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What was your first real camera?


sw12dz

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<p>In my last post, "More camera porn", a couple of people used the phrase, "my first real camera". So, what was your first real camera? Mine was a Konica Auto S2 purchased in 1966 when I started taking a photography class in high school. I still have it and use it on occasion. It retains its rightful place as the centrepiece of my collection.</p>
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<p>In the mid 1950's, when I was 10 years old, I earned my first real camera by completing my first "paying" photographic assignment.</p>

<p>A neighbor from England had never seen a racoon, and wanted some pictures of them to take home. Believe it or not, this kindly neighbor lent me his shiny new Exacta VXIIa with a 50mm Biotar for the assignment, and promised to give me his old 6x9 Zeiss (Ikonta A, I think) if I could get some good shots of raccoons. I got the raccoon shots, received the Zeiss “in payment” and learned serious photography on it.</p>

<p>After that camera, I had a succession of other cameras, but until I got a Nikon F (original model with pentaprism & 50f2 Nikkor) around 1965, the others paled in comparison to that great old Zeiss.</p>

<p>Tom M<br /> Washington, DC</p>

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<p>The first one that I really used a heck of a lot was a 1970 Canon F-1 (original) with an FD 50mm 1.4 lens kit. Cost about 250.00 in the military exchhange on Guam. I almost immediately bought a 100mm FD F 2.8 and later a 28mm F 2.8. While on a stopover in Hong Kong I bought an MF motor drive and a wonderful prismatic Speed Finder. A formidable bodybuilding hunk of gear when it all came together---wowzer. And quite beautiful with its black enamel finish, ball bearing winder, replaceable finders, and little stainless bushings inside the strap lugs detailing...<br>

I have all the FD lenses still -they are great and may induce me to get a micro four thirds body to fit them to. Finally sold the F-1 camera body at a consignment shop here, as I moved on to engage the Canon T90. I have two So why did I go and buy an Olympus E-1 for my first DSLR , mates,still not sure, but I guess I had no EOS lenses to employ..never went for AF after the FD-EOS lens mount shift. T-90 is and was awesome design.</p>

<p>I had flirted with other cameras earlier on in schooldays, like the Universal Mercury II and the Rollei S 26...but the Canon F-1 stole my heart; at least got me shooting whole hog. Thus is synopsis of one camera love story:-) gs</p>

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<p>A used Pentax Spotmatic. It had a dead meter but it was a good camera to learn Sunny 16 with. In the mid 70's, while in the Army, I got really got turned on to photography and the Canon FD system. I don't remember what ever happened to that Pentax, but I remember thinking that the screw mount was so last decade. I loved the Canon's and they continue to be my primary film MF SLR system. However, to this day, I still use Sunny 16 and I credit that broken Pentax for helping me develop that skill.</p>
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<p>Canon AE-1 with the 50 mm 1.8 SC. I bought it new in about 1974. The AE-1 malfunctioned after a while with a wierd electronic problem, where every third picture was underexposed. I had it repaired and after that it was fine. I traded it in when I bought the Canon A-1 later, which was a much better camera for me. The final camera with FD mount for me was a Canon T-70. I didn't like Canon completely abandoning the FD mount over night and coverted to Nikon from then on.</p>
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<p>Kokak Signet 35. My father's Diax was the family camera for as long as I can remember. When I was around 14, a neighbour had a yard sale and the price tag on this was $4.00. I couldn't resist getting a mechanical camera, just like dad. It took me a large number of years to realize that it had a rangefinder (and what a rangefinder was). It also took a good shutter cleaning and adjusting of the rangefinder. Once it was tuned up, I was impressed by just how nice that little Ektar lens is. I still use it.</p>
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<p>My first real camera (not counting the Diana I bought for .99 when I was in the third grade) was a Ricoh 500G I received for Christmas when I was 13. I was a bit disappointed at first, because I had wanted a Rollei 35, but the camera turned out to take amazing pictures. A few years later I bought a Rollei 35 with money I had saved from mowing lawns. Shortly after that, though, I had to trade to Rollei in on a used Nikkormat, as I was taking a photography course and the teacher insisted I have an SLR. In retrospect, the Rollei would have worked out fine for the course. </p>
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<p>My uncle was a professional cameraman/photographer, he used to work for state television. I borrowed Yashica Electro for out of city trip. This was 1995 and I knew nothing at all about photography. I just 'tried' to grasp some basic concepts and operations but frankly speaking didn't get concrete. My own real camera was F70D which I bought in 2000 from Henry's Toronto.</p>
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