Camera Gear from The Year you were Born. Post Yours.

[Sonnar Brian]

I hit 65 this year.

1957 was a good year for Rangefinder cameras, saw the introduction of the Nikon SP and the Leica M2. Most Leica RF cameras that followed were based on the M2.

BUT- this M3 Double Stroke rolled off the line in 1957.

m3ds by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

bought this one over 20 years ago.

I bought this SP 25 years ago, when I turned 40.

BLACKSP2 by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

Had an ugly dent in it, So I sent it to Shintaro to have the dent taken out and have the camera painted. This one has the Titanium Foil shutters.

30 years ago a friend of mine turned 40, told me "When you turn 40 you have a mid-life crisis. Everyone I know either changed careers, bought a fast car, or had an affair". I switched from SLR's to RF's, AND bought a '97 Cougar with a high-output V8. 65th- no such desires. Nina bought me a pair of custom T-Shirts With "DOS FORTRAN Assembly Wordstar". Been getting paid to write code for almost 45 years.

ANYWAY! Feel free to post something made the year of your birth, or introduced that year.

 

[johnf04]

I can't do my year of birth (1950), but here's a camera from a year or two before that - a second version Praktiflex.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Congrats, Brian, but I am older: born in 1954, just like the Leica M3. Did you know that there were already M3's in black paint in 1954?

Erik.

Not mine:

 

[mconnealy]

1940

kodak brownie reflex by Mike Connealy, on Flickr
It has made a lot of nice pictures for me on 127.

 

[Darthfeeble]

1946, first year for this gem.

 

[santino]

Can‘t wait for the guy who is going to post the Canon 20D 😎

 

[hilltime]

From early 1952 according to the Contax IIA serial # range, this Commemorative "Zeiss Ikon" was supposedly released to mark the 50 yr anniversary of Zeiss Ikon 1936-1951.

 

[nhchen]

I’ve got no hope, was there anything interesting released in 1987? Maybe I can find a Nikon F3 made in that year.

nathan

 

[jamesmck]

1938 here, birthdate of the Kodak 35. I have one somewhere.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodak_35

 

[Pál_K]

I’ve got no hope, was there anything interesting released in 1987? …

Canon EOS 650 was introduced in 1987 (even before the 620); it was the birth of the EOS system and EF lenses.

 

[Pál_K]

Close enough…

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I’ve got no hope, was there anything interesting released in 1987? Maybe I can find a Nikon F3 made in that year.

nathan

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Nikon_F-401

Nikon N4004, 1987.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The Retina 1B, IIC, and IIIC- all 1957. Naming convention more obtuse than Leica.

 

[dexdog]

Canon L1, produced Feb-Dec 1957 according to Peter Dechert's book on Canon cameras

 

[nhchen]

Thanks Brian and Pál_K, those sound interesting. Not the cameras I usually collect but I’ll keep them in mind if I see one.

nathan

 

[Godfrey]

Thanks Brian and Pál_K, those sound interesting. Not the cameras I usually collect but I’ll keep them in mind if I see one.

nathan

The Kodak Retina series are superb cameras with great lenses. My favorite is a Retina IIc, with the Schneider 50mm f/2.8 lens. I have three beautiful examples, one from 1954 (my birth year), one '56, and one '57. This is the '56 ...



And this is the same camera with the 80mm f/4 and 35mm f/5.6 lenses ...



I also have the 35mm f/4 lens, which is bulkier than the 80mm f/4. But all of the lenses are terrific, if a bit funky in use.

My Leica M4-2 (22 years newer than the camera featured above) is more versatile and easier to use, but the Retina is more compact/more convenient to carry, and makes photographs of equal quality.

G

Addendum: This wiki page summarizes the model numbering/naming craziness:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodak_Retina

 

[titrisol]

Close enough.... to 1970

Honeywell-Pentax Spotmatic SPIIa by titrisol, on Flickr

 

[farlymac]

The camera (IIIf RD) is from 1953, not sure of the vintage for the rest of the items but the Summitar was available at that time.


Leica IIIf with Meter 3 by P F McFarland, on Flickr

PF

 

[CLAdictic]

1943, a good year. It was the middle of our, US, involvement in WW ll. Since there were no imports from Germany or Japan, it would have to be a Kodak Brownie of some sort.

 

[markjwyatt]

1938 here, birthdate of the Kodak 35. I have one somewhere.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodak_35

Here. This Ihagee folder I date to 1938 +/-1


Ihagee Folder by Mark Wyatt, on Flickr