5 Frames, 40 Years, 1 Camera

Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 29/09/2024

I forgot to say I actually have another camera that I've owned longer, a Canon ftb, that I purchased in 1977. It accompanied me on my big motorcycle tours back in the day. I had it refurbished by the same tech who got my F1-n working again and I shoot with it every once in awhile. It's built like a tank and the match needle metering makes it all so easy.

Gary Smith replied:

Comment posted: 29/09/2024

I purchased my FTb in 1972. I knocked it off the table of a Bridgeport milling machine at one point with no negative consequences. I purchased a working replacement in 2021 or so. Batteries these days are a slight inconvenience although the Wein cells work. The match needle was a better method of exposure setting than I had with my Voigtländer VITO CLR and although I only ever owned the nifty fifty 50 years ago, I just picked up a 75-200 for the one I now own (I probably would have gotten one in 1972 had I been able to pay what I just paid for it).

Geoff Chaplin replied:

Comment posted: 29/09/2024

Well now you reminded me - I still have my Pentax ME Super from about 1980 and it still works subject to some light leaks although it's been years since either I or my wife used it.

Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 29/09/2024

I checked to see what battery I had but the packaging had the manufacturer name cut off. It was just the battery they sold at the camera shop where I had it worked on. I too used a Voigtlander of some sort( it's packed away somewhere) that my older brother purchased during his time in the Navy in the early 1960's. That was my first 'real' camera to shoot with before I acquired my FTb.

Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 29/09/2024

Sounds like some new light seals on the back plus a good CLA and you're back in business. The ME Super was a nice camera. My brother had one up until about 2012 when he sold it for something like $90. I couldn't use it since I have a drawer full of various cameras, besides my normal ones that I shoot with. I have a Mamiya C33 that was gifted to me two years ago that I still have not tested.

Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 29/09/2024

Miguel, gracias por tus amables palabras. Tienes mucha razón. Esta cámara se ha convertido en parte de mi vida. Parece que hoy en día todo está hecho para ser reemplazado en poco tiempo. Disparar con la misma cámara durante toda la vida significa que lo entiendo muy bien. Sin capas de menús para establecer parámetros de enfoque o puntos de enfoque. Nunca tener que reiniciar/reiniciar. Estas son cosas que me importan. Saludos desde Dallas, Texas.

Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 29/09/2024

Thanks for those nice comments Jeffery. It was incredibly difficult. Ultimately it boiled down to those images that represented high points for me personally. I've said this before but when that camera is in my hand it seems as if it's an extension of my body. It just feels natural. I was a touring enthusiast in the 1970's and early 80's and I still miss that Yamaha 750 2D. We logged over 86,000 miles together. You said it perfectly, illogical and real.

Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 29/09/2024

Gary, I still have never made the leap to owning a digital camera. I don't own a smart phone either. I borrow a digital from time to time as the need arises but in a years time I would say the percentages look something like this: 2% digital_10% F1-n_ 50% Contax G2_ 35% Rollei Prego 90_ 2% Canon ftb_ 1% Other film cameras. Much of the choice is dictated by whether I'm on a specific project ( lean more towards F1-n) or everyday camera shots where I want a more compact camera kit and auto focus (G2 & Rollei Prego 90). The percentages show most of my shooting is more everyday driven. I'll admit to being entranced by those Zeiss lenses on the G2 and as I get older the impact on my wrist from holding the camera is greatly reduced. The F1-n with my FD 80-200 gets pretty heavy after just 30 minutes. As the adage goes " Don't work harder, work smarter ". It's all in transition though because our 15 year old beloved family pet passed away recently and my daughter doesn't live at home anymore. Those two subjects were probably 75% of my shooting, maybe more. Most of my time these days is dedicated to scanning, prepping and printing work from my archive. If I'm going to do all those digital books I've talked about I better get busy.

Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 29/09/2024

You're most welcome. Thanks for taking time to read my post. My life and many others around me have been impacted by this camera. I for one will always be grateful for all the unknown streets, complete strangers, glorious sunrises and sunsets that I've been driven to photograph. It changed my life and I wanted to write about that.

Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 29/09/2024

Thanks Tony. That's right! I had forgotten about that TV commercial that aired during the Los Angeles Olympics. I was a latecomer to the game with my first Mac not being till 2006. I was aware of the Nikon / Canon wars. No mirror lockup on my F1-n for one thing. The Canon wasn't a real pro photographers camera, blah, blah, blah. The choice was pretty simple for me. I could use all my existing lenses and I didn't really see myself as ever shooting for Sports Illustrated or National Geographic. All my commercial clients were totally happy with my properly exposed and in focus images. They never asked me what camera brand I was shooting. As far as durability is concerned I experienced this cameras build quality in 2010 during a 16 month project I was working on. I had just finished taking some shots where I had adjusted the legs on my tripod shorter on two legs so it could fit into a tight space. As I moved the tripod someone walked up behind me. In that instant as I turned to see who it was the tripod and camera, with my 80-200 attached, fell forward from a height of about 4' smashing straight into the concrete walkway. The lens was crushed and I was unable to remove it from the camera body. When I got home and worked on it the lens came free and the body / lens mount ring was completely unscathed. I always wondered if this event was the cause of my cameras eventual malfunction until the repair tech told me the two were totally unrelated. That old guy with his monster pumpkin is straight out of Wallace and Gromit's " The Curse of the Were-Rabbit". One of my personal all time favorites. Not just the movie but my photo also.

Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 30/09/2024

Hannah, Such a nice thing to say. It was a joy for me to think back on all of my experiences with the F1-n over the decades. I left so much out to keep the story from causing peoples eyes to glaze over. I have been writing down a collection of stories from my life and this camera played a strong role in the vast majority after 1984. I hope to produce a series of digital books for my family to enjoy. I just finished writing about a family quail hunt from the Thanksgiving of 1985. I painted a dog portrait of my brother-in -laws pointer based on photos I shot on that hunt. The effects of this camera on my life have stretched well beyond just getting some nice shots. I hope my story encourages others to continue shooting film with their own favorite camera for years to come. How have I managed to photograph so many different moments over the years? It all boils down to the simple photography adage 'f8 and be there'. Onward and upward Hannah!

Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 30/09/2024

Yes Art. As I just replied to Hannah this camera has influenced many aspects of my life. As a professional artist creating original works in graphite, colored pencil and watercolor gouache I need good subject material to work from. Creating my own library of reference material was actually an original driving force behind my desire to pursue photography. Owning a great camera to shoot with definitely influenced how often I carried a camera with me. Not having to worry about whether or not I was getting useable images was one less thing to stress about and I was just free to compose and shoot. The camera was not a limitation to getting a great shot only the user. I too think this camera is a beauty. From the time I purchased the speed finder, probably 1985, it has never been off the camera. For someone with glasses this viewfinder is perfect and it rotates to a waist level finder in an instant. I can get down low without laying down. I've even shot some skyline reflection images in 2015 with the camera just off the surface of the water and this finder made it possible. I moved to Dallas in 1974. When the Hyatt Regency was built with the accompanying tower it became my muse for photographing the skyline. It's still a premier building in all my cityscapes. Thanks for reading and commenting!

Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 30/09/2024

Grazie !

Bill Brown replied:

Comment posted: 01/10/2024

Thanks Zheng, Less is more as an old saying goes. I do have a personal attachment to so many of my photos but each of these represent a special personal moment in my photographic search of the decisive moment.