[Larrymc]

Started out with the family Argus Seventy Five pseudo TLR in the early 60s and in 1969 in Vietnam I bought a Konica Auto S2 Range finder and shot it through out the 70s but it was stolen from my car in the early 80s. After the loss of my little Konica I bought a used Minolta XD-11 and autowinder D along with a Minolta MD 50 f/2 and later a Sears 80-200 f/4-6.3 zoom. I never warmed up to the Minolta and wasted a lot of film and money on development, not enjoyable at all. After a hiatus of about 13 yrs I got small photography bug and my first foray into digital was a 2mbToshiba PDR T20 nice little camera with a touch screen and 38-76 mm lens f/2.8 lens. I progressed through a Panasonic DMC FZ-3 then on to a Panasonic DMC FZ-35 and decided I needed to get back to the SLR style camera and bought a K-50 with the18-55 and 50-200 kit lens and shot with it for around 6 months. Shortly after the K-3 was released I bought mine and have totally enjoyed it ever since but now its time to make the move to the new K-3III and I can't wait.

[MikeyBugs95]

I actually kind of started out with a Kodak bridge camera before getting a vivitar film camera that I kinda sorta never used. Then I got a K-70 because I was starting a very small at-home business and needed to photograph my work with something better than a nearly non-functional Kodak camera or my cell phone.

[Bluestem]

Started with with a family member's K1000, M 50mm f/1.7 and M 135 f/3.5. When the *ist dl came out, I got it with the 18-55mm and was thrilled to be able to use it with the manual lens. So much fun. Took a long hiatus then picked up a K5, now a K3. The KP or K-3III someday

[cobbu2]

I had (actually still have) an ME Super and an MX (and a couple Yashica M42 SLRs) with a slew of K-Mount and M42 lenses. When it was finally time for me to get a DSLR, it was an easy decision for me to stay with Pentax and purchased a then newly-released K-5 so I could still use my lenses.

[bhbrake]

My dad's Nikon F2 shooting at the local creek trying to enter a John Fielder competition was my first SLR experience in the early 90's.y pictures sucked.

[Lev]

So if I started with a different brand analog SLR, what should I pick? It's not clear to me.

Pick film SLR then

[EDstrg87]

I started with the K5 and then to film cameras... now the only pentax i have are the MEsuper, the MZ-3 and the K2dmd

[WileyB]

I started with the K5 and then to film cameras... now the only pentax i have are the MEsuper, the MZ-3 and the K2dmd

That's an unusual progression!

How many years with the K5 before you went full film?

That K2 is a really pretty camera...

[Lev]

I started with the K5 and then to film cameras... now the only pentax i have are the MEsuper, the MZ-3 and the K2dmd

I'm impressed!


By the way, can you tell how much time it takes in darkroom to finish all frames?

[Bob 256]

Started with film when I was about 5 years old and they didn't have DSLRs back then so my vote is a bit jaded. Maybe a poll on how many years on film before switching?? Dang, that would probably tell everyone how old I am............

[forensicscientist]

I will date myself with this....but first film camera was a Kodak Retina III....then to Olympus (credit to Cheryl Tiegs), them minolta...first was Epson and first Dslr was the iST-D...then most models in the Pentax lineup since..

[kypfer]

My first slr and first 35mm camera was a Zenit 3m … "progressed" through a couple more Zenits and a Ricoh before finally settling with Fujica in the late '70's, all the while accruing a selection of M42-fit lenses. When the Fujicas finally went u/s the only real option available, given my collection of lenses, was a Pentax *ist with a M42-K adaptor and a couple of Tamron Adaptall-2 mounts. Come the "digital age", sticking with Pentax remained the only practical solution, if I wasn't going to replace all my lenses as well

[Breakfastographer]

Pick film SLR then

Did so. Looks like I nudged it to an exact 2 to 1 split in favour of film. So all the former film shooters hang out in forums and let the young ones do all the running around, eh?

[ThorSanchez]

Did so. Looks like I nudged it to an exact 2 to 1 split in favour of film. So all the former film shooters hang out in forums and let the young ones do all the running around, eh?

My guess is that in the last 20 years at least 80%, maybe 90% of everyone starting in photography began with digital. Most beginners don't jump in with an SLR or other ILC, so if you give everyone a few years with a compact, point and shoot, etc that pushes the boundary for "likely to have used a film SLR" to maybe the early 90s.

I turn 50 this year, and used film P&S cameras in my 20s. Digital became a thing in my late 20s. I never used a film SLR.


Basically the poll is a roundabout way of telling us that the average age of a Pentax Forums member is 65-70.

[othar]

My guess is that in the last 20 years at least 80%, maybe 90% of everyone starting in photography began with digital. Most beginners don't jump in with an SLR or other ILC, so if you give everyone a few years with a compact, point and shoot, etc that pushes the boundary for "likely to have used a film SLR" to maybe the early 90s.

I turn 50 this year, and used film P&S cameras in my 20s. Digital became a thing in my late 20s. I never used a film SLR.


Basically the poll is a roundabout way of telling us that the average age of a Pentax Forums member is 65-70.

I am somewhere in between, as a kid there where only analog cameras around and later I used some digital compact cameras from time to time, but when I started photography as a hobby in earnest I went back to my fathers SLR (Pentax P30). Another 3 to 4 years later I went digital with the K-3 6 years ago