Good gear
My first “real” camera was a SLR. Also, proof for a teenager that you do get what you pay for. The camera was manufactured in a German factory. East German. Back in the early 1970’s, that said more than I knew. One year later, my second “real” camera was also a SLR. Manufactured in Japan, at a higher price point. And, in terms that count, still functional, almost fifty years later. I had learned my lesson, and didn’t buy based on the low price. Still beileve that precept.
This afternoon, I watched a rather long documentary on the firm that produced camera #2. I still buy from the firm, but what I learned is that this was not a one-trick pony. Pentax was and remains a real optical giant. I wasn’t in the market, often, through those decades, because my Spotmatic II was so well made. There were a lot of models, since. Too many for me to count without assistance. And the cameras we have bought, since, have been worth the money. Most, anyway.
When I first loaded a roll of Tri-X, beneath the stairs in my campus dormitory, I had no idea that digital would be the norm. It didn’t matter. I learned a lot of things along the way, and my ease with my DSLR is attributable to what I learned along the way. Can’t get my eyesight back, but I can still frame a shot and let someone else interpret the scene.
You might guess that I’ve kept almost all of my gear, through the years. That little Praktika, long gone, got me started. I’m glad it didn’t distract me from real equipment. That would bave been sad.
And as an aside, my excellent taste in geta (Pentax) took deep root. Someone else in the house also believes, and she can see what she’s doing. All of our lenses represent a heritage, and a fine set of tools for our future.
