Ron (Netherlands)
Well-known
Came just across a manual of a camera with which I actually first learned the technicalities of photography: the Yashica TL Electro X. They had this camera at my high school: I learned to take pictures with that camera in 1977 and develop the b&w film and printing it at our schools' photo club.
It was called a half-automatic camera: there were only two arrows in the viewfinder which where lighted when the exposure was not in correspondance with the meter: if the arrows where not lightning, the exposure would be 'correct'. I always remembered this as a very nice feature, because in later years -being a student- I had no money for cameras with that kind of build-in modern meters.
I must admit it was not the first camera I tried to make pictures with: that was the Agfa box of my dad which I took out once to a market when I was about 9 years old: all photos came out blurred since I didn't know to keep the camera still when taking pictures: that must be the reason that I did take up a camera only many years later.
After all these years - of many different cameras especially rangefinders - I wonder how the Yashica would feel again - may be I'll pick up one for a few $ from the geat bay.
It was called a half-automatic camera: there were only two arrows in the viewfinder which where lighted when the exposure was not in correspondance with the meter: if the arrows where not lightning, the exposure would be 'correct'. I always remembered this as a very nice feature, because in later years -being a student- I had no money for cameras with that kind of build-in modern meters.
I must admit it was not the first camera I tried to make pictures with: that was the Agfa box of my dad which I took out once to a market when I was about 9 years old: all photos came out blurred since I didn't know to keep the camera still when taking pictures: that must be the reason that I did take up a camera only many years later.
After all these years - of many different cameras especially rangefinders - I wonder how the Yashica would feel again - may be I'll pick up one for a few $ from the geat bay.
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bo_lorentzen
Established
My dad gave me a rollfilm camera when I was 8, then took me in the dark room about a week later to develop the roll, a few days later we made some prints... that was all she wrote...
Sold my first image at 16 and kept going...
Bo
www.bophoto.typepad.com
Sold my first image at 16 and kept going...
Bo
www.bophoto.typepad.com
lynnb
Veteran
My first attempt to make photos was with the family Kodak Brownie 620C when I was about 7. I climbed into the wardrobe to load the film into the developing spool, with my dad calling out instructions through the door. It took about 3 attempts. We only ever made contact prints. I still have the camera. After that I occasionally got to borrow my dad's Yashica Lynx 1000 and took slides - Agfachromes which faded, and Kodachromes which are still in great condition.
The first "serious" camera I bought for myself was an OM-1 with 3 primes. I regret selling it and really miss its big, bright viewfinder. My first paid photos were taken with a Nikon FE I bought in 1979, which I still have. Even its smaller viewfinder leaves the 5D for dead.
The first "serious" camera I bought for myself was an OM-1 with 3 primes. I regret selling it and really miss its big, bright viewfinder. My first paid photos were taken with a Nikon FE I bought in 1979, which I still have. Even its smaller viewfinder leaves the 5D for dead.
Ronald_H
Don't call me Ron
As I kid I had a horrible no-brand 110 pocket camera for some time. As a student I picked up an equally horrible fixed foxus 35mm camera. Only when I went on a business trip with a colleague, who just happened to be a dedicated amateur photographer, the bug bit me.
He shot slides on a Contax G1 and his images were so much better than mine. I decided to get myself a decent camera. That was plastic wonder, a Minolta 404Si 35mm SLR with a fast-ish Sigma zoom. Autofocus was pretty poor, but metering was outstanding as was reliability. I actually started doing concert photography with it. The rest, as they say, is history.
I sold it when I got a Dynax 7. I cannot say I miss it, I learned how limited it was for what I wanted to do. But it did teach me a lot.
He shot slides on a Contax G1 and his images were so much better than mine. I decided to get myself a decent camera. That was plastic wonder, a Minolta 404Si 35mm SLR with a fast-ish Sigma zoom. Autofocus was pretty poor, but metering was outstanding as was reliability. I actually started doing concert photography with it. The rest, as they say, is history.
I sold it when I got a Dynax 7. I cannot say I miss it, I learned how limited it was for what I wanted to do. But it did teach me a lot.