First Annual International Commie Camera Day 2009

[ElitaOne]

Calling all owners of communist-built cameras! If you own a Kiev, Fed, Smena, Vilia, Zorki, Zenit, or any of the plethora of commie built cameras, perhaps you would be interested in joining us for a fun day shooting on May Day (May 1st) this year for the first annual International Commie Cam Day 2009.

Regardless of which format you prefer to shoot, if the camera is linked to a commie nation, you are welcome participate in the day. For more info, please check out our Flickr group at:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1060189@N22/

Our group enjoys a lot of tongue-in-cheek fun and is quite blatant about enabling to buy commie cams. So if you suffer GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) there is no refuge there.

There are also plans for another event in Oktober, so the fun is not over after May Day.

[alanrockwood]

Does Exakta count as a commie camera?

[ElitaOne]

Does Exakta count as a commie camera?

Yes! Exaktas are very much welcome.

[David Brown]

Well, I own a Zorki, but it doesn't work, of course; so there ya are ...

[ElitaOne]

Ah, too bad. You can still celebrate the day by taking the Zorki out and just shoot it.

Better yet, use the event as an excuse to buy a new old commie cam!

[Ian Grant]

Is this not rather politically incorrect.

If you were to hold a "First Annual International US Camera Day" you'd find the range of cameras (35mm & 120) was equally if not worse made in quite a few cases. Retina's etc aren't American as they were made in Germany.

I've owned and used a few FSU/East German camera's and they have been good capable, reliable camera's you can't say that of Argus Bricks.

Ian

[Anthony Lewis]

There is a very painful and specialized form of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), known amongst psychiatrists as ANAL - Always Need Another Lens. When you suffer from both GAS and ANAL, you really have problems. My psychiatrist says I will die of it.

[2F/2F]

Is this not rather politically incorrect.

If you were to hold a "First Annual International US Camera Day" you'd find the range of cameras (35mm & 120) was equally if not worse made in quite a few cases. Retina's etc aren't American as they were made in Germany.

I've owned and used a few FSU/East German camera's and they have been good capable, reliable camera's you can't say that of Argus Bricks.

Ian

1. Did you not mean to use a question mark instead of a period to punctuate your first sentence.

2. Perhaps it would decrease the political incorrectness you sense if you look up the word "humor" in the dictionary.

3. It would be First Annual International Capitalist Camera Day, not First Annual International U.S. Camera Day.

4. Nobody has said that these camera are bad.

IMO, the exercise promotes exactly the opposite of everything about which you seem upset. (Or are you just being humorous?) It makes fun of people who use the term "commie" in all seriousness, shows what can be done with cameras that sometimes get an undeserved bad rap, and encourages their use and the use of film in general.

If I were to make a sensible criticism of the idea, it would be: Why just one day? Just use the cameras whenever you want to! Nonetheless, I hope everyone has fun, gets some good pix, and gains inspiration to shoot *any* film camera even more.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go announce the First Annual International National Socialist Camera Day, since I apparently need a stupid Internet-based excuse to shoot my Leica IIIa.

[Chazzy]

I've been watching the Flickr group with interest. I think that the day will be a lot of fun. I haven't decided yet whether to use my Mokva 5 or the Ercona II. Probably the former.

[Changeling1]

Reminds me ... An Armenian kid in my former Hollywood neighborhood (aka Little Armenia) gave me a 1984 Olympics edition Kiev RF when his family made the big move to Glendale- the ultimate destination for Armenian immigrants in California. The little camera works great and is one of my favorites because of its sentimental value. Thanks for reminding me of Karo and his family- even though your event's name "Commie Camera Day" has a rather hateful ring to it.