Recently on the DPNow forum I was remembering my [URL="http://dpnow.com/forum2/showthread.php?t=12863"]early days in photography[/URL]. This got me thinking about what we were used to all that time ago and how it compares with today. One of the very first SLR cameras I used was the good old Russian Zenit B. Apart from having a rather odd odour - something to do with the leather case that came with the camera - I think. I can remember being so excited by this camera; that TTL (through the lens) magic was over-powering, even if it was dim and grainy and devoid of any focusing aids. And you could change the lens.

The shutter speed range was 1/30th second to 1/500th. You didn't need to worry about ISO settings because there was no meter in the camera at all. Experts say this was an advantage because the Zenit B's more 'advanced' sibling, the Zenit E (no idea what happened to C and D) which had a selenium cell meter on the front of the pentaprism housing, was sometimes prone to light likes around the selenium cell. And it was one less thing to go wrong.

But at least the mirror didn't stay up and keep the viewfinder dark when you took a picture - yes it had the luxury of a quick-return mirror. It made quite a clunk when you tripped the shutter though. It wasn't wise to shoot at full aperture with either of the standard lenses made available by Zenith; the 50mm f/3.5 Industar or the more familiar 58mm f/2.0 Helios. Optimum sharpness was found at around f/8. And what about film options? ASA 25 or 64 for Kodachrome, ASA 100 for colour neg, and the heady heights of ASA 400 if you needed it for black and white in the form of Kodax Tri-X or Ilford HP4 (I even used out of date HP3 stock). But you had to be prepared for grain like golf balls!

It all sounds so primitive now we have ISO 25600 and higher, 1/8000th second shutter speeds, autofocus, intelligent Auto modes, zoom lenses that are sharper than any Industar or Helios lens ever was, and so on. And yet I'm absolutely sure there are brilliant pictures out there taken with Zenit Bs - no doubt about it. Next time you have a pang of dissatisfaction about your camera - you only have to think about the Zenit B to get your focus back on track.