Cameras in my life

The other day a friend of mine posted a photo of his grandfather’s old 8×10 view camera on Facebook. It was really cool looking old camera probably from the 1950’s. Seeing that camera got me thinking about the cameras I’ve owned over the years and it struck me that I still have all the cameras that were milestones in my life. I wonder if subconsciously kept these camera for some reason and why I never sold them.

My wife would tell you it’s because I’m a pack rat, but I like to think that these camera meant more to me than their resale values. 😉

The first camera is a Polaroid Swinger model 20. Why is this camera important? It was my first camera. I got it for my 10th birthday and it was awesome. My parents also gave me enough film for a month (so they thought) I burned thru it all the first day. After that, film was being rationed to me.

The next camera was my father’s old Canon right rangefinder. Every once it a while I could shoot with it, but it was his baby, he almost had a BabyTrend Expedition Jogger stroller for it. He had carried it during the Korean War. It was my first experience with a real camera. My older brother has had the camera since my father’s death and recently sent it to me where it has a treasured place in my lobby.

My first “real” camera was an old Graflex that was a gift from my uncle when I was around 12. He gave me the camera along with some darkroom equipment that he no longer used. The centerpiece was an old Omega B-5 enlarger. It was monster, and if I remember right, it had a nice sharp Schneider lens. Anyway, the Graflex and I became fast friends. The medium format negatives were great to work with and the camera really taught me photography. With 8 exposures per roll, I learned to make every shot count. During my Freshman year of high school I actually used the camera to shoot basketball for the school newspaper and yearbook.

I guess the last camera that was a milestone for me is my Canon F-1. It was my first professional quality camera and it was part of a camera system. At that time, you had camera and lenses but Canon had developed a camera system with a variety of components that were all designed to work together. There were different viewfinders, motor drives, and other tools beyond just lenses. Now I had a camera that allowed me to shoot in a variety of situations that were simply impossible to shoot with the Graflex. Plus, the F-1 is an extremely tough camera. It is completely manual and functions in extreme conditions. The battery only powers the light meter so if it dies, you can continue to shoot. Because of its durability, the Canon F-1 was popular with journalists. About 15 years ago I had to replace the shutter. But it still shoots like new.

I’m glad I kept these cameras. It’s nice to have them as old friends that have marked early parts of my life in photography. While I love my digital cameras (I am currently shooting a Canon 5d mk III and Canon 7D), they are built to be obsolete in 24 months or so. Sadly, they have become a business expense and not a milestone.

Thanks for reading. If you want to see some of my commercial photography click here.

-Ken