What was your first "real" camera?

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?

Dave

Minolta Maxxum... Don't remember which one.....

My first was in 1977 - a Pentax ME-Super. I had been shooting with a Kodak Instamatic and B&W film since I was 6 years old, when my dad gave me his in 1974 - my very first shot ever taken was looking straight up at the World Trade Center twins in NY in B&W. He felt like I was really getting into it, so he bought me the Pentax ME Super with a Pentax 50mm F2 kit and Pentax 28mm F2.8 for Christmas...the next year I picked up a generic Rokinon 70-200mm zoom. I was still learning the concept of having to set all my own controls, so in the first year or so I shot in "1/125' mode on the dial, sort of an 'automatic' mode of sorts for an SLR, and then adjusted the aperture based on the little meter in the viewfinder...until I started to understand the settings a little better. I usually shot 400 speed film initially, to make sure I could shoot in a fair mix of environments, again until I learned how the film speed affected the exposure settings I could use, as well as the graininess (imagine back then if we could shoot ISO 51,200 film with noise levels like today's full-frame sensors can!).

I eventually picked up a Canon EOS-IX system (APS-C SLR) as a travel cam, with two lenses...and then picked up my very first digital when that was an emerging technology - a Sony Mavica FD91, with 1 whole megapixel of resolution tied to a 14x stabilized zoom lens for a 37-518mm equivalent reach. It also cost about $1,000, but it was able to shoot with a media source that would be around forever - floppy disks! I mean, come-on, those will never go out of style.

My first 'real' digital was an upgrade to the Sony F717, which had a significantly larger sensor (2/3"), 5MP, much more manual control, and an excellent 38-190mm F2 - 2.4 Zeiss lens with stabilization. That was the real beginning-of-the-end for film cameras for me...I shot film for another 3-4 years alongside the digital, but the convenience and quality of digital were gaining fast, not to mention the financial aspect with cost of film and prints. By the time I picked up my first DSLR in 2009, I stopped shooting film.

Of course, the cool thing is that I still have my Pentax, and my Canon, as well as a Konica and a Chinon SLR, with all the original lenses...and since getting into mirrorless in 2011 with E-mount, I have been able to use some of those old original lenses again...even my very first Pentax 50mm and 28mm lenses which can live on!

Interesting topic and I'll be eager to read what others have to say. My first "real" camera was a Nikon FE2, bought about 1983 when I was recently out of college. I bought it on the recommendation of a lady friend. (She said that the lower model FG was F****ing good, but the FE2 was F****ing excellent.) I kept that camera for many years - it was built very well and I don't ever remember getting it repaired. I shot mostly manual, although I think it had an aperture priority mode.

I kept that camera until I finally ventured into the digital world with a Nikon D70, probably around 2004.

I forgot to mention...

By "real" camera, I didn't just mean SLRs or DSLRs. There were a lot of very capable compact film cameras and I'd be remiss in ignoring the ten-billion or so pictures taken with Instamatics. Did anyone not own a Polaroid as one time or another?

This thread has been real, actual fun over the years and I guess I'm just curious about how people got hooked on photography and what their "gateway drug" was..

Dave

When a freshman in HS in 1966, I saved up $140 and purchased a Rollieflex 2.8C. It came with about every accessory made for it. I used it through HS, collage and kept it as a backup for wedding into the late 70's. Very reliable. I still love that camera more than my 1st wife:cool: .

framer

At the risk of giving away my age it was a Nikon EM

At the risk of giving away my age it was a Nikon EM

You're a puppy...

Relatively later in life than it seems most of you started. The above was my first “serious” camera above throw a way point and shoots and my early Iphones.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nikon D200. Our wedding photographer had a D2 (IIRC) and bro-in-law had just gotten a D200 I think. Was amazed at the shots the wedding photographer made. Couldn't do that with the new digital point and shoots I was going through (had fun younger with these tiny Canon ELPH APS multi-format film cameras so started buying tiny digital point and shoots). Plus, shutter speed was a pretty big issue on those as it was nearly a full second lag from shutter press to shot on some of them.

Did you start with film? Digital? A phone?

Dave

I'm older than dirt but I started with film - don't really recall my "first serious" camera.

I did go through a series of Nikon cameras including the F1s all the way to the infamous 7 series which weight a ton.

Digital? also don't recall but I still have a Minolta 7 around somewhere in the apartment. Not to mention my wife's Canon and Panasonic P&S.

Seldom take pictures with an iPhone or iPad and unfortunately beginning to be a glass collector for my A6300.

Dave/Justin/Adam's comments about the full-frame Sonys have stirred temptation in my soul, until Dave mentioned it was heavier than the Sony RX10 III!

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

My first was a Zenit E. Manual everything, with a sticky paper hinge on the mirror. The shutter screen was a horizontal slick screen (where the second screen gradually became slower with age resulting in overexposure on one side of each shot.)

I graduated to a Pentax ME. At the time it was either Pentax or Canon ( the former being aperture priority, the latter shutter priority...at least at this price point). I still am drawn to aperture priority and usually have my current camera (Nikon) set up that way.

Perhaps my favourite camera ( maybe because it coincided with family coming along) was an Olympus XA.

I think it’s interesting how your early steps in photography affect your later camera usage.

My first was a Zenit E. Manual everything, with a sticky paper hinge on the mirror. The shutter screen was a horizontal slick screen (where the second screen gradually became slower with age resulting in overexposure on one side of each shot.)

I graduated to a Pentax ME. At the time it was either Pentax or Canon ( the former being aperture priority, the latter shutter priority...at least at this price point). I still am drawn to aperture priority and usually have my current camera (Nikon) set up that way.

Perhaps my favourite camera ( maybe because it coincided with family coming along) was an Olympus XA.

I think it’s interesting how your early steps in photography affect your later camera usage.

Had both a Zenit and an XA at different times. But then lost count of how many cameras I’ve owned, used even more.

Did you start with film? Digital? A phone?

My first camera was plastic, red, cubic, and used 6x6-cm film with 12 images on a film. I had to be careful when I used them. I didn't just get another film. You pressed the white button, and that was that.

It was around 1963 and I was five.

My first digital camera was around 1998.

My present phone takes much better photos than that camera.

I forgot to mention...

 

By "real" camera, I didn't just mean SLRs or DSLRs. There were a lot of very capable compact film cameras and I'd be remiss in ignoring the ten-billion or so pictures taken with Instamatics. Did anyone not own a Polaroid as one time or another?

 

This thread has been real, actual fun over the years and I guess I'm just curious about how people got hooked on photography and what their "gateway drug" was..

 

Dave

I'm not quite sure my red plastic thingie can be called a real camera. It used film. It took photos that had to be developed. So I guess....

Yep had a Polaroid

A few 110 (including a Pentax SLR version)

A Disc (oooh how bad was that)

Can’t think of many film sizes I didn’t have at one time or another.

Some I can recall well

105

106

117

120

126 (roll and the later cartridge)

127

Minox

Karat

Rapid

Instant, Polaroid and Kodak

Plus the various 6x6 (2 1/4 sq) and 35 mm

And a few sheet film, 5x4 and 10x8

Then at least 4 different digital sensor sizes

You're a puppy...

Somewhere as a kid I had an Instamatic

My first was a hand-me-down from my Dad, a Zeiss Ikon, circa 1952. A great way to learn, using a hand held meter, and developing and printing my own pictures in my darkroom, otherwise known as the laundry room. I still have that camera; I'll have to post a picture.

My first purchased camera was a Minolta SRT-101 (sold it).

Ken

Polaroid Land Camera? :)

My first REAL camera was an old Press camera (Grayflex super graphic) that my Uncle gave me when I was 14 (I think)....what a behemoth!

I moved on (over the years) and in no particular order:

Nikon F

Nikon F2

Nikon F2AS

Minolta X300

Mamiya 645

Nikon D90

Nikon D60

Nikon 3200

Nikon 5000

Nikon D800

And I am currently saving for a D5 (but not yet)

And there are probably a couple more in my long lost past - but for the life of me, I can't remember right now....Old Man.....

My first was a hand-me-down from my Dad, a Zeiss Ikon, circa 1952. A great way to learn, using a hand held meter, and developing and printing my own pictures in my darkroom, otherwise known as the laundry room. I still have that camera; I'll have to post a picture.

 

My first purchased camera was a Minolta SRT-101 (sold it).

 

Ken

Had a few Zeiss’ Over the years great cameras normally, my first medium format was one of their folders, must be around here somewhere

(y)

Had a few Zeiss’ Over the years great cameras normally, my first medium format was one of their folders, must be around here somewhere

My father was an good amateur photographer. We had some framed landscape and building photos hanging up. The rattlesnake never made it onto the wall...

I remember him having a pre-war Leica and there was an Ansco TLR. Not sure if it was his or my mother's. He took Christmas pics of us every year, lights, tripod, printer on the kitchen table...

When I was in 5th grade, the teacher had a shutterbug day, bring your (family) camera to school and take pictures. I don't know if I took the Ansco, but I may have already had my first camera just for that event: An Argus 75. Do they even make 620 film anymore? Years later, after high school, came the Argus C3.

I had some instamatics, including a couple of 110s. Then a Minolta Himatic S something. And an Olympus. In 1983 I bought a Pentax ME Super and stayed with Pentax through 2004 (Pentax ZX10) when I bought my first digital camera. By then I was no longer taking slides and did not want to carry around the weight of a DSLR, so my current camera is a Sony HX80. EM

Wow, someone else started with dad's Ziess Ikon...like me in the early 1960s when it was a game for me. In 1966 I got my own first real camera, a Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic with a 50mm lens. I added more lenses, pre-set ones because how could a beginning student afford automatic diaphrams? A year later I sold it all and moved to Nikon FtNs when I really got serious as a college junior and an idea of making a career out of being a picture taker..

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.