What got YOU into photography?

MatKus · 10-02-2019, 04:28 AM

About 5 years ago i was going on vacation to Białowieża forest. I already had my old Canon A630, but since it's image quiality was already below my smartphone level i decided to buy K50 (kit with 15-55 and 50-200). That was my first DSLR and i still had problems to use it on my trip, but it was making way better images and was giving me much fun, way more than old point-and-shoot A630.

Since then I was taking more and more photos.
Shortly after i bought it it fell out of my hand when i was shooting view from my balcony... and i live on 8th floor. Luckyly only 17-55 lens got realy broken. K50 had also few scratches (also on fosucing screen, that fell out of camera) and something looking like dust under screen, but it was working just fine.

Right now my K50 have almost 70k shots and few days ago started to behave strange - sensor shakes every 0.5s not matter what, and if malfunction in itself is not bad enough, it started when i was on landscape photography workshops, just before best sunrise lights.

So after returning home i bought used K5 and now i'm waiting for K3 successor to find out if i want to stay with Pentax or move (and mostly waiting for money).

veato · 10-04-2019, 04:42 AM

It's all my Dad's fault. Although I got to use his SLR I had a range of compact cameras over the years. He did eventually buy me a 2nd hand P30T though.

**aslyfox** · 10-04-2019, 04:44 AM

blaming dad

I also blame him for my use of a sling or similar device

" you paid for that use it. "

we were not allowed to touch his camera ( Yashica to start with, then Pentax ) without putting the sling over our heads first

Walkingwolf · 10-06-2019, 07:58 PM

My parents. They started me off at 7 years old with a small plastic “wind it and click” camera that used 127 film. A friend of the family had a lab so developing wasn’t all that expensive. I loved that simple little camera- the years went on and the photo bug grew. Next came an Exacta then a K1000 then a Super Program, followed by the SFn. Digital began with K10D, then K-r and lastly K-S2. Maybe not many cameras but I really used them and learned a lot. And now I’m waiting for that rumoured K1ii replacement.....

**UncleVanya** · 10-06-2019, 08:50 PM

Originally posted by Walkingwolf

And now I’m waiting for that rumoured K1ii replacement.....

I'm out of the loop. I knew only about the k-3 II replacement on the way.

Walkingwolf · 10-08-2019, 09:54 AM

Originally posted by UncleVanya

I'm out of the loop. I knew only about the k-3 II replacement on the way.

Sorry- it’s a rumour in my heart only!
It’s what I’m hoping for...

genericmoniker · 10-08-2019, 07:58 PM

Always liked taking pictures, and eventually graduated from cellphones to a gently used K30 and haven't looked back since.

**Robin** · 10-11-2019, 05:51 AM

What got me into photography was my dad's SP1000. I used it so much that he bought me a KX for my 21st birthday. When film development started getting shockingly expensive I bought a Sony W7, and messed around with that for a few years. What finally got me back into SLR, and back to the Pentax fold, was... a K-x!

Since then I haven't looked back, and at least one camera goes with me wherever I am. I find thinking about set-up and composition is a sort of meditation.

**OldPentaxFan** · 10-11-2019, 06:52 AM

The photography bug bit me early, back when I was 10 or 11. I started with my father's 35mm rangefinder and eventually graduated to his Speed Graphic, which I used through college. He showed me how to work in a dark room although it was mainly contact printing the 4x5 negatives. College introduced me to enlarging because they had a Bessler that finally let me work with the 4x5 negatives.

I bought my own 35 mm slr in 1978, a K1000 (which I still use). I've also been with Pentax since then and still very happy about that decision all those years ago.

**Sir Nameless** · 10-11-2019, 07:10 AM

I won a Kodak disc (film) fixed focus camera at a raffle. Took it on vacation to Washington DC (I was about 12) and took pictures of monuments. I got a nice (ok, relatively speaking) silhouette shot of the Iwo Jima memorial at sunset. It was one of the few pictures I ever had printed larger than 4x6. (I still haven't gotten into printing yet...I should...)

After that it was a Vivitar 35 mm point-n-shoot that actually could focus. I got it because I thought it would help me take better pictures (ever heard that before?) That stuck around through high school & college. After getting a real job, it was an upgrade to a Phoenix P1 SLR (all-mechanical/manual camera with nothing electronic except a light meter) with a really cheesy 35-70 mm zoom. It was a K-mount. (I later tried that zoom on my K-50...once...yuk). It was around this time, with access to some DOF control and the necessity of slowing down to think about what I was doing, that I actually began trying to shoot creatively. I got some fantastic (for me) shots with this really rudimentary setup. I still have it, and plan to stick my fast 50 on it someday and load it with B&W film.

After that, it was a move to digital, with a Canon P&S, thanks to the arrival of kids, and the need for my wife to be able to use the camera.

After that, the upgrade to an Olympus XZ-1 which shot raw got me into post-processing, and the fact that it had some manual control got me working creatively again.

The itch for more capability grew, and here we are (see sig). If I ever get super rich *(ahaha), my next move will be to MF. Don't y'all hold your breath...

**Archimedes the Dog** · 10-11-2019, 07:33 AM

My dad was a semi-professional photographer, as well as the faculty advisor to the high school yearbook. I grew up doing photography and developing film with him as a small child, and it just sort of stuck with me all my life since the early 1970s. In fact, I recently bought a Ricohmatic 225, which was the camera my dad used when I was little. Unfortunately the camera was broken when I bought it so it is off with Mark Hansen in Wisconsin to have the film transport and shutter fixed, so i can't post a photo! When i was about 8-10 I was given a 110 point and shoot of some sort as a birthday present and I used that for a few years until Dad trusted me with his Minolta SLR.

**WillWeaverRVA** · 10-11-2019, 07:46 AM - **1 Like**

I started off just taking snapshots with a cheap $50 Vivitar point-and-shoot camera. Some friends commented on how good my pictures were, so I started looking into the nitty gritty of what I was actually doing, teaching myself things like composition and post-processing and progressively getting more capable gear over time.

**Kb3hvp** · 10-11-2019, 08:27 AM - **2 Likes**

Back in the late 80's my brother got into autocross, and for something to do while I was there with him a bought a Ricoh KR-30sp with a 70-210. I eventually started racing as well and the camera took a back seat. In the 90's I started driving a truck and tried to take some landscapes out on the road. My brother then got into nature photography and went the Minolta film then Nikon digital route. I stayed a snapshot photographer, just marveling at the eye he had for composition and exposure. I went digital with a couple Canon point and shoots the last one being waterproof for use on my small sailboat. A couple years ago my wife suggested taking photos at family gatherings, so out came the point and shoot. I also dragged out the Ricoh that I had and adaptall 28-200 with a pk mount for it. Mostly just to see how often I would use it. No one liked waiting for results and I started looking for a dslr. This site brought me to Pentax and I got a K-70. I'm still taking snap shots but hopefully getting better.

ZombieArmy · 10-11-2019, 11:17 AM

I've always at least had a somewhat passing interest in photography. When I really got charged and wanted to "learn it" for real was actually thanks to DigitalRev back in 2012-2014. I had really wanted to get a Canon 60d or K-5IIs back then but I couldn't afford it even used, so I ended up with the K-01 which he had also reviewed. And the rest is of course, history.

Kai, Lok and Alamby at the time had for me kind of taken the serious overtones of photography down and made it look so fun. I can't even imagine how many younger folk like myself they had gotten to invest in their first dslr or mirrorless.
I think part of what helped was it didn't matter which cameras they were shooting with, they just enjoyed doing it.

**ThomSirveaux** · 10-16-2019, 08:09 AM

My dad actually had a Nikon SLR, waaaay back in the day. I think he still has it, but I don't know where it went, but I do remember accidentally sitting on it one Christmas while the flash was still attached. Ripped through the plastic around the hot shoe and my dad never got it fixed.

BUT, I did remember him taking pictures, and being fascinated with the telephoto lenses he had.

10-11-2019, 11:17 AM	#44
ZombieArmy Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Florida Posts: 3,210	I've always at least had a somewhat passing interest in photography. When I really got charged and wanted to "learn it" for real was actually thanks to DigitalRev back in 2012-2014. I had really wanted to get a Canon 60d or K-5IIs back then but I couldn't afford it even used, so I ended up with the K-01 which he had also reviewed. And the rest is of course, history. Kai, Lok and Alamby at the time had for me kind of taken the serious overtones of photography down and made it look so fun. I can't even imagine how many younger folk like myself they had gotten to invest in their first dslr or mirrorless. I think part of what helped was it didn't matter which cameras they were shooting with, they just enjoyed doing it. Last edited by ZombieArmy; 10-11-2019 at 11:22 AM.

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10-02-2019, 04:28 AM	#31
MatKus Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 155	About 5 years ago i was going on vacation to Białowieża forest. I already had my old Canon A630, but since it's image quiality was already below my smartphone level i decided to buy K50 (kit with 15-55 and 50-200). That was my first DSLR and i still had problems to use it on my trip, but it was making way better images and was giving me much fun, way more than old point-and-shoot A630. Since then I was taking more and more photos. Shortly after i bought it it fell out of my hand when i was shooting view from my balcony... and i live on 8th floor. Luckyly only 17-55 lens got realy broken. K50 had also few scratches (also on fosucing screen, that fell out of camera) and something looking like dust under screen, but it was working just fine. Right now my K50 have almost 70k shots and few days ago started to behave strange - sensor shakes every 0.5s not matter what, and if malfunction in itself is not bad enough, it started when i was on landscape photography workshops, just before best sunrise lights. So after returning home i bought used K5 and now i'm waiting for K3 successor to find out if i want to stay with Pentax or move (and mostly waiting for money).

10-04-2019, 04:42 AM	#32
veato Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Nottingham Posts: 543	It's all my Dad's fault. Although I got to use his SLR I had a range of compact cameras over the years. He did eventually buy me a 2nd hand P30T though.

10-04-2019, 04:44 AM	#33
aslyfox Seeker of Knowledge Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Topeka, Kansas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 24,581	blaming dad I also blame him for my use of a sling or similar device " you paid for that use it. " we were not allowed to touch his camera ( Yashica to start with, then Pentax ) without putting the sling over our heads first

10-06-2019, 07:58 PM	#34
Walkingwolf Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 172	My parents. They started me off at 7 years old with a small plastic “wind it and click” camera that used 127 film. A friend of the family had a lab so developing wasn’t all that expensive. I loved that simple little camera- the years went on and the photo bug grew. Next came an Exacta then a K1000 then a Super Program, followed by the SFn. Digital began with K10D, then K-r and lastly K-S2. Maybe not many cameras but I really used them and learned a lot. And now I’m waiting for that rumoured K1ii replacement.....

10-06-2019, 08:50 PM	#35
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,398	Originally posted by Walkingwolf And now I’m waiting for that rumoured K1ii replacement..... I'm out of the loop. I knew only about the k-3 II replacement on the way.

10-08-2019, 09:54 AM	#36
Walkingwolf Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 172	Originally posted by UncleVanya I'm out of the loop. I knew only about the k-3 II replacement on the way. Sorry- it’s a rumour in my heart only! It’s what I’m hoping for...

10-08-2019, 07:58 PM	#37
genericmoniker Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 34	Always liked taking pictures, and eventually graduated from cellphones to a gently used K30 and haven't looked back since.

10-11-2019, 05:51 AM	#38
Robin Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Pietermaritzburg Photos: Gallery Posts: 432	What got me into photography was my dad's SP1000. I used it so much that he bought me a KX for my 21st birthday. When film development started getting shockingly expensive I bought a Sony W7, and messed around with that for a few years. What finally got me back into SLR, and back to the Pentax fold, was... a K-x! Since then I haven't looked back, and at least one camera goes with me wherever I am. I find thinking about set-up and composition is a sort of meditation.

10-11-2019, 06:52 AM	#39
OldPentaxFan Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Independence, MO via North Carolina Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 371	The photography bug bit me early, back when I was 10 or 11. I started with my father's 35mm rangefinder and eventually graduated to his Speed Graphic, which I used through college. He showed me how to work in a dark room although it was mainly contact printing the 4x5 negatives. College introduced me to enlarging because they had a Bessler that finally let me work with the 4x5 negatives. I bought my own 35 mm slr in 1978, a K1000 (which I still use). I've also been with Pentax since then and still very happy about that decision all those years ago.

10-11-2019, 07:10 AM	#40
Sir Nameless Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Mass a chew sits Photos: Gallery Posts: 574	I won a Kodak disc (film) fixed focus camera at a raffle. Took it on vacation to Washington DC (I was about 12) and took pictures of monuments. I got a nice (ok, relatively speaking) silhouette shot of the Iwo Jima memorial at sunset. It was one of the few pictures I ever had printed larger than 4x6. (I still haven't gotten into printing yet...I should...) After that it was a Vivitar 35 mm point-n-shoot that actually could focus. I got it because I thought it would help me take better pictures (ever heard that before?) That stuck around through high school & college. After getting a real job, it was an upgrade to a Phoenix P1 SLR (all-mechanical/manual camera with nothing electronic except a light meter) with a really cheesy 35-70 mm zoom. It was a K-mount. (I later tried that zoom on my K-50...once...yuk). It was around this time, with access to some DOF control and the necessity of slowing down to think about what I was doing, that I actually began trying to shoot creatively. I got some fantastic (for me) shots with this really rudimentary setup. I still have it, and plan to stick my fast 50 on it someday and load it with B&W film. After that, it was a move to digital, with a Canon P&S, thanks to the arrival of kids, and the need for my wife to be able to use the camera. After that, the upgrade to an Olympus XZ-1 which shot raw got me into post-processing, and the fact that it had some manual control got me working creatively again. The itch for more capability grew, and here we are (see sig). If I ever get super rich *(ahaha), my next move will be to MF. Don't y'all hold your breath...

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10-11-2019, 07:33 AM	#41
Archimedes the Dog Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 1,146	My dad was a semi-professional photographer, as well as the faculty advisor to the high school yearbook. I grew up doing photography and developing film with him as a small child, and it just sort of stuck with me all my life since the early 1970s. In fact, I recently bought a Ricohmatic 225, which was the camera my dad used when I was little. Unfortunately the camera was broken when I bought it so it is off with Mark Hansen in Wisconsin to have the film transport and shutter fixed, so i can't post a photo! When i was about 8-10 I was given a 110 point and shoot of some sort as a birthday present and I used that for a few years until Dad trusted me with his Minolta SLR.

10-11-2019, 07:46 AM - 1 Like	#42
WillWeaverRVA Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Richmond, VA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,071	I started off just taking snapshots with a cheap $50 Vivitar point-and-shoot camera. Some friends commented on how good my pictures were, so I started looking into the nitty gritty of what I was actually doing, teaching myself things like composition and post-processing and progressively getting more capable gear over time.

10-11-2019, 08:27 AM - 2 Likes	#43
Kb3hvp Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Newtown Square,PA Posts: 89	Back in the late 80's my brother got into autocross, and for something to do while I was there with him a bought a Ricoh KR-30sp with a 70-210. I eventually started racing as well and the camera took a back seat. In the 90's I started driving a truck and tried to take some landscapes out on the road. My brother then got into nature photography and went the Minolta film then Nikon digital route. I stayed a snapshot photographer, just marveling at the eye he had for composition and exposure. I went digital with a couple Canon point and shoots the last one being waterproof for use on my small sailboat. A couple years ago my wife suggested taking photos at family gatherings, so out came the point and shoot. I also dragged out the Ricoh that I had and adaptall 28-200 with a pk mount for it. Mostly just to see how often I would use it. No one liked waiting for results and I started looking for a dslr. This site brought me to Pentax and I got a K-70. I'm still taking snap shots but hopefully getting better.

10-16-2019, 08:09 AM	#45
ThomSirveaux Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2018 Posts: 607	My dad actually had a Nikon SLR, waaaay back in the day. I think he still has it, but I don't know where it went, but I do remember accidentally sitting on it one Christmas while the flash was still attached. Ripped through the plastic around the hot shoe and my dad never got it fixed. BUT, I did remember him taking pictures, and being fascinated with the telephoto lenses he had.