Do you still own your first "real" camera? (Page 14): My first real camera was a Miranda Sensorex. I bought it used, and it crapped out after a few months, so I dumped it. My next SLR...

Blues Dude

My first real camera was a Miranda Sensorex. I bought it used, and it crapped out after a few months, so I dumped it.
My next SLR was a Nikon FM that I still have, but don't use anymore. My new camera is a Nikon Df, which is great because it works with all my old film lenses.

srt101fan

Blues Dude wrote:

My first real camera was a Miranda Sensorex. I bought it used, and it crapped out after a few months, so I dumped it.
My next SLR was a Nikon FM that I still have, but don't use anymore. My new camera is a Nikon Df, which is great because it works with all my old film lenses.

The Miranda Sensorex is an example of why you should be cautious in the use of product reviews. That camera got good reviews when it first came out. I believe Consumer Reports gave it very high ratings. And then poor "Frequency of Repair" data did it in.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

srt101fan wrote:

The Miranda Sensorex is an example of why you should be cautious in the use of product reviews. That camera got good reviews when it first came out. I believe Consumer Reports gave it very high ratings. And then poor "Frequency of Repair" data did it in.

One doesn't know the history of a used product and failure of a used camera, or even automobile, is part of the risk of buying used. The Mirandas that were imported by Allied Impex had a three-year warranty. The one that I had, purchased in 1970, served me well with no problems until I sold it in the late-70s.

Stan

kemert

photoman022 wrote:

My first real camera was a Petri V6; I bought it in 1973, when I was in the Army. Unfortunately it was stolen in 1974. I then bought a the Petri FT2, with a through the lens light meter. I had that for a good number of years; it finally bit the dust and, as Petri Camera Company went out of business, I could not repair it. My first digital camera was a Nikon D40; I still have it and use it, with my 55-200 lens, with close up filters for macro work.

As a teen, I had a Kmart Focal TLR - a rebranded Petri. I remember a friend making fun of its name, TLR since it's obviously NOT a TLR, but whatever. I still had great fun with that camera.

Dan Thornton Loc: Corpus Christi, Texas

No, I sold all of my film cameras, lenses and enlarger on ebay years ago. Surprisingly, I got nearly as much as I had paid for them and they were quite old at the time.

Robert1 Loc: Davie, FL

I still do, but have not used it for a couple of years. So nice and easy to use. The year was 1981.

lbrande

My first real SLR was a Minolta SRT101 that was stolen in the 70's and replaced with a Minolta SRT202 that my daughter uses in her photography with a Sony A7III.

Nicholas J DeSciose

4 x 5 speed graphic still have it good condition

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

Still have my Argus C3. Got it in the PX in Libya about 70 years ago. Great camera got excited when film went from 10 ASA all the way up to 25ASA. 2 and 1/2 times as fast.
Today don't think twice if I shoo 5,000 ISO.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

Depends on the definition of "real." After having several plastic box cameras, my dad gave me a Vario miniature camera that he had acquired before WW2. Later, I bought a Canon AE-1. I still have both.

Bill 45

DWU2 wrote:

Depends on the definition of "real." After having several plastic box cameras, my dad gave me a Vario miniature camera that he had acquired before WW2. Later, I bought a Canon AE-1. I still have both.

Good question: What is a "real" camera. You have the Vario's camera that your father gave you. To you that camera is a "real" camera. Canon AE-1 is no question is one of the best camera made during the 20th Cen.

Riverrune

Sort of. I gave it to my dauhgter when we were planning to hit the road for a couple years in our RV. Then pandemic and Alzheimer's hit. It is a Lieca IIc that my Dad gave me in 1972. He's bought it in 1950. I used it for years with just the 50mm lens and got lots of nice pictures. The leather case got a dent in it when we ran a rapid in the Grand Canyon in 1972. It still works fine, but I'll need to re-learn the exposures without a light meter.

Basil Loc: New Mexico

Bill 45 wrote:

Also I travel a lot back in the 1980s, same thing no problems.

How do you travel a lot in the 1980s, do you have a wayback machine? LOL

Riverrune

It's still a great camera. Now I use a Nikon D850 and Z6. I miss film.

wide2tele Loc: Australia

As a few have asked what is a real/serious camera…it’s whatever camera you felt first allowed you to truly explore and enjoy photography without feeling you had limitations. Depending on the era/time you entered photography, this could be a rather simple type of camera.

I owned an Olympus Trip 35 as a child but it wasn’t until I bought my Ricoh SLR that I felt I had a camera which would not hold me back.