What was your first camera?

My first camera was one of those long thin 110 cameras with the fold over handle.
 
I remember when I was about 8 yrs old, my sister and I were each bought a plastic Kodak camera (35mm) from a market stall whilst on holiday in Great Yarmouth. The flash for the camera were a square cube which you inserted onto the camera. IIRC. they rotated and each cube had a maximum of 4 flashes. Not sure of the model or anything, but I remember being as pleased as punch with it.
 
First camera was a 2 1/4" square Coronet, replaced with a newer Kodak version that could shoot colour film a bit later, then got my first 35mm a Halina 35X when I was 14. That served for many years until replaced with an Olympus OM1n, before my first DSLR a 350D
 
jockwav said:
My first serious type camera was the olympus OM10 35mm,loved it.:)
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I used to use my Dad's OM10 when he went digital. It was a lovely camera.

My first would have been a Kodak Instamatic that used to be my Mother's. It produced the kind of image people are deliberatly trying to make using apps like Hipstamatic now. Might have to check if it's still around.

Other cameras of note were a tiny Hanimex (sp?) 110, where the film cartridge was bigger than the camera. (That's in a drawer at home still), a 35mm compact that I remember being really chuffed with aged about 10. I remember my Grandad had bought a top of the range Olympus compact with - get this - "autofocus" and I was telling him that mine had autofocus too (which it did in it's own way - it was constantly focussed to infinity :D ). Next was a Praktica 35mm compact with really fancy features like a powered zoom, proper autofocus and powered advance/rewind. Went digital with a 3mp Fuji Finepix, which died when it fell of a shelf and started producing warped psychedelic images. Replaced with a Canon Powershot A550, which influenced my decision to go Canon with my first DSLR last year (350D). Now got that and a Lomo Fisheye2.
 
dinners said:
My first camera was one of those long thin 110 cameras with the fold over handle.
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Mine too.. god I feel old now.

I remember a family holiday snapping away with my sister on our 110's then turning round and thinking what the hell is grandad doing holding a box down in front of him.. I still think that's in the family ill have to seek it out I'd love to have a play around with it.
 
Speaking of 110 cameras...


Instamatic 200 by The Big Yin, on Flickr

complete with a Technicolour (yeah right!) film that needs processing (with envelope to send it off to!), and the "anti-redeye" device for the flash - that black sticky thing that lifted the magicube 3 inches above the lens to try and minimise flash-back :LOL:
 
I had a couple of unmemorable 127 cartridge film cameras in the late 60s before my first SLR in 1971 - a Zenith B. I still have it.

My first digital was a Casio QV7000 in 1998. A 1mp thing that cost me £650. It had a massive swivel screen and I loved it. In recent years I had a nostalgia surge and found one on ebay for £40. The referesh rate of the screen is so slow I swear I could draw the scene quicker. A 512mb CF card cost well in to 3 figures.
 
First camera was a Voigtlander Vitorette that belonged to my Uncle.
First SLR was Minolta SRT101
Also had a polaroid and loved it for its instant fun
First digital was a little Fuji thing
 
Jelster said:
Kodak 110 thingy....

My first SLR was a Praktica (MTL3 I think)

Steve
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My 1st was also the MTL 3 manual everything with the little dial for the metering - I remember being totally confused as to what the hell to do with it
fortunatly my former neighbour was a keen macro photgrapher and he helped me no end learning metering - when your paying to buy and process film it quickly becomes expensive when 90% are going in the bin

also had one of your 'Kodak 110 thingy' :LOL: plus some other cheap and nasty Boots cameras

but when I got the Praktica the difference in quality was like night V Day and was pretty much hooked that was around the mid 80's
 
My first experiences of using a camera would have been using my uncle's Olympus 35mm half-frame. My mother had a Kodak 126 whereby you selected the appropriate weather symbols on the lens but she was reluctant to let me use it too much as I was around 7 or 8 years old at the time. I did eventually get a 110 camera for Christmas, a very basic camera to say the least which had no exposure control whatsoever (not even weather symbols). It only had an on/off switch for the built-in flash and I don't even know what make it was other than it was bought in Dixons.

My first SLR was a Pentax MX when I was about 17. A solid manual-only mechanical camera which I had for years before I eventually changed over to Nikon gear, which I still use to this day.
 
My first was a Praktica 35mm film SLR (can't remember the model). Manual everything.
The metering was judged by a needle that bounced up and down at the side of the viewfinder, when the needle was horizontal the metering was correct .... sort of ;)

It was whilst I had this camera that I learnt to process my own BW film, which helped overcome mine and the camera's metering mistakes :D
 
I can't remember the name of my first "serious" camera other than it was Italian and bought from Boots in approximately 1958, the one I do remember however was a Japanese Taron rangefinder camera which had supplementary wide angle and telephoto lenses and an extra viewfinder which slotted into the flash holder when using either of the lenses. This was approximatley 1960 and cost £39/11/00,(£39.95) I suppose at the time I was earning about £12.00 per week, so considering what my last weekly earnings was before I retired was about £500, I ought to be able to afford a £2000 camera now, but it doesn't work like that does it because I was single then.
 
My dad let me use his Brownie 127 when I was in my teens. I don't remember having much luck with it.

My first was a Zenit EM which I quite enjoyed and took what I thought were some good pictures .... and after that work took over ..... :crying:
 
My first camera was (and still is) 30D. Still use it and can't justify getting new one as it does everything I ask from it. :)

Oldest camera I have is Kodak Retina (still working) that my grandparents gave me. :)
 
OM1n + 2.5(!) fps winder (only bought it because I wanted a wired remote). Still got both, but the foams gone on the back. Bought with my first pay check.
 
Thanks TBY. I keep meaning to, but I'm far too lazy to shoot film. :D
 
A Brownie 127 and it cost £1 and 5p in old money, how do I remember the price? because I saved my pocket money of 6 pence (old money) a week and it took ages. But was I so proud to be an owner of such a popular camera.

year around mid1950's

Realspeed
 
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Stand corrected MisterE, its old age that makes one forget the old coinage

Realspeed
 
manxmaid

my second camera is a Voitlander VitoCL and still have it and its like new,even the clockwork timer is as good as new, only took about 6 rolls of film with it. Also have a Rollie flash for it again like new. Thought about selling them but would not get that much for them both. So both have been laid up for 44 years . There is a little dust between the lenses which would need cleaning but thats all.
Both now have more sentimental value than actual money worth so keeping them.


Realspeed
 
1st camera a "snappy" bought for me by my parents in Woolworths circa 1960 (aged 5 years, me not the camera!), 1st SLR a Practika LTL2 21st birthday present, don't own either now but I think I still have some shots taken with both somewhere?
 
Mine was a flip handle 110 type thingy.
I then moved on to the Praktica BC1 which I still have up in the loft!!
 
I've been given an old slr years ago when I was 16. I can't remember the brand anymore. But my first DSLR was a D80.
 
Ilford Sprite. Small plastic thing that took 127 film - I think. First DSLR was an Olympus E-500. Lovely wee camera.
 
I got given a 110 camera for 'being brave' in hospital in 1976. It wasn't Kodak but can't remember which make. Then a Zenit E in 1981 and bought myself an OM10 when I was 24ish. Then a Canon WR90 35mm compact which got stolen in France in 2003 before I moved to digital in 2004.
 
Halina Paulette

http://licm.org.uk/livingImage/HalinaP.html

According to that website it is a pile of junk. Think it cost me about £15 in the early 60's.
However, aperture, shutter speed, focussing, film speed all had to be manually adjusted so it provided the means to learn a good basic grounding.
 
First camera I ever bought was a canon sure shot,not sure what model though,was about 20 years ago and cost about £150 at the time.

Ever since I had that, I always wanted an SLR, could never afford one though. Ended up doing photography in the Telecoms industry and was handed a Canon 5D, had no idea what I was doing with it, but learned quickly.

Had been using it for the last 3 years, then the girlfriend bought me a 550d for my birthday a few months back.

Bestest pwezzent I ever got (y)
 
realspeed said:
manxmaid

my second camera is a Voitlander VitoCL and still have it and its like new,even the clockwork timer is as good as new, only took about 6 rolls of film with it. Also have a Rollie flash for it again like new. Thought about selling them but would not get that much for them both. So both have been laid up for 44 years . There is a little dust between the lenses which would need cleaning but thats all.
Both now have more sentimental value than actual money worth so keeping them.
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Hi Bazza. Mine has been 'resting' for about 30 years now (how time flies!) but it was in great condition when I got it and I put about 20 films through it while treating it like a baby so it's still in lovely condition. I have wondered occasionally what it would be worth but, like you, it has too much sentimental value to consider selling it and I never fail to admire the workmanship when I handle it.
 
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