Advice needed: Beginner's film SLR on shoestring budget

[Ronald_H]

Some friends want to give a girl an analogue camera as a birthday present. They are Dutch students, so their budget is limited. They think Lomography is cool, but they understand it's mostly hype and the cameras are either too expensive, too limited or both. The recipient of the camera is a young fashion designer. She knows little of photography, but likes the grainy back stage photos several people have made for her.

Normally I would say a Nikon FM, my own favorite film SLR. But even an FM might be too expensive.

So here's the list of requirements:

Absolutely rock bottom price
Manual & mechanical 35mm SLR
Preferably no electronics besides the meter
Built in meter
Easily available batteries
Fairly mainstream (to add lenses later)
Should come with a decent 50mm f1.8ish lens
Reliable

Go!

 

[agour]

Canon AE1

10 charecters

 

[Jeremy Johns]

Hi there,

A great present!

How about something like a minolta x300? Here's a link to a uk shop, very reasonable at £59 in 1.7 lens

A good starting camera and very unfashionable so nice and cheap.

I'm sure you'll get some more advice.

Good luck!

 

[jsrockit]

Pentax MX w/ 50mm f/2

 

[malthusiantrap]

How about the classic Pentax SP1000? Lenses are cheap and they are of good quality.
I don't have experience with Praktica, Konica or the russian SLRs but your friends might want to take a look at those brands too. They are not as popular as Canon/Nikon/Pentax and they might be cheaper.

 

[agour]

Chinon CE4s are actually really underrated too. Super cheap, have aperture priority and full manual modes. ISO up to 3200, what more could you need?
Uses the pentax K mount, so theres a load of good lenses available for it.
The viewfinder is HUGE too, bigger than my canon T90's..

 

[divewizard]

I would look for the best one (rarely used) and not worry about brand. Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Minolta, Olympus are all good. The quality of the pictures will depend more on you than the camera.

 

[jammcat]

Another vote for anything Pentax.

Cheap, rock solid, and plentiful, with a selection of more lenses than anyone could ever use.

 

[rover]

I would look for the best one (rarely used) and not worry about brand. Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Minolta, Olympus are all good. The quality of the pictures will depend more on you than the camera.

My first reaction was to offer up the Minolta SRT bodies, but Chris is right, there are good cameras which will fit your need from all of the major manufacturers.

 

[drewbarb]

There are tons of used cameras out here that should fit the bill easily- the trick is finding the right one. Olympus, Canon, Nikon, Minolta and many others made gear that would work nicely. I know a guy here in Louisville who has half a dozen such cameras at any given time from a range of companies that he sells to students and others who are looking for just such a camera. He buys from all kinds of places, like yard and estate sales and from the multitudes of folks dumping good old film gear for digital. He rehabs them or sends them out for service and turns them around cheap to folks looking for cameras like this. Surely you should be able to find a dealer or individual seller like this closer to you or the intended recipient. Given the sensible criteria you list for this project there should be literally dozens of options that would work nicely and fit into the desired price range- it's just a question of doing the legwork to find the right deal. Rather than thinking about a certain make or model, I'd look for a good source of decent quality used gear and see what's available. If you can't find anything local and want to buy something through me, let me know and I could probably get an old mechanical Canon or Nikon with a lens in good shape
for around $75.

 

[pakeha]

SRT Minolta with Rokker 50mm 1.4 ?

 

[karlori]

Pentax MX w/ 50mm f/2

^This, definitely the best K mount camera after the LX for a fraction of the cost, if you get the M 50 f/2 it will be smaller than an equivalent OM kit.

 

[Drago]

I'd get olympus om-1, or pentax MX. Both have nice 50mm lens and a lot can be add later. Both are all mechanical and one big advantage since they'r getting it for a girl is the size 🙂 And both can be had for about ~ 100-150 euro with lens in nice condition.

 

[Ronald_H]

^This, definitely the best K mount camera after the LX for a fraction of the cost, if you get the M 50 f/2 it will be smaller than an equivalent OM kit.

Already found this kit, offered by a reputable seller, for little cash. Looks good.

 

[mdarnton]

Nikon FG. Most importantly, unlike several of the others named (old Canon, Pentax Minolta, Olympus), it's not tied into an obsolete system, and can walk you right into a D800e if you want, without having to throw away all your lenses. Many, many fully compatible lenses are still available new AND work on the newest Nikons, the camera's a joy to use, and it's dirt cheap, too. You can pick one up with the lens for around $75. It's a little more advanced than the Canon AE1, technologically, without the obsolete lens mount disadvantage.

 

[karlori]

Already found this kit, offered by a reputable seller, for little cash. Looks good.

Black or silver 😀 either way go for it. And if she is a fashion designer let them check some leathers from cameraleather.com so they can give her an unique and striking camera 😉.

Best of Luck

 

[karlori]

Nikon FG. Most importantly, unlike several of the others named (old Canon, Pentax Minolta, Olympus),

How is the K mount system obsolete, please do explain i must have lived under the rock😕

 

[kranjo]

Canon A1, it can be used in fully auto (Program, Shutter or Exposure priority), or fully manual mode. Whole system costed me approximately 250$. 75$ for body in great shape, 50$ for 50/1.4, 75$ for 35/2 and 85$ for 85/1.2 (not so great shape - but does not affect the picture quality) ant those are all the lenses I need.

 

[NickTrop]

Vivitar V3800 w/50mm f1.7 lens. Made by Cosina, New, Still in production. One of the last of the Mohicans in 35mm film SLR. $189. Takes Pentax K-mount lenses.

-Quick release K type bayonet mount accepts included multi-coated f/1.7 50mm lens, or any other optional lens conforming to the K mount specification
-Shutter speeds are set manually from Bulb to 1/2000
-Fixed, eye-level pentaprism viewfinder with 92% field of view
-Viewfinder displays TTL center weighted exposure metering - Red Plus sign means overexposure;
-Viewfinder employs split image focusing and three LED display

http://www.amazon.com/V-3800-50mm-Lens-Manual-Focus/dp/B001TP8Q3S/ref=dp_cp_ob_p_title_2

 

[mdarnton]

How is the K mount system obsolete, please do explain i must have lived under the rock😕

I was thinking mainly as a viable professional system to grow into, in that instance, but maybe I misunderstand the system? Backwards compatibility seems excellent, though, but there appears to be an auto aperture problem with old lenses?