Well, I have seen these a lot for 35mm cameras, and sometimes for MF and LF, but I wanted to make one that combined them all. And to be perfectly honest, I love loking at other peoples gear. So, I you shoot enough of something to condiser yourself a shooter of that format, post up your first camera. Include pics if you have them. I will start;
My first ever camera of my own was a little Vivitar APS camera. The first ever picture I took with it was a shot into my face by accident. I got it whan I was about 6, if memory serves.
My first 35mm camera was technically a litle rangefinder (I beleive it is an Agfa Silette?) I ran one roll of film through it, my first roll of non APS film. The facet that I was arbitrariall;y setting the exposure settings and ended up with most of a roll is amazing. Even if it has a little motion blur. I was about 9 years old.
My first film camera I took seriously was my Nikon F. For about 4 years it was the only camera I used, and Tri-x was the only thing it ate, as I had long forgotten about my little rangefinder. That Nikon went to many places in many undesirable enviromental conditions, and served, and continues to serve me faithfully. There is no question it is one of my favorites.
My first large format camera was my Speed Graphic. Used for many uears hung upside down in my grandfather's darkroom as a copy camera and for making printed circut boards, it got very light use. When I recieved it, it was in excellent (near mint) condition. Since then it has recieved a few love dents, but that is fine with me. While I avoid dinging it as much as possible, I know the camera can and will take it, and these minor damages are the soul of the camera. Definately second only to my Nikon F (and it's a very close second). If there is one camera to define me, it is probably this one.
Finally, the big guns. If I had never inherited the Speed Graphic from my grandfather I would never have gotten started in large format. I realize how luck I am, and every day I promote film and large format, to try and get others to discover it's wonders. After shooting for about 3 years with my Speed Graphic, I thought it might be fun to have a larger machine. So, I thought abiot 8x10.
This camera has a little bit of history to it. It used to be used as a portrait camera at a Old Time Photo studio on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. When I found it, it was just sitting there under a bunch of props, so I contacted the manager and bought the frame. Then I went on the long road of trying to get pieces for it. I bought a lens off of the auction site. It turned out that the lens, while possibly having proper coverage, was massive, weighing about 32 pounds, and it was probably an Aireal photography lens from a B-29 or something. Well, I laerned. My second lens was a Fujinon-W 300mm f5.6. I love this lens, probably one of the most satisfying buys I have ever made. Then there was the problem of making the back. The lens board was easily fabricated out of three sheets of mountig board, rubber cement, and gaffing tape, but the back was a different story. I bought some Ground glass in the glass holders off of that auction site. I had a friend who had a machine shop, so using (and greatly learning in the process) my slightly limited knowledge of machine shop tools, I fabricated a camera back. Needless to say, It took a dremel to get it quite right. I had to attach it using Gaffing tape (I love that stuff) and I had a working camera.
I cristened it "Fluffy".
Meet Fluffy;
I will be shooting film for the rest of my life.
Viva La Resistance!
My first ever camera of my own was a little Vivitar APS camera. The first ever picture I took with it was a shot into my face by accident. I got it whan I was about 6, if memory serves.
My first 35mm camera was technically a litle rangefinder (I beleive it is an Agfa Silette?) I ran one roll of film through it, my first roll of non APS film. The facet that I was arbitrariall;y setting the exposure settings and ended up with most of a roll is amazing. Even if it has a little motion blur. I was about 9 years old.
My first film camera I took seriously was my Nikon F. For about 4 years it was the only camera I used, and Tri-x was the only thing it ate, as I had long forgotten about my little rangefinder. That Nikon went to many places in many undesirable enviromental conditions, and served, and continues to serve me faithfully. There is no question it is one of my favorites.
My first large format camera was my Speed Graphic. Used for many uears hung upside down in my grandfather's darkroom as a copy camera and for making printed circut boards, it got very light use. When I recieved it, it was in excellent (near mint) condition. Since then it has recieved a few love dents, but that is fine with me. While I avoid dinging it as much as possible, I know the camera can and will take it, and these minor damages are the soul of the camera. Definately second only to my Nikon F (and it's a very close second). If there is one camera to define me, it is probably this one.
Finally, the big guns. If I had never inherited the Speed Graphic from my grandfather I would never have gotten started in large format. I realize how luck I am, and every day I promote film and large format, to try and get others to discover it's wonders. After shooting for about 3 years with my Speed Graphic, I thought it might be fun to have a larger machine. So, I thought abiot 8x10.
This camera has a little bit of history to it. It used to be used as a portrait camera at a Old Time Photo studio on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. When I found it, it was just sitting there under a bunch of props, so I contacted the manager and bought the frame. Then I went on the long road of trying to get pieces for it. I bought a lens off of the auction site. It turned out that the lens, while possibly having proper coverage, was massive, weighing about 32 pounds, and it was probably an Aireal photography lens from a B-29 or something. Well, I laerned. My second lens was a Fujinon-W 300mm f5.6. I love this lens, probably one of the most satisfying buys I have ever made. Then there was the problem of making the back. The lens board was easily fabricated out of three sheets of mountig board, rubber cement, and gaffing tape, but the back was a different story. I bought some Ground glass in the glass holders off of that auction site. I had a friend who had a machine shop, so using (and greatly learning in the process) my slightly limited knowledge of machine shop tools, I fabricated a camera back. Needless to say, It took a dremel to get it quite right. I had to attach it using Gaffing tape (I love that stuff) and I had a working camera.
I cristened it "Fluffy".
Meet Fluffy;
I will be shooting film for the rest of my life.
Viva La Resistance!
I still have it.
