billynikon1 Loc: georgia

My first was a Kodak Brownie. My father gave me an old Agfa 35mm that I also used. Then I got a twin lens reflex. Used a speed graphic when I worked for the newspaper in high school. My uncle gave me his old Leica M1 which I still have. In the AF I got a Nikon F. Been collecting Nikons ever since. Too many to mention but I love my DF and 850.

xposure

As a teenager my friend had bought a Exacta SLR in the early 70's and took it to an outdoor concert we went to. He let me try it and I was hooked. I asked if I could borrow it to go to a school play that night. Nothing came out as I knew very little of exposure. The next day I went out and bought a Canon TLB, and have been a photographer ever since.

druthven

Although my first camera that I actually owned was the Leica 111f as previously posted, the first camera that I used was my mother's Foth Derby, pictured. It used 127 film, 30x40mm negatives. I have also included my first underwater camera, a Brownie Holiday Flash in a Mako case.

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Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

Hello and Welcome To The Forum. Hello, Mr Fernandez:

My first camera was a Zenit-E.

My aunt and uncle were going on vacation. They needed someone who would watch their dog. Justine and Louie called me to ask if I would take care of their huge Saint Bernard, Bagels. I loved watching their dog for the week. I would walk him in the morning and after school (James Madison High School) I gave him another walk and brushed him. He would sleep in bed with me at night.
When Justine and Louie returned they handed me a $100 bill. I was floored and so elated but sad that I couldn’t keep him. On the next weekend I went to Olden Camera in New York City. I spent an long time looking around and found a pristine Zenit-E with a 50mm Screw Mount lens. It weighed as much as a brick. It was stamped from the 1980 Russian Olympics. I still have it and it’s in great working condition.

Steven “Scruples” Gewirtz

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

Interesting thread! Thanks for posting.

When I was 10, I saved up box tops from cereal, added $1, and sent for my very first camera... a Kodak box camera. It took 620 film, black and white only. The camera had no flash.

My first SLR was a Canon AE-1 with a 35mm lens, which I still have. There have been many cameras in between but now my best camera is a Sony a7iii. I’ve come a long way in 60 years!!!

Pepsiman Loc: New York City

My first camera was a Kodax Target.

Beard43 Loc: End of the Oregon Trail

My verry first camera was a box camera from Folger's coffee. My dad bought the first one for me. What you did was take the 12 pictures, cut the last inch from the metal strip (remember those?), put it in a slot on the camera along with a dollar and mail it to Folgers. A couple of weeks later, you got another camera loaded with film. Then repeat the process.
Ron

russraman Loc: New York City

My younger brother and I both got Kodak Brownie cameras from our father for Christmas in 1961 or 1962. Here's a pic of us on summer vacation -- I'm the one on the right with a Starmite, and my brother on the left has the Starflash.

Francisco Fernandez

That’s a great story maybe you could post a picture of that camera

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

Sure, when I get back to NYC. I shall. Right now I’m in Buffalo NY because of the snow storm.

oconnortf

I had started with Kodak Instamatics 110 - then I moved up to a Kodak Disc 600 I believe - but I was stifled - so one Christmas I made sure the first thing on my list was a 35mm camera - I got a Pentax K1000 - that camera was perfect for teaching the basics - Understanding shutter speed - aperture and how it affects light and depth of field - Film speed and type - I won a few basic contests when I was in the military - (I think I had worn out the k1000 and moved on to an Pentax ME Super - then I had kids and everything had to be fast! so the more automatic features the better and then on to the early digital cameras - crappy resolution but heck much cheaper than buying film. I ended up with what I thought was a decent digital Some Rebel model I believe - But it never wowed me.
The a pair of owls moved into my owl box on the property... the pictures I was taking were crap... so I bit the bullet and although poor and on disability I bought a used Nikon d3400 with a few lenses...
Passion restored and I am taking hundreds to thousands weekly of the animals and nature around me and now I'm looking to find a way to afford - A better Camera Body - most likely a d800 or d810 and upgrade to some better glass like a Nikon 200-500mm or a Tamron 150-600mm

FZ200 Loc: New York

Werra. The best!

Leo Jablonski

My first was brownie box

Leo Jablonski

1960 Kodiak retna reflex was a hoot

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

The first camera that got me involved in this hobby was a Canon AE-1 loaned to me by a professor in the English Department who specialized in Shakespearean studies at Northwest Missouri State, at Maryville, Missouri. That cameral got me fired up about photography. The first camera I purchased for myself was a Canon A-1. I loved that camera. I don't remember the first photograph I made with the camera, but the last was a shot of a bullfrog at Blue Lake State Park Onawa, Iowa. This has been an interesting post.