Year
Camera model
Remarks
(approximately)
1950
My parents' folding camera Nostalgic bellow camera
I shot my very first photos with this old Agfa camera. My si-
ster Ursula volunteered as a model, and I took pictures of
the family.
1955
HAPO 36
My first own camera
I remember that I did not use this camera a lot as it ceased
functioning soon. A repair was not within my means at the
time.
1956
Kodak Retina IIIc
Top camera of the 1950s
At this time, the Retina IIIc was the camera of my dreams. It
belonged to my friend Eckhardt Machens. At times, I would
borrow it, or we worked together and developed our pictu-
res from Kodak Technopan film in the photography work-
shop of the Kolping House on Große Telegrafenstraße in
Cologne.
1964
Rolleiflex 4 x 4 cm Too few options
I only used this camera during my first trip to Poland. The
special 4 x 4 format of the film did not appeal to me parti-
cularly. After a while, the film format disappeared from the
market.
1965
Rolleiflex 6 x 6 cm, Planar Former professional camera
This camera served me well for many years. At some point,
I sold it. Later on, I acquired a more modern version with
auto-exposure, but I rarely worked with it.
1969
Linhof Color 4 x 5“
Robust, but only for the studio
I rarely used this optical bench camera. For the studio, the
options for adjustment are relatively limited, and for use
outdoors, it is too bulky. However, it was useful for learning
the large-format technique.
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