pesfls Loc: Oregon, USA

Yes it did instill that reputation. But it seemed to work out in the end given how good many zooms are nowadays. At the time of purchase I was excited about the focal length(s). Little did I know.

Lknack Loc: NOCO

1975 was a good year in Photography for me. I had a Canon F1, 28mm, 50 .1.4, 100mm, 200mm and a no-name 500mm mirror. Also had a Hasselblad with 50mm and a 120mm. Oh how I long for the days of "brass and glass."

Rodwil

I bought a Nikon F2/w a 50mm from my sister’s boyfriend, only to deduce that it was a stolen camera. I was so scared that I threw it in a trash bin.

ricosha Loc: Phoenix, Arizona

Stan Gould Loc: La Crosse, Wisconsin

Canon F1, Canon 50mm lens and Vivitar 70-210 Series 1 zoom lens.

aschweik Loc: NE Ohio

In 1975 I was 11 years old. I had no camera but I did have a hamster....

dick ranez

A pair of Asahi Spotmatics with 28, 35, 50, 85, 105,135, 150 and 200 primes, honeywell strobonar pair and a heavy bag.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

--Bob

radiomantom Loc: Plymouth Indiana

Miranda Sensorex, 28mm, 50 and a 135mm lens, along with bellows and extension tubes. You could remove the pentaprism and focus on the ground glass which allowed you to get right down to ground level which was a real plus. A great camera and amazingly sharp lenses. Tha Miranda factory was in Japan of course but was 100% American owned.
The camera is still functioning like new even today.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

A Mamiya Sekor 1000 DTL along with a (perhaps two) Pentax Spotmatics. Tacumar 50/1.4 plus a small slew of other lenses including a Vivitar 80-200(???) zoom. Vivitar flash. Still have the Spotmatic and the 50 along with the flash. I find my current D5 much more suited to football! Happy Holidays.

Jim Plogger Loc: East Tennessee

Mamiya/Secor 1000 DTL w/55mm f1.8 , a Kowa Six w/85mm f2.8, and a Yashica 635 TLR w/80mm f3.5. I still have the Maymiya/Secor and the Yashica. Wish I had kept the Kowa.

smf85 Loc: Freeport, IL

In 1975 - Nikon FTN Photomic, 50mm f1.4, 55mm f3.5 macro, 43-68 f3.5 Zoom c 1971, 105 f2.5, Vivitar 200 w/2x teleconverter. Flash Toshiba hot shoe (had the adapter) & a Metz Ultrablitz (c.1954-8).

The Ultrablitz was basically two piece studio moonlight; the battery was in a shoulder strap unit and the head mounted on a camera shoe adapter. It was really bright - designed for the original Kodachrome. Used 6 D cell batteries and had a capacitor roughly the size of a coke can. Heavy as anything, but battery life was pretty good - somewhere around 300-400 full power flashes per D cell set.

WJB Loc: Salisbury, MD

F2 with a 70-210. Still have both and still use for B+W.

Bill

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Thinking about what we were doing certainly didn't hurt! There's a grain of truth in that cartoon.

I do think the modern tools are much easier to use for COMPLEX situations, more precise, more capable, and ultimately more effective. They are not simpler. But sometimes, that is a very good thing.

Modern cameras are like Photoshop. Every tool is there, but you might not need or use them all.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

in 35mm I had a Miranda Sensomat with a 50mm 1.4, 105mm 2.8, and a 135mm 3.5, and a bellows. I also had that Spiratone 400mm with a rifle style shoulder grip to help keep it steady. I also had the step-child of the Retina series, a IIf, with accessories. Don't know why it's thought of so lowly - it's a really nice camera with very good glass.

In MF I had a YashicaMat with an Accura Bay 1 lens hood (can't find those anymore anywhere - I need one for another TLR), a parallax correcting close-up lens set (Spiratone, I believe), the Yashinon auxiliary telephoto lens, and a Sekonic Studio Deluxe model L-28c2 light meter, which I still use today when using a non-metering camera.

I still have the Yashica kit and the Retina and its accessories. I sold the Miranda for some reason I don't remember in the early 80's. However, in a fit of nostalgic GAS, I won a bid on a Miranda Sensomat RE a while back for stupid little money. The camera is pristine, mechanics and meter work great, and the case is immaculate (they don't make them like that anymore). It also had a nice Miranda 50mm 1/8 on it that I can use on my Fuji mirrorless.

Stan