I started taking photographs when I was around 8 years old. My first real camera was a little brownie. I don’t have that camera any longer – I wish I had saved it. I went through various other cameras . . . Polaroid, Instamatic, etc. But my first REAL SLR camera was a Nikkormat, which I got back in the late ’70s.
I was living in Hawaii at the time, and money was always short. Everything in Hawaii is expensive, but I saved my money so I could get a good camera. At the local camera shops, the Nikkormat was selling for around $500 (if I recall). But in reading my photograph magazines, I would always see ads for BH Photo out of New York, and their prices were always reasonable. So I contacted them and was able to get my first Nikkormat for almost half the price.
Back in the film days, it was too expensive to buy film locally in Hawaii, so I would buy my film from BH Photo, too. I have had a long relationship with BH Photo. I know there are a lot of other good photo companies out there, but I’ve always had wonderful service and help from BH Photo.
I was digging through my camera closet (yes, I have a closet full of old camera equipment) and dug out my old Nikkormat. It was a true workhorse. It sill works, although after switching to digital a number of years ago, it doesn’t get much of a workout anymore. But it still brings back great memories.
Maralee
Through My Lens 
What a wonderful camera, and wonderful memories. My first real camera was something I don’t even remember the name of. I think it originally belonged to my brother and he quit using it. I remember taking it in a single prop airplane with a classmate to do aerial shots of our school for the Yearbook. Then I went to college and have been using a Canon ever since (not counting the 30-odd years I dropped photography). I also flirted with the Olympus OM-1 for a brief period and in some respects its still my favorite (was incredibly quiet, which for a photojournalist was a big plus).
I think everyone got their start on something small that they don’t remember but then graduated to either a Nikon or Canon. Those seem to be the two “biggies” in the field. I think I chose Nikon because so much of what I was reading was about the Nikon and in my younger days, I wanted something that was good. I could easily have gone the Canon route too. Both are wonderful cameras.
My first camera was a Swinger that produced instant black and white pictures. Then it was a Kodak. I just bought my digital camera a couple of years ago and I am still learning how to use it.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
I don’t think I’ll learn everything my camera has to offer. Kind of like photoshop – I only learn what I know I need to do what I want to do. When I have time, I will try to learn more about both.
How I wish I had all my old cameras from all the years… I could open a museum, all ways the cheapest as I could not and still can’t afford the better cameras… bit the old instamatics, brownies, polaroids, kodac and so many others… we should keep quiet we’re showing our age…
I still have a lot of my old cameras, but the ones I had as a kid are no longer around. I wish I had them and could line them all on a display shelf. I guess I still could with the ones I have.
Ah the good old day of film! In my 42 years as a shooter I’ve own about every camera you could name. I even did a round or two with a Nikkormat. I must admit the many hours I spent in darkrooms processing film and prints. Times were much simpler then, without automatic anything. Some of my cameras didn’t even have a light meter.Still, I feel having to do everything manually caused you to understand what was going on, the relationship between aperture, shutter-speed and ASA(ISO). There were few good zooms back in the days of the Nikkormat, everything was prime lenses. All new SLR film cameras came with a 50mm F/1.8 lens. If you wanted something faster you paid dearly for it.
Today I own 3 digital cameras that are marvels of technology. They can do things the old cameras would struggle to duplicate. With modern lens technology and special coatings we have a plethora of options from which to choose. Digital graphic editing software takes the drudgery of chemicals and a darkroom into the virtual world. There’s no direct cost to shooting and processing so feel free to bracket every shot. I remember the film days but embrace this modern era of photography. – Bob
I’m really glad I learned on one of the old manual cameras. You really had to learn what the camera was all about. You learned from your mistakes. It was much more expensive. I developed my own black and white in a darkroom, although I never did process color. I went into digital kicking and screaming but now I won’t go back. I love to travel and before, I wouldn’t know if I got the shot I wanted until a few weeks later when my slides would be processed. And I’d have to do that a little at a time because it was so expensive to process slides. Now I can check my monitor and see if I got what I want and process them myself. No chemicals, no extra cash outlay. Technology is amazing. But sometimes I’m still nostalgic for the “go ol days”.
What a wonderful trip down memory lane. I got an SLR in the early 80s. Unfortunately, I only had the barest understanding of how to use it. I understood film speed and aperture, and that was about it! My brother, on the other hand, was quite the photographer in his day . . . setting up his darkroom in our bathroom and shooting for the high school yearbook (and getting to use their darkroom in the process). Still, through sheer luck I was able to pull off a few good shots.
I’m very happy for the digital world. It has helped me immensely. That being said, we do have a film SLR in the closet that, now that I actually know what I’m doing, is begging for me to put it into service. Once the post-a-day year is over, I may very well start investing in some film and having a go.
It’s fun to use the old film cameras. I’m glad I learned on an old SLR – it made me understand aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. I’d really have to think about it before I good a shot. Digital makes it all easier. And I like it that I can preview my photos now – especially when I’m traveling. I don’t know how many times I came back from a trip and when I got the film processed, it didn’t look quite like I remembered.
Stunning photos – a very commercial angle and look. I miss my old camera, I’m sure I can buy films still, but all the development cost and out of 36 photo – maybe 4 is okay. But they were really good cameras. I had a Olympus for many years and it took brilliant photos.
You can still get film, but it’s getting harder and harder to find and process. I know what you mean about getting only some of the photos in a roll come out okay. But it was a great learning experience and I think I’m better today because of it.
Yes, it so much easier today – but I think the photos came out much better on film. I couldn’t afford today to go back to my old camera.