Which camera made you fall in love with photography?

[Vince Lupo]

Although this was my first camera (below) I think the one that ‘peaked my interest’ in photography (rather than ‘fall in love with’) was my father’s Exakta VXIIa. It had been unloved and forgotten in the deep recesses of a closet, and I found all the chrome knobs etc to be quite fascinating. I soon discovered, however, that the shutter curtains had pinholes and as a result many little white spots were imparted on my photos. Ah well that affair soon ended and I moved on to greener pastures in the guise of a Minolta SRT-101. It was all downhill from there.

 

[Ken Ford]

It wasn’t my first camera, but it was my first 35mm - a Honeywell/Pentax SP500.

 

[Bob Helmond]

My first camera, an Ansco 4x4 tlr given to me by my grandfather, got me going until I got my very own 35mm, a Perfex 44 with an extinction meter.

 

[bensyverson]

It's a pretty common answer, but after a few forgettable point and shoots, the Canon AE-1 was my first "real" camera, and the one that showed me what was possible.

That was my main camera through high school and art school, where I studied photography.

However, I have to begrudgingly give props to the Canon Rebel XT, the camera that rebooted my photography journey in 2005—before being replaced by the 5D II a few years later. I'm not sure if I'd still be shooting if it wasn't for the XT.