Are their any younger folks using vintage shooters?

[Andrew in Austin]

I work at a University and every so often I'm asked about one of my

cameras. I've noticed that there is more interest in my TLR than

either one of my folders or later Olympus range finders. The draw on

the TLR seems to be the viewing screen. Maybe it's the fact it is done

without a liquid crystal display.

 

Also, the fact that I'll have an enlargement or two posted near one of

my lab's entrances have drawn comments like, "did you really take that

photo with the antique camera?"

 

So, has anyone seen younger photographers using any of the vintage

cameras discussed on this board?

[octavio bustard]

Andrew: I'm a very old 45 y/o and grew up lusting after Nikon Fs, Rolleiflexes and Leicas. I'm currently at The Paris Photographic Institute, and students usually fall into 2 catagories 1) those firmly committed to digital who dont know what Leica or a Rollei even is, and couldnt care less and 2) those committed to silver processes as a reaction againt the digital onslaught; these folks very often are also very often attracted to the vintage stuff, especially old TLRs. My Rollei FX gets ALOT of attention from them, as do my Leicas.

[david_goldfarb]

How young is young? I'm 37, but I know a photographer in her late 20s/early 30s who regularly shoots with an older TLR (Yashicamat, if I remember correctly), Retina, FTb, and a few others of various vintages. She's interested in urban decay and rock bands. Before J&C made it possible to get East European films easily in the US, we used to order from fotoimpex.de together to save shipping.

[matt_needham]

I don't know what you mean by young, but I'm 35 and 90% of the photography I've done this year was with these cameras: Zeiss Ikonta C tessar, Ansco Titan 6x6, Graflex Anniversary Graphic, and a Rolleiflex 3.5E planar.

 

I find that people are very intrigued by the antique cameras. I hear "Can you still get film for that?" all the time, and very young kids often ask "When is this going to be on the news?" when they see me fiddling with the Speed Graphic on a tripod.

 

The craziest things that I hear is when I'm showing 16x20 prints from the 4x5, "Look at how sharp everything is, it must be digital."

[joey]

Hi Andrew,<br>

I shoot with a Yashicamat, and an RB Pro-S system (maybe not quite a "classic" camera, but still fairly old). Our photo department has a bunch of old 35mm SLRs around, including a Pentax H3v and a Leicaflex, which I use for doing copy work.<br><br>

 

I also use a Minolta Maxxum 7 and a nice set of lenses, but most of my best shots are from the medium format gear. I really enjoy the process of using the old mechanical cameras, you know? I always smile a bit when somebody sees a nice silver print from one of those 120 negs, and they say, "Oh, have you switched to digital yet? I've got this 3-megapixel blah blah blah and it can make 8x10 blah blah color AND black and white!"<br><bR>

 

When I get through college and into a career in photography, I'll be stepping into the large format world, and into a whole new league of classic cameras.

[Andrew in Austin]

Matt, I'm 50, so it I found it interesting when a young lady, 30 years younger than me, asked if I had to cock the shutter on my Rolleicord V. She definitely was aware of vintage hardware and was looking into getting a Mamiya TLR.

 

With regards to photos, another comment is, "Wow, I didn't think you could take a color photo with that camera."

[bacsa]

I just bought a yashica D tlr, adjusted the focussing a bit and shot a first "test" roll of 120 with it. I'm less than 27.

[douglas_green1]

One of my interests in this hobby is in turning younger photo students onto the quality of images they can get from Medium format gear. I have probably cleaned up and brought back to spec perhaps 10-12 TLRs, that I then sold to some budding students for under $100 (in some cases, as low as $30-40). It's always gratifying when one of these kids boasts to me how amazed they were that the quality of images they got from a 50 year-old $40 Ricohflex or a $60 Yashica Mat just blows out of the water the shots from their friends' brand new $500 digicams. Once these young people get to experience that, I know that they will be truly hooked on the hobby, and that they will realize that it is about the image, and the elements of lighting and composition that make the image, rather than about whizzy technology.

[lyle_gordon]

I'm 17 and I use a Nikkormat Ft2 although that isnt pre-1970 its older than I so I consider it antique. But I also use a Seagull M203 (chinese copy of a zeiss super ikonta IV), a Rolleiflex, and ive also played with a welta weltix, voightlander vitessa, and a Kodak VPK with 127 film that I found in my moms stuff from 1965.

 

My favorite is the vitessa everything works so nicely and the lens is great, I could never get my head around the rolleiflex; for MF I prefer the folder.

[connealy]

Nice thread, Andrew.

<br><br>

Great to see that people of all ages are receptive to working with the manual cameras and even using them as their primary shooters.

<br>   

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, one of the pleasures I get from this forum is that of discovering the work of people using the old cameras. It is disappointing to click on a name and find zero images posted on photo.net and no pointers to work on other sites. I also think pictures posted directly here also help a lot to liven up the discussion. (BTW, I do realize that some of the younger participants have no idea what a broken record sounds like, but I assume they'll get the idea after reading enough of my posts.)

[david_goldfarb]

(hmmm... "I sound like a CD player with a dirty lens" just doesn't have the same ring to it I guess...)

[arnabdas]

I still use a Pentax K1000, Yashika 635 TLR and a Kodak Retinette II (along with my standard 2 FM3A bodies).

 

30 years, am not quite young though ...

 

FWIW, I have bought, used and sold Nikon F80 and F90x bodies. did not like them.

[bj_bignell]

Andrew,

 

Just turned 23, and although my primary kit is a lack-luster Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 (with a very good meter!), my favorite camera is my Agfa Isolette (Ventura 66) 6x6 folding camera. I also have a Zeiss Ikon Contessa LKE.

 

BJ

[bj_bignell]

Oh yeah, and an ancient Sekonic light meter to match!

 

BJ

[jim h1664876971]

I am 40 and I often shoot on a Bessa II. So does shooting on a camera that was built

10 years before I was born count?

[jerry thirsty]

I'm 29 and have in my collection an Exakta Exa, Graflex Graphic View II, Kodak Monitor, and Super Ikonta 533/16. The Exa and the Monitor don't have very reliable shutters, so I use them rarely, but the other two see a decent amount of action. Mostly I use Pentax K series cameras though (K1000, KM, K2).

[sk_arts]

I am "over 18 and under 23" with a graflex B, Graflex Auto-something SLR

with a rare WWII-era color Jena, and a very cool, but equally inexpensive

Elmo Super 8 (metal body, looks like aluminum). I have owned a Bronica S,

Mamiya Press, Yashicamat 124G (early model), and would really like a

Plaubel Makina III, Rolleiflex S (i think, the one that has the hasselblad-style

body and tilt) the Bronica S2, The Polaroid 600 Press camera with graflock

back and that weird metallic green Minolta spy camera that took 16mm film on

a built-in spindle. I'd also like a hand cranked 35mm film camera, and one of

the high-end news media 8mm film cameras from the 1960's from Canon.

 

That would be, ofcourse, about $20,000 worth of toys...

[r s]

36 years old (young?).

<br><br>

I predominantly use my Hasselblad 500c/m but also use the Olympus 35SP a lot (oh, and sometimes my wife lets me borrow her Olympus OM-2n).

<br><br>

Also use an XA but that's post-1970 :-)

<br><br>

The camera shelf today counts...11 cameras (terribly embarassing but most are my wifes :-)). <br>None of them made within the last 10 years.

[taffer]

Hey !

 

I'm "only" 26 !!! In fact 27 on Oct. 11th, and although sometimes I feel a bit out of place between younger people, I still don't consider myself an "old" folk, isn't it ? ;)

 

And... know what? I use to shoot with Minolta SRT equipment, Rolleicord Va, FED-2 or Zorki-3M... well, they can be considered as classics, yeah ? Also, I always like to keep an eye on classic camera forums and websites, and without doubt, they are becoming my cup of tea!

 

So here you have a young amateur photog. that enjoys shooting with these vintage machines, and believe me, I enjoy it a lot !

 

A friend of mine also uses a Minolta SR-7 we gave him on his birthday, but apart from this, I think I've never seen another classic camera on a young's hands... a bit sad... but this is the way things are...

[marc_alberts2]

I'm 34, so I'm not university student young, but I probably do about 98% of my photography with my Linhof Technika IV, a Rollei TLR, or a Russian Leica threadmount copy. Mostly the first two, because of the beautiful chromes they make ;-)

 

When I took an advanced development class a few years ago, there were more than a few people who thought I was a freak because I brought in 120. After seeing my 6x6 images hanging next to their 35mm images, within the next two weeks, half the class was on medium format.

 

I'm not a luddite by any means (my little 4mp digital takes great snapshots, for when I just want something to post on the web or want to show someone right there as I'm talking to them), but I think that there's a lot of push by the manufacturers into digital for applications that are much better suited to film.

[david_blackett]

Andrew,

 

I agree with Mike, this is a great thread. While at 48 I still consider myself not old, but obviously I'm not young anymore either. I've been using my classic speedex jr. since before it was classic. The only new camera I've ever owned, a pentax mx I bought when I went to photography school because I thought I would be out of place if I didn't have new equipment. (actually I bought a Diana camera new also, but I think most people would say that doesn't count)

 

My eighteen year old daughter is an art major in her second year at college. She told me she has to take a photo course and that she would need a camera. I thought oh no, here comes the "Dad I need a $1000.00 digital camera outfit" request. Much to my surprise she wanted to know if she could use my Speedex jr. if she were extra careful.

 

So I think there are young people out there who do appreciate the classics.

[robert_macdonald]

Hi,

 

Well I just turned 19 last week and have been shooting on older cameras since April. I started with a Rollieflex Automat X I bought on ebay after having used a modern Minolta Maxxum. I felt the auto everything was like cheating and as they say the best way to learn is through trail and error. Shortly after getting the Rollei, I got the rangefinder bug, but alas couldn't afford a Leica so I settled for a Russian Fed 5B instead, while working for a local paper during the summer I would shoot on the office digital camera (they insisted on that) and the Rollie (which I got many odd looks from). At the office I caught a glance at an old Minolta X-GM, which when I offered to buy my editor said "nobody uses that any more you can have it" and I was also told to help my self to the darkroom, where I got a few tins of Tri-X and Plus-X and two boxes of photo paper, quite a bargain.

Anyway after saving up money over the summer I was finally able to afford the Leica which ended up being a IIIa which I am waiting to get in the mail. I love older cameras because I find they allow you to take your time and compose the shot, rather then just mindlessly snapping ala digital, and the results are always more satisfying when you develop and print yourself, and you know that it was you who made the picture look like it does not a computer. As you can tell i'm naot a big fan of digital.

 

Thanks

[cony_dowen]

I'm 47, so I guess my answer does not count here (please, someone tell me 47 is not old...). While I have great difficulty to interest my own 16 year old son for photography (I bought him a Nikkormat FT2 that hardly gets any use), the owner of a local camera shop claims that he often sells Kodak or Agfa box cameras for 2.00 to 4.00 USD to very young people - 14 to 18 year olds. He even has one of his shop windows dedicated to all sorts of 'classics' and these all seem to sell quite regularly. Even if these young people primarly buy those old and cheap cameras for the 'funny' results (vignetting, softness and so on) it may spark a continuing inerest in them. And it helps exposing (no pun intended) the classics to an even wider public. OTOH I must admit sometimes feeling pretty uncomfortable when I see how other people stare at me while I'm using my Retina IIc or Agfa Isolette. They stare at me -not so much at the camera- so what must they be thinking... ?

[jsbc]

yes, but I am afraid to see a $2 - $4 price tag on my classics...

 

I'd rather donate them!

[matt_needham]

Conny Duwez wrote "I must admit sometimes feeling pretty uncomfortable when I see how other people stare at me while I'm using my Retina IIc or Agfa Isolette. They stare at me -not so much at the camera- so what must they be thinking... ?"

 

I find that people seem to lighten up when they see an old bellows camera pointing at them. Maybe they figure I'm just goofing around and the pics won't come out anyway, but it's a much different (and more photogenic) reaction than when I've got them in the sites of a modern 28-200 zoom on a humming plastic 35mm SLR.

 

There is a HUGE difference when I'm using a TLR. The ease of sustained eye contact with the subject has done more than anything to improve my portraits.

 

I also pick up "groupies" when I'm out shooting with vintage cams. Middle aged and older men will begin following me around telling nostalgic stories of cameras in their lives. "My dad had one of those." "I carried a camera like that all through Europe in WWII."