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Hi! I'm Bill, a baby boomer, born...ohhh...195?. You get the idea! I never
gave much thought to cameras or taking pictures until Labor Day weekend, 1965. I was at a
neighborhood party and one of the attendees was explaining his very
sophisticated looking camera to the men. I joined the
circle, very impressed by the buttons, levers, knobs, gizmos and
thingamajigs. |
Nikon F collected! Check back as the
Casual Collector gets re-acquainted with the first camera he ever made a
picture with.
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The device, a Nikon F Photomic was, according to its' owner, very
straightforward to operate. "Even a kid can do it", he claimed
as he placed the strap around my neck. A few quick instructions later I
was photographing my friends leaping from the diving board into the pool.
Turn this, center that...the viewfinder was amazing. What a fascinating
machine this camera was.
The hook was really set that night when we developed the negatives. I had
to do this! A few weeks later a camera was donated to the cause. A
Kodak Brownie 620. Not exactly a Nikon F, but it took pictures. Christmas
brought an Ansco developing kit. Now I could do it at home, all by myself,
with help and encouragement from Dad and my brother. Yeah, this could be a
long story so I'll move on from here.
Nikon
F Photomic, ca. 1965.
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So, here we are in the 21st century. This didn't start out to be a
collection. Somewhere in the intervening decades, the devices themselves
became as interesting as the process. Cameras began accumulating. All
kinds, at first, then came "focus"! The profiles in this site
are dedicated to the dominant instrument of the "Baby Boomer"
photographer, The Japanese 35mm Single Lens Reflex. Yes, there are several
exceptions. Variety is good! Some of the cameras are mine, some are not.
Most of them work, a few are paperweights! I've shot at least one roll of
film with each of the working ones.
It's been nearly 40 years since that Labor Day party. I still have the
Kodak Brownie and I've finally acquired a Nikon F. We'll see how it
compares with the memories of 1965.
As with most websites,
this one is a work in progress so please stop back periodically. Thanks
for taking a look.
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