What was your "kit" in 1975? Mine was a Minolta 101 with a 50mm f/1.4 (wow!), 28mm f/2.8 and 135mm f/28 both Vivatar. Yes I would like to forget the 400mm f/6.3 Spiratone. A lot of...

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

Mine was a Minolta 101 with a 50mm f/1.4 (wow!), 28mm f/2.8 and 135mm f/28 both Vivatar. Yes I would like to forget the 400mm f/6.3 Spiratone. A lot of hard work to get a so-so picture. Don't want to forget the 2x extender. A Honeywell flash. B&W and closeup filters. A bag to keep it all in. What did you have? - Dave

Ufauxreal

I had a Konica SLR and I remember I had a Vivatar zoom lens, which was a big deal back in the day.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Nikon F2 with a 50mm 1.8 attached.

MJAbe Loc: Wisconsin

A diaper and a bottle. I was only alive for two weeks of 1975 🤣

Ron 717 Loc: Pennsylvania

wilsondl2 wrote:

Mine was a Minolta 101 with a 50mm f/1.4 (wow!), 28mm f/2.8 and 135mm f/28 both Vivatar. Yes I would like to forget the 400mm f/6.3 Spiratone. A lot of hard work to get a so-so picture. Don't want to forget the 2x extender. A Honeywell flash. B&W and closeup filters. A bag to keep it all in. What did you have? - Dave

Wow, this is amazing. That is almost the exact setup I had back then. I even had the 400mm Spiratone, and I agree it was not worth the effort trying to get a decent photo with it. I also made a wooden “gunstock” to mount the camera and lens on, I have a friend that also made a gunstock for his Minolta. I’m sure he will chime in here later with his setup from back then.

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

Back then I had a Petri FT with a 55mm 1:1.8 lens, a 35mm 1:2.8, a 135mm 1:3.5, a 400mm 1:6.3, a 2X TC, and extension bellows. I did not have a flash but later did obtain one, make and model long since forgotten. Since then I obtained a 200mm 1:4 and a second 2X TC. Still have it all and everything works well. Glass is all clear without fungus or dust. I had no bag at that time, just the cases with straps to carry it all over my shoulders. I did have a small case for a movie camera that was bequeathed to me when my father passed away, but it was not sufficient for all I had. I managed to get many good photos of the countries I had visited a few years earlier while in the military and continued to get some for several years after.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

wilsondl2 wrote:

Mine was a Minolta 101 with a 50mm f/1.4 (wow!), 28mm f/2.8 and 135mm f/28 both Vivatar. Yes I would like to forget the 400mm f/6.3 Spiratone. A lot of hard work to get a so-so picture. Don't want to forget the 2x extender. A Honeywell flash. B&W and closeup filters. A bag to keep it all in. What did you have? - Dave

I had a pair of Minolta 101's, a 28 vivitar, 50mm minolta, 135mm celtic (cheap Minolta line) and a 300mm super off brand that I got for something like $59 and yet took amazingly sharp pictures. One of the minoltas came with a dinky little flash unit and a case. Over time they just didn't hold up so I made the move to Nikon. Bought an F3 for a grand and knew I had hit the big time.
...Cam

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

The first film SLR bought by my father was a Minolta SRT-101 with a 50mm f1.4 lens. I used that camera, when he didn't use it. I would have his camera for a few days sometimes. My father never bought any other additional lenses. We used that camera until about the year 2001. He sold it. That's when we both bought our first digital compact cameras. Later, I bought my first APS-C DSLR in 2009, 10 megapixels. My father was content, with just having a digital compact camera. He even upgraded twice on them. Canon, Nikon, and Canon again.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

My kit was a backpack, a rifle and some dried food that tasted like cardboard.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

Rongnongno wrote:

My kit was a backpack, a rifle and some dried food that tasted like cardboard.

This still allowed you to get the shot.

pesfls Loc: Oregon, USA

Nikon F Photomic, 55mm micro, 43/86 zoom, tripod, cable release.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Wow, nostalgia time.

Canon Ftb (added an AE-1 w/ power winder a year? later);
28; 35; 50; 135; 200; 2x teleconverter; extension tubes;
flash; leader retriever; 2 star filters (4 & 6); Polarizer;
cable remote; probably a few other things I forgot.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

2 Nikon F’s with 24 2.8, 35 f2, 85 1.8, 180 2.8 & 300 2.8 (I shot for a daily newspaper)
Mamiya C-330 with 55, 80 & 135
Had a Honeywell Strobonar 800 and Vivitar 292 flash, though not sure exactly when.

chuck1376

Minolta SRT 101, Minolta SRT 102, 28mm Tamron, 135 mm Celtic, 200 mm Vivitar, Minolta 50 mm 1.8, and maybe my favorite lens of all Minolta 58 mm 1.2. Flash and other stuff all of which are collecting dust in the closet--Then came marriage and fewer and fewer "toys".

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

pesfls wrote:

Nikon F Photomic, 55mm micro, 43/86 zoom, tripod, cable release.

Was your 43-86 sharp?
Mine was pretty crappy.
Didn’t have it very long.