Tools and the Trade

I have been fortunate enough to use a great series of cameras over the years. To follow is as comprehensive a list as I can put together, and, in fairly accurate chronological order. Of course, I have on occasion worked with other cameras, such as Polaroids, however, I consider this list to consist of the highlights of cameras that I have worked with.

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye
Start date, circa 1959
Fantastic little box camera. Bakelite at it’s best. Hold it like a Hasselblad (great feeling even for a four year old) and stare down into the view finder. My first taste of art direction! I can still hear the tinny little sound of the shutter release and spring. Then, the sound as you wound to the next frame. That was great fun. Need I say it? This and all to follow until I mention otherwise were all film cameras!

Kodak Instamatic 100
Start date, circa 1965
Felt like I was in heaven. Was picture taking ever this much fun, or cool?! I don’t know how I got my hands on this baby, but I still have it. I loved the horizontal format and the look of the prints. They scream, mid 1960’s. This was the camera to bring to the World’s Fair (yes, they had those things where you could roam around in freedom and safety, learning about other cultures and enjoying life.)

Unknown Minolta SLR
Start date, circa 1968
Brief, but wonderful stint using my sister’s old SLR from art school. Magnificent camera, but, unfortunately, malfunctioned and was never repaired. This middle-schooler lacked the wherewithal to bring the camera back to life.

Nikon F2
Start date, circa 1971
This is where we drop all the booster rockets and enter the heavens. Magnificent camera, an aristocrat. Professional level, fully manual. This was a loaner from my then brother-in-law on his return from duty in Vietnam as a photographer of the aftermath of battle (I hear you). I was brought up to speed. I learned to load the film, take light readings, and set the aperture and shutter speed. I gained experience in proper exposure and image composition. I began to develop and mount all my own color slide film and create slide shows. After shooting countless rolls of film I learned to cull down and tell stories with only the strongest images, preempting the yawning and “look at the time” syndrome. The Nikon F2 brought fulfillment.

Unknown Canon
Start date, circa 1973
Not an SLR, but a little workhorse that I used for quite a few years. Lost track of it. Would love to find it in my attic some day.

Nikon FE2
Start date, circa 1983
Beautiful semi professional SLR. Just getting to know it when it was sadly stolen out of my house one dark December. May have ended up under a tree somewhere on Christmas morn, or, helped satisfied a drug habit.

Unknown Ricoh point and shoot
Start date, circa 1984
Not much to tell here other than that this camera filled the gap between the previous glories, and those to come. As a point and shoot, I have no complaints. Worked well and was easy on batteries.

Nikon FM2

Start date, circa 1987

A return to form and greatness. Fully manual at the dawn of the automatic age. Felt good in my hands and produced professional results. A wonder in its simplicity.

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Sony Mavica

Start date, circa 1991

Marks the dawn of the digital age for this designer. All Sony, all the time. All proprietary technology. No film. All images recorded on mini disks, and suitable for transmission over analog telephone lines. Ahead of its time, and very expensive. I shudder to think what it would cost in today’s dollars. Used in service of a client.

Nikon F3
Start date, circa 1994
For me, the best of the film cameras. Pure joy. When this camera was stolen, it shook my ability to trust (long story that I won’t elaborate on.) Used exclusively for product photography. A fantastic camera.

Leica Reprovit
Start date, circa 1994
Copy stand marvel in black (film only.) Also a joy. The Leica body and lens were a jewel in my eyes. Everything worked flawlessly. Every tolerance was right on the money. I hope to work with Leicas again some day.

Unknown rented digital SLR monster-cam.
Start date, circa 1995
Rented for test purposes, this camera produced stunning results. Price tag? Around 28K. That’s why we rented it.

Kodak DC-40
Start date, circa 1995
A new era of fun begins. Feels like a toy, but, if you are not terribly concerned with image quality, gets the job done. Best at quick record shots.

Fujifilm DS-300
Start date, circa 1997
After the Kodak DC-40, this feels like a real camera in your hands again. Cleanly designed hardware. The image quality is improving. This camera is probably around 2 mega pixels, impressive for that time. If you purchased a separate mountable screen, you could actually view the image that you were about to capture, a first. Still, this camera was somewhat temperamental. At times,there were hours and days of downtime while we did trouble shooting to get it back in service.

Nikon Coolpix 3100
Start date, circa 2004
At 3.2 mega pixels, closer yet to capturing a good image for web or print. The digital fun has now kicked in. Still works great. I wish that the battery door had not fallen off. Black photo tape holds it all together. At a passing glance, can’t tell there is a problem. Looks cooler than ever.

Nikon D80
Start date, circa 2007
We have arrived. All the fun and possibilities are at our command. The depth of the image is fabulous. Only drawback? Need to use the camera almost daily to stay familiar with it. But, it is worth it.

Nikon P5100
Start date, circa 2008
I keep this one close to me because for image capture it is the best thing going. It used to be “F 8 and be there.” Now, it is, “just be there.” Not an SLR, but, you can’t put an SLR in your pocket, or hang it lightly around your neck. Oh, the wonder!

Do I miss film and slides as media? I sure do, but that will have to wait for a later post!