Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/08/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Lea, As a lad of 10, my first camera was my father's box camera, a Ferrania. It took good photos with none of the problems reported by LUGers regarding their equipment. At age 14 I bought my very own Zeiss Ikonta 120 folding camera; no meter, no autofocus, no auto exposure, no frills. I exposed a few rolls of film and learned that the green of trees requires about 2 extra stops to register detail. I learned also to use my judgement in determining exposure in most circumstanses. Then one day I was able to afford a meter. I bought a General Electric hand-held meter, and did not take a decent picture again until one day when I removed the meter from my Nikon F and went about exposing a roll of 20 Kodachromes. I produced 20 bullseyes. The moral of the story is that too many gadgets inhibit the thought process. However, I do agree with your idea to start with a P&S so that your 10 year old may develop a love for photography. After all, I too started with a period point-and-shoot. Perhaps it was that instant success that instilled in me a passion for this hobby. Joseph Codispoti