Memory Lane, your first camera(s).

[Tywais]

I was thinking about the camera(s) I owned years ago and the technology changes over time. One thing I've noticed when looking at my earlier photos (film) is I seemed to do a much better job in all respects than I have been with my digital versions. Perhaps I just took much more time evaluating the shot as film/processing was expensive and much more time consuming to get the final results and needed to be more selective.

My first camera was a pinhole I made in high school and did my own film processing. But that doesn't count, so will stay with commercial products.

As far as I can recall, my first one was a Yashica MAT-124 TLR camera with 120mm medium format film.

[Tywais]

Later on I had the Nikon FE for many years and sold it just prior to moving to Thailand. One reason was there was no diopter adjustment and my eyes no longer were good enough to see the focusing screen clearly. It was a great camera and traveled the world with me.

The Nikon FE is an advanced semi-professional level, interchangeable lens, 35 mm film, single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. It was manufactured by Nikon in Japan from 1978 to 1983, and was available new from dealer stock until circa 1984. The FE uses a metal-bladed, vertical travel focal plane shutter with a speed range of 8 to 1/1000 second, plus Bulb, and flash X-sync of 1/125th second. It had dimensions of 89.5 millimetres (3.52 in) height, 142 mm (5.6 in) width, 57.5 mm (2.26 in) depth and 590 grams (21 oz) weight. It was available in two colors: black with chrome trim and all black. As on the FM, its model designation did not appear on the front of the camera, but was engraved as a small "FE" preceding the serial number on the rear of the housing.

I had the motor drive for it and a lot of lenses and filters. Chances are if I kept it I may be a Nikon FF owner considering all the glass I had.

[Guest]

I can not remember my first film cameras, but my first digital camera was Fuji 133Kpix camera. One of the first in consumer markets.

I remember I took the camera to a half an year backpacking trip to South and Central Americas year 2000. As the memory cards were very expensive at the time a friend back home setup an ftp upload site for me so that I could upload my images to a safe place and clear the tiny memory card.

After the trip the camera was functioning as a webcam for a while.

[Tywais]

After the trip the camera was functioning as a webcam for a while.

[Gsxrnz]

Box Brownie as a hand me down from the old man. Two positions (Cloudy/Sunny), and a button that you had to apply severe force with your thumb to actually make it work. It didn't deliver a "click" when you presssed it, it made a severe thunking noise that shot tingling feelings up your arm.

It might have had a near/distant focus switch as well - I have vague memories of an image of a head and mountains on a rusty slide switch.

Them were the days - overexposed fuzzy black and white images to record your childhood. Many a head was cut off with the upside down viewfinder. I have lots of pictures of my body as a kid as Dad never quite perfected his photographic skills until I was four years old.

I inherited the Brownie at the age of 12 when he progressed to a 35mm Leicha. I recall him once stopping the car to take a picture of two swans in a lake close to the road. By the time he'd figured out the the iso setting, the f stops, the apperture, and the focus, the swans had quietly paddled half a mile away. I have a nice picture of the lake to remember that day, and still have the Leicha safely packed away at home, along with the superfast electronic flash of the same era that took 30 seconds to recharge between shots.

[fimgirl]

Very similar to @Gsxrnz. Inherited grandfathers Rollei 3.5 TLR as an 8 year old. Couldn't see a damn thing through the very dim viewfinder and as such most of my early stuff was shot on a wing and a prayer. 1/50th at f16 and keep ya fingers crossed. Waste of time trying to focus as I couldn't see anything. Everything inverted didn't help either. Money as it was (or wasn't) meant a maximum of only a few rolls per year!

As time rolled on a new screen was aquired and I was away. I mean, I could see what I was shooting at last. I used that camera on my first paid job as a 16 year old and continuously for the next 5 years until the need for increased operational speed saw the arrival of an Asahi Pentax 35mm SLR.

But I still have and occasionally use the Rollie 60 years later......... And from my dead cold hands!

Edited July 19, 2014 by fimgirl

[Guest]

I inherited the Brownie at the age of 12 when he progressed to a 35mm Leicha. I recall him once stopping the car to take a picture of two swans in a lake close to the road. By the time he'd figured out the the iso setting, the f stops, the apperture, and the focus, the swans had quietly paddled half a mile away. I have a nice picture of the lake to remember that day, and still have the Leicha safely packed away at home, along with the superfast electronic flash of the same era that took 30 seconds to recharge between shots.

I have to ask as I don't know. Wasn't the ISO setting defined as ASA film speed on the film cameras? Was there separate way to setup ISO as well or was this a small mix up with the terms?

As a far younger photographer (krohm it's nice to hear what was involved in taking shots in the earlier era.

[FracturedRabbit]

Zenit-E. Made out of tractor spares and with shutter slap so profound it could break your wrist.

[FracturedRabbit]

Excellent first camera Tywais, the Yashica TLRs have aged very well. I have 12 and this 635:

S2254479 by pattayadays.com, on Flickr

[MJP]

A nasty, nasty thing . . .

The Hewlett-Packard Photosmart R507.

Pretty sure I had a couple before this but can't remember.

[lopburi3]

Mine was also a twin lens reflex and yes I took much better photos with that than with the 35mm that replaced it - all down to composition on the ground glass being a priority in that format.

[Goshawk]

my first . . . when i was about 8yrs old. A Kodak Ektra 22-EF

my first 'proper' camera, about a decade later . . . The now classic K1000.

[MJP]

^^Quality!

[rhythmworx]

Had one of these as a kid, was a belting little camera, well at least until I took it apart, shutter curtains are thin fragile little things.

Took the Flash apart aswell and electrocuted myself.

[MJP]

Had one of these as a kid, was a belting little camera, well at least until I took it apart, shutter curtains are thin fragile little things.

Took the Flash apart aswell and electrocuted myself.

6848669631_e70843bc61_z.jpg

I tried one of these a couple of years back. It's a neat camera.

[Guest]

Had one of these as a kid, was a belting little camera, well at least until I took it apart, shutter curtains are thin fragile little things.

Took the Flash apart aswell and electrocuted myself.

Did you end up being an engineer or similar when you grow up?

[bkkjames]

I must be old - recognize all those beauties..

[Goshawk]

ok . . i've done my 1st film camera(s)

so this was my first digital job . . . the excellent (wish i still had it, took great sharp images as you'd expect from a Fuji) F610

i had 2 of these . . . the first one died after being accidently dunked into the sea off Koh Larn about 10yrs ago ... (i must be getting old, can't remember what happened to the 2nd!?)

edit: ahh, just remembered . . . it was stolen from an unlocked zipped pocket (my fault) in my checked-in baggage probably at either Dubai or Abu Dhabi airports during a transit flight.

Edited July 19, 2014 by Goshawk

[bkkjames]

In school we had FM2s I seem to recall, some 4x5's, and old Pentax 6x7 and of course K1000's. Favorite was the 6x7.

[rhythmworx]

Had one of these as a kid, was a belting little camera, well at least until I took it apart, shutter curtains are thin fragile little things.

Took the Flash apart aswell and electrocuted myself.

Did you end up being an engineer or similar when you grow up?

I never really grew up TBH jack of all trades master of none.

I'm still a child to some degree, but I have fabricated parts for some aircraft you may fly on.

[ETatBKK]

from my dad my first camera ( allowed to use by my own ) was a 120 rangefinder, with a pop-up bellow behind the hinged flap. lovely machine ( made in German ), but I totally forgot what brand what type. my dad gave it to my cousin and then non-traceable . . .

oh . . . not a rangefinder, just an optical viewfinder, no focusing aid. it was a great fun of guessing aperture, shutter speed, distance. love the 120 film as well ! till now I still enjoy a lot of squarely crop, even from a digital sensor.

[Ace of Pop]

1955 Kodak Cresta,with a Flash big as a Satellite Dish.God Im Old.

[ETatBKK]

1955 Kodak Cresta,with a Flash big as a Satellite Dish.God Im Old.

it was really fun with those magnesium flash bulb ! sometimes it goes on your finger :-)

[sustento]

I can't remember the model number of my first camera. I think it was a Ricoh that I bough in the early 70s. It used a small film format and looked a bit like a Nikon Coolpix 4500 when it was shut. I took pictures all around the world and lost the lot when I moved house

[sunshine51]

The first camera I ever "used" was one of these...with the huge

satellite dish on it (removable) and a subminiature viewfinder

on top in front of the handle. I reckon I was 8 or 10 years old at

the time & the camera was "the family camera"...

The next camera I used belonged to my father who picked

it up during WW-II in a poker game. It came with a nice tan

coloured leather case and 50mm lens. He gave it to me

to take to the SEA War Games. I did & it was stolen within

a year. Mind you it was a camera that was also good enough

for the guy in the pic below the Contax too...no relation or

involvement with me dad regarding the pic...it's from the web.

The first camera I ever owned & actually bought with my

own hard earned GI money was one of these....

It came with a 50mm 1.4 Nikkor lens and a "skylight"

filter, plus a black camera case that had NIKON

embossed on it's front bit in silver metal letters.

This was the camera that started it all for me so

long ago. Wait...actually it was the Brownie that started

it but I was too young to realise many things back when

I was a kid save for kid stuff. But it was the "F" which

really caused me to spend massive amounts of hard

earned GI & civilian dollars as the years went by. And

I'm still spending that stuff today.

Edited August 22, 2014 by sunshine51

[tw25rw]

my first . . . when i was about 8yrs old. A Kodak Ektra 22-EF

my first 'proper' camera, about a decade later . . . The now classic K1000.

I have a K1000 now. Never used it, but I wanted one for my little collection.

[Goshawk]

my first 'proper' camera, about a decade later . . . The now classic K1000.

I have a K1000 now. Never used it, but I wanted one for my little collection.

Can't fault that . . . they were/are really good. Did my first long exposure astrophotography with mine some 26yr ago. You got me thinking now, i might go all nostalgic & pick another one up too . . .

[FracturedRabbit]

Zenit E, proudly cobbled together with tractor spares and with a mirror slap that could break your wrist.

Thought of buying one off eBay, but decided one something even more ancient; this 1896 Kodak:

S2234464 by pattayadays.com, on Flickr

S2234462 by pattayadays.com, on Flickr