When did you get your first camera?

[jbrem]

I'm just wondering when you first picked a camera and if you can remember, what it was. Also, if you have childern, when did you or when are you planning on introducing them to cameras.

I guess I picked up a little 110 when I was 5 or 6, and I have been going at it ever since. Really got serious in the last few years. Now it is my single largest expenditure.... My little boy is going to get a Fischer Price Digital next birthday... Yea!!!

[Lax]

I believe my first was a polaroid one-step land camera in the 70's. The next decent one was an olympus a-1 rangefinder I bought in Hong Kong. (still got it)

My son (4) already loves photography. We gave him a few disposables to play with at the age of 3 and he did really good. Lots of keepers. He is also getting the fisher price digital one this Christmas.

[Terrancelee]

I was 14 years old, and got it for Christmas in 1980. Was a yashica fx-3 I believe. Lost it in a house fire in 92, so can't go look, and replaced it with Nikon 6006. I gave my kids p&s 35mm's to use as they wished several years ago. Then gave one of my girls, age 12, my 6006 last Christmas. Am trying to find another this year to give to my other daughter, so they'll be the same kind.

[chempilot]

i too had a 110 and a polaroid land when i was eight or so. in my later teens my dad handed me his AE-1 as he upgraded. when the computer board blew on the AE-1, i messed around with a friend's pentax K-1000. now, digital all the way. don't miss film much at all....

[mcjeff]

When I was 7 years old, my Mom gave me a Kodak 124. It took the old 126 film cartridge and used flash cubes. I used it until I was 11 and found my Stepfather's old 35mm viewfinder camera (don't remember the brand). It didn't have a light meter, but you could change the shutter speed and aperture. I got pretty good at guessing what the settings should be for proper exposure. After I bought my AE-1, I found out that my Stepfather had a light meter, he just never told me.

Jeff

[Murph]

Probably in 1970 or earlier with a Kodak 126 or Kodak 110. My first 35mm was a Konica T3 in 1975.

[RandySmith]

My avatar is a photo that I was trying to use the shadows of a window pane pretending to be "prison bars" with my cousin ... taken in 1966 with my 110 instamatic. My family sent me a box of old photo's and I found it in there with the rest, surprised I remembered what I was trying to do, I'm equally amazed I was able to think about light/shadows at 11.

No kids, but lots of nieces and nephews showing some interest ages 4-16, giving them ample opportunities to learn what they want from me.

Randy

[Daniel Bates]

2004 with an ME Super.

[Nocturnus]

I got *stole* my first real camera from my dad.. Canon AE-1 with a 50mm and 135mm lens. The camera was broke (by me when I was a kid), shutter wind didnt work. I got the camera from him in like 1999 and i'm assuming it was from the mid 80's. Owned about 4 AE-1's after that (I kept buying/selling), owned a Minolta Maxxum 5 and another Nikon (might of been Pentax, dont recall). Then I got my 300d. So I really didn't start taking pics till 2000 I guess.

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

Used my dads Argus on vacation back in the 60's on occasion but picked up an early Canon AE1 in the late 70's or was that my second body? I also picked up a used F1 and had that for years before I was burgarlized and had it stolen, also had an A1 in there somewhere. I just remember that I decided that shooting slides was better than shooting prints, you knew the lab wasn't going to mess them up since KODAK processed all of their slides at their own labs.

[venchka]

I don't remember the exact year, maybe 1954 or 1955. I would have been 8 or 9 at the time. It was a medium format Brownie Hawkeye with flash that used 620 (GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!) film. If it used 120 film I could load it tomorrow. I may buy some 620 one of these days. I still have it.

I started with medium format and I still shoot medium format today.

[Duffy Pratt]

First camera was a Kodak Instamatic that I got for Christmas when I was seven. My second camera was a Pentax K1000. My sister got it when I was about 13, and, because I was already using it, I got it as a hand me down when she got her first Canon. I still have that one and it was still my main camera until I got the 20D. In the interim I had a Pentax 67 too.

Duffy

[Tammie]

I can't remember if it was a 110 or a polaroid....I think we had both. The flashcubes always smelled weird. But, I liked it!
My youngest child is doing photography. She is 15 known as "photodork" She has a d50 and has shot a couple of weddings already..My Grandaughter is 3 and is getting her own camera for Christmas. I'm just not sure what all is out there for kids.

[Bartman01]

Same Christmas I got the G.I. Joe Tank (back when G.I. Joe was full sized). Still have some faded out of focus pics of the tank.

Edit: Just dug out the album - I was 8, no idea what the camera was.

[Hogleg 44]

Kodak Brownie here too...

My first REAL camera is a Miranda Sensorex, circa 196x. I say 'is' because I still have it, as well as a "Petri" half frame 35.