Remember Your First Camera?

[copper67sat]

My wife had a Kodak disc camera when we got married. It was not a very good camera so we bought a Pentax K1000 35mm and used that for a long time before finally going digital around 2000. Still have the Pentax, but haven't used it in years. It takes really nice pics if you know how to use it, but It's fully manual so it does require some practice/expertise - the wife never mastered it, especially loading the film. I spent the better part of a day at Sea World watching the shows thru the viewfinder and taking pics only to realize later that she hadn't loaded the film correctly and it wasn't advancing

We also have an old Brownie box camera that belonged to my wife's grandfather.

 

[Daves69]

I still have my old Sears KS-1 35 mm I bought after using my dad's Agfa 35 mm way back. Uses the Pentax K lens. So I went ahead did a Pentax digital later. My every day digital now is a Pentax WG II. It's taken a beating and I don't know if it's still water proof any more.

An old Six Sixteen laying around here too....

 

[chargervert]

I used to date a girl who worked at Fotomat. She worked in a small booth in the middle of a plaza parking lot,

 

[Richard Cranium]

 

[Slap Stick]

My first was a Kodak Brownie that for all I know didn't work. Fun to play with.
First working camera was a Polaroid Swinger.
Didn't own another camera until I started working in the photography biz in 83. I amassed a collection of old and odd cameras over the years. I even helped design and build industrial cameras and worked on units that were used as recon cameras in German aircraft.

 

[Dibbons]

I forgot all about my model rocket days in grade school circa '68-'69. Had a nosecone camera that took black and white photo after reaching maximum altitude and nosing down toward the ground.

 

[ACME A12]

Had one of these.

View attachment 984783

Me too when I was about 10...but mine was the 20 model...not the 60. Not quite as nice as yours...

 

[threewood]

My first camera was a cheap plastic 35mm that my dad got for free with a Sports Illustrated subscription.

 

[Budnicks]

I had the brown square leather box Brownie (IIRC)
I got handed down from my Granddad, used of course
about the same time I got my 1st, Transistor 'Realistic' Radio
& reel to reel or a 2 track tape player, with Herman & the Hermit (mid 60's)

I've never been a real camera/photography
or electronics gadgets guy, (prior to computers)
my $$$ went on something with an engine
cars or motorcycles

Most the photos I have, until recently,
like the past 10 years or so, were Polaroids,
point & shoot, instant photos
or
I had an Olympus 35mm self winding, wahoo
when I moved to Alaska since, in the mid 80's
where you had to take film to be developed or do it yourself

I've had several cheap digital/video cameras since
16mp Vivicam 2.0, 18mp Vivatar xr22 & now 21mp Acuvar, all POS's
none of which are over $120, but they do what I need

 

[toolmanmike]

I started with Polaroid Swinger. $19.95. I used a Yashica D in high school for annual staff. A nice 2 1/4 format double lens reflex. I still have a Vivitar 35mm SLR and a couple lenses and I got a Nikon digital SLR for Christmas that I have been horsing around with. I still like taking fun photos with my cell phone. Sometimes it's not the camera. The lightening shot is from my old flip phone. The sunset is my smart phone.

 

[hammond472]

I forgot all about my model rocket days in grade school circa '68-'69. Had a nosecone camera that took black and white photo after reaching maximum altitude and nosing down toward the ground.

View attachment 985015

I had the Estes Astrocam. It's a later model but same principals. I wonder if they still make the 110 film for it? I lost the original but found one in the box of 50+ rockets that I have collected over the years.

Here are a few more from before my time but pretty cool.

 

[Ron H]

My dad was into photography as a hobby in his younger years getting into stereo or 3d photos. Pretty amazing, I have hundreds of those pics he took you know, using a view-finder. The color is striking and get the feeling you're there viewing them. Many were taken in the 50's. Weird looking at my folks when they were young and my grandparents. My dad's father died in 1947 some 7 years before I was born, and my other one on July 4, 1961, so have few memories of him. The day my grandfather died was a strange day! My uncle's neat 2-door 1958 Dodge burned to a crisp in front of my grandparent's house among a couple other odd events that day. Figured my aunt or uncle, both smoker's, maybe left a lit butt in the car. Car was so far gone never figured out what happened. Anyway, some of my dad's photo's really capture what life looked like back in the day, the clothes, scenery, furnishings, etc. Every few years I get the urge to look at them and as time keeps passing they'll probably end up in the trash when I'm gone...

 

[Ron H]

I get a kick out of some who view everything through their friggin phone taking pics or videos at attractions you may only visit or see once - I still prefer to "see" it not from behind my phone. lol

 

[toolmanmike]

My dad was into photography as a hobby in his younger years getting into stereo or 3d photos. Pretty amazing, I have hundreds of those pics he took you know, using a view-finder. The color is striking and get the feeling you're there viewing them. Many were taken in the 50's. Weird looking at my folks when they were young and my grandparents. My dad's father died in 1947 some 7 years before I was born, and my other one on July 4, 1961, so have few memories of him. The day my grandfather died was a strange day! My uncle's neat 2-door 1958 Dodge burned to a crisp in front of my grandparent's house among a couple other odd events that day. Figured my aunt or uncle, both smoker's, maybe left a lit butt in the car. Car was so far gone never figured out what happened. Anyway, some of my dad's photo's really capture what life looked like back in the day, the clothes, scenery, furnishings, etc. Every few years I get the urge to look at them and as time keeps passing they'll probably end up in the trash when I'm gone...

Great story. I always loved the View master as a kid. As I got older I have collected a few Stereoscopes from the early 1900's and a collection of cards.

 

[Budnicks]

@Ron H

My parents, aunts & uncles, grandparents etc.
were all big on slides/projected photos shows
big old white king size sheet up on the wall
so we could see the details better
we did have a roll-up/roll-down tripod type stand/screen too
it was only like like 4' x 4' IIRC
my dad still has drawers full of them
we don't have a projector/viewer anymore,
that I'm aware of anyway
we had quite a few 8mm films too, funny seeing them
a couple were US kids on our many family vacations
some were 3-4 generations on vacation together
all of US playing softball, skiing, backpacking, swimming
or at the beach, Lots of camping footage in there too...

we use to go camping probably 6-8 times a year
sometimes just for the weekend, fun times

that was a great era, I remember it fondly
I tried to do the same with my family too
still didn't make me a photography/camera person
I was the guy driving the racecar, the boat, truck, motorcycle, quad,
3 wheeler, mini-bike or the camper/motor-home etc. & not or rarely ever
behind the camera, in-front of it & only occasionally at that, it was about the
younger people/family or friends & sites...

I do like the nostalgia of looking at them...
now if I can find that ol' projector/s

I think my dad has a couple of my & my bros. cars
maybe my old 1st 68 Charger R/T, 66 PW Sweptside sb w/35" tires on it
& my bros. 57 Chevy 3100 stepside & 73 Camaro
I'd love to see & get made into photos

some cool ol' photos/films there

I may have to go on a mission

 

[Ron H]

@Ron H

My parents, aunts & uncles, grandparents etc.
were all big on slides/projected photos shows
big old white king size sheet up on the wall
so we could see the details better
we did have a roll-up/roll-down tripod type stand/screen too
it was only like like 4' x 4' IIRC
my dad still has drawers full of them
we don't have a projector/viewer anymore,
that I'm aware of anyway
we had quite a few 8mm films too, funny seeing them
a couple were US kids on our many family vacations
some were 3-4 generations on vacation together
all of US playing softball, skiing, backpacking, swimming
or at the beach, Lots of camping footage in there too...

we use to go camping probably 6-8 times a year
sometimes just for the weekend, fun times

that was a great era, I remember it fondly
I tried to do the same with my family too
still didn't make me a photography/camera person
I was the guy driving the racecar, the boat, truck, motorcycle, quad,
3 wheeler, mini-bike or the camper/motor-home etc. & not or rarely ever
behind the camera, in-front of it & only occasionally at that, it was about the
younger people/family or friends & sites...

I do like the nostalgia of looking at them...
now if I can find that ol' projector/s

I think my dad has a couple of my & my bros. cars
maybe my old 1st 68 Charger R/T, 66 PW Sweptside sb w/35" tires on it
& my bros. 57 Chevy 3100 stepside & 73 Camaro
I'd love to see & get made into photos

some cool ol' photos/films there

I may have to go on a mission

Back in the 80's I used a video camera for some of the work I did and would take that monster home on weekends and recorded a bunch of family stuff, kids when they were babies, toddlers, family at Christmas, some of my old car doing burnouts, more footage than I thought! It's strange looking at those all these years later with kids now grown and my folks gone, snippets of time past I just don't remember until viewing the old footage...

 

[YY1]

Focal Flip 11

Bought at K Mart

1978 (I was 10)

110 that used the flip over style flash bar

 

[Photon440]

Still have mine, my piano teacher gave it to me for being her best student. Somewhere around 1967 or 68.

 

[toolmanmike]

I need a tripod.

 

[polywideblock]

I had one of these