What was your FIRST 35mm and how old were you?

nsurit · May 3, 2007

Mine was a Miranda F bought when I was 18 from a Sage store (I think it was Sage) in Austin, Texas about 1962. Also bought a 135mm pre-set telephoto. Seems like it was a Soligor. I've owned many since then. Bill Barber

alanrockwood · May 7, 2007

My first serious camera was an Exakta VX iia. I bought it in 1969, when I was 20 years old. It had a 58mm auto biotar f/2 and a 90mm preset telexenar f/3.5.

About ten years later I sold the Exakta because the shutter quit working, my neighbor wanted the camera, and I needed the money.

A couple of years ago, feeling nostalgic, I bought another VX iia on ebay with the same legendary biotar lens. They are less than perfect, but usable. I also bought some other lenses, a VX 500, and a through-the-lens metering prism.

These days however I mostly use a Canon Rebel 2000 and a Rebel Ti with a 50mm f/1.5, a 24-85mm zoom, or a couple of other lenses.

Alan

Leica_girl58 · May 7, 2007

My first 35 mm was a yashica tl-electro which I still have somewhere in my closet. It cost $206.00 and I bought it with my first income tax return when I was 16 years old. I had 6.00 left over and bought my first roll of film. That camera took the best photos. If I learn how to post pictures on here or on a gallery, I have a stunning photo I took with it only a couple years ago. The only reason why I don't still use it, is because the batteries are no longer made for it and also because my lens is stuck..can't unscrew it to get it off.
darlene (new member)

KOG · May 8, 2007

My first 35mm was a Olympus 35 SP. I believe I was 16 at the time. I still have some of the negatives I shoot back then, and thanks to my brother , I still have the camera. He used the camera after I switched to a Ricoh Singlex TLS and he just recently got the Olympus out of storage and sent it back to me.

Kevin.

brian steinberger · May 8, 2007

I got a Minolta 400si when I was about 12. I sold my playstation, the original, for that baby! (Shows how old, or young, I am). Many years of use out of that baby, until I got my F4, then it was a Bronica medium format, and then it was Wista 4x5. I guess you just never stop growing....

rquiroga · May 8, 2007

My first camera was a Bell&Howell 35, basically a Canon FTb. I was 18.

my_lonely_eye · May 8, 2007

Mine was Vivitar 250/SL that I got when I was 10. I remember being in a seaport and my Dad handed it to me, and then showed me how to use it. I still use it today and it's the only 35mm format I use.

Thomas Bertilsson · May 9, 2007

Kind of like asking when someone lost their virginity...

My first 35mm SLR was a Pentax ME that I got eight years ago. It's still with me although it finally gave up its ghost. It's been used for roughly 150,000 exposures. That's how many slides my father shot with it before I started using it.

Months after the first camera I acquired a Minox 35GT rangefinder, which I still use and enjoy immensely.

- Thomas

fischerms · Jun 18, 2007

1st 35mm

Yashica Lynx 14 that my grandfather gave to me back in the Mid 1970's as a teen. 1st 35mm I bought was a Pentax K-1000 in my sophmore year of high school.

Adrian Twiss · Jun 18, 2007

An old Cosmic Symbol when I was 16. It was given to me by a colleague at work. The same colleague taught me how to develop and print. I'll never forget my first "solo" attempt to develop a film. Not only did it take me 30 minutes to load the sprial I got the ratios back to front and diluted 9 parts of developer to 1 part of water. You can guess the results.

Charlie-J · Jun 22, 2007

my first 35mm was a Taron Eyemax given to me by my father when I was about 13.

dferrie · Jun 22, 2007

brian steinberger said:
I got a Minolta 400si when I was about 12. I sold my playstation, the original, for that baby! (Shows how old, or young, I am). Many years of use out of that baby, until I got my F4, then it was a Bronica medium format, and then it was Wista 4x5. I guess you just never stop growing....

It shows how young you are and also shows a real love for photography that you parted with a Playstation at age 12 to buy a camera! As I have heard said, boys never grow up, our toys just get more expensive

My first 35mm, was a Minolta SR1 (fully manual) with a Weston V light meter, loaned to me by my Father when I was 13, just realised that was 28 years ago. I still have both on loan and have let my Father use my "old" Minolta 500si Super in return. I now have a collection of Minolta Bodies and lenses (SR1, XD11, 800si, Minolta 16), just entered the world of MF with a Mamiya M645.

David

Troy · Jun 22, 2007

My father let me use his Canon AE1 at my cousin's wedding sometime around 1983. I was in elementary school. I never gave it back.

Shiny · Jun 23, 2007

A Fujica STX-1 when i was 28! a staggering two years ago. It was a fantastic camera, big and chunky lots of mirror shock - but the brightest viewfinder ever. Realy nice camera to use and the lenses seemed to be excellent - i had an f1.6 50mm, the fastest lens i have owned.

Jim

craigclu · Jun 23, 2007

When I showed an interest and started developing film from my dad's Bantam 828 (kind of 35mm?), he surprised me with a Zenit E kit when we were at a camera shop one day. This would have been in the late 1960's. I still get flash backs to those first experiences when I watch the images come up in the darkroom and am fortunate to have those roots. The manual nature of these rigs became second nature quite quickly and formed a much better understanding of the basics, I believe.

Doug Smith · Jun 23, 2007

My first 35mm was a Yashica J, given to me by my father. I was probably 15 or 16. Previously, I had been using his Bessa 66. The Yashica was a real trouper all through high school.

BBonte · Jun 24, 2007

first 35mm

Olympus OM1 with 50mm 1.8, still working as a Swiss clock.

kivis · Jun 30, 2007

Nikkormat FTN w/ Nikkor 50mm f1.4. I still have it. circa 1972, before that the cheap stuff.

mmcclellan · Jul 1, 2007

My dad, home on leave from WWII, gave my Mom an Argus C3 for a wedding present. It cost him almost two months salary as an enlisted sailor. With that camera, she documented the childhoods of four children and it is treasured today by this writer. As the fourth child, and a boy of about 6, she showed me how to operate it and showed me how to use the light meter. That one took me some weeks to figure out, but after experimenting with it on the farm, we finally reached the point that I could do a good black-and-white exposure and a decent composition by the time I was 8.

I am indebted to her ever since.

gbenaim · Jul 1, 2007

I love this thread! I got my first as a bar mitzva present, age 13. My uncle bought me a brand new pentax me super, w a normal and a macro lens. Maybe 20 years later I found a couple of rollei tlr's at a garage sale, for $5 a piece, and I've been hard at it ever since. Funny how you never forget the first one, though. I still have the me super, but the lenses are all full of fungus and the mirror got stuck.

kaygee · Jul 1, 2007

This is a great thread!

I got my firstl real 35mm when I was 16 - my good old Pentax K-1000, and I've never had to have it serviced or fixed, the thing is as tough as a sherman tank. Still one of my absolute favourite cameras.

Now I know I used 35mm point and shoot cameras before that, but I always shared them with my sister or my mom let me use hers. This was the first camera that was really mine.

kombizz · Jul 2, 2007

My second camera was a Canon camera with a fixed lense (G-III QL17).
My first camera was not a 35mm (Lubitel, a Russian twin lenses camera) and I was 15 years old.

Sandeha Lynch · Jul 2, 2007

My first was a Kowa 35mm with wide and telephoto lenses - in 1969. I was 16 and I guess the "family friend" knew damn well what he was unloading onto a rookie. It lasted two years before fatally jamming.

Degenetron · Jul 5, 2007

The first 35mm i owned was a cheap p&s i got for christmas when i was about 10. I can't remember much about it other than it was small and black. Took quite a bit of pictures with it, but either i was too young or the interest just wasn't there.

My dad lent me his old pentax sp1000 one summer though. I was probably around 14. That was really the first time i took an interest. It came in a large aluminium briefcase with a load of lenses, filters and accessories. Dragged that briefcase around all summer, bugging family members to pose and such Got quite a few nice shots out of it too.. well.. compared to the amount of film my dad had developed i guess it was more based on luck than talent, but it was fun.

My dad recently gave me the whole case and although some of the equpiment had been lost over time, there is still a good amount of it left. Unfortunately, the camera itself has seen better days, so it has been retired to shelved memorabilia, but the lenses and the rest of the accessories are in good condition and waiting for me to get around to buying a replacement sp1000

kram · Jul 15, 2007

At school , during school trips, my school friends were using 110 cameras. I wanted a camera, but my dad would not let me have one (can't remember reason), something to do with a better camera - later! I think I was 13 when I got... a Zenit E. Fine and dandy, no concerns with the weight (most 35mm were that heavy...weren't they!!) Industar 50mm f3.5, manually set, after focusing (no modern preset aperature rings here). The only reason I 'up graded' was that I want/need a slower speed than the Zenit's 1/30 sec lowest speed. Note: Shutter cloth came apart 10-15 years later.

What was your FIRST 35mm and how old were you?

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