What was your first "real" camera?

I started taking pictures with various Brownies and even an old fold out 2-1/4 x 3-1/4 camera, but I consider my first SLR my first real camera. That would be a Minolta SR7 given to me as a high school graduation present in 1966. Everything was manual back then, but that camera was really rugged and went with me every where. I have to mention that my favorite SLR was a Minolta XE7. It added auto focus and exposure and was also very rugged. I carried it everywhere including motorcycle trips all over the west and it always worked.

Cripes! I totally forgot one of my nicest Pawn Shop finds!! A Minolta XG7. Used that camera for a long time! :D

Having just purchased a new camera, I couldn't help but mentally compare it to others that I have owned over the years. In another thread on equipment, people started mentioning cameras they owned and that got me wondering about how many of you started shooting with film? I started with my dad's Brownie Hawkeye and later, his WWII-era Leica IIIc. The first actual camera that I bought for myself was A Minolta SRT-102 with the "upgraded" 50mm f/1.4 MC lens. I was a freshman in high school working my first job and in dollars-to-earning value at the time, it probably cost me more than the piece of digital wonder-tech that I just bought.

 

Did you start with film? Digital? A phone?

 

e

My first camera was a Kodak Bulls Eye Model D

Responding to the question put out by Pierces on what did you start with?

I started with film in 1966. My story might be interesting to some, if not just move on to the next post.

1966 My favorite Uncle gave me a free ticket to a land far far away that was covered with Jungle and was inhabited with unfriendly neighbors.

I hooked up with a new friend from Texas and He was a guy who went looking for adventure. One day he told me I needed a Camera to take with us on our days off. I told him I did not know anything about photography. He said no problem, I will teach you.

The next morning we jumped off the truck we were riding on as it went past the BX so we would be in the front of the line when it opened. In those days if you were not there when a shipment came in you had a very good chance of missing out.

The door opened and my friend led me quickly to the camera counter. He pointed out a Minolta 35mm film camera and then a hand held light meter. And he said get several rolls of film before they are gone.

Back in our quarters, way less then 5 star, he started to teach/show me how to use the light meter vs. setting the camera manualy. How to read the light and position of the sun, etc. That good ole boy could make a camera sing and he had a good eye for photos.

His next suggestion kinda made me think I had hooked up with a crazy person. He said our next day off we will check out our rifles from the armory, bring our cameras, and catch a ride on one of the cargo helicopters down at the 8th aeroport. Hmm, I said, don't you know that our unfriendly neighbors have a bad habit of shooting at Helicopters? He said no worry, its no worse then riding in car back home in a large city.

Back in those days we had our film developed into slides and we would mail then home to prevent the heat and high moisture in the air from damaging them.

Today I pack Nikon D7100 w/several lens and small canon power shot as a back up. Still taking advantage of the training I was lucky enough to receive years ago.

Bob

 

Today I pack Nikon D7100 w/several lens and small canon power shot as a back up. Still taking advantage of the training I was lucky enough to receive years ago.

 

Bob

Great story Bob. The camera training sticks with you and the other training you got can still come in handy if you visit places like Chicago or New Orleans.

:)

Dave

Responding to the question put out by Pierces on what did you start with?

 

I started with film in 1966. My story might be interesting to some, if not just move on to the next post.

 

1966 My favorite Uncle gave me a free ticket to a land far far away that was covered with Jungle and was inhabited with unfriendly neighbors.

 

I hooked up with a new friend from Texas and He was a guy who went looking for adventure. One day he told me I needed a Camera to take with us on our days off. I told him I did not know anything about photography. He said no problem, I will teach you.

 

The next morning we jumped off the truck we were riding on as it went past the BX so we would be in the front of the line when it opened. In those days if you were not there when a shipment came in you had a very good chance of missing out.

 

The door opened and my friend led me quickly to the camera counter. He pointed out a Minolta 35mm film camera and then a hand held light meter. And he said get several rolls of film before they are gone.

 

Back in our quarters, way less then 5 star, he started to teach/show me how to use the light meter vs. setting the camera manualy. How to read the light and position of the sun, etc. That good ole boy could make a camera sing and he had a good eye for photos.

 

His next suggestion kinda made me think I had hooked up with a crazy person. He said our next day off we will check out our rifles from the armory, bring our cameras, and catch a ride on one of the cargo helicopters down at the 8th aeroport. Hmm, I said, don't you know that our unfriendly neighbors have a bad habit of shooting at Helicopters? He said no worry, its no worse then riding in car back home in a large city.

 

Back in those days we had our film developed into slides and we would mail then home to prevent the heat and high moisture in the air from damaging them.

 

Today I pack Nikon D7100 w/several lens and small canon power shot as a back up. Still taking advantage of the training I was lucky enough to receive years ago.

 

Bob

Funny! My Uncle gave me the same "ticket" in 1969 :D

Minolta X-370 film camera that I got for high school graduation. I shot a lot of black and white with this camera.

My first DSLR was a Nikon D80.

I am now shooting on a Nikon D750.

I actually lied. My first camera was one of the old 110 film cameras. I don't remember the brand or model, but it was fun.

I have had several point and shoots over the year, and of course my cell phone cameras.

I am also using a Samsung Gear 360, GoPro, and Autel Robotics Drone.

My first camera was an Olympus *****-1. It was a gift from my father. After that I spent the money I made mowing lawns on Fuji ASA100 black and White film and Clearisil. I developed my own prints at the camera club.

What I really needed was a girlfriend but that is a whole different story

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My first camera was an Olympus *****-1. It was a gift from my father. After that I spent the money I made mowing lawns on Fuji ASA100 black and White film and Clearisil. I developed my own prints at the camera club.

 

What I really needed was a girlfriend but that is a whole different story

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Om1 was another sweet camera. One of only a few that would have made me change from Canon

All I remember about my first camera is that it was a Brownie given to me by my grandfather back in the 40's.

My first serious camera was a Canon IV rangefinder I purchased at PX in Korea in 1953.

My first serious camera was a Canon AE-1, purchased in Japan. Sold that and upgraded to the Canon A-1.

In the digital age, I started with the Canon 20D and now use a 5D Mk3.

Pentax Spotmatic F. 50mm f1.4 lens.

First digital was a Canon Digital Rebel.

Now a Olympus OMD follows me most everywhere!

Minolta XG-A Manual focus. Learned a lot about photography with it.

My dad was the camera buyer for a large department store, so I always had a camera. My first serious camera was a Canon FT. Dad made me buy it from a local camera store because he didn't sell enough good cameras to get the price break that the camera store got. I still have it. I moved on to large format and use a Canham 5x7 mostly. For several years my point and shoot was a Rollei SL-66 medium format SLR. This year I broke down and bought a Fuji XPro2 for travel. I enjoy the flexibility and speed of the Fuji but I still treasure the time and effort spent in the dark making big prints.

Last year I got my first 'real' camera - Panasonic G7. I expect to upgrade but for now I'm having a great time with it.

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Olympus E420 DSLR, I loved that camera and took tens of thousands of photos on it for a period of 7 years before switching to a Canon Rebel DSLR.

My first real camera was also a Leica IIIF, I still remember having to remove the outer housing to load the film. Use the camera for several years as well as many other Leica cameras had a few M3's and and still have a complete M4 setup in storage. From Leica I went to the Olympus ***** cameras (OM1 OM2 OM4) and then on to Nikon. Today most of my photos are done with my phone.

Contax RTS back in the film days. Now shooting Nikon D7500. Both are real cameras.

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Started with the normal box brownie etc

 

Then a Canon Ex-EE

AE-1, A-1, F-1

T-90

Mamiya TLR

Hasselblad

range of EOS, starting with 500, then 33 then 1

After that into digital 500d, then 5dII

Started with a 126 Cartridge Film in 1972 until father-in-law gave me an ancient SLR (No brand?) in 1981 (remember asking a chemist in France to set the aperture according to the then weather - he took me into the street, pointed to the sun & then F8, pointed to a cloud and then F11 ... who needs language skills?).

In 1983 I went mad and bought a Canon T50 (with an instruction manual!) and kept that until another splurge in 1985/6 when I bought the AE-1 Program. That remained my camera of choice until 2005 when I bought the Canon Powershot Pro1 that saw me through to Feb 2015 when I purchased the Nikon D5300. Purchased a HuaweiP20 Pro phone on its UK launch on 6th April this year - brilliant Alaska pictures of glaciers in the gloom - the AI Unit really came into its own! But the D5300 was invaluable for the Whale photos in Icy Strait! Just grovelling to Mrs Marchie before buying the Tamron 18-400 zoom ...