Borne of the Acquisitions thread, "I have my Dad's (Mom's, Uncle's, Grandpa's, etc.) Camera Gear"

[Brownie]

@MountainMan79's post and responses from @JensM and I in the Acquisition thread got me to thinking. Many of us had parents, grandparents or other relatives that were into photography. And like us, some were heavily into it while others were casual users. The result is that a few of us have been fortunate to inherit our ancestor's gear.

So, what have you inherited, and what's the background?

I put my dad as an in-between. As an airline employee he was very well travelled and took photography to a travel documentary level, beyond snap-shooter but short of advanced. He loved his gear no matter how spartan, and I recall how excited he was when he upgraded from the Rokkor 58/1.4 to the Rokkor 58/1.2 At the time I didn't get it, such a small difference for such enthusiasm. I get it now. When dad passed his gear was off my radar with so much going on, and I spent several years not knowing what had happened to it until learned my niece had grabbed it and a box of Point-n-Shoots used by my stepmother. She was kind enough to hand it all over to me. The camera was sent out for service, timing, lube, seals, etc. and works and looks like new. My Dad's SRT-101 and 58/1.2:

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Minolta SRT-101 and Rokkor 58mm f/1.2 by telecast, on Flickr

 

[dionhouston]

So small world, huh?

My Dad (still alive) was a pro, and managed a photography store in Ohio when I was really young. Always a huge Pentax fan, he introduced me to a K-1000 that I actually still own. So maybe 40-years later, now in his 70s, my Dad just doesn't have a use for his gear anymore, so I inherited a P30t, and a whole bunch of lenses. Was trying to figure out what to do with them. I shot some photos on film and loved it...

When I came to this board, I found a K-1 on sale for a really great price, so decided to get it. I think it arrived two days ago. Very happy I did! That's a 70-210mm f/4 on it. It's also a 70mm Macro that I just took some flower shots with. The tall one between my K-1 and P30t is a 135mm f/2.8 which is small and tack sharp - my new go to. And the small one is a 20mm. On film it looks pretty good -- probably going to do some landscapes this weekend.

I got way more lenses in a suitcase to try, lots of comments that many are great, so I have an exciting adventure ahead.

Yeah, I have an awesome Dad

 

[Petrochemist]

My dad gave me my first real camera (a Pentax ME for my 21st) & I guess the simpler camera models before hand. But I don't think of those as inheritance, just birthday presents.
He had studied at art school & worked most of his life as an art director & sometimes worked as his own photographer. Towards the end of his life when hew was no longer mobile enough to make proper use of them he gave me his remaining old cameras - the Carl Zeiss Werra 3 he had when I was young, his Pentax MX (each with a couple of primes) as well as a Cosina SLR & a bridge camera used for retirement holiday snaps.
Sadly I don't think I have any of my grandfathers photo gear - I remember seeing prints he'd made doing double exposures with glass negatives but have no idea what happened to them.
I have been given the old prints etc from the family records going back to the mid 1800's & it's possible a couple of glass negatives in there are from my great grandfather (taken before my grandfather was born) or even my great great grandfather (who was also a chemist by trade).

I've also been given my brother's Pentax ME super & yet more swaps of PK lenses I had twice already (M50/1.7, M135/3.5, Tamron 103A) he wasn't likely to use hem & I just might - one of my M50/1.7s has been modified to make a soft focus lens by removing the rear group.

 

[agentlossing]

So small world, huh?

My Dad (still alive) was a pro, and managed a photography store in Ohio when I was really young. Always a huge Pentax fan, he introduced me to a K-1000 that I actually still own. So maybe 40-years later, now in his 70s, my Dad just doesn't have a use for his gear anymore, so I inherited a P30t, and a whole bunch of lenses. Was trying to figure out what to do with them. I shot some photos on film and loved it...

When I came to this board, I found a K-1 on sale for a really great price, so decided to get it. I think it arrived two days ago. Very happy I did! That's a 70-210mm f/4 on it. It's also a 70mm Macro that I just took some flower shots with. The tall one between my K-1 and P30t is a 135mm f/2.8 which is small and tack sharp - my new go to. And the small one is a 20mm. On film it looks pretty good -- probably going to do some landscapes this weekend.

I got way more lenses in a suitcase to try, lots of comments that many are great, so I have an exciting adventure ahead.

Yeah, I have an awesome Dad

View attachment 310304

You're further tempting me in my already strong leaning towards trying out a K-1 for the vintage glass! I didn't need that added influence! But, very cool collection

 

[dionhouston]

You're further tempting me in my already strong leaning towards trying out a K-1 for the vintage glass! I didn't need that added influence! But, very cool collection

Yeah, that's the journey I went through too. I have an Olympus E-M1 Mark II with a bunch of lenses, which is awesome, but 2x crop just changes the character of these lenses. The 135mm f/2.8 is a moderate telephoto, great aperture, quite light, and the K-1 is 46 megapixel, so... Here's a heavily cropped moon shot with the 135mm...

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Interesting thread subject. I guess I could/would be considered one of the lucky ones, if you're a Leica fan. My mom inherited her dad's Leica IIIa and her mom's Leica M3. My grandfather was a doctor and died when I was pretty young. My grandmother remarried to a gentleman from Texas who ended up working over in Pakistan with the US AID. I don't know much about the history of the IIIa, but am pretty sure the M3 is well traveled. My mom was the oldest of the four kids so that's why she ended up with the camera's, I think.
I've tried to be a good caretaker of both cameras, but I'm not sure who the next one will be. They're in the trust so I guess they'll figure it out when I'm gone.
I also have my dad's Canon rangefinder. He was a mechanical engineer and loved mechanical stuff, which is why I'm sure he picked the Canon up. He never really shot a lot of pictures as he and mom were busy working and raising four kids. I've often thought of selling the cameras but just can't, for obvious reasons.
Some pics for you all to look at.

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Yes, the Barnack has been 'hot rodded' with the addition of the flash port. It came to me that way.
As far as lenses go, I received a few really nice ones with the cameras.
I love the rendering this Canon has, it really makes nice images. It's LTM so fits the IIIa and IV-T without an adapter.

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Lots of people poo-poo the first gen Summilux, I guess it's an acquired taste.
The Nikkor is just plain awesome to use.

I've also got adapters for the LTM's to fit the M mount and of course my Sony's too. These lenses, and the desire to see how they can perform on a digital body, is what got me into Sony mirrorless cameras.

 

[dionhouston]

I love the rendering this Canon has, it really makes nice images. It's LTM so fits the IIIa and IV-T without an adapter.

Lots of people poo-poo the first gen Summilux, I guess it's an acquired taste.
The Nikkor is just plain awesome to use.

I've also got adapters for the LTM's to fit the M mount and of course my Sony's too.

You know, it's funny... you reminded me that my Dad gave me a Canon as well... I don't know much about it... But 40mm f/1.7 is pretty nice...

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[agentlossing]

Yeah, that's the journey I went through too. I have an Olympus E-M1 Mark II with a bunch of lenses, which is awesome, but 2x crop just changes the character of these lenses. The 135mm f/2.8 is a moderate telephoto, great aperture, quite light, and the K-1 is 46 megapixel, so... Here's a heavily cropped moon shot with the 135mm...

Please continue to provide your experiences with the camera, I noticed there isn't a lot here on Cameraderie about these FF Pentaxes, so I'll be quite interested! I'm also interested to see if you incorporate the GPS and/or hi-res shot modes in your astro shots. I'd like to take up astrophotography but have never put in the time.

 

[retiredfromlife]

@MountainMan79's post and responses from @JensM and I in the Acquisition thread got me to thinking. Many of us had parents, grandparents or other relatives that were into photography. And like us, some were heavily into it while others were casual users. The result is that a few of us have been fortunate to inherit our ancestor's gear.

So, what have you inherited, and what's the background?

I put my dad as an in-between. As an airline employee he was very well travelled and took photography to a travel documentary level, beyond snap-shooter but short of advanced. He loved his gear no matter how spartan, and I recall how excited he was when he upgraded from the Rokkor 58/1.4 to the Rokkor 58/1.2 At the time I didn't get it, such a small difference for such enthusiasm. I get it now. When dad passed his gear was off my radar with so much going on, and I spent several years not knowing what had happened to it until learned my niece had grabbed it and a box of Point-n-Shoots used by my stepmother. She was kind enough to hand it all over to me. The camera was sent out for service, timing, lube, seals, etc. and works and looks like new. My Dad's SRT-101 and 58/1.2:

View attachment 310299Minolta SRT-101 and Rokkor 58mm f/1.2 by telecast, on Flickr

Gee this makes me feel old.

I used and still have my Minolta 101, 101b etc from my film days.

I do have my some of my Grand Fathers gear that I could post some pictures of once I dig them out, Graflex Camera, Horizontal enlarger, big bulb flash guns etc. Will take me awhile though.

Like the idea of the thread. It is a shame but my daughter wants none of the old photo gear so so one to pass it on to now. But I suppose they will never have the big houses we have now to store it in.

 

[Brownie]

Gee this makes me feel old.

I used and still have my Minolta 101, 101b etc from my film days.

I do have my some of my Grand Fathers gear that I could post some pictures of once I dig them out, Graflex Camera, Horizontal enlarger, big bulb flash guns etc. Will take me awhile though.

Like the idea of the thread. It is a shame but my daughter wants none of the old photo gear so so one to pass it on to now. But I suppose they will never have the big houses we have now to store it in.

My gear back in the day was a K-1000 and a Minolta Maxxum 7000. I have both, although they're replacements since my originals were long gone. They still get used from time to time. So yeah...old it is!

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

This thread doesn't make me feel old. I am OLD. I have an SR-T I've had for over 35 years that I bought used years after I fell in love with the one my next door neighbor brought home with him from Viet Nam. I love those Minolta's so much I actually bought another one!

 

[John King]

This thread doesn't make me feel old. I am OLD. I have an SR-T I've had for over 35 years that I bought used years after I fell in love with the one my next door neighbor brought home with him from Viet Nam. I love those Minolta's so much I actually bought another one!

Yeah ...

I have an OM1 and an OM1n that I've had since new - early 1970s.

My original Minox and Rolleiflex 2.8F I inherited.

 

[dionhouston]

Please continue to provide your experiences with the camera, I noticed there isn't a lot here on Cameraderie about these FF Pentaxes, so I'll be quite interested! I'm also interested to see if you incorporate the GPS and/or hi-res shot modes in your astro shots. I'd like to take up astrophotography but have never put in the time.

Yeah that's me too. I see the options for GPS and hi-res, but haven't used them yet. I'm shooting the Blood Moon on Monday, so maybe I'll try some of these out.

I went to a local town (Aci Castello) on the coast today with the K1 doing some experimenting with the 135mm and the 20mm. Still got a bit of learning curve, but frankly those lenses are just so good -- have a very different feel from the clinical Olympus lenses I have right now. And even with manual focus I was able to get some good birding in. . That 135mm I just especially love... Really, really nice lens...

 

[JensM]

Some mix and match, either inherited or had several decades:

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First off is my maternal grandfathers Topcon gear, bought in 1966 when I wasnt even a gleam in my fathers eye. 35, 58 and 135mm prime (the latter is misplaced for the moment), bellows and shaft finder with some diverse accessories. Also the OEM price list and other such paraphernalia. If I manage to read the price list and the wage statistics somewhat correctly, he blew about 25% of a years wages on that set-up, after tax. :O

Second picture is my "expediton gear" in the form of the black OM1-N with 35-70 zoom and the Rollei 35, and my fathers silver OM1 with lenses, with a 50mm f:1.8 and two Vivitars, on 70-210 and a 28mm. The camera was bought for my first day at school, after his early 60s something Ricoh with underlever broke its light seals.

The last one was my "pro-kit", nothing pro about the lenses, but the camera is/was nice for its time. Also the combo I used for freelance work, and paid gigs when I dabbed with that in the 90s.

Not shown is my paternal Grandfathers Polaroid SX70, a early one sans tripod mount, which is what I have of his gear. He had a interesting array of small stuff, including a Leica III of sorts that was liberated from the Germans in 1945, a Pentax110 system as well as numerous other 110 cameras plus one of those Minox spy cameras which was all fun and games, untill he found that the film had to go to Switzerland to get developed and the results was even grubbier than from his 110s.

 

[jhawk1000]

My dad was a wanna-be photographer but never had the means to follow it fully. He came home from WWII in 1946 with a bunch of Zeiss-Ikon folding cameras and field binoculars which I assume were spoils of the war. He bought an Argus C-3, then a C-44 which he used. He pieced together a homemade enlarger which he spent many hours enlarging photos on outdated paper and suspect chemicals which gave him results only he could understand and try to admire. Results were often bad and he invariably blamed either me or my mother for opening a door when he was in his darkroom (bathroom). I did inherit several Argus C-3s and his C-44. My grandmother was a snapshooter and had a Bolsey B2 which I also now have. I suspect all still work but I have not tried them. His Zeis-Ikon cameras are also here but they are in bad shape with bellows that are damaged and leather covering gone or going. He would have been in heaven if he had only the lowest Olympus or Panasonic with one extra lens. He would not have worried about things such as IQ, stabilization, or the newest buzzwords in photography. He would have just shown up at photographic events with his old camera and would have stood his ground as the Leica guys tried to shoulder him out of his good spot.