I'm Curious Who started out with Film SLR's?

[Bill Borne]

I started around the same time you did, Bill. I was overseas as a young sergeant in the Army. In its infinite wisdom, the Army offered free lessons and a free photo lab to the bush grunts when we were in from humping the boonies. The idea was to keep us out of the bars and whorehouses in the ville outside the camp, so that we’d still be somewhat functional when the rifle company went out into Indian Country again – plus the ville was a dangerous place for a number of reasons. We were all just kids, so that offer went pretty much unheeded by the troopers, but I had gotten married very young and wasn’t much of a drinker, so the ville had little attraction to me and I gave their offer a try – got hooked right away. The instructor was a very interesting guy named Rudi, who had been a Werhmacht photographer in WWII, and I speak German so we hit it off right away.

Brings back memories of my Army Days!

My first cameras were an old totally manual (no built-in light meter) Leica rangefinder and a 6x6cm Rollei TLR, borrowed from Rudi. Photo equipment was dirt cheap at the PX over there and the first camera I bought was (I think) a 35mm Pentax Spotmatic. Just before my time was finally up and they sent me back to what we called The World, I bought a Bronica 6x6cm SLR and some lenses. That was the camera I used mostly to make a living as I worked my way through years of school on the GI Bill.

Yes, I think growing up in those days and using that equipment has been a huge boon to my photography skills. As others have said, shooting a even just single frame was an expensive proposition (especially with rollfilm) and darkroom image manipulation was limited, so you worked very hard to make sure you got it right every time. It forced you to intimately understand the relationship between shutter speed, aperture, ASA, etc. Metering light separately from the camera was also invaluable. There was no spray and pray as one has today.

I agree 100%

I must say, however, that I was an early and enthusiastic adopter of digital. I was willing to put up with the less-than-stellar IQ and other issues that were suffered by early digicams because I shot mostly negative film and it got me out of the damned darkroom, plus it allowed me, even with the primitive early software, MUCH more freedom to manipulate images than I ever had in the darkroom. Digital photography was wonderful magic to me – and I never looked back.

I followed a similar path with moving away from the DSLR’s. Like probably everyone here, I used DSLR’s (Canon in my case), but when the first rather primitive mirrorless ILC’s came out, I moved in that direction very quickly (kept my DSLR stuff because the IQ of the early mirrorless, focus speed, etc, left a LOT to be desired vs. a state of the art DSLR of the time). It just made no sense to me to tote around a device with a mechanically flapping mirror and the big lenses needed to deal with the mirror box in a digital world. Now, we have mirrorless cameras that are the full equivalent of today’s DSLR’s – and I use only mirrorless ILC’s. I carry much more computing power around in my pocket every day in the form of an iPhone than NASA used to send men to the moon, all without giving it much thought. What a world! Lots of bad things in the modern world, but lots of good things, too.

Yup technology is great but they better get a handle on security in the digital age

Best!

 

[tbcass]

and who has only shot digital?

I was shooting film in 1967

I started shooting film in the mid 60s and bought my first SLR, a Kowa SET, in 1969. In 1970 I replaced the Kowa with a Minolta SRT 101. I used the SRT101 along with an XG370 and an Olympus IS 30 DLX SLR until 2005.

 

[Bill Borne]

Hi All

I started With a Nikkormat FTn around 1974 -75. Saved Money to buy it on my first summerjob - I think. Used it to take B&W or slides Kodachrome 25 and later 64. I also used Ektachrome 160 which could be pushed to 400 ASA/ISO on special occations such as rock-conserts.

I Still have a lot of work to do to digitalize a huge bunch of older images from 1975-1988s and my father's even older slide-collection from the 1960s!

I replaced the Nikkormat FTn later with a pair of Nikon F2s and even later a Nikkormat ELW which I used till it broke down on a trip to China in 2002. After that I have used various digital cameras manly from Nikon.

For Fun I also have bought a mint (never used....) black Nikon F Photomic and an original 1959 Nikon F (Series number 6403xxx).

Lessons learnt: Difference between apperture and speed. It was not common to have zoom lenses those days so I needed to wear more glas around.......

Yes but primes are always better.

BRG
BT

 

[Birddogman]

Bill Borne wrote:. Now, we have mirrorless cameras that are the full equivalent of today’s DSLR’s – and I use only mirrorless ILC’s. I carry much more computing power around in my pocket every day in the form of an iPhone than NASA used to send men to the moon, all without giving it much thought. What a world! Lots of bad things in the modern world, but lots of good things, too.

Yup technology is great but they better get a handle on security in the digital age

Best!

--
Check out my photos at: https://www.flickr.com/gp/137747053@N07/4M38jj

--
"Life's Too Short to Worry about the BS!"
So I Choose my Battles
Click for Wild Man's Photos

Another interesting thing (that I enjoy telling our school board members when they want to build yet another $50 million School-Mahal) is that those NASA scientists who sent the first men to the moon were very likely all graduates of one-room school houses without three gyms, two swimming pools, fully equipped broadcast media rooms, etc, etc, etc.

--
Check out my photos at: https://www.flickr.com/gp/137747053@N07/4M38jj

 

[Bryan Boulier]

I started out with a small half frame camera I bought in Germany in 1965 while studying at the University of Heidelberg, but don't remember the brand name. It was great because it cut the costs of film in half. The next purchase was a Yashica 35mm TL-Super bought at the PX in 1971. When that failed, I upgraded to a Minolta Maxxum 7xi. The digital era began with a Miinolta Dimage 7hi, followed by the Sony A200 and then the Sony A65.

 

[Horacecoker]

I can't go back as far as some a lot of members (thankfully) but here are the film cameras I've owned and the year I bought them. Good thread, Bill.


1973 Olympus Trip 35


1981 Olympus OM10 (with manual adaptor bought separately)


1985 Ricoh AF-5


1987 Canon EOS 650


1991 Konica Big Mini (got this to compliment my SLR when I wanted to travel light)


1999 Canon EOS 50E


2002 Canon EOS 30

David

 

[2string]

My first camera. Best way to learn apertures, shutter speeds, DOF ect. It is very surprising on how many people don't know what an aperture is and how it works for you. Buying different films. I still have a "metal" film canister. An early one.

 

[2string]

My first camera. Best way to learn apertures, shutter speeds, DOF ect. It is very surprising on how many people don't know what an aperture is and how it works for you. Buying different films. I still have a "metal" film canister. An early one.

Just noticed the exif on the canister. What it that lens gibberish?

 

[Bill Borne]

I can't go back as far as some a lot of members (thankfully) but here are the film cameras I've owned and the year I bought them. Good thread, Bill.

Thanks, Horace. I'm having a good time reading all these without any antagonisms between members

1973 Olympus Trip 35


1981 Olympus OM10 (with manual adaptor bought separately)


1985 Ricoh AF-5


1987 Canon EOS 650


1991 Konica Big Mini (got this to compliment my SLR when I wanted to travel light)


1999 Canon EOS 50E


2002 Canon EOS 30

David

--
"Life's Too Short to Worry about the BS!"
So I Choose my Battles
Click for Wild Man's Photos

 

[paris1968]

Me, I did. I started taking pictures in the early '50s with outdated 620 film my Dad bought for a nickel from a drug store near work. I used my aunts' old Kodak box cameras. I learned to develop and print film before I was in kindergarten, and made Sun prints even before that. I used 35mm and 4X5 cut film in view cameras up through the early '80s. I had an elaborate darkroom and even made ambrotypes of a sort using a modern colodian substitute. Then I gave it all up.

In the mid '90s I bought a Konica Q-Mini. It was only .64 MP., but it was a revelation of the future, and I was hooked once more.

 

[Bill Borne]

My first camera. Best way to learn apertures, shutter speeds, DOF ect. It is very surprising on how many people don't know what an aperture is and how it works for you. Buying different films. I still have a "metal" film canister. An early one.

Yup metal and plastic came in handy for storing small items

--
"Life's Too Short to Worry about the BS!"
So I Choose my Battles
Click for Wild Man's Photos

 

[Marty4650]

and who has only shot digital?

I was shooting film in 1967

And so was I.

I'd guess that anyone over 40 started shooting with film cameras, but only the wealthiest ones had SLRs. Even back in 1967 a film SLR was pretty expensive. At least for a young person. And remember, only very young people from 1967 would still be alive today! All of the "over 40 year olds" back then are over 90 or gone today.

I think most of us started shooting with P&S film cameras, then some of us moved up to film SLRs, and then those of us who were still are into photography by 2000 or so got digital cameras.

Anyone under 40 probably didn't "start with a film camera" although some may be using them today for artistic, style or nostalgia reasons.

 

[Bill Borne]

Me, I did. I started taking pictures in the early '50s with outdated 620 film my Dad bought for a nickel from a drug store near work. I used my aunts' old Kodak box cameras. I learned to develop and print film before I was in kindergarten, and made Sun prints even before that.

I find that hard to believe but I'll take you at your word. ;-)

I used 35mm and 4X5 cut film in view cameras up through the early '80s. I had an elaborate darkroom and even made ambrotypes of a sort using a modern colodian substitute. Then I gave it all up.

In the mid '90s I bought a Konica Q-Mini. It was only .64 MP., but it was a revelation of the future, and I was hooked once more.

 

[Bill Borne]

and who has only shot digital?

I was shooting film in 1967

And so was I.

I'd guess that anyone over 40 started shooting with film cameras, but only the wealthiest ones had SLRs. Even back in 1967 a film SLR was pretty expensive. At least for a young person. And remember, only very young people from 1967 would still be alive today! All of the "over 40 year olds" back then are over 90 or gone today.

I think most of us started shooting with P&S film cameras, then some of us moved up to film SLRs, and then those of us who were still are into photography by 2000 or so got digital cameras.

Anyone under 40 probably didn't "start with a film camera" although some may be using them today for artistic, style or nostalgia reasons.

 

[Bill Borne]

My first camera. Best way to learn apertures, shutter speeds, DOF ect. It is very surprising on how many people don't know what an aperture is and how it works for you. Buying different films. I still have a "metal" film canister. An early one.

Just noticed the exif on the canister. What it that lens gibberish?

That's curious, must be a cannister made in France or somewhere

--
"Life's Too Short to Worry about the BS!"
So I Choose my Battles
Click for Wild Man's Photos

 

[2string]

My first camera. Best way to learn apertures, shutter speeds, DOF ect. It is very surprising on how many people don't know what an aperture is and how it works for you. Buying different films. I still have a "metal" film canister. An early one.

Yup metal and plastic came in handy for storing small items

--
"Life's Too Short to Worry about the BS!"
So I Choose my Battles
Click for Wild Man's Photos

Guitar picks and duh I can't remember anything else I would store in it.lol

 

[Bill Borne]

My first camera. Best way to learn apertures, shutter speeds, DOF ect. It is very surprising on how many people don't know what an aperture is and how it works for you. Buying different films. I still have a "metal" film canister. An early one.

Yup metal and plastic came in handy for storing small items

--
"Life's Too Short to Worry about the BS!"
So I Choose my Battles
Click for Wild Man's Photos

Guitar picks and duh I can't remember anything else I would store in it.lol

Screws, nut etc

And I do have some fishing reel bail springs in one still

--
"Life's Too Short to Worry about the BS!"
So I Choose my Battles
Click for Wild Man's Photos

 

[Marty4650]

I know a lot of people who never used a camera till they got their Smart Phones.

So do I.

But your question was about "film SLRs and digital cameras" and a smart phone is a digital camera, just like every other sort of digital camera. So the distinction isn't relevant for your question.

You could restate your question as a poll.... with three possible answers.

Was your first camera:

• a film camera,
• a conventional digital camera,
• or a smart phone digital camera

if you wanted to make that distinction.

But smart phones are even newer than digital cameras are, so my theory still holds. The older you are, the more likely you are to have started taking photos with a film camera.

--
Marty
http://www.fluidr.com/photos/marty4650/sets/72157606210120132
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marty4650/sets/72157606210120132/show/
my blog: http://marty4650.blogspot.com/

 

[elliottnewcomb]

In addition to Peter's ashes going in the cemetery here, I have several film canisters, (without any logo), small amounts of ashes to scatter, they will go in various places:

1. Off his boat in Florida. Going down this coming Monday.

2. Out of a balloon ride this July. He always wanted to give donna and I a balloon ride for our anniversary, he got us tickets last year, it got rained out. Hopefully this year will work.

3. Cannister in with his beloved beagle/child India, buried in the back yard

4. Cannister in St. Augistine cemetery, a quickie superstitious insertion with garden spade.

5. Ocean in Jacksonville beach, a small ceremony with all his florida friends.

They are aluminum, so people with metal detectors will not dig them up.

 

[Evenstar606]

In addition to Peter's ashes going in the cemetery here, I have several film canisters, (without any logo), small amounts of ashes to scatter, they will go in various places:

1. Off his boat in Florida. Going down this coming Monday.

2. Out of a balloon ride this July. He always wanted to give donna and I a balloon ride for our anniversary, he got us tickets last year, it got rained out. Hopefully this year will work.

3. Cannister in with his beloved beagle/child India, buried in the back yard

4. Cannister in St. Augistine cemetery, a quickie superstitious insertion with garden spade.

5. Ocean in Jacksonville beach, a small ceremony with all his florida friends.

They are aluminum, so people with metal detectors will not dig them up.