Budget SLR options - Nikon or Canon

[hap]

I have a "backup" FE. But it's not the same.

From everything I've read about the introduction of the F3 on the tail of the fabulous F and F2's is that the disinclination of professional photographers to adopt because of "electronics" turned out to be wildly off base.

 

[KoNickon]

Never have been a fan of the F3 -- I hated the on/off switch, for one thing. Just not ergonomic at all. And then the camera just up and died without warning.

F2 is much better, if you're talking about one of the professional Nikons. (In my humble opinion)

BUT -- the original poster was asking about budget camera recommendations. I think that implies product level (i.e. serious amateur vs. pro grade), not just whether you can get a pro camera cheaply these days. Has he made a decision?? Time for an update!

 

[Godfrey]

Having had all three (F, F2, F3hp) and used all of them for both pro and personal work over a period of almost 40 years , I’d have to say the F3 proved my favorite and the most reliable. I had and used it the longest. The F2 never appealed to me as much as the F either, for reasons that I can’t really divine.

But they are all good, solid cameras and not tanks like the F4 and F5. Of course, an F3 is 4 decades old now and is an early electronics beast: it’s the most likely to be unrepairable now as a consequence of that. But the F3 was also in production the longest, they finally made the last few of them in the early ‘00s see it’s more likely you can find a near new, Undamaged F3 than either of the others.

My current, final F was a wreck when I got it. And took a serious overhaul to make it nice again. If you like the camera a lot, it’s worth the effort in the use you get out of it afterwards.

G

 

[Deleted member 65559]

\If you like the camera a lot, it’s worth the effort in the use you get out of it afterwards.

G

Godfrey, I agree completely. I also have a tactile preference for the F over the F2...... just years of having one in your hands before the other was produced i suppose.

KoNikon you're probably right about the implications of 'budget'....but it's hard to turn down a pro level camera with a 100% viewfinder for +/- $50 above a consumer grade camera. Apart from Leica M cameras whose prices continue to skyrocket ($2000 for an M4-2 ?? 😱) SLRs are pretty much all a bargain. This has turned into an interesting discussion, even absent Forest_rain.

 

[JeffS7444]

Having had all three (F, F2, F3hp) and used all of them for both pro and personal work over a period of almost 40 years , I’d have to say the F3 proved my favorite and the most reliable.

Shutter speed control on that camera is a work of art, seemingly built to last forever and given an extra layer of protection with o-ring seals. And when I got to dealing with a flakey LCD I was kind of blown away by what I saw there too: Thin conductive strips of rubbery material were a common way of making electrical contacts to the electrodes on the LCD's glass, but I had never before seen one made using gold particles! With the flagship Nikon and Canon SLRs, you can really see where your money went.

 

[splitimageview]

Yes, it would be nice to hear back from rain, but absent that...pretty much all SLRs are relative bargains, especially compared to crazy prices for Contax T2, and Leica bodies.

Get more than one!

 

[Forest_rain]

Yes, it would be nice to hear back from rain, but absent that...pretty much all SLRs are relative bargains, especially compared to crazy prices for Contax T2, and Leica bodies.

Get more than one!

Sorry, I've been busy with school and also shopping around for Nikons. It seems they are pushing over $100 for a body with/without a lens and confirmed working. Cheaper ones are untested. For now I haven't been taking too many pictures so I'm not in a rush. I'm still using my Praktica, wondering if my search for a Nikon might just be GAS.

In any case, I'm too busy with school at work at the moment to focus on film but will probably buy one in the foreseeable future.

 

[Erik van Straten]

The Nikkormat FTn seems to last forever.

Erik.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Nikkormat shots.

Erik.

 

[Erik van Straten]

 

[Erik van Straten]