Ruthlessrider

Mine started in VN 1968. I bought a 35mm Topcon film camera with two lenses at the PX in Camp Enari 4th Infantry Division HQ. I don’t even remember what size lenses the were. This picture was taken by my observer.

In my first year teaching I leant that camera to a student for a project he was working on, I never got it back.

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Bill 45

First real film camera I had was a Pentax K-1000, got it second hand back in 1982. It is still working fine after 41 years.

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

1951 10 yr birthday - first kodak box and was hooked, then Russian Zeniths until Voightlander Vito B in 1960 - which with a Weston Master? followed by a Canon AE1, satisfied my photography aspirations until first SLR - fixed lens Mamiya - then a 1963 Pentax S1a f2.8 plus short zoom lens (think Tokina) followed by a Pentax MV. Then Minoltas until Canon R1 fixed zoom (fantastic lens but very heavy) about 1995. In 1998 moved to Panasonic M4/3 and mirrorless. Stayed with Panasonics and M4/3, moving between SLR style and Range Finder style, upgrading until 2023. Late this year sold all kit, exchanging for a Leica fixed 24-75 type 109 (mirrorless rangefinder style) - just right for my interests (landscape, bridges, architecture). My sharpest lens yet! Interest renewed!

pdsdville Loc: Midlothian, Tx

Got started in the Army when I was in Germany. I was about 20 years old at the time. Bought my first camera in '67 from the PX in Frankfurt. Some kind of Argus but I don't remember which one. Moved to a Hanimex Practica, very cheap SLR because I couldn't get the composure I wanted on a lot of shots.. Did a lot of black and white work thanks to the darkroom on post. When I got back to the states finally got a Ashai Pentax Spotmatic F. Shot a lot of slides with that thing. Don't remember when I went digital but I do remember the camera was a Sony 3.2 megapixel. Stayed with Sony and when I kick off my Sony's will go to my oldest son.

leftj Loc: Texas

When I was in the Air Force in Thailand in 1968. I bought a yashica from a friend for $35.

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

In 1957 (I was ten) our Simonsdale Little League team traveled from Portsmouth, Virginia to Washington, DC to watch the Senators play the New York Yankees.
I "borrowed" the family Kodak and a roll of film.
We had "Nose Bleed" seats, but the pics of the (tiny) '57 Yankees https://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1957&t=NYA still live in my memory and still make me . . .
Smile,
JimmyT Sends

PS: Thanks for the memories!!!
Edit: My first camera of my very own was in 1968, in South Vietnam.

BebuLamar

When I was 10, my dad let me use his Petri 7s (which looked like the one in the picture which I now have). It's a fixed lens rangefinder with a 45mm f/1.8 lens. It has a selenium meter and doesn't need any battery. My dad spent about 1/2 hour with me teaching me how to set the aperture, the shutter speed using the meter and focus with the rangefinder. I currently own a couple of these and amazingly the meter still work and quite accurate. The rangefinder is faded badly and it's very difficult to use it now.
I remembered that my dad said he wish that he could have an SLR which allowed him to see in the viewfinder what is going to be projected to the film. So when I turned 22 in 1977 I bought my first camera. It was the Nikon F2AS and did cost me a lot of money, $750 with the 50mm f/1.4 lens. I was only making $5 and hour. Too bad someone (I suspect it's a guy that worked for me at the 1 hour photofinishing lab) stole it from me in 1984. I wish I still have it now.

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

I started (maybe) my senior year in HS, 1964 or '65 with an instamatic.
Did a little in college.
My Dad died during my freshman year and left me his Kodak regular 8 movie camera plus the accessories, projector, screen, editor, and light bar.
Fast forward a couple years, I joined the Navy, went on a Mediterranean Cruise taking movies and sending them home. A small part broke in the movie camera so I bought a Petri FT SLR and a few lenses. Carried that around for the rest of my enlistment.
Got married and went back to school, finished education and started a family and took photos as needed.
Changed jobs and completed a career and retired.
Got a part time job photographing school students for a year book publishing company and made the switch to digital.
resigned from the photography job and continued photography as a hobby.
Currently shoot with a Pentax K-70 and a Pentax K-x for back-up. I have protable lights and background equipment plus a few lenses.
I prefer people (portrait), landscape and general subjects.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

You started in 1977 and you think you are old. What about me starting in the early 50's? Do that classify me as old? I am already 87.

I started photography after an assistant professor at Havana University showed me images he had just developed. It immediatly arouse my interest and I bought a Petri rangefinder with a fixed lens. An old Weston Master, a primitive way to measure exposure but the only thing we had at the time was my companion till I bought a Sekonic, also handheld meter with a cadmium sulfide cell that offered better sensitivity to light. I was using that meter in the 60's with a Konica camera and then I bought in 1963 a Nikon F. All black and white in the beginning but in the 60's I began shooting Kodacolor 100 and Kodachrome, I believe it was ISO 64 at the time. Tri-X was still my favorite monochrome film, my darkroom was improvised in our bathroom at night. I began to use Fujichrome when it came out but I never used Velvia because I do not like oversaturated colors.

Digital began for me around 2004 if memory does not fail. My first Nikon digital was the D100, it had a too thick AA filter that caused many problems at first, then I went to the D300 and the D2H but now I did not have the first generation of Nikon colors that were in my opinion spectacular.
I bought out of curiosity an Olympus EPL-1, such a tiny camera with interchangeable lenses that was a breeze to take anywhere and did very well with its 12 MP. Today I shoot with the Olympus EP-5 and the EM-D 10 Mk II with Panasonic and Olympus lenses.

On the Nikon side I still use my old cameras, the D7000 and the D610 with some "new" and old lenses, one of them bought in Japan in 1967, the original and single coated 105mm f2.5. The 18-200 practically lives in the D7000 while the 24-85 f3.5-4.5 lives in the D610.
I do mostly landscape photography but I like portraits and I have studio lights BUT I do not have the models to shoot at. For my ventures into the Everglades National Park I still use the old 80-400 Nikon lens.

Settlit Loc: Baton Rouge LA

In 1971, I was working in radio new and wanted to move to TV news. A TV veteran recommended I get a 35mm camera to learn the basics of photography. I bought a Pentax K1000 from a freelance photographer, and have enjoyed still photography ever since. The freelance photographer recently told me she wished she’d never sold me that Pentax.

photoman43

I am 80. I started taking pictures and going to (adult) photo classes at Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh when I was about 12-13. My first camera was a 35mm Bolsey that I used mostly for color slide film. My second camera was a used Rollei Rolleicord V F3.5 twin lens reflex camera. I used it mostly for black and white. I developed black and white film in my basement (no darkroom) using film tanks with reels. I used these cameras until I was out of college and the US Army. When I got married in 1967 I bought my first Nikon 35mm camera, a Nikkormat FTN. About 1970, I set up a darkroom in my basement for black and white printing. When I moved to Texas in 1978--no basements--my darkroom disappeared.

I have been using Nikon cameras ever since then.

pendennis

Started in 1963 as a back-up at my school newspaper. After graduation, I bought an Argus C-3 and shot mostly casual and landscape until I got married and became the photographer for the local rescue squad. I used a Petri FT and photographed body recoveries, etc. On active duty in the Navy, I was assigned to a Public Affairs unit as a member of the Seabee Drill Team. When not in the line, I photographed our drill routines for training, and publication in the base newspaper. At the end of my tour, I directed a Navy cinema team filming our unit for a documentary. One of the great draws, was that I had full access to our photo lab, and could handle my own "gubment jobs".

After active duty, I returned to more casual photography, and took three courses as part of my bachelor's degree requirements. I then bought a Yashica 635 and started doing weddings. I already had a Honeywell 700 Strobonar, so I was set to go. I then found a Busch Pressman Model D, with three lenses, film holders, etc., and started doing portraits to supplement our income; I also "upgraded" my Yashica 635, to a 124-G.

While in Louisville, and about to graduate, I received an employment offer from a large local studio. I was on the cusp of quitting my job at Ford, when my youngest was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. That change was quantum, since medical bills, without insurance, would be staggering.

We moved to Michigan in 1982, and I continued to supplement income, doing weddings and portraits. I continued my side gig until late 1990's when my Ford job got larger, with more responsibilities.

When I retired from Ford, I started photographing again, spending more than full-time at my new avocation. It's been an enjoyable, continuing ride. I've since sold off my film equipment, and have gone full digital.

photoman43

My Dad had a Argus C 3. On more than one occasion he noticed that he was getting more than 36 exposures to the roll. I think it was user error (not loading the film correctly). He seemed to blame the camera. Who knows the true story.

kufengler Loc: Meridian, Idaho 83646

Ask to far as old, I grad high school in 1967.

The first camera I played with was my dad's Agfa, and definitely was a good learning experience. That was was before the internet, Google, YouTube etc, where one can get lots of good information.

Agfa

Earnest Botello Loc: Hockley, Texas

My interest in photography started in the late 50s with an Argus camara I got from my dad, my sister wanted it so I traded her for a Polaroid Land camera, which took instant pictures. Then in 71 I bought a Minolta srt101 while living in southern
California, in Ontario Ca. to boot. I loved auto racing, this was the place to live, I went to a lot of races, drag races at Ontario Speedway, Riverside Speedway, Spring Nationals at Ontario, Winter National in Pomona. Then stock car, Indy car, CanAm racing, IROC, took thousands of pictures, I was in Heaven. The Minolta srt101, IMHO, was the best film camera I have ever owned. Then I change to Nikon, the rest is history.