What was your FIRST 35mm camera?

[fred_sun1]

Mine was a Zenit E, a clunky Russian SLR that had a manually reset film counter, knob film rewind, shutter speed dial that had to be pulled up and set, speeds from 1/500 - 1/30 and B, manual stop down aperture Industar lens... fun features found on screwmount and early M Leica cameras. I am very comfortable using an M2 now largely because of that initial experience with the Zenit.

[doug_landrum]

My first camera was a Brownie Starmite, but I really wanted a Leica.

My Dad had a IIIa that he later traded for a DS M3. He also has a

Rollei MX-EVS TLR. He never let me borrow the M3, but I had free

reign of the Rollei. Of course I did not know what a gem I had - I

wanted a proper 35mm camera. My parents bought me a Canon FX with a

50mm f/1.8 a good SLR with a 1/500 top speed and external meter. I

really craved a Cannon FT-QL. I traded the FX for the FT - a great

camera. The FT died in a plunge into the Caribbean and was replaced

by the AE-1 - a dreadful camera. I lost interest in photography.

Interest was rekindled by trading the AE-1 for a T90 - one best SLR's

that I have owned. Then I bought a M6. I did not get bitten by the

M bug until later. When Canon went autofocus - I traded all Canon

gear for a R6 and a 50mm 'cron. Later I added more lenses from 19mm

to 400mm and a R7. Then my Dad gave me the old Rollei - I love that

camera. A year ago my Dad gave me his M3 and lenses. After a CLA by

Sherry Krauter - I am bitten by the M bug and the M3 is my go-to

camera. I am trying to hone my skills guessing exposures with Fuji

NPH and Ilford XP2 until my house remodel is over and I can recover

my packed darkroom and Coolscan IV.

[richard baznik]

My father's IIf. Still have it.

[fran__ois_p._weill]

Hi all,

 

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Something you'd probably never heard of (at least in the US):

 

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A "baby Lynx" made in French Morocco in the early 50's with a

Prontor 1/300th of a second leaf shutter and a collapsible f/3.5

lens (it was in fact my mother's one).

 

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No meter, no rangefinder, no automatic reset to frame 0 on the

counter... Not even an engraved DOF table on the lens...

 

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Good school but I went fast to borrow my mother's other camera a

Czech built Meopta Flexaret III A (I still have it and it properly

works), one the Rolleiflex TLR copies produced during the fifties.

 

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Amazingly, the Meopta built lens was compared to a Planar 80mm from

the Hasselbald C of one of her friend and found of equal if not

better quality... However the ergonomics of this camera were poor...

 

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Friendly.

 

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François P. WEILL

[albert knapp md]

My father bought me a Nikon F photomic back in 1964 and I

loved it.

[gee-bug]

Nikon FM + 50mm F1.8 Series E Nikon lens when I was 12 years old.

Bought it with money earned from mowing lawns.

[adam_lang1]

An Exa with Zeiss tessar lens, still have it.

[todd frederick]

A Kodak Pony. Bought at a pawn shop for $2.

[tony_triolo]

My first camera was a Nikkormat Ftn. I got it at the Camera Barn

in NYC. My dad knew the owner and I think I might have gotten a

price break. I was dating my future wife at the time and called

her to tell her the great news. "Guess what I bought today when I

was in the "city"? I asked her. She gave up after a couple of

wrong guesses. When I finally told her that I had bought this

new fancy camera, I didn't get the sense that she particularly

sharred my enthusiam. It wasn't until years later after we were

married that she told me that she was secretly hoping I had

bought an engagement ring, not some dumb camera.

[chris_henry]

Canon GIII-17QL.

[david_killick]

Kelly, didn't have my telescope with me. Your girlfriend looks fun to

go falling with. Hope you didn't land in hot water. If you come to the

South Island you can try bungee jumping.

[david_killick]

Novel looking climbing boots.

[ray_moth]

Halina Paulette (briefly), followed by Yashica Minister II. The

former was a PoS (Piece of Sh*t). The latter had a parallax corrected

rangefinder, which I found very easy to use and which prepared me for

Leica M.

[james_elwing]

My wife at he time thrilled me with a D/W M3 & Summarit standard lens

which I borrowed but was scared of damaging or losing.

I bought a Russian Zenith 3M SLR with Leica shaped body, LTM lenses,

58mm f2 & hand held meter, then searched all round England in

Exchange & Mart for cheap accessories. It was great, with a plain

matt screen & out of whack focussing on lens and camera, which I

disassembled & taught me a lot.

Great pictures; I sold it when I got into better cameras, & bought it

back in a boxed lot at auction when the new owner died.

The lens has recently begun dying from the edges in; sad

[beaugrand]

My very first camera was actually my mother's Kodak Duaflex. It used 620 roll film. Somehow I had become the family photographer (read that: didn't run away fast enough when we reached a destination...) so I became aquainted with medium format roll film cameras... my first, very first, bought for me brand new, was a Kodak Instamatic 104 (disdained by "real" photographers, I always enjoyed it, especially the loading and unloading bit- didn't have to duck into a dark restroom in some out-of-the-way truck stop to change film...) my next camera was a Kodak Bantam Special. I really loved the cute little folder, but economics and an unreasonable photo instructor dictated that I trade the beloved Kodak (since my heart bleeds so, I'm calling it my first 35mm, so there.) for a Minolta Autocord cds. Years later, I traded the Minolta for a Sears rangefinder 35mm (made by Ricoh I think.) This was traded (along with some cash) for a Minolta SRT 101, which was when I discovered interchangeable lenses... I lusted for (still do) a Canon A1, but eventually settled for a Sears KSX (made by Ricoh) outfit (came with 35mm wide-angle, 50mm "regular," 135mm tele, an assortment of filters and other goodies in a nice leather bag..)

Along the way I've collected an assortment (um, about 25-30) of Argus C3 "Bricks," a Kalimar K90 SLR, (terrific, underrated camera) several Polaroid SX70s, an Argoflex M, Agfa Optima, Kodak Retinette 1A, Minolta A5, Kodak Retina 1, Canon Canonet GIII 1.7, Honeywell Pentax SP500, ViogtlanderCLR, Argus A-four, Minolta HiMatic 7s, a drawer full of 110 cheapies, and I usually have a "disposable" 35mm camera in the glovebox of my car... just in case.

Mostly I shoot B&W with one of my Argus "Bricks," color with the K90. Still miss that Bantam Special...<div></div>