What Was Your First Camera

[Ahmad Bhai]

Beth's thread on first film camera made me wonder what everyone's first camera was that got you into photography.
And would you have a photo (s) you took with that camera to share.

..

For me, although my first camera was a Yashica Minister III rangefinder my dad gave to me when i was twelve.
I never used it , instead i took it apart
Thereafter various point n shoots film for family.

I did go through a little phase of collecting budget film cameras :
Argus Brick, Kodak Brownie type & old foldable lens compacts from charity shops;
Fed 2 & Zorki 4, Olympus Om1, Olympus XA2, Rollei b35, Pentax Espio Mini, Pentax MZ5N, Practica B200;
Yashica Electro 35 G, Minolta Hi Matic 7, Konica Auto S3, Ricoh 500g, and a Canonet.

The camera that really got me into photogrpahy was Ricoh GX8. Purchased 2009.
http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/caplio/gx8/
28-85mm F2.5-4.3 on 1/1.8" 1cm macro. 8MP CCD. ISO1600 with full manual control (via menu), rather useful live view
& a handy viewfinder.

Tough as nails.
I chanced upon it on an auciton site when i had little idea of digital cameras, i just saw it was affordable
had wide angle. In hindsight it was one of my best flukes.
It was the camera that got me out an about in a time when i was indoors a lot, living alone, umemployed.
Even now i would recommend it.

 

[Lesley Jones]

Nice thread Ahmad. Mine was a Kodak Instamatic, bought when I was about 7 because my Dad always had a camera (although that was the cine variety). I used it until I was about 15 and then I got the Olympus Trip. The much larger prints were a bonus, but I tired of the zone focussing and a few years later I moved on to one of the Olympus rangefinders - it was either the RC or the RD. Sadly I had that for less than a year because I really should have gone for an SLR. Not that I wanted a very wide, or very long lens, just the flexibility that it brings.

I got the OM1n with the 50mm lens which was soon followed by the 75-150mm zoom and the 28mm. As I was trying to photograph my Arabian horse loose in the fields at the time, the entirely manual function left me a nervous wreck. It was bad enough zooming and focussing to follow him, but worrying about the exposure proved too much. In the end I traded it in for the OM2n which I still have. Some 20 years later I bought a second hand 17mm lens to go with it.

The old Leica came via eBay. I have no idea why as I never used the place before. I just started to wonder about the cameras used by people like Cartier-Bresson and then I found you could still buy one. I came across mine with two lenses and the seller seemed geniune. It's a lovely little camera and I hope to start using it again soon.

The Sony came courtesy of a competition. As a firm film camera user, I had no desire for the prize and only entered because I was off work for the day and a good friend e-mailed me the details. I had to learn pretty quickly after that!

 

[Brian Moore]

Yeah,...nice thread.

Polaroid 210 Land Camera. I think I was 14. Then, at 15 or so, I had saved up some pocket money and bought a Mamiya-Sekor 500DTL which came with a 50mm f2 lens. Somewhere I have a picture of me with the camera. I'll have to find it and post it up so you can all have a laugh.

 

[Hamish Gill]

My Nan gave me a Nikon RF10 when I was 9. Shot with it for years! There are certainly better cameras, but I owe it a lot! Still use it once in a while!

 

[Dan Cattermole]

Mine was (and still is but not quite working like it used to) is a Minolta AF-E.
I had it since around the age of 15ish. Used it occasionally towards the last year of school. but not as obsessively like I do with cameras these days.

I might just get it up and running .......

What a great thread.

 

[Dave Green]

My first camera was an AGFA Isolette II that my Dad gave me when I was about 12. Still got it as I would never sell it - but I can't find it I do have the original box and the flashgun though!

 

[Dave Moss]

First camera was a Kodak 126 First proper camera Praktika MTL 5 which I owe so much to it was simple but totally manual which taught me so much

 

[Beth Anthony]

in high school i got a kodak dx3700 way back in 2001ish. digital p&s with a whopping 3.2 mp. for hs graduation my parents got me a kodak dx6490, which had manual exposure but was a paint to use. i bought a canon 300d in college and later a 20d, 40d and 5d mk ii. 2012 brought the fujis.

also picked up 4 film cameras along the way but none of them work. the mystery camera makes 5.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Kodak Instamatic for me - can't get more basic than that - I used to love the little flash cubes that went off with a pop and a fizzle!

I have one shot that I've posted before - taken with this camera

Not exactly the sort of camera that you could do a portrait with, but I didn't have anything else, so I made do.

I used a photoflood light I think, from my 8mm cine movie making, and had the B&W 126 Film developed at Boots the Chemist.

Last I heard she had moved to Boston (US), so look out for her Glenn!

 

[Pete Askew]

Mine was also an Instamatic but I never finished the first film (my mother took it over - I now have it again along with a film that is part-exposed that I mustt get processed some time) and I switched to cine for several years. I then bought a waterproof Nikon Compact that could survive leaky motorcycle waterproofs and then, shortly after, a Nikon FE (along with a 105/2.5 ai and a Sigma 600/8 catadioptric lens) as I was off to Kenya for a month. That would have been about '83. I still have the FE (and the lenses) and I'm pretty sure I have even posted some pictures taken with it. It was this that got me into stills photography although I had been learning technical photography and micrography at work since about '81 so my darkroom skills were in place when I started to shoot B&W film for pleasure.

 

[Ahmad Bhai]

It's fascinating (for me) to read everyones stories. Thank you all for contributing.

 

[Milan Vjestica]

Mine was a Kodak Brownie, which I still have. After a few years I bought a Pentax K1000 with a 50mm lens and started to learn a little more. A great, all manual, beginners camera. Only a year or so later fate led me to acquire a Nikon FE with a 50mm f1.8 lens which I loved and kept for a quite a few years. The first extra lens I bought was a 24mm f2.8 which I still own complete with box! I took a lot of pictures with the FE and thoroughly enjoyed it. It even went on honeymoon to shoot a few rolls.................of film.

I wish I kept the FE and the old 35mm PC lens that I had.

Perhaps Nikon can bring out a DSLR with only PASM modes and a 16mp or 24mp sensor, mirrorless with a good EVF, a Df lite? That would be desirable and even more nostalgic!

 

[Nick Lukey]

My first camera was a Zenith, bought in Berlin, I used it with good results for a couple of years, got into the darkroom side with it as well. Then progressed to OM1 and OM2 loved those Oly cameras. After that went onto Nikon, Best of the bunch Nikon F4s, digital wise went through the entire Nikon range upto the D3. Then Fuji came along and ruined the party. X100 was the start, then the X pro 1. At the moment my Nikons are gathering dust.