1977 !

In 1980, the Mamiya was sold, and I got myself my first NIKON, an FE with the 50/1.4 on it. That lens still finds a lot of use on my E-M5 nowadays !

C U,
Rafael
 
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