“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” - Ansel Adams
My passion for photography began with a Kodak Instamatic, a gift from my godmother, which I eagerly used to capture the world around me at age 8. This early fascination led me to join our school photography club in the 1970s, initiated by our inspiring teacher, Rolf Bruns. Known for his chain-smoking habit, Bruns was a dedicated math, physics, and geography teacher who also ran the club, giving us the rare opportunity to explore the magic of analog photography.
Our school had a complete darkroom, including black-and-white development stations and professional cameras like a high-quality Hasselblad medium-format camera and a 35mm Leica. We started by creating photograms and learning the basics of exposure and composition. Under Bruns’ guidance, we honed our skills, progressing to shooting and developing our films. I used my father’s old Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2 for the club with 6x9 roll film, which introduced me to more advanced photography techniques.
As my skills developed, I upgraded my equipment, first to a Voigtländer Vito 35mm, then to a Praktica MTL3 (also sold as Revueflex by Quelle in Western Germany), and eventually to a Pentax MZ. I also set up my photo lab with a Rodenstock lens, which allowed me to develop and print my photos independently. Later, I moved to film and digital photography using a Sony HDR Handycam and a point-and-shoot Nikon Coolpix.
But now, I’m back to my roots and focusing on photography with my Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 521/2, viewfinder 537/2, yellow filter by Carl Zeiss, and cable remote trigger.
Another addition I have is a 35mm Zeiss Ikon Contina IIa with a fully functional light meter sensor. While the shutter speed below 1/15 is not working, the rest of the camera operates flawlessly.
The Pentacon Six TL is my latest (and final!) camera addition—a camera I couldn’t afford in the early 1980s. Like the Ikonta 521/2, it’s a precious piece of history, continuing the amazing legacy of Carl Zeiss lenses. The Biometar 80mm lens is simply amazing and remains one of the best lenses on the market today.
My Collections on Flickr.
My YouTube channel.
Please don’t use any of my images on websites, blogs, or other media in any publication, print, or the internet without my explicit written permission.
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Cameras - Then and Now








