My Cameras

My first camera, a Kodak 35 RF. I got it in 1976. Camera: Minolta X-9 Lens: Minolta MD Zoom 28-70mm, f/3.5, @ 28mm Film: Kodak Ektar 100 (expired 06/2019) Aperture: f/22 Shutter Speed: “B” (bulb), 5 seconds Date: October 24th, 2020, 1.10 p.m. Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing Chemicals: Unicolor C-41 Water pre-soak: 1 minute at 102 degrees Developer: 3 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes (to keep chemicals clean) Blix: 6 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes Stabilizer: 1 minute at room temperature Water rinse: 2 minutes Minolta X-9 Ektar 100 Fall Tree 2020 36ff

This is the very first camera I have ever had. It was given to me by my friend and neighbor, but it didn't work. I got it to working and learned a lot about photography using it. Since you had to adjust everything: Shutter speed, aperature, focus, etc., it gave a good grounding in the basics of the art of photograpy.

I picked this up in 1976 and was the first Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash I'd ever owned - it was my second camera. I still like the simplicity of these cameras and still use them to this day. Only, now I have 8 of them. I'm trying to use each one, but it takes so long to get through them and all my other cameras. My goal is to be able to say I've used each camera in my collection.

This is a Reflex III, made by United States Camera Corp. Probably released in the 1960's, it was made to resemble a twin lens reflex camera.

This was the second Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash I found back in the 1970's. Probably picked it up for under a dollar.

This was the third camera I ever owned, a Kodak No. 2A Cartridge Premo Model B. I found it at an estate sale.

This case and the front lens element is all I have left of an Argus Autronic 35 camera I had back in the late-1970's. I purchased it at a yard sale and it wasn't in working condition. After trying to take it apart and fix it, (unsuccessfully, I might add), the pieces disappeared over the years until this is all I have left of it.

This front lens element and the case is all I have left of an Argus Autronic 35 camera I had back in the late-1970's. I purchased it at a yard sale and it wasn't in working condition. After trying to take it apart and fix it, (unsuccessfully, I might add), the pieces disappeared over the years until this is all I have left of it.

This is an artist's conception of my first Kodak instant camera - The Handle. I bought it back in the Summer of 1977 to use on a family vacation. As I recall, the handle that cranked out the pictures broke off after a couple years. It's called "The Handle," but it's got two handles, a hand crank and the thing you grip on the other side. I wonder which handle was intended as the title of the camera?

This camera, along with the fabulous f/1.2 lens, matching flash and winder was the first really good, new camera I ever bought. I got it in early 1978 and it's still going strong. And it's still an important piece in my photographic arsenal.

A shot of my Minolta XD11 with the Minolta MD 28-70mm zoom lens on it. Camera: Minolta SRT-101 Lens: Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm F/1.2 lens Film: Fuji Film Neopan 100 Acros 35mm black and white Aperture: F/16 Shutter Speed: 60 secs. Date: April 5th, 2014, 11.59 p.m. Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing chemicals at 68 degrees: Developer: Ilford ID-11 - 10 minutes Stop Bath: Ilford Ilfostop - 1 minute Rinse: Water - 1 minute Fixer: Ilford Hypam - 7 minutes Rinse: Water - 5 minutes Minolta SRT101 Acros 30if

There was a time back in the 1970's, just after I'd found the joys of photography, that I would go around and pick up all sorts of used and old cameras at various places - yard sales, auctions, antique stores, etc. This is one that seemed to be everywhere at that particular point in time. I ended up with 8 of them after it was all said and done and haven't gotten another one since then. Now, as I collect more cameras, I'm trying to go through and use each and every one in my collection. Although I haven't gotten around to shooting with this particular one yet, I have used Brownies No. 1, 2, 5 and 7.

This is an old Kodak box camera I've had since around 1977. It dates back to 1916 for when it was made, so it's over 100 years old! I dug it out last night with the intent of finally using it for the first time. I've used old box cameras before with 35mm film in them, but that left too much of the field of view unphotographed. I realized that 120 film all but fills up the area of view, so I put some Fomapan 400 black and white film in it to try it out. What I did was to cut some of the leader off in the dark and taped it inside the camera. By doing that, I should get more negative area to use instead of just the part where the numbers begin. It was photographed on a table at least as old as is the camera. This table used to belong to my Great-Grandmother Sullivan.

This Kodak No. 2A Brownie Model B was another old box camera I acquired through an estate auction back in the late-1970's.

Scanned from a camera manual.

Another camera I picked up used in the late 1970's. For the longest time, I didn't pay attention and thought it said "Spartacus."

I finally got around to cleaning and photographing my fourth Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash camera. I plan on shooting with it this weekend, so I wanted it to be in tip-top shape before I took it out. This picture was shot in a mirror.

I loaded some Kodak Portra 160VC into my Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash camera because I plan on taking it out this weekend and shoot with it. It normally takes 620 film, but a spool of 120 fits in it. As long as I use a regular 620 takeup spool winds better than a 120 spool, so this combination seems to work well in one of these cameras.