NickTrop
Veteran
With film point-n-shooters (many of them) asking silly prices and which are quite old and more or less disposable consumer items. And with the ever-aging base 60's and 70's era rangefinders reaching the very tail end of their lives (nothing lasts forever)...
Are film SLRs from the 2000's the new "find" in film photography? To wit -- just picked up a Nikon N75 for $9.00 (on Amazon, yet). Just the body. In a box (we shall see what we shall see when it arrives...)
Plastic, granted. But the camera has a slew of modern features and, well, while it ain't new, it also ain't as old as a Yashica GSN or some such. It autofocuses, has autofocus points, PSAM etc... Production run from 2003-2006 so while "old" it ain't "that" old (for a film camera body...)
Got it because I have a slew of Nikon lenses and film in the fridge. It costes lest than a roll of film and processing. So what the heck? The batteries costes almost as much as the camera.
Are these 2000's plastic fantastic mid-level SLRs the new film bargains? On Amazon, sellers are asking $25-30 for film tested ones with replaced seals. Plus Amazon return policy (which is why I took my chances and went cheap...)
Are film SLRs from the 2000's the new "find" in film photography? To wit -- just picked up a Nikon N75 for $9.00 (on Amazon, yet). Just the body. In a box (we shall see what we shall see when it arrives...)
Plastic, granted. But the camera has a slew of modern features and, well, while it ain't new, it also ain't as old as a Yashica GSN or some such. It autofocuses, has autofocus points, PSAM etc... Production run from 2003-2006 so while "old" it ain't "that" old (for a film camera body...)
Got it because I have a slew of Nikon lenses and film in the fridge. It costes lest than a roll of film and processing. So what the heck? The batteries costes almost as much as the camera.
Are these 2000's plastic fantastic mid-level SLRs the new film bargains? On Amazon, sellers are asking $25-30 for film tested ones with replaced seals. Plus Amazon return policy (which is why I took my chances and went cheap...)
markjwyatt
Well-known
I am not interested. I like the 1960s to early 80s mechanical SLRs, else I go with a modern digital. There may be a few gems in there though.
dave lackey
Veteran
Nick,
Your question, "Are film SLRs from the 2000's the new "find" in film photography?", is true for some of us for exactly the reasons you mentioned. My F80 is the real deal plastic fantastic! I have several other Nikons from the early days of AF and they work wonderfully well! Right now I am working on expired Ektachrome with the .
Prest_400
Multiformat
They are, but OTOH the appeal is not the same as mechanical cameraa (classic and hip) or P&S (compact and stylish).
An example I have is the nikon F80, which I got rather cheap with a kit zoom. It sadly died due to saltwater exposure -- but its proce allowed riskier behaviour shooting.
Replaced with an F90 and F801 that I got as bundle for 20 quid a body. Prosumer range, but rather clunky in some ways. F90 was described as "VCR styled" by Ken Rockwell.
OTOH the pro level cameras get more attention, F4 for example. I remember some youtubers almost simultaneously posted reviews of it.
Very capable cameras and the pinnacle of automation, but not attractive.
An example I have is the nikon F80, which I got rather cheap with a kit zoom. It sadly died due to saltwater exposure -- but its proce allowed riskier behaviour shooting.
Replaced with an F90 and F801 that I got as bundle for 20 quid a body. Prosumer range, but rather clunky in some ways. F90 was described as "VCR styled" by Ken Rockwell.
OTOH the pro level cameras get more attention, F4 for example. I remember some youtubers almost simultaneously posted reviews of it.
Very capable cameras and the pinnacle of automation, but not attractive.
NickTrop
Veteran
Nick,
Your question, "Are film SLRs from the 2000's the new "find" in film photography?", is true for some of us for exactly the reasons you mentioned. My F80 is the real deal plastic fantastic! I have several other Nikons from the early days of AF and they work wonderfully well! Right now I am working on expired Ektachrome with the .
It seems to me -- as a guy who's been in/out of film photography for a long time since the advent of digital, that the used camera market has "trends". Rangefinders remain pretty consistant but cameras like the Olympus 35 SP (as one example) went for some high prices a few years back but seems to have fallen out of favor. Meanwhile, prices for point-n-shoots have shot up etc.
But newer SLRs seem to be quite deflated. C'mon. $9.00? Film tested ones for $25? Ones with a kit lens not much more? Say what you will about rangefinders etc. New(er) is new(er). And these had features that blow away any point-n-shoot many of which are going for $100's of dollars now. And they simply have decades less wear than the classic rangefinders.
These were in production in 2006. I have underwear older than this! (Or is that TMI?)
Yes Nick... it’s only a matter of time before certain versions of these gain value. All you need is a celebrity to use one or for some photo star to swear it gives him or her some magic. Haha.
Austintatious
Well-known
I have been on this road a while now. Heading for the big six-five, the number of keepers with my manual focus classic SLR's has gone down a bit. Auto focus is now my friend
Had a Nikon N65 and sold it. Loved the small size and I got some great photos with it.
Picked up a Nikon N80 with battery grip,kit lens,polarizer and a leather case for peanuts.
Also grabbed a Nikon N70 data back for a tenspot. It has the fake panorama blind in the shutter. I use it with a 24mm or a 28mm as a poor mans Xpan. Last I got a Minolta Maxxum HTSI for twelve bucks. Manual,shutter,aperture and program settings and a top shutter of 1/4000 second. Yes it is plastic, but I can use the great Maxxum glass with it.
Lots of good stuff out there for very little coin if you just want some new toys.
Had a Nikon N65 and sold it. Loved the small size and I got some great photos with it.
Picked up a Nikon N80 with battery grip,kit lens,polarizer and a leather case for peanuts.
Also grabbed a Nikon N70 data back for a tenspot. It has the fake panorama blind in the shutter. I use it with a 24mm or a 28mm as a poor mans Xpan. Last I got a Minolta Maxxum HTSI for twelve bucks. Manual,shutter,aperture and program settings and a top shutter of 1/4000 second. Yes it is plastic, but I can use the great Maxxum glass with it.
Lots of good stuff out there for very little coin if you just want some new toys.
NickTrop
Veteran
Exactly, Terry Richardson starts shooting one prices shoot to $300.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
These days I don't know anymore who does use film for real. Few real film photogs like Janku. With M. The rest is film status showers. It can't be 9$ camera, it has no status. Well, some old people as well, who still thinks it must be all mechanical and manual. Those are totally F.
I think, young ones, those few who getting into the film, they might rediscover SLRs from the end.
I'm enjoying my EOS300. It works and it works with modern flashes and all current and from the past EF lenses. Those are 20$ cameras. Recently discovered rechargable batteries for it.
I think, young ones, those few who getting into the film, they might rediscover SLRs from the end.
I'm enjoying my EOS300. It works and it works with modern flashes and all current and from the past EF lenses. Those are 20$ cameras. Recently discovered rechargable batteries for it.
Noserider
Christiaan Phleger
HA yeah well referring to Terry will not result in more modeling bookings these days..
But as to the OP premise yes there are plenty of these types of film AF SLRs that are around. What I like about them is an easy entry into a lens line, lots of Pentax and Canon as well as Minolta that all have some very compelling glass to match them. Lots of the standard 'kit' lenses had lots of modern lens designs thrown in them and have a tremendous price to performance ratio.
But as to the OP premise yes there are plenty of these types of film AF SLRs that are around. What I like about them is an easy entry into a lens line, lots of Pentax and Canon as well as Minolta that all have some very compelling glass to match them. Lots of the standard 'kit' lenses had lots of modern lens designs thrown in them and have a tremendous price to performance ratio.
zuiko85
Veteran
Well yes, if you just want to take pictures. But for us MMM (metal, manual, mechanical) snobs, who love to caress our cameras, fondle them as it were, these plasto-blob battery dependent abominations just won't do you see. This kind of attitude will keep them cheap for those smart enough to see their real value.
Yokosuka Mike
Abstract Clarity
The Voigtlander (Cosina) Bessaflex TM "M42 Mount" SLR. Made in the early 2000s and modeled after the ‘60s Topcon. I have the silver model and it suits my needs just fine.
Mike
Mike
60s-70s era RFs aren’t near the ‘very’ end. It really depends on how well/poorly individual units were cared for. Recently sold a couple restored Canonet Ql17s for good coin. They will last a couple more decades at least, unless abused.
That said there are some really great AF SLRs from the late 90s/early 2000s that are well-built- F100s, Contax N1, and not terribly pricey
That said there are some really great AF SLRs from the late 90s/early 2000s that are well-built- F100s, Contax N1, and not terribly pricey
css9450
Veteran
Feature- and capability-wise, my best film camera is probably my Nikon N90s. Obviously not as pretty as my F2 or my Rolleis but unlike those cameras it has PSAM, center-weighted, spot or matrix metering, several frames per second motor drive, all-mode autobracketing, fantastic flash capability, etc, etc... Too many to even remember. But it wasn't $9 or $25 or even $100. I bought it new in 1996 so it was full price! Hard to believe its been 23 years.
dave lackey
Veteran
I do like to use my film cameras along with current digital gear:
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james.liam
Well-known
1+
Back in 1995, bought a Nikon FM2-T new and it has never failed me.
If I had to choose one film SLR right now, it would be the petite OM3/4 or Nikon FM2 or FM3a. The Olympus viewfinder is quite the revelation.
As mentioned by the OP, P&S cameras like Contax fetch stupid money; Kyocera no longer services them so they're pricey paperweights when their ancient electronics (will invariably) fail. The upside is that MS Optics can convert the lens to M mount and it gets a 2nd life.
aizan
Veteran
plastic fantastic is less likely to be repairable (but still probably more repairable than the mechanical diehards think), but it's classic in its own way. vintage 80s and 90s tech has a unique look to it.
helmut newton shot with a canon eos 100 and eos 5, among many other cameras.
helmut newton shot with a canon eos 100 and eos 5, among many other cameras.
JoeLopez
Well-known
Same. Part of the film experience I enjoy is the manual focus and film winder lever to be honest. I have no desire for a loud, autofocus plastic SLR camera.
That said, I may add a F100 to my collection to shoot my current D/G lenses on
farlymac
PF McFarland
Like Austintatious, I too bought an N90s brand new, and still have it, though I've had to remove the goo from the back that was supposed to act as easy-grip. But that was it's only problem.
A couple of years ago I got an N80s, and liked it just as well, though it has slightly less capability than the N90s. But it is a little smaller, and has better styling for my tastes. It's actually not far removed from the first digital bodies that Nikon produced as far as looks are concerned since it came out towards the end of the film body era. I do pick up any 50/55, 60/65, and 70/75 bodies if I come across them, and they are not in the collection, because they are dirt cheap now days.
The one film body I really want to get is the FM3A, the final embodiment of the FM/FE series with everything that came before it included in one camera, and introducing a hybrid shutter mech that ran on batteries, or not. You had the electronics for aperture preferred operation, or could work it full manual when the batteries died. Can't do that with an M7.
The biggest problem with using P&S cameras is that eventually they fail, either electronically, or just due to plastic fatigue. Which is too bad because there were a lot of them made with decent lenses. It's when they got fancier controls, and all the subsequent buttons that the failure rate went up because there was no dust or weather sealing, and stuff got inside to destroy them. I ruined at least two fine P&S cameras by having them in my shirt pocket on a hot summer day.
PF
A couple of years ago I got an N80s, and liked it just as well, though it has slightly less capability than the N90s. But it is a little smaller, and has better styling for my tastes. It's actually not far removed from the first digital bodies that Nikon produced as far as looks are concerned since it came out towards the end of the film body era. I do pick up any 50/55, 60/65, and 70/75 bodies if I come across them, and they are not in the collection, because they are dirt cheap now days.
The one film body I really want to get is the FM3A, the final embodiment of the FM/FE series with everything that came before it included in one camera, and introducing a hybrid shutter mech that ran on batteries, or not. You had the electronics for aperture preferred operation, or could work it full manual when the batteries died. Can't do that with an M7.
The biggest problem with using P&S cameras is that eventually they fail, either electronically, or just due to plastic fatigue. Which is too bad because there were a lot of them made with decent lenses. It's when they got fancier controls, and all the subsequent buttons that the failure rate went up because there was no dust or weather sealing, and stuff got inside to destroy them. I ruined at least two fine P&S cameras by having them in my shirt pocket on a hot summer day.
PF
Greg Maslak
Well-known
Interesting question. If I may add a thought.
This huge revival in film has all happened since 2008, during a period of tremendous money expansion. From City salaries and stock prices to vintage wrist watches and cameras, even coffee tables and desk lamps at “1st Dibs” have all seen big price jumps. “Irrational exuberance”, Allen Greenspan famously called a similar phenomenon back in the late 90s. I don’t know if the plastic fantastics have the cache to catch the wave, but I’m very interested to see if the whole thing can survive the next recession. I have a feeling it will not and there will be a big contraction in the vintage film camera market.
This huge revival in film has all happened since 2008, during a period of tremendous money expansion. From City salaries and stock prices to vintage wrist watches and cameras, even coffee tables and desk lamps at “1st Dibs” have all seen big price jumps. “Irrational exuberance”, Allen Greenspan famously called a similar phenomenon back in the late 90s. I don’t know if the plastic fantastics have the cache to catch the wave, but I’m very interested to see if the whole thing can survive the next recession. I have a feeling it will not and there will be a big contraction in the vintage film camera market.