John Allen
Well-Known Member
but I sure do love taking pictures and love all of the gear that goes with it.
------ Long, probably boring, memoir below ------
I was born in 1947 and had a Kodak Brownie for my first camera. I shot a lot of film for about 20 years from the early 60's through the early 80's. I made pinhole cameras, had a darkroom that was used mostly for b&w, had an Olympus OM-1 and Om-2 with lots of Zuiko lenses and accessories, bought a Polaroid SX-70 (loved that camera), and had a plethora of bits and pieces related to photography. That all dribbled away over the years until I was left with an Olympus XA2 that I had bought for my parents. I don't even have that camera anymore.
For what seemed like a really long time, I went without a decent camera. I shot plenty of photos during that time, but only because when I was at an event someone would hand me a camera and say, "Here, you do it. You take better pictures than I do." I didn't even get on the digital bandwagon until 2002 or 2003. That's when my son bought a new digital camera and gave me his Kodak DC28o 2.1mp camera. What a revelation, no film. No need to choose between negative, positive, or b&w. No development hassles, no sending away for contact sheets or prints. Just compose, push a button, and review instantly. I've been hooked on digital ever since. I moved up to an Olympus bridge camera in 2006 and used that until I bought my first Nikon dslr. I'm now on my third Nikon, D7200, and thinking about my next upgrade probably later this year. Finally, 40 years after my photog glory days, I'm back in the saddle again.
That all sounds good, except that there was something missing. I just couldn't let go of the memories of the joy of shooting with film. It gnawed at me until I finally broke down recently and bought myself a vintage Om-1n, two of them, actually, with a zuiko 50mm f/1.4 and a T20 flash. When I unpacked the first OM-1 I'd bought off ebay and held it in my hands the memories came flooding back.
It's amazing how much this fairly small purchase, small when compared to the thousands I've spent on digital, has affected me. I have a feeling there will be more film cameras in my future. I am once again in touch with that young boy who fell in love with photography the moment he looked at the first pictures he'd taken with a Kodak Brownie.
------ Long, probably boring, memoir below ------
I was born in 1947 and had a Kodak Brownie for my first camera. I shot a lot of film for about 20 years from the early 60's through the early 80's. I made pinhole cameras, had a darkroom that was used mostly for b&w, had an Olympus OM-1 and Om-2 with lots of Zuiko lenses and accessories, bought a Polaroid SX-70 (loved that camera), and had a plethora of bits and pieces related to photography. That all dribbled away over the years until I was left with an Olympus XA2 that I had bought for my parents. I don't even have that camera anymore.
For what seemed like a really long time, I went without a decent camera. I shot plenty of photos during that time, but only because when I was at an event someone would hand me a camera and say, "Here, you do it. You take better pictures than I do." I didn't even get on the digital bandwagon until 2002 or 2003. That's when my son bought a new digital camera and gave me his Kodak DC28o 2.1mp camera. What a revelation, no film. No need to choose between negative, positive, or b&w. No development hassles, no sending away for contact sheets or prints. Just compose, push a button, and review instantly. I've been hooked on digital ever since. I moved up to an Olympus bridge camera in 2006 and used that until I bought my first Nikon dslr. I'm now on my third Nikon, D7200, and thinking about my next upgrade probably later this year. Finally, 40 years after my photog glory days, I'm back in the saddle again.
That all sounds good, except that there was something missing. I just couldn't let go of the memories of the joy of shooting with film. It gnawed at me until I finally broke down recently and bought myself a vintage Om-1n, two of them, actually, with a zuiko 50mm f/1.4 and a T20 flash. When I unpacked the first OM-1 I'd bought off ebay and held it in my hands the memories came flooding back.
It's amazing how much this fairly small purchase, small when compared to the thousands I've spent on digital, has affected me. I have a feeling there will be more film cameras in my future. I am once again in touch with that young boy who fell in love with photography the moment he looked at the first pictures he'd taken with a Kodak Brownie.
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