DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
My thoughts here.usually it's more about discussing the earliest gear
As I see it, anything that can be termed "the earliest gear" means just about any film camera ever made.
Unsure about using film gear to make new friends. Being as I am "of a certain age" when people look through me and I've become invisible ...
This year I've seen somewhat of a resurgence in the popularity of 1990s-2000s film gear in Australia. Of course digital still reigns supreme, but my camera dealer in Melbourne has a big stock of film gear and until recently didn't bother to list them online as they said nobody responded. Now they are cautiously putting them up for sale, and they tell me there is now more interest - also a few sales. Prices are usually low, in the $100-$200 range depending on the brand and condition.
They are also selling more film. Here in Australia 35mm film prices have hit the $20 mark, but some shops move it more cheaply. The same dealer told me hey are selling 20 rolls a week now, mostly single-roll sales. In 2022 and 2023 they were lucky to sell six in any one month. So there's progress. And hope.
Film processing prices are the big downer here. I have a B&W darkroom but it mostly sits idle, I have four cameras loaded with film but I've yet to finish a roll in any of them. Recently two sets of friends kindly gave me film, one two 100-foot bulk rolls and the other a dozen rolls of Ektapan and Ilford B&W which I suspect have sat around in a bedroom for 20 years. I'll use them anyway to see what results I get, but what I expect will be more happenstance \(and luck) than predictable or printable. Scanning with care often works wonders with old films. So new adventures lie ahead.
Anyway, it's good to see this old thread revived. We need more of these to keep our brain cells chugging along and our interest keen in all the old cameras we have sitting around unloved at home.
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Erik van Straten
Veteran
gelatin silver print (hektor 50mm f2.5) leica ll
Babruysk 2001
Babruysk 2001