have you ever come round full circle

[lxmike]

Back in the mid 1970s my only means of taking 'pictures' was with a humble Kodak 126 instamatic, Kodak was my film choice then, by the end of the 70's my love affair with Fujifilm began, and as I type this I have a cupboard in my spare room chock-a-block with green and white plastic boxes full of Fuji 'slides', Fuji was my choice for colour and Ilford for black and white. Roll on thirty something years, cameras have come and gone and now Fuji has once more breathed fresh air into my Photography, it is as if I have come full circle in my journey. Has anyone else had such a journey where they satrted with one format, system, brand, or camera to then go on a journey only end back, sort of, where you began

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

I've often found myself revisiting previous experiences but without any great success.

As an example, my first serious camera was a Pentacon FM (the later model of the original pentaprism SLR, the Contax S) which I really enjoyed using and thought a fine camera. I bought another one, many years after the first had long left my employment, only to be disappointed with the experience, probably because my expectations had changed in the intervening period.

As L P Hartley so memorably wrote: "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there".

 

[Moto-Uno]

^ What a great quote ! Peter

 

[lxmike]

I've often found myself revisiting previous experiences but without any great success.

As an example, my first serious camera was a Pentacon FM (the later model of the original pentaprism SLR, the Contax S) which I really enjoyed using and thought a fine camera. I bought another one, many years after the first had long left my employment, only to be disappointed with the experience, probably because my expectations had changed in the intervening period.

As L P Hartley so memorably wrote: "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there".

They also say never go back. As for me I started my analogue journey with fuji and now nearly 40 years later my digital journey if now flourishing with Fuji

 

[Robert Lai]

I have tried, and it's not what it used to be.
I also started with a Kodak Instamatic. Lately, I was given one, with a 126 film cartridge still in it. I had no desire to use it anymore.

Later I moved up to a Canon FX with 58mm f/1.2 FL lens. That was my first SLR. I always thought it was great. Now I have it again. It's spartan, but decent. I can see why the Nikon F was considered the superior camera. The FX is prone to jamming if you don't completely wind the beast before trying to fire the shutter. The early FL lenses only had one guide, so they tended to be rougher feeling in the focusing ring than a comparable Nikkor. They also tended to get the helical grease up on the aperture mechanism, freezing the works. The lens then refuses to stop down without a strip down, cleaning of everything, and relubing with modern synthetic grease that is less prone to migrate.

Some of the vintage gear is genuinely great, but they were not stuff that I was able to afford when I was young and poor. I still use a Canon 7s, Leica IIIF and IIIG, Rolleiflex, Kodak Medalist, Agfa Super Isolette. Really great cameras. So are the Leica Ms.

 

[johannielscom]

Started out with Nikon (D)SLR, sold it all (at a dealers...) to get into Leica M8, now sold all my remaining Leica gear (at a dealers, again...) to invest in Nikon (D)SLR.

Selling to dealers both times was where I lost most money. Had no takers for my stuff, neither locally nor here and I won't do eBay ever again as a seller.🙁

My only rangefinder now is a Zeiss-Ikon Super-Ikonta B, the 532/16. Good enough for me.

Bye!

 

[Takkun]

Started with a Nikon F way back at age 13 and slowly built up a good kit of old Nikkors. Switched to Canon EOS when the Rebel Digital came out, presumably like many others, because it was the first consumer DSLR, and I remember many conversations with people amazed to see a screen on the back of what they thought was a film camera. Not too much longer I switched back to Nikon with the D1x, since I needed features like spot metering and AF speed more than I needed image quality back then.

And here I am now, dumping it all for rangefinders…
Though similarly, I also started out shooting Kodak film before switching to Ilford for almost 10 years, and now I'm back shooting TMax as of late last year. And loving it.

 

[Godfrey]

Mostly forwards here, but I visit the past often.

Nikon F was my first SLR, I have two of them again now.
Always loved Polaroid SX-70 .. Have a cabinet full of them now.
The Leica CL is eternal .. Have my third now.
Sold my Hasselblads to go Digital a decade ago, have them back now.

But most of what I shoot with is the Sony A7 and the Leica R lenses I always wanted way back when but couldn't afford, and the Olympus E-M1 with state of the art lenses.

G

 

[Berth]

Is it a circle, starting with an Agfa Isolette I 120 Roll Film Folding Bellows Camera in the mid-1950's, migrating to 35mm with a SLR in 1960, switching to digital in early 2005 with my first DSLR, now exiting the SLR world to go into the rangefinder world, both digital and, yes, film? Possibly. 😛

 

[lynnb]

Perhaps more a wavy line than a circle, with a few loops and interesting side trips along the way. Started with OM-1, Tri-X and D-76 (and Kodachrome 25, RIP), now I have the same combination again with AP400. But also experiencing the joy of other emulsions/developers.

Always liked playing with compacts, both film and digital.

The circle took me through Nikon SLR and Canon FF DSLR (both still in use), but has wandered to include MF folders and TLR.

 

[Shac]

Yes that's very familiar and done more than once. Latest "folly" is ordering a Leica R7 to use with the R lenses I have for the Sony A7 - thought it would be fun to use Leica R cameras again🙄

 

[zuiko85]

In the early 70's was enamored by 35mm half frame with two Pen F bodies and some lenses. They were sold to make way for OM in 1974. Still have a OM system but finally bought another Pen F about 2005. Just got my latest Pen lens for it, a 25mm f4 and that is probably the last lens I can afford. Would like to have a 70 f2 and 38 f2.8 pancake but the prices are sky high.

So about 31 years to return to half frame.

MY Pen F Zuiko lens line up;
20 f3.5
25 f4
38 f1.8
100 f3.5
50~90 f3.5

38mm f2.8 Zuiko enlarging lens.

 

[Pioneer]

I still have my earliest cameras and I use them frequently. But I am still busily going sideways so I have no time to loop back around. 🙂

 

[farlymac]

My last year in high school, I invested in a Sears TLS system (re-badged Ricoh Singlex). It was four lenses, a tele-converter, flash, and some other accessories. Traded it in for another camera while I was in the Navy.

So for my Fortieth Reunion a couple years back, I bought another TLS system, just like what I had before (I happened to have taken a photo of the original, so was able to match it up really good). Took it out for a shoot one day while I was back home. Got the prints, and it all came back to me, why I got rid of it in the first place.

That was one loop I really shouldn't have made. There have been many others through the years, from having no camera, to too many, and back around again. But at least the old TLS will look good in a display some day.

PF

 

[Spanik]

Perhaps more a wavy line than a circle, with a few loops and interesting side trips along the way.

My experience as well. But some things stay like a love for slides.

 

[Takkun]

My last year in high school, I invested in a Sears TLS system (re-badged Ricoh Singlex). It was four lenses, a tele-converter, flash, and some other accessories. Traded it in for another camera while I was in the Navy.

So for my Fortieth Reunion a couple years back, I bought another TLS system, just like what I had before (I happened to have taken a photo of the original, so was able to match it up really good). Took it out for a shoot one day while I was back home. Got the prints, and it all came back to me, why I got rid of it in the first place.

That was one loop I really shouldn't have made. There have been many others through the years, from having no camera, to too many, and back around again. But at least the old TLS will look good in a display some day.

PF

Last night, I was poking around the basement of the architecture department at my university and found a Nikkorex F (same camera, made by a manufacturer Nikon says "we'll refer to as 'M'") in the box. Definitely a looker (though what's with the accessory shoe on the front?), but I can imagine whatever lenses Sears sourced were probably subpar.
Sometimes its best to put the past on a shelf and just admire it...

 

[farlymac]

Last night, I was poking around the basement of the architecture department at my university and found a Nikkorex F (same camera, made by a manufacturer Nikon says "we'll refer to as 'M'") in the box. Definitely a looker (though what's with the accessory shoe on the front?), but I can imagine whatever lenses Sears sourced were probably subpar.
Sometimes its best to put the past on a shelf and just admire it...

That accessory mount was for the add-on selenium meter.

PF

 

[Keith]

I expect to travel full circle. I suspect that when I don't have the restrictions and pressure of full time work I'll stop shooting digital and go back to film ... in the meantime it's all good because I'm still taking photos. 🙂

 

[lxmike]

thanks chaps some very interesting posts, I often wonder how many cameras a come, gone and returned to the forum members

 

[NY_Dan]

Did you say coming full circle and Kodak Instamatic 126 film?

Here's a link to a Blurb book I did on this exact topic in January 2014:
http://www.blurb.com/books/4995346-if-you-see-something

I still have about 30 plus rolls of 126 C-41 film in my refrigerator and also 2 gross of flashcubes -- in case I decide to shoot more.