My First 35mm photos- 1968

While I had been taking a few photos with 120 and 127 box cameras I'd never taken a 35mm photo. The first 35mm that I owned was a Konica Auto S2 that I bought my senior year in high school. But back to 1968: West Point (my town) was to have a late morning homecoming parade but my dad, who was a linotype operator for the local newspaper was at work and the reporter had another assignment. He trusted me (11 years old at the time) to take his only 35mm camera (a Voigtlander Vitessa L) to cover the parade. He loaded it with Plus-X and preset the focus for the best results and preset the exposure for a sunny day. I found the negatives a few years and made some prints. I scanned the prints a while back so here are a few.

Miss Hospitality

No doubt scans from negatives would look better but at the moment I couldn't find them.

Miss Mississippi

I will post a photo of the camera later, which still works

another view of Miss Hospitality- her mother worked at the local paper in circulation

Miss West Point (some camera shake on this one)

It was a hot day and a little too much for some of the majorettes

One of several who fainted

I don't think the newspaper used any of the girls who fainted but my dad was impressed that I got pictures

I went to school with the younger sister of the girl whose back is to the camera

Thanks for sharing. Just reinforces my opinion that photography is for any age.

Wonderful stuff, Mike! It certainly takes one back to a great decade, possibly more innocent and wholesome. You obviously showed your talent as a photographer at a very early age!

Good work. Brings back memories of the time.

And here is a photo of the camera. Still works although the rangefinder is dim.

Somewhere I have the bill of sale for this camera.

Lovely old cameras; it looks as if this one has the very fine 50/2 Ultron lens. I have the same model, still working, thought the light meter is a bit erratic. Is the meter still functional on your copy, Mike?

Meter still responds, Rick, but it is off by a couple of stops. Of course, it only goes to ASA 200. I really must run some film through it soon. From time to time I do exercise the shutter.

Great shots, and flair for journalism!

My first 35mm film was in 1967, but I don't have the negatives from that one. That was in Yellowstone on my father's Leica If.

And yes, my earlier cameras used 127 and 120 film. I have some of the negatives from 120 film, but not so many of them.

 

I do have negatives back to 5th grade, in 1968 or 1969, on my father's Canon VI. I did a lot of yearbook photography

in 7th and 8th grade with that camera, too.

Thanks for the compliments, everyone. My first camera was a plastic 120 camera with the Windsor name on it it. From what I can find out it was essentially the same as a Diana. It took 16 square images on 120 film. I got mine in the 4th grade for 65 cents and 3 Popsicle coupons. The shutter eventually fell apart. Somewhere I think I have some scans of some prints from it. My 127 camera was branded Sears, but I later found out it was an Imperial Cubex. I got it about a year later. I think it was just under six dollars from Sears catalog. I still have this camera and have posted a few images from it from time to time.

My first was the 127 using Imperial Delta, I won (so they say) it from a camera store, presumably expecting to sell me film.

 

The 120 camera that I used was a Yashica TLR that was my parents. A fine camera, though without meter.

(I think my baby pictures were taken on it, until my father got the Canon VI when I was about one.)

 

There seem to be a lot of cameras that have rebranded Sears models. I have a Speedex, and also the Sears version.

Both aren't very good, but are interesting in that they can use either 120 or 620 film.

 

The Imperial Cubex IV is shown here: Imperial Camera: Cubex IV Price Guide: estimate a camera value