The Stories Behind These Old Cameras 

For about 7 months I was a caretaker for an old dying lady. Living in Germany, she had of course a lot of stories to tell about pre and past WW2. When she told me her husband was a war photographer with the LEICA IIIc (Luftwaffe) I was so amazed by all the pictures he took. His life story is really worth making a movie. A romance, a drama... his Leica was with him all the time.

After seeing your video about the infrared capabilities of the Sony F828, I picked one up at Goodwill. The card was full of photos of antique jewelry and watches. I imagine the camera belonged to jewelry store or auction house that used it for online auction posts. The cool thing though is that there were obviously two different photographers using it. About half the pictures were technically perfect, but flat and boring pictures of watches, rings and bracelets. The other half were beautifully lit and composed photographs of the pieces. I can’t help wondering if that guy’s boss ever said, “Dammit Jim… we just need a picture of that Rolex and not another art piece to hang on the wall!”😊

Found a Voigtlander Brilliant in a secondhand shop with a roll of 120 inside. Developed it myself and it had snaps from the early 70s. Managed to date it reasonably accurately as there was a group shot of two couples in front of a classic Mini, and the registration dated around then. They looked really cool in their flares and tank tops. Recently picked up a Samsung digicam with images from about ten years ago. The camera had a sensor fault and it was clear the camera was likely put in a drawer and forgotten about. It’s quite common to get old cameras at charity shops off the back of someone dying, and during the house clearance they get donated on. Figured this was the case with the Samsung, so put out a feeler on socials if anyone knew some of the people. Sure enough it had photos of recently deceased parents with the children oblivious to what they’d thrown away. Managed to return nearly 100 photos to them.

I once scored a Konica C35 for 2 and a half euro, and my Konica S3 was about 70 euros because it also looks a bit scuffed, but it works well. They're my little pair of bring alongs together with my Pen EE and my E-PL9. Having all 4 of them in a bag works a treat.

I just bought a Sony S40 camera on eBay for 40$. It came with a memory card with over 200 photos on it. I can't wait to go thru and live the memories of the previous owner. What I have seen so far, obviously it came out on Christmas and the kids in the photos are now all grown up. It is just amazing how cameras freeze time and the memories involved. I am not going to delete the photos, rather save them so their legacy lives on. Just inspires me more to take the camera out and make more memories and carry on its legacy.

Cant tell you how much i can relate to this. i ihave so many hand me downs, my collection has reached close to 64 lenses and i should do a series like this. its always beautiful to see what these cameras saw almost close to 60-70 years ago 11

My most recent camera I’ve bought came with a whole lotta paperwork and the original receipts from 2004 when it was bought new. I have several expensive cameras but this one I got for £30 is my absolute favourite. For anyone who might be curious, it’s a Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ20

Not sure if you scripted this before hand but it flows beautifully, from one camera to another, from one photo to another...love it.

alota these old sony mavicas were also used by small businesses. the floppy disk and mini disk were formats a normal computer could read, without fancy card readers or haveing to wait all day for developing and scanning. so they were the first consumer cameras where you can go straight from shooting to uploading the pictures for your eBay add, these cameras were essential for the early Internet.

Great video! Could not agree with you more on the stories behind the camera are fascinating! Lot of digicams are just loaded with family events, Christmas, Birthday parties...etc. Never know whot the people are, but they had the camera, took the photos and shelved it.

I love the old camera content keep it up!

I totally agree! I still have my first camera I got in 1984. I wish I could still get film for it. Camera's have a more sentimental value than the ones on our phones which is why I prefer to carry a point n shoot camera. My sony TX10 which i just picked up the other day, charged the battery and lo and behold it worked perfect! That camera wrote a very important part of this youtube channel as some of my most influential videos were shot on it. not to mention all the family and vacation photos I have taken on it as well. I have never gotten rid of any camera I own because each camera documented different parts of my life. I am now at the point where I am starting to use my old Sony cybershop cameras over my iPhone or DSLR for photography.

Your words speak to my soul. Thank you for this video.

Yes. The unknown stories in old things. Good for thought.

I have a beat up K-5iis I got for cheap and it is one of my favorite cameras to use. I actually really dislike the button layout (specifically, the rear AF button... terrible), but I love using the camera regardless. This video made me realize it's probably *because* it's beat up that I love it so much, at least in part. It has a story to tell, it has been there done that, and it is continuing its journey in my hands. :)

6:05 Exacly! This is the situartion my grandpas cameras found themselves in, 14 beautiful old film cameras, in a box in the attic, now my cousins and I are shooting with them. I now use both a 1936 Kodak Retina 118 and a Ihagee Exakta Varex IIa.

When I bought my Ricoh GXR and Pentax MX-1 both had pics of the various camera shops they were in, potential buyers taking pics before ultimate rejection. I bought my Pentax MX-1 late afternoon Xmas eve 2020 and took it out on that nights dinner, after 6 years on the shelf the little Pentax that could finally got a chance to shine.

The cheap mystery camera bag I scored for $25AUD nearly three years ago and kick started my love of film photography, contained slides of an Italian-Australian family from the 1960s or 70s, with photos around Sydney Harbour amongst other places. It’s an incredible look back on family life and a great snapshot of how much less developed Sydney was back then

I love the passion and fascination you feel for the stories behind these cameras - I think mostly because I can relate to your feelings so much :D

I have a Ricoh R1S that I purchased from Japan and on the back near the flash switch the previous owner carved フラッシュ which I found out is "Flash". Neat little story it tells about the previous owner not wanting to rely on the symbols and making the camera easier to use. Very clean handwriting too.

I worked an IT contract at the headquarters of Southland Corp who owns 7-11. They had a massive art collection of original works that they decorated their offices with. This included some original negatives from the lunar landing (with prints), as well as some original Ansel Adams prints printed and signed by him. It was hard to focus on work at times.

I'm from quite big city and I have always been attracted to villages and small towns because often you can see people and their stories linked to places and buildings better there. It's similar phenomenon to situation that you actually can see more details of people's lifes during the night. You focus on 1 person that is sitting on a bench or staying up late doing something on a balcony. I don't take pictures of such situations but i register them in my mind. Same thing with night sky and stars - you can't see any of them in bright city - you have to go to places without big human activity around. When i shoot buildings/architecture anywhere, I like to think about stories that it can "remember". I think about places and used items the same way - they are journals of people's lifes. This is why I also like talking to people that i meet in many places. They tell some stories or normal things about life from their perspectives which are quite interesting for me as some kind of outsider. Some people don't even bother, they see is it as waste of time, they don't pay to attention to other people. The same way as they don't care about old objects such as cameras or books. They throw it away for whatever the reason, because these days you can have newer better and they just can afford it. I discovered your channel few days ago and I love your approach. It is very refreshing after watching videos about brand new tech. Even though I dont shoot using classic cameras now, but this is one of my goals to ressurect my family's old cameras and maybe collect others. Thanks. :-)

Recently, the father of a friend of mine passed away and when going to his belongings she found a Pentax Spotmatic SP with a full set of lenses, filters, cases and accessories. The story as she told me was that his father was curious of photography and got it, took it to vacation trips, holidays and then shelved it in the late 70's. She offered to sell me the camera and I took it; I'm now the owner of that Spotmatic which of course is not working properly after being sitting for 40+ years, I want to bring it back and continue to use it, it feels like an honor to me. BTW, the camera had a roll inside, gave it back to my friend so I'm not sure she's developed it yet or if something could be recovered after all these years.

I own a Moskva-2 (it's my favorite camera) and when I first got it, it was covered in a thin layer of dust and what-not that caused me to think the leather (ette?) on it was shot, but once I gave it a gentle cleaning I realized that the leather was actually in very good (for it's age) condition and not dried out like I initially thought, but rather it was worn smooth by being handled and carried around. The Moskva-2s didn't come with a carry case from the factory and what I discovered is that when I carry the camera around in my right hand, my fingers and palm rub exactly in the spots that the leather was polished smooth. I cannot imagine how much the original owner had to carry it around to accomplish that but they must have carried it almost everywhere, and liked the camera a lot just as I do.

I have a few retro cameras and I often think about their history and ask the previous owners about that whenever I can. My Olympus Pen EE from the 1960s is absolutely mint and was carefully stored in it's original case for the last 30 years where it was kept unused in a loft. The guy selling it told me it was his father's camera and used for their trips out and to capture holiday memories. I'll continue to cherish it and use it for similar things.

This is the kind of videos that I have to download to my phone because I need to watch it every now and again.

I found this very delightful. There is something almost magical like a fairy tale in your idea, way of presenting it, and most of all your belief in it. Thank you for sharing.

you should find yourself a Digital Harinezumi, had one last december, it's an amazing niche camera, super small, and definitely definitely pocketable. the rolling shutter gets wacky when shooting while moving. sadly they're super expensive nowadays but getting one for cheap ($18 for the one I got) is a great story

My uncle lent me his Nikon FN with 2 lenses when I was at university on a "long term loan". He passed before that loan was returned. Truth be told, it didn't work when he gave it to me. The shutter was gummed up through poor maintenance and lack of use. But it lives on my shelf as a memento of him and his love of photography. It even has some old dried bird poop on it, he used to use it to bird watch. He took it all round the world. He used to shoot FP4 in the summer and HP5 in the winter.

Just because you mentioned them, the Hasselblads from the Apollo missions aren’t in the Smithsonian, they’re still on the moon. The same way the lunar rover and other equipment were left there, the hassies that were taken to the moon were left there in order to save weight. They were fitted with specialty film backs that held 70 exposures instead of the standard 12. After each Apollo mission the film backs were detached and the camera body and lens were left on the moon to meet weight requirements. There are a total of 12 Hasselblad’s sitting in moon dust today.

Great job Sir. Cameras record more than pictures they are a portal to well being and offer an unmatched niche that no other technology can replicate.

I recently found your channel with your Minolta DiMAGE video (RU-vid suggestion) your presentation is excellent. I am a semi-retired professional photographer and Pentax as my personal camera choice since 1972...

This is a great testimony to why we are interested in photography and brings to life a story again and again

that's exciting way of thought, I use to think about it when i bought vintage items (vintage clothing), but I haven't thought about it since i bought my first camera (Lumix LX-100), it always interesting to think that whatever vintage item we have, will always have a hidden story that we never know or waiting for us to discover.

I agree, it's fascinating to think about the history of different cameras, especially those that have clearly been cherished as well as those that have been heavily used. I'm always struck by vintage cameras that have had their owner's social security numbers etched onto them. Makes me think, 1) they really valued the camera, 2) they were very concerned it might be stolen, or alternatively I suppose, mislaid, and 3) how daring to potentially broadcast one's social security number in such a manner.

Really enjoyed this video. I do have some cameras I was handed down by my wife’s grandfather before he passed. I have a roll with some photos he shot but never finished or developed. Those photos will be coming soon!

I often pick up very very great (in terms of both model and condition) film SLRs from thrift stores for an order of magnitude cheaper than the same camera on eBay or whatever. Some are from the 60s, some are from the 90s, some are well worn, others have hardly been used, but all of them work too perfectly to have been consciously donated by its original owner. I often think about what kind of history this Miranda Auto Sensorex EE has or this Pentax SF-1, cameras far older than me with as much of my youth

I recognize that Ricoh ;) Awesome Video with some cool stories! You're right, I didn't know anything about the Ricoh R1, but it looked familiar so I figured it was worth grabbing, it's been great for taking on Hikes and trips with its sharp lens and small body. I remember now the Estate sale had a few older Pentax bodies as well, but ironically they were overpriced so I only bought the R1.

I was given a Konica auto S2 helped out this lady who was selling her house and was throwing some things out the daugther mentioned that her grandpa was a photographer and that she would give me his old camera they had already placed it in the trash outside. luckily for me it was right on top and the camera was in completely functional. My first rangefinder and one of my favorite cameras I own

The stories of the cameras are too often forgotten. I inherited some old Pentax cameras after my father died. Many say: "Sell them! They're worth a lot!" But then I always say: "With these cameras, I associate many moments with my father. These moments are priceless for me." And I think it's great that these cameras remind me of these moments, I connect them with my dad. That I hold it in my hand and still have something of him. Far too often we treat cameras as disposable items, forgetting that they were used to capture moments in life. Be it the first steps, the first time at school, the wedding or the last time holding the hand of the person you love.

This was a wonderful video. I’m so glad I discovered your channel! Thank you!

Such an amazing video..nice flow, pretty pictures and interesting stories!

Got a used Olympus TG6 from a pawn shop real cheap. Pics from when the previous owner had it, and then the previous owner getting in some sort of accident, and then after his leg being amputated. it was nuts.

Always really enjoy your videos! Thank you 😊 .

You know what, I think I kinda fell in love with your content! Thank you so much for your work!

Objects with stories fascinate me! I bought my current camera, a Minolta XG-1(n) from a retired journalist. I often wonder how many photos got taken with it that ended up in a newspaper or magazine. Places it's been to, any crazy situations it managed to capture.

Found a canon AE1. Barely touched but kept well in good condition. I love the hell out of it.

I love this I live in the u.s. and want a used camera from Japan and was thinking the story and places it has been.

I got a used D70 few years ago, in a lot with a 80-200 f2;8 (yeah i got the lot for it) in a French equivalent to a thrift store, inside i found a CF with some picture the former owners took in Greenland (town entrance sign did help), i've shared some of the pictures online a few time trying to find that couple but without success

That camera was likely mounted in the DMV and used to take photos for driver's licences.

I've always found myself wondering this about my old Canon 1D Mark III. It's incredibly beat up and well used, yet it still functions perfectly. And it was found at an estate sale. Who owned it? What pictures did it take in its previous 14 years of existence? War zones? Historical events? It's just crazy to think of.

Amazing video. Thanks for sharing.

Wow, thank you for sharing the awsome stories and thank you for reminding me that Ricoh R1 was my first Ricoh camera and I loved it :)

5:05 I confess, I do that too. Sometimes I deliberately buy cameras just to check the whatever memory storage they come with 😀

Great video! I also search for old photoalbums just to see what people have taken pictures of in their lives. And I am on the lookout for the as well for my own photos - be cool to have an old album with your own project inside. Have an old beat up Rollei Prego Micron (believe its the same as the R1) Its so quiet and produces great photos. LCD is all gone and it has some duct tape holding the battery door. But I love it!

I loved this, thank you

love this so much 💜

Late film era compacts like the Ricoh are difficult to impossible to get repaired nowadays. Button sensors die, as do ribbon cables but buyers are still prepared to pay hundreds or more for a cult compact.

I wonder the same thing about other used items I have bought. Got this old Yamaha guitar that I could tell had been well loved. The area where the scratch guard should be - the wood there had almost worn through. I wondered what songs it had played and what campfires it had been around... or was it ever played on stage? Love the content...

Simple . I like Your Videos and Passion for Photography . A Fan .

I have one of those,and a fd 7,I loved the mavica series of cameras,I have the FD-3 mavicap playback unit too

Love the video, I think about this kind of thing a lot when shooting old cameras. It seems like the Mavica CD500 is the most corporate camera ever, almost every one I see at auction has a property tag on it. I have one that came from a university.

I got a Olympus TG610 off a sales website for 5€ a few days ago. I looked at it and it was thoroughly beaten up, full of scratches and dings. But working perfectly. I assume it was either a job site camera, or from someone who did radical sports

I remember 25 years ago, in 1998, when I bought my first digital camera. An Agfa CL30, it also came in a version somewhat later called Click. I don't remember exactly what the difference was, but mine came with a CF memory card, a whopping 4 Mb. I think I remember that there was room for 4 photos on that card. Considered buying an 8 Mb card, or preferably a 16 Mb CF card, but it would be as expensive as the camera itself which cost close to $300 USD back then. A completely super simple camera, almost without any settings. Sad stuff.

Best found footage I have is probably a family documenting their living through a really bad storm in the mid 2000s. That was on an HDD JVC Everio. I like finding cameras that were used by police. I have plenty of evidence and crime scene photos from bridge cameras, mostly from 2008-2012. And yes, I've also found a lot of porn, mostly on 1080i Sony Handycams.

Yeah I got a Fuji X-T10 for a deal on a thrift website. SD card still in the camera. It was pictures of this lady who I suppose owned the camera. There were lots of self portraits, and pictures of her family and indoor shots. It was interesting, yet in a way, I felt like I was intruding by looking at the images. And I was kind of shocked that the camera was donated in such good condition. Makes me think that possibly the owner passed away, and the partner or family of this woman decided to give it away; so many questions left unanswered. Yes, so many stories imbedded in the memory card or film canister for us to see yet left unexplained.

I'm just about to buy my first camera (Canon M50 MKII?, I'm still on the fence, want something affordable, but I digress), so I'm not sure if it fits here, but I have a decent collection of retro games and I feel the same about my second hand acquisitions, many people go the extra miles to erase marker writings, labels, dirt, fade out labels, etc. I can't see the reason, but I guess in this market a piece of immaculate shrink wrap is more valuable than my fade out Chrono Trigger label, it takes work to have a label fade you know? I have this GameCube that was owned by a friend that died many years ago. It sat in front of a window for maybe ten years, one day his mom called and said she was going to get rid of all his stuff. I took the GameCube along with a bunch of great games for it and for the N64. The Gamecube is yellowed out because of the daily rays of sun that entered the window, his wavebird controller that used to be white, is yellowed, almost golden on the top side while white on the bottom. It's a weird kind of beauty, it talks about people and places, memories and experiences.

Great find. Print out the images and make a zine.

You'd love the images from my old work Canon SD750 from my Police Department (2008-2019), plenty of evidence photos and accidents lol

I still own a Mavica CD250 and a DSC-P30 but the oldest camera I own is an Argus C3.

Great essay; thanks for posting it. :) I can relate: my Dad sent me his old Minolta SR T-101, which he hadn't used since he switched to digital (and then, to his phone). He used it all through the '70s and '80s for family vacations, birthdays, Christmas, and etc. -- childhood memories. // Also (FWIW) -- when I buy a used camera online, I ask if there's an interesting story behind it. If it's from a deceased estate, I ask for the first name of the previous owner. Then I (1) log the name in my "list of cameras" spreadsheet and (2) when I post my photos on my blog, I say "Shot with [NAME OF DECEASED]'s camera" or "Hat tip to [NAME] for the camera", and (3) send a link to the seller. :)

your view for keeping old cameras going is incredibly romantic and largely resembles mine. But if you do a lot of sd cards... you're probably gonna end up seeing something less artistic and more eh, naughty sooner or later...

I bought a Sony DSC HX5 this year for $10.00 at a flea market. After cleaning it up and buying a battery I turned it on and it worked. I pressed the playback button and a photo appeared. This little thing has 45 megabytes of internal memory. There were two photos there. one was a accident picture of a woman's face and the top of someone's head. The other was of a Christmas tree. The pictures were dated Dec. 27 2010. A Christmas present camera.

If my old film camera could talk, it would say: "please let me finally die!"

Definitely just got an Olympus point and shoot with newborn baby photos on it. That kid is over 10 years old now, according to the date data. I feel like this kind of thing could be turned into a bingo game.

I have a Canon FTb and I didn’t notice till months after having it that there is what appears to be a social security number and “mom” scratched into the baseplate. Always wonder what it could mean.

Which bw film is the one used on this Ricoh ? Thanks!

I was like, wow, the previous owner did a very creative job epoxying the grip on that spotmatic. But you did it! Hahaha so bizarre, especially cause of the accompanying story. But alright...

What a sweet and poignant video. Keep up the good work.

That Ricoh looks like Daidō Moriyama's camera. Look him up on YT, if you haven't heard of him already 🙂

I have one of those Ricohs, and though I haven't shot with it in years, I recall it producing great images. I'm going to have to shoot with it again. Anyone know which battery it takes?

Fun fact: The Hasselblad camera of the first walk on the moon was left on the moon. I believe it is still there. Look it up.

Still have my Sony CD Mavica 3.2 Mega Pixels

Found a Kodak Junior 1A in an antique shop in Ireland in 1996. On the old 120 film I found the picture of a pony.

The only camera I've ever bought with interesting pictures still on the card was my canon 6D with pictures of giant bags of weed piled on a couch 😂

My handle on one the older photo sites is thecamerasvoice

FYI volume is way too low

My camera would be sad because I dont get time to shoot with it :(

You kinda about photocraphy like real life Max from Life is Strange

If my camera could talk it would say "stop dropping me"

20 usd???? you are lucky

actually the moon hassleblads are still on the moon

If my xh1 could talk it would yell at me to stop dropping it…

"this camera tells a story" "yeah some guy on the internet found it and bought it for $10. That's all we know." I work at a used camera store and love doing what you do, looking at other peoples' photos and wondering about them. There's a good idea there. Why you chose to showcase it with the most boring-ass story of all time makes no sense. LOL

You got me taking more chances with older lenses for my OM-4. Just got Olympus' first ever auto focus lens for a bargin just for funsies, image quality be damned. Had to open it up to clean the contacts on it, other wise holds up great. Just need to go out with a reel to check out how it performs.