My Camera Collection
I've been obsessing over cameras of all kinds since the age of 15. My first camera was the Nikon D80 I stole off of my parents after I decided I was going to get really good at taking photos. I still have that camera; it's photographed below on the left hand corner. I still use it! It's my backup camera should anything happen to my Nikon D800 - AKA. The big boy.
I got my D800 the moment Nikon released it. They hadn't released a new full frame (AKA what the pro's use for all the camera newbies out there!) camera in years, but I knew one was coming. Rather than spend a lot of money on the older D700, which would be out of date in a matter of months, I waited. And I waited. I waited for almost a year, and yes there were many times when I almost caved and bought the D700, just because I was so desperate to upgrade. I'm so glad I didn't though, as I've had my D800 for 4 years now, and it's just as wonderful as the day I got it. Sadly, it's the only camera not photographed here... for obvious reasons. ;)
I've also been collecting film cameras for years. I've actually got a few more film cameras in Switzerland, but they've not yet made their way to Cornwall. I'm sure they will one day. In the mean time, I'm sure you'll agree that I've got plenty to play with! I got my "Nikon F3" for my 18th birthday, and it was my first "real" film camera. I've been in love with it ever since, and it still is my go to film camera. Most of the 35mm work you'll see has been done with this guy! I was very kindly given the "Mamiya C330" 3 or 4 years ago, and I've sadly not used it as much as I would like. I keep meaning to get it out more often. I'm not used to the "looking down" you have to do to shoot with a twin-reflex lens, so I tend to grab any of standard "look through the view finder" cameras whenever I'm shooting. The images that I have produced with it, I've always loved though, so it's a camera I'll never give away or sell.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love instant film. I got this Polaroid camera two years ago, after the original one I had broke. Needless to say, I adore this camera, and thanks to Impossible Film, I can shoot polaroid as much as I like (or as much as my bank account would like, I should say). My FujiFilm Instax Wide is a much loved camera. It's so easy to use, and the film is so reliable. This is the camera I take with me when I really want instant film, but I don't want to worry about whether the polaroid film might not work (Impossible film is great and I love it -- but sometimes it can be slightly unreliable).
The Boots Beirette and the Holga are my two least used cameras I'd say. The Boots Beirette was a camera I picked up impulsively in a charity shop, and it's definitely a lot of fun, but totally different to any camera I've ever used before, and the films I've got back from it are always hit and miss. The Holga was kindly given to me by my brother a few months ago, and it's not yet gone out for a test run... Maybe I should take it out for a spin and share the results with you all!
I've got so many more camera's that I'd like to purchase and try out, the main one being a Polaroid SX-70. That's on the top of my list. What are your dream cameras?
