camera suggestions for son

[pakeha]

my son is taking an interest in cameras and film , well actually MY cameras, i gave him an old samoca le and some film and he did ok, the problem and question is ergonomics. The samoca has a shutter release a long way in on top plate and his little fingers don`t quite make it, however the focus ring is right next to camera body which works great for him. Does anyone have a good compromise camera to suggest? My bias is to FSU for myself and none would suit [ weight an issue also] and off course being a 9 year old it needs look `right' - he turned his nose up at ALL digitals - thats my boy, oh and please nobody suggest nikon s2, cheers

 

[acall]

The camera my dad taught me on was an Olympus 35 RD. I think I was 10 or 11. I actually still have that camera. Nice and small, easy to use but not too easy to find a good working one now. Mine has the typical stuck shutter... haven't gotten around to sending it off to get fixed. The Canonets might be a good place to start as well. The QL17 is small and really easy to load.

It's great he is interested in film, get him going on the right track!

Cheers,
Alan

 

[kshapero]

Look for a nice used Bessa and he will never turn back.

 

[fixbones]

Maybe a nice user Nikon FE2.
Relatively cheap on ebay and lenses can be bought in good condition for a very reasonable price too.

 

[wlewisiii]

I'd say either

Canon AE-1 with a 50/1.4 - for SLR

Kiev 4a with Jupiter 8 50/2 - for rangefinder

Either will be reasonably priced, acceptably reliable, look kewl & give him damn good results. Buy him a bunch of Kodak BW400CN as it will teach him to appreciate B&W while still being able to dunk it at your local 1-hour place (fast feedback/instant gratification 🙂 )

Good luck!

William

 

[BillBingham2]

Perhaps a Konica S2 or S3. If you want to go SLR, get an OM-1 a 35/2.8. A crazy option would be an old Leica IIIa and a 50mm. A Bessa R would be a great choice with any of thier 35mm.

B2 (;->

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I was 11 when I started with a Minolta Hi-Matic 9. I used Program mode a lot, where the camera set shutter speed and F-Stop. I'm holding onto a Nikon FG with Nikkor 50/1.4 for Nikki when she wants a camera with some control. She uses my Leica Mini P&S now. She is 11. She has used the Nikon SP, Leica M3, and Canon P: but I usually set the exposure for her.

How much do you want to spend? A Canonet 28 is the right size and a reasonable price, offers program mode (I seem to recall).

 

[chris00nj]

Get a fixed lens rangefinder like a Canonet QL17

 

[Al Kaplan]

I started my daughter off with a Minolta XGM when she was about 12. My son, 5 years younger, had no interest until he was going to spend the summer in the Middle East and wanted something small and light. I bought him a Rollei 35. The following year for the next trip there he wanted more versatility so I got him a Leica CL with 40 and 90mm lenses. Then of course he wanted something wider so I got him a 21mm VC. Now he's married with a three year old daughter and l never get any pictures.

 

[kshapero]

I started both my kids on SLR's that I picked up dirt cheap at a Pawn Shop (Remember when they had camera stuff). One got a Nikon FM and the other a Pentax K1000.

 

[pakeha]

thanx all

thanx all

hope this reply works, last attempt would not allow me??
I think rangerfinder to start with, we have 3 mamiya slr and a minolta sr7 he can use later[ but he`s not touching autocord] i have a keiv am but think physically too hard for him to use, contax grip etc, yes leica and bessa is a crazy option - they would be for ME. will look at konica/canonet as see them often also rich 300 or 500 g?? wlewisii you are on to it, we dev and print black nd white at home so real instant feedback, and the kewl part, lets be real honest - it matters to all of us - went to park yesterday with keiv amid all the phone and calculator snappers, cheers and thanx all for your input

 

[mfunnell]

I quite like the "more modern" handling of the Zorki 6 - film handling is certainly a plus over some of the other FSUs. It packs away easily with a collabsible I-50. As with all the FSUs, though, it is a robust beast and may weigh more than your son!

One of the Japanese FLRFs might be more practical.

...Mike

 

[pakeha]

being biased to FSU i like your suggestion of zorki6, another consideration is RF brightness, zorki can be a bit dim, yeah and weight as he has skinny little arms, but maybe T34 built camera could sort that out, cheers

 

[oldoc]

I started my 10 year old on a Minolta Himatic 7, and he has progressed to a Konica Hexar: he's doing great, seeing compositions I don't, doing welk!

 

[payasam]

I agree with wlewisiii. Either way, you start at low cost. If the cameras are destroyed, no great loss. If they survive, other lenses can be added (here an SLR is to be preferred to a Zorki).

 

[kuvvy]

Got this one for my six month old grandson. Fixed lens, easy to use controls, auto wind-on. Shutter / motor wind a bit noisy. Good for portraits as it has 'say cheese' around the lens front🙂

 

[f16sunshine]

I learned on an SLR like many here. Many times I wished that my first camera was a Twin Lens Reflex. When I started to use a TLR I felt my skills in composition and perspective really became more sophisticated. Technical skill comes with time to any photographer. Skill in terms of expression may or may not. I think for me viewing the world on that 6x6 screen (backwards) really helped development in the expressive side. Plus it's super fun and will keep him interested.
Cheers

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

I'll take a mint 111f r/d d/a for my son....I'll deliver free!😀
Dave

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

A Nikon FE2 is an impressive camera: goes to 1/4000, has AE, metered manual, compensation, AE lock, self timer, 1/250 and Bulb without batteries... For learning, with an 1.8 50mm is an unbeatable value, and in my opinion, a better learning machine than a RF... When I've taught, I've always gone for slides... If not, ¿how can you check -or himself- his progress exposing? I use an FE2 professionally along my Hasselblad. Never gave any problem. Its size is close to a RF...

A rangefinder and black and white combo is not as helpful for a start... It can make your son stay away forever... Let him enjoy RFs and black and white development and/or printing after he knows how to expose: that will make him stronger for this long and joyful road...

Cheers

 

[bidnez]

I gave my elder daughter (now 30) a Nikkormat when she was seven or eight (since her older brother was given my Nikon F). Last Christmas I bought an OM1 for my younger daughter - she adores it. (And I am - an old Nikon guy - very impressed with functionality and not to forget; viewfinder). I see several have mentioned the FE2 as well - should be a good choice as well. Or even; the FM/FM2.