Your first camera

As there's very little photography news to argue about () over the New Year I thought I'd start one of these. One thing which is unusual about photography forums is the range of age groups represented, so I was wondering how people got started. Basically, what was the first camera that you owned (rather than being allowed to press the magic button on a parent's camera)? I hope I've got most of the possible categories but I'm not terribly familiar with the pre-35mm film formats so I've probably missed something!

Where does the Kodak 'Brownie' fit? That was my first camera.

It used 127 film, was certainly not compact, and did not have interchangeable lenses.

OK, I guess it was compact in its day.

---

Peter E Smith

My flickr Photostream

1st. one I owned I inherited. Ilford Advocat.35mm.
1st. one I bought. Chinon CP7 35mm SLR. because it used PK lenses.
CHEERS Vic.

---

Born again biker with lots of Pentax bits. Every day I wake up is a good day. I'm so old I don't even buy green bananas.

First camera. Kodak Instamatic 155X. (126 cartridge film).

First 'proper' camera. Praktica MTL3. (still have it!).

A secondhand Corfield Periflex which I still have.

---

Barrie
Too Old To Die Young

http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/barrieforbes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/189482630@N03/

Mine too! In 1950 I think!

oooooooh mine was older than that

it was square / cubed shaped and had a wee lever at the bottom of the front IIRC that was moved slightly to one side to trigger the shutter

it was originally my Mother's and I used it in 1958

Here you are link

---

let the education continue

proud owner of a couple of cameras and a few bits and bobs

Knew there was something relatively popular I'd missed out

Me too - I still have mine although I guess it would need a service by now.

---

Haydn

link
Samsung GX1S, Nikon D300, Zenith 12XP, Olympus OM10, Holga 120N

Where does the two eyed Rolleiflex fit in?

Niklas

---

15mm - 450mm equivalent, and still can't reach...

Fisrt camera was a box Brownie which IIRC used 620 film given to me in the late sixties. First 35mm was my OM1 which I got in the mid eighties and then the K20 which I got last year.

I think my first camera was a 110 compact. That was a very common format for a while, wasn't it?

---

~Pete

I'm the only one who started with a DSLR here, interesting.

I answered 35mm compact, but that was wrong

I think it was actually a 127 compact which cost the grand total of 50p ( one week's pocket money at the time ), but took some good pics. I was 9 when I bought that. (197

My first camera was a Agfa compact which used 126 film cartridges.
After that I got a Fuji 35mm compact. Which was replaced by a SLR a few years later.