What was your first camera?

Roger Ramjet

Roger Ramjet

Messages
177
Edit My Images
Yes
As a child of the 70s, my first camera was a 126 cartridge type camera. It was a Boots the Chemist own brand model, fixed focus of course. I've been googling but to no avail, I can't find any pictures of it and I can't remember the model name but I have a feeling it had 126 in the name. Tragically I've lost it somewhere along the way, I wish I still had it though :'(

For what it was - a cheap own brand camera - the pictures were cracking. It got me clicking away enthusiastically and I remember getting a special prize in assembly at Junior school for my pictures of a school trip. Those big chunky 126 film cartridges were a good system I reckon!

Ah... memories...! :lol:

So what was your first camera and what in particular do you remember it for?
 
first camera I took photos with was my Dad's Box Brownie, IIRC it used 120mm film.
My first camera that I bought, was a Zorki4 rangefinder camera, no metering, I used a Westonmaster 5 light meter. I got some good shots out of that. Strangely I can still remember the smell of the leather ever ready case and the stink of the chemicals from when I used to do my own B&W processing in the bathroom.
 
my dad's old early 80s Canon 35mm SLR camera, that my mum had bought and given to him as an xmas pressie along with two lenses (i think something like 24-105mm and another, cant remember!). He loaned it to me (on a permanent loan!) when I was about 13 and I kept it until I as 15... funny thing was I never really had much interest in photography then.
Then I had a mix of point-and-shoots, Fuji Finepix, etc. until I was about 17, which then I got my first DSLR- the Canon Rebel XT (aka 350D)!...only reason I bought it was for getting decent product photography shots for my web business...that's what got me on the photography road :)!
 
The first camera I remember having was an old film camera bought from Boots. One of those long rectangular things, Boots own brand. It had a lovely metal wrist strap too.
 
I suppose technically my first camera was made out of Lego when I was three, but I guess that doesn't count. I swapped a Slade badge for a Kodak 126 camera when I was about six but my mum made me swap it back. The first camera I owned was big lump of Polaroid plastic, it was dreadful but it was what I wanted at the time. I had a 110 camera through my early teens until I received a Canon AE-1 for my 14th birthday...then I was really hooked. :)
 
I was given a kodak instalmatic 126 for my birthday back in the late 60s or early 70s and a box of magicubes flash cubes :lol: How times change.
 
My first camer was a 110 format which opened up in a sliding type of motion. If I remember it was called a Prinzmatic. My first SLR was a Zenith EM.
 
Ajophotog said:
I was given a kodak instalmatic 126 for my birthday back in the late 60s or early 70s and a box of magicubes flash cubes :lol: How times change.
Click to expand...

didn't those flash cubes rotate to bring a new one in play, or has my memory finally given up.
 
my dad gave me this handmedown when i was about 12

zenit-e-bw.jpg
 
I'm with Alby... though late 60's is pushing it for me at my tender age ;)

Mine was just like this...

056.jpg


...and yes, the flashes rotated. They had a little metal pin that you could flick up when the flash was off the camera, to fire them off. Not advisable though as they often melted the plastic! :D
 
My Grandad let me have his Fujica ST605 SLR, and I still have it (and even use it now and again) to this day.

My E-420 is the first 'real' digi I've had, with a string of unimpressive cheapo no-namer ones before it.
 
Not sure what it was, but possibly the same as Fabs. All I rememebr was it was Kodak, took 110 cartridge film, and the handle folded over to create a handle in a '7' kind of shape. I remember my mum buying it for me to take on a school trip to the Farnborough airshow!! Had a play for a bit with my Dad's Canon AE1, but my own first SLR was a Cosina CT1, which my dad bought me. I still have my dad's AE1 in a cupboard somewhere. He asked me if I wanted it about a year ago, when he was clearing out some stuff. Not sure how good a condition it is. The foam(?) seals between the lens and the body seem to be perishing.
 
Some Olympus P&S 4MP digital, then a 350D.
 
First ever camera was a 110 Boots own brand one. Fist proper camera though was a second hand AE-1 with that excellent 50mm lens. I wish I still had it :(
 
My first camera was an ancient Brownie box camera that my dad gave me in the late 60's. He was buying a Yashica Electro 35.

After using various cameras that belonged to other family members, my next one was a Kodak Ektra 12EF that I used for years - it took 110 film and the cover folded out to act as a handle.

1752.JPG


I then went for (almost 20) years without a camera until I impulsively bought a Fuji F420 at Schipol in 2004, not realising that photography would take over my life.
 
I know I used to play with an old box brownie, but there was no film in it!!

I had an instamatic that I got rid of last year (on here) amd I know I must have had another film one because I have got both rectangular and square (square being the instamatic) pictures in my drawer, but I cannot remember the other camera!!
Ater those I got a p&s which was removed by person or persons unknown, hence me being bought the 40D
 
Oooh.... lots of memories coming back on this thread :D the first camera I actually owned was a Zorki 4 and remember being well impressed with the shutter speed 1/8000 I always remember a helicopter shot I took that frose the blades in mid air :lol: but my dad had the Zenit E and I was very jeolous :lol: because it was an SLR :D I also remember the magicubes and an instamatic, but can't remember why :D I also remember drooling over some Practika in Dixons as well :lol:
 
My first camera was a Sony DSC-P32 which was a 3.2meg camera with no zoom :eek:
Still i liked it at the time and i even have one of the photos i took with it on my Flickr now :D kept image size down here as didn't want turn it into a photo thread.

3122286971_45a49caa05_m.jpg
 
My first camera was a brand new 1980 Zenit EM, the one with the Moscow Olympics logo on it, serial number 79047093, which iirc cost about £45 which was a lot of weeks' pocket money :lol:


Edit....

and here it is...fresh from quarter of a century up in my parent's attic :lol:

3181455074_62e6aac616.jpg
 
Mine was a Brownie 127 Model 3. It took 12 pics to a roll and always produced soft pictures.
 
My 1st proper camera was a Zenith 12xp. Built in Russia like a tank, I loved it....
 
This was my first one.

Brownie.jpg
[/IMG]

I remember my uncle having the original box brownie and my dad had this one. When he got an Ilford Sportsman he gave me this one. I was four and totally hooked. I used to play out in the garden with my camera with no film in it. You could call it composition practice. :)
 
When young had various cartridge/110 type pocket cameras,tried 1 Polaroid and was hugely dissapointed with it..
First SLR camera was my trusty old Pentax A3.
Wish id kept it for old times sake! ;)
 
Ajophotog said:
I was given a kodak instalmatic 126 for my birthday back in the late 60s or early 70s and a box of magicubes flash cubes :lol: How times change.
Click to expand...

Me too :lol: I still have mine upstairs in it's "never ready" case... no magicubes though.
 
The first camera I used was an Olympus Trip 35

trip35.gif


I first took photographs of the fish i caught as a teenager
 
My first camera was a Kodak Ektra 110 jobbie. OK, i wasn't very old then.
Next camera that I actually used was an old 120 Voigltander Bessa 66 - i wish I still had that one now!
Next up, practika mtl5 35mm with a 50mm and a 135mm lens (No zoom)
Then Canon EOS 1000 with 35-135mm, followes shortly by an EOS 650kit I bought from a retiring wedding tog
First DSLR 10D
 
Roger Ramjet said:
Oh yes, the magicubes! Weren't they crazy...!! All that tiny filament wire :lol:
Click to expand...

:lol: Oh yeah, I remember those, four on one cube or something, they turned around when used didn't they? .... just had to waste a few to see all that molten glowing wire and glass aferwards .... and then a clip round the ear from my dad for wasting them all. :D

I think they where more expencive than the film, wheren't they. :lol:

A 120 folding box brownie was my first, I've still got loads of huge washed out negs containing Friesian cows ... My first proper camera that came years later after a few instamatics, was the a Zenit, just like the one pictured above, super modern with inbuilt light meter if I remember right
 
My first camera I think was a 'Halina' it would been in the mid sixites, might have taken 120 roll film (not sure) the prints were square for sure.
First memories of using it were at a cousins wedding.

Later I had a 126 Kodak cartridge camera.
Had a Zenith 35 mm and a Canonet Rangefiner.
Progressed to a Minolta SRT 101, then moved onto Olympus OM 40
Work allowed me access to Bronica and Hassleblad and Nikon

Up to date now and I'm a Canon user.


Kelvin
 
My 1st was a Praktica LTL, with a Tessar 50mm. I then added a 135/2.8 and a 3x (yes, 3x) converter.

Upgraded that to an MTL5b, and added a Vivitar 80-200/4.5. Used this for a few years, before getting a Nikon F601 with a Sigma 35-70 (Both of which i still have, but the sigma is a bit screwed)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top