What was your first slr?

Jim Jones

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A Praktica FX3 in 1962 because I anticipated using lenses longer than a 200mm for my Leica and Canon RF models. A few years later I sold it and eventually tried a Miranda kit. That mistake was soon replaced with a long series of Nikon SLRs, including current digital models. The Praktica was not nearly as pleasant to use as the Nikons, but could produce good photographs.
 

Steve Roberts

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A Zenit E with 58mm f2 Helios.
The meter was a joke. The lens was surprisingly good, as long as you remembered to stop it down manually.
 

Arklatexian

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My First SLR was a Zeiss Contaflex 1 which came with a Tessar lens (not removable) which was extremely sharp. To use additional focal-lengths, Zeiss made a bracket which held an "add-on" Tele element in front of the lens. The bracket also held a wide-angle element. After several years, sold it to buy a Pentax in order to be able to use "true" interchangable lenses. The Contaflex 1 was a "quality" instrument. Not so were some of the later versions, especially the automatic versions which gave problems, At least the ones we sold where I worked did.
 

Toolmaker

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1st camera was a Yashica MG-1, still have it and it still works. I shoot a roll every so often.
1st SLR was a Canon A1. Still have it too. Actually, I still own every camera I've ever had..
 

jmoche

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Woodland Hills, CA
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My first SLR was a Canon FTb. My first camera was my Mom's box camera, followed by a Kodak Super 27, a Yashica TLR, and a Kodak 35mm rangefinder. The FTb gave way to the AE-1, then the 300D, the 7D, and the 5D. I stayed in the Canon universe until my recent Fuji GFX 50r purchase. I still have and use the AE-1, and I've added a Pentax K-1000, Bronica ETRS, Mamiya RB67, and Mamiya Super 23 to the film stable. Yikes!
 

Todd Barlow

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Minolta XE-5 with 1.8 lens.
Worked for a summer to get the money and spent every day researching which camera to buy.
Great camera that I have always regretted selling.
 

donkee

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May 3, 2011
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Minolta XG-A brand new in the box. Didn't know jack squat about cameras at the time. I just picked up the first one my early teenage budget would allow. Wish I still had it but it met its end in a basement flood.....
 

djk

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A Minolta srt 100 I bought new in 1976. I still use it a few times each year.
 

David A. Goldfarb

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My grandfather donated his defunct Topcon for disassembly by students in my 4th grade photo class (the teacher built a darkroom in the back of the classroom). My first working SLR was a Canon A-1, circa 1979. It was stolen a few years later, to be replaced by a New F-1 that I still have.
 

winger

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My dad's Pentax H1a. I borrowed it so much in high school that he bought himself a Konica. I still have and use the Pentax (and mom still says I'm just borrowing it - I'll bet there's a line about it in their wills).
 

M-88

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It was Minolta 9000, which was a gift from a very respectable gentleman. Its notorious shutter magnets died on me after a few rolls.

After that I bought Olympus OM-1.
 

Alan Gales

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Canon AV-1 in the spring of 1982.

It had been a store display model at the department store where I worked. My boss had clearanced it out at $85.00. Great buy at the time! It was my first 35mm camera and I didn't know anything about it when I bought it. The AV-1 was aperture priority only with no manual override. After I learned how to use it I ended up selling it and buying a brand new Contax 139.
 

spoolman

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My first SLR was a Praktica L. It was a Christmas present from my brother in 1973. It finally gave up the ghost in 1995. The only repairs I had done to it was a new film advance lever and shutter overhaul.

Doug
 

rgeorge911

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Nov 2, 2007
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Ashburn, VA
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35mm
Pentax K1000 with 50mm f/1.7, a gift from my parents in ~1978.. Still have the body (working well), and bought a replacement 50mm f/1.7.
 

johnha

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My first was a Miranda MS2-Super, essentially an ME Super clone sold by Dixons in the UK. After looking at various Prakticas, this was the best choice with a 35-70 zoom, flash & bag as an outfit. My Dad pointed out the K mount allowed unlimited lenses (and so it proved), my next was a Super-A and I've used Pentax ever since.

I still have the camera although a friend borrowed it and used it on the beach, sand got in the ISO dial and the metering was all messed up. Years later I found another body & lens on the bay and snapped them up.
 

miha

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Feb 15, 2007
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Yashica TL ELECTRO-X (I don't think the batteries to power it are still available)
 
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