What was your first camera and current camera

[alfredo]

Mine was a Kodak 6 20 Brownie flash
I now own an Olympus em 5 Mk II and Fuji X100s both were used. Too cheap to buy new.

[Walleye]

1. It's hard to tell since I can't remember when I didn't have a camera. The first one I used was probably my

Father’s speed, graphic. My first serious camera may have been the Yashika twin lens. I soon went to 35 mm after that, the first serious camera I bought as an adult was a Leica M2. When I was working at the paper and we went from film to digital I was using Nikons. They had at the paper so many pool lenses that were canon that I went to Cannon. now I have a canon D7, which I use mostly for wildlife

[CountAllVotes]

2. Olympus D-380

One that gave you auto pictures!
Those were so handy!

Today I have an Olympus D-380 that I bought on ebay for $.99 a number of years ago.

It has traveled the world with me and takes great pictures and no software is required to get it to work.

This one is made in Japan. I had one just like it that was made in China and you had to have software to get it to work.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. My first was a Polaroid. I now have a Canon Rebel EOS T6 and a Canon SX70 HS. However, I

now take most of my travel shots with my Samsung S24+.

[TexLaProgressive]

4. I think it was a Kodac Brownie Hawkeye in 1957

Then I had a a 1960s Polaroid Land camera with a bellows and flash. Used B&W film that needed to be wiped to prevent fading. I think that later I was able to get color film for this camera.
Then I had a camera hiatus.
2 35mm SLR Olympus camera bodies a OM-PC and a OM-1 with 50mm lens, A Zoom lens, macro capable maybe 200 0r 300 mm, and an electronic flash. When film options became super limited I gave the outfit to my artistic niece.

The first digital camera I got was a Fuji. I was less than impressed with sports shots as it would take a picture after when you clicked it. The only camera I have now is my iPhone 15 (not Max). I really miss my film camera and the films available. I hate that people seldom print photos to keep in albums, or on fridge doors. People seldom organize photos on their phones.

At my age and with financial disruptions possible after Jan 20, 2025 I doubt I will be in the market for a high quality digital SVR with multiple lenses, filters and accessories.

[Grumpy Old Guy]

5. I remember using one of these.

I was probably ten years old and took it to summer camp. After this I got an Instamatic with Flashcubes. My folks had a Polaroid, but I was the only one who had the patience to use it.

Now I use a Canon R5 or R10. I have about five older Canons in my closet too. I still have my old Yashicamats and Canons SLRs too.

[MichMan]

6. First was a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye followed by a Polaroid Square Shooter

Now I have a Canon 80D and Canon 90D

[50 Shades Of Blue]

7. First camera was a premium I got for selling enough chances to a car raffle my church had every year.

I was in the first grade and I have no idea what kind it was, but it must have been super cheap, LOL! I was not an aggressive salesperson. The camera did take pictures!

My current camera is my iPhone SE 2020. I have a Canon Power Shot digital camera and an elderly Olympus Stylus 35mm camera but they are both growing whiskers.

[mike_c]

8. Oly OM-1 fifty-ish years ago

Today I shoot Nikons, a D7200 and a D500. Not much in between.

[usonian]

9. My first, not Dad's Brownie Reflex, was a Fujica half frame, followed quickly by a Nikkormat. (1970)

I have gone through a bewildering variety of cameras, many in medium format, including a Hasselblad 500C/M that I still use.

New England fall foliage made me do that.

Post-film, I used a bunch of Coolpix cameras, and for about 10 years, a Coolpix P-510 with 24-1000mm effective zoom.
Needless to say, that covers a lot of ground, and I got great results. Still do.
It suited me so well that I skipped the entire DSLR generation and went to mirrorless from it

My motivation in upgrading was honestly, to get wider than 24mm field of view, and I explored all options in all formats.
Nikon Z won, especially since it can use all my old Nikon-F lenses, with no retrofitting of the auto-index tab, which the DSLR's demanded.

That came in real handy for comet photos because the old lenses are fast, and do not focus past infinity as new motor-driven lenses do.

Latest is a Nikon Z7-II, used mostly with the 14-30 zoom, which is a spectacular lens.

I rarely use, but am still eager to use a Nagaoka 4X5 field camera, all hand-made by Mr. Nagaoka and assistant, the most beautiful camera ever, with lenses that were affordable at the time. All this gear is just so heavy.
Some big outfit bought the design.

Here's a pic.



and a very old review

[Old Crank]

10. That looks a lot like the Zone VI

I inherited from a friend of my mother.
Those are great but you are correct about the weight.
You really think about each shot though.

I sold mine off last year.

[usonian]

12. Nagaoka disappeared. Some company bought the design. I forgot who.

I compose in-camera to this day.

Sunrises, clouds and sunsets are problematic for film (other than half-frame) because things change so quickly. Digital helps a lot in this respect.

Even for scenes that "don't move", light constantly changes. I remember reading how Ansel Adams would wait all day for the light to be just right.

In his book "Examples", he recounts how the famous photo "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico" was so spontaneous that he left his light meter in the car, so as to get the photo right now,



Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonrise,_Hernandez,_New_Mexico

Adams' later accounts were more dramatic. In his autobiography, completed by his assistant and editor Mary Alinder shortly after his 1984 death, the traveling companions encountered a "fantastic scene", a church and cemetery near Hernandez, New Mexico, and pulled to the side of the road. Adams recalled that he yelled at his son Michael and at Wright to "Get this! Get that, for God's sake! We don't have much time!".[5] Desperate to capture the image in the fading light, they scrambled to set up the tripod and camera, knowing that only moments remained before the light was gone.[7]

Adams had given a similar account in his 1983 book Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs[8]

I could not find my Weston exposure meter! The situation was desperate: the low sun was trailing the edge of clouds in the west, and shadow would soon dim the white crosses ... I suddenly realized that I knew the luminance of the Moon – 250 cd/ft2. Using the Exposure Formula, I placed this value on Zone VII ... Realizing as I released the shutter that I had an unusual photograph which deserved a duplicate negative, I quickly reversed the film holder, but as I pulled the darkslide, the sunlight passed from the white crosses; I was a few seconds too late! The lone negative suddenly became precious.

He did some photos with a little box camera from Sweden.

Imogen Cunningham seems to disapprove!

[2naSalit]

13. Wow!

My first was one of those Brownies but now I have a Nikon Coolpix510 and I still use it. It was an upgrade from a Cannon powershot 120X which was a pretty good little camera, only drawback was that it only had a stationary monitor on the back and no eyepiece. I have an older Cannon EOS40D that I rarely use. Back in film days I had an AE1, early model.

I like your cameras, I don't have much patience for all the set up since digital came along but it sure is a lot less expensive.

[usonian]

14. I took my P510 out for my walk today.

I was an optical engineer for many years, so cameras are special for me.

And yes, I am still figuring things out years later. I *finally* figured out the "Freeze Focus" button. It was always there, but turning it on took some manual reading and internet searching.

This was (of course) gratis with old cameras. You set the focus, and it stayed there!

View cameras are as complicated as a clothespin, and should last forever, if you keep shutters shutting, and bellows in shape. (You can make them if you are crafty ). Film? Stock up in case it stops bring made, but in recent years it has made a comeback. And there are a few digital backs for view cameras.

If you want to look like a view camera user, take pix with an iPad. It looks weird but the big view is wonderful. And much brighter than a ground glass! The newer ones have optional "1/2" view, which is like a 14mm lens on a full frame camera.

I upgraded when the P510 seemed to freeze up, but that was a one-time glitch.

[2naSalit]

15. My...

P510 did a freeze up thing a couple times but that was a couple years ago. I'm down to one battery, though. When I get some personal things out of the way I think I'll be looking for what my camera needs are. Right now I have a lot of things on hold including hobbies.

[usonian]

16. Promaster sells a replacement.

I had a digipower long ago, but older replacements were crappy. Battery technology has improved a lot since then.

Good luck. The P510 delivers beautiful jpegs.

Nikon dropped the entire small camera line!

Smallest now are the P950 and P1000 small telescopes. 24-2000 and 24-3000mm equivalent.

I got a little lumix long ago. 8x zoom and smaller than most phones.

Ken Rockwell https://kenrockwell.com has lots of info, and I recall a "best values" page. Ken makes a living with referral sales, so negative reviews are rare, but tests and specs are factual.

Three of my cameras in current use are used ones.

[2naSalit]

17. Thanks...

I'll bookmark this for later!

[Old Crank]

11. A variety

I had a folding Kodak that I used some.
In the service I bought a Minolta rangefinder when I was shipped to Crete. My wife had a Mamaya 500 at the time.
Took a lot of shots with it between the 2 of us. Moved to a Nikon FM 2. That was a great camera. Had a 4X5 view camera for years.
Now I use a Nikon D5600 and my phone.