Your first camera...

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piperbarb

Senior Member
I wasn't sure where to post this thread, but figured this category was a good as any other.

What was your first camera, and how old were you?

My first one was one of those "spy cameras" you could purchase via mail order from one of those ads in the back of comic books. They cost a couple of dollars (US) and used 16mm film. I must have been about 8 years old when ordered mine. The photos were lousy. All out of focus. That may have also been operator error. My father thought it was hysterical after it arrived in the mail. He was a tried and true Leica user but did not discourage me because, at least I was interested in photography.

Here is a photo of one similar to what I bought:
mbaciu_2205_78575281

Photo copied from Midget Toy Spy Camera (1960s)
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
I was given a Kodak 110 and I took it everywhere with me. My parents were always perplexed why my photos never had people in them. :D
 
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Alan

Senior Member
My first SLR was a Mamiya/Sekor 1000DTL. I get it in 1968 when I was still in High School. The next year I bought a Yashica Mat 124G TLR just to learn the larger format and also kept Plus-X in that and Kodachrome in the SLR.
 
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Ruidoso Bill

Senior Member
I started in 1969-70 while stationed in Turkey, that year I bought 3 cameras, Pentax H1a, Pentax H3v and Mamiya C330 (larger 2 1/4 negatives for the darkroom). Still have the Pentax cameras, don't know what happened to the Mamiya. First digital was a Kodak DC 210 in 1984 which I gave my Grandson last year, $900 for 1 mp. I have been buying camera equipment on a regular basis for over 40 years, sheeesh I need to get a life.
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
I remember getting my first camera when I was about 8 years old back in 1955. It was a Brownie my mother had, and she gave it to me for my 8th birthday.
I also remember having a 110 camera, but I can't remember when that was.
Then it was in the early 70's that I got my first SLR camera....a Pentax K1000. Loved that camera. It was a real workhorse! I sold it to my sister in law about 25 years ago. It still works.
Then it was onto my first digital, and it was less than 1 MP...lol....made by Polaroid (can't remember the name of it) and it sucked the battery something fierce! lol I sold it for $50.
And now to this century, my trusty D200 and it's little sibling the D40 as backup. Who knows what the future will bring! I'm hoping for a D300 someday. :)
 
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Rick M

Senior Member
I started out with a box Brownie and moved up to an Argus 120mm twin lens. My first modern 35mm was a Pentax K1000 which was a Christmas present as a teenager.
 
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Ruidoso Bill

Senior Member
fotojack said:
Then it was in the early 70's that I got my first SLR camera....a Pentax K1000. Loved that camera. It was a real workhorse! I sold it to my sister in law about 25 years ago. It still works. :)
Click to expand...

K1000 and Spotmatic, didn't they both have built in meters? Mine were the older models, thought I was cool when I got a light meter that fit on the flash shoe. lol
 
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piperbarb

Senior Member
When I was in my teens, my father let me use his cameras, grudgingly, though. While in college, I bought a Pentax K1000, a slew of lenses, then a Pentax K2DMD. By the time I was in graduate school, I started picking up Nikons, the first being a Nikon F w/ metered pentaprism and matched motor drive (bought used). It helped that I worked in a camera shop where I got to play with all the cameras they had.

I was the one who got my father into Nikons. He still had his Leicas but had to admit that he liked the ease of use and lens quality of Nikon. He got the F4 when it first came out and a bunch of lenses. I'm still using most of those lenses.
 
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piperbarb

Senior Member
WJYPhoto said:
K1000 and Spotmatic, didn't they both have built in meters? Mine were the older models, thought I was cool when I got a light meter that fit on the flash shoe. lol
Click to expand...
Yes, they both did. The K1000 had the bayonet mount, while the Spotmatic (at least the earlier ones) had the screw mount lenses.
 
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Eye-level

Banned
Alan said:
My first SLR was a Mamiya/Sekor 1000DTL. I get it in 1968 when I was still in High School. The next year I bought a Yashica Mat 124G TLR just to learn the larger format and also kept Plus-X in that and Kodachrome in the SLR.
Click to expand...
Hey I have an old broke Mamiya/Sekor 1000 in my spare bedroom right now...no Kodachrome however...mama took it away! :)

My first camera was a Spiderman camera...my first Nikon was an EM with a 50/1.8 E...first SLR that I had Zeiss Contaflex.
 
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Ironwood

Senior Member
The first camera that I was allowed to use.

1st camera.jpg


The second camera I ever used. I was given this one 2nd hand by my Mum when I was in year 4 at school, my teacher had a darkroom set up at school, he took a few of us under his wing and taught us how to take photos, develop the film, and print the B&W photos, I still have them somewhere.

2nd camera.jpg


The next camera, I bought for myself when I got a job. Now this was a real camera, and took good photos.

3rd camera.jpg


Then my next one was an SLR, a Nikon FG. I can't take a photo of this one as it was stolen in my backpacking days, while I was staying in a seedy part of town.
 
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Sambr

Senior Member
Kodak "instamatic" then years later 1977 a Nikon FE, then a Nikon 601, in the USA it was called 6006. In 2005 bought my first digital an "HP point n shoot" Later in 2007 a Nikon D80, same year D200, 2008 D300 & D700. In 2011 D7000 in 2012 D3s then the D800 and D4. I am done. Now I have my eye on long glass 500mm F4 no more bodies. I still have all with the exception of the D80 & D300(sold) the D3s was destroyed, hence the D4.
 
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