Looking for a Film Camera for Photography Class.

[Starscream59]

I have been interested in Photography for as long as I can remember. But, it wasn't until recently that I received a Canon T2i for christmas which while I've learned quite a bit, I've decided to take a photography class this fall at college, as a requirement I need a "35mm camera with full manual control required", I have a Canon T50 with a few FD lenses, but the problem is I can't manually control the shutter speed only aperture.

So I thought a fun, exciting and challenging solution to this predicament might be picking of A FSU Rangefinder (Or something else under $100 hopefully) and a FD body such as a T90 or an AE-1 depending on price. Anyone have any suggestions as where to purchase (links preferable), or what to purchase?)

Course Description: "Film-based black and white photography including camera control, film processing, and darkroom printing. 35mm camera with full manual control required. No credit toward art major."

Thanks in advance!

 

[Lawrence Sheperd]

Of you listed cameras, my vote would be for the AE-1 Program. A bazillion were made; they give you the choice of full auto, semi-auto, or full manual control; batteries are still readily available, metering is generally very good.

Or, if you wanted to try a fully manual Nikon SLR, I would suggest an FM.

In any event, for a photo class I think dependability would be paramount since you will be working under a deadline, so-to-speak. Perhaps leave the FSU rangefinders for more casual work, since they can sometimes be - "ahem" - particular (I own four FSU cameras at the present time.)

Anyways, good luck. I think you'll really enjoy the film and darkroom experience.

 

[leicapixie]

Go for one of the "A" models. Ae-1P highly recommended. The Ae-1 OK.
Suggesting these as take your FD lenses. Earlier (FT, FTb)models took FL. Not sure will accept the newer lens mount..Anybody?
If you leave Canon mount and lenses, Pentax K-1000,KM etc.
Remember these film cameras are all old. May need attention.
They are very inexpensive at moment.
The expensive battery in the Ae-1P etc is 4 x M76! You can make your own!
Have done so since the '70's. My Pentax 67 Cell said assembled..
Assembled! I opened it and voila! 4 cells in tube.

 

[oftheherd]

What a course description, all that you put, pluse no credit toward art major. Great.

A good FSU rangefinder will work, but your first problem will be getting one that works well. They certainly exist, but it may take you a while to find one. One problem you may encounter is if one of your assignments is macro photography. It's not impossible with an RF, depending on just what the assignmen is, but is more difficult.

Personally, I would recommend you stay with an SLR for this course. Don't increase your learning curve just now. Take things a step at a time.

Since I am not really familiar with Canon other that the Canonets, I can't recommend any cameras for you. But there are a lot of afficionados here at RFF, so I am sure you will get a lot of good recommendations. (EDIT: While type this, I see you have already gotten started with good advice). Good luck with your course. It sounds like a lot of good basic information. Those types of courses seem to be more and more rare, as more digital is taught.

 

[erikhaugsby]

The F-1 was Canon's top dials-and-knobs FD-mount camera, and the T90 was one of the best FD-mount Canons ever. Neither are a bad choice, though if you want to avoid LCDs the T90 would become out of the question. The AE-1 is an always-popular and less-expensive option.

If you'd like to supplement this with a rangefinder, you might want to look towards 1970's compact RFs - the Olympus 35RC especially, as it has both aperture-priority and full-manual exposure options. Your choice of an FSU rangefinder starts with choosing the mount: LTM Zorkis or Feds, or Contax Kievs. I'd suggest a Zorki 4K for its integrated VF/RF and slow speeds, though you might find a Fed 1a appealing in the way some find Barnack Leicas appealing.

KEH (keh.com) is one of my favorite places to shop for used gear. They've got a very conservative grading system and you might find entirely-useable bargains in their equipment graded "Bargain (BGN)."

 

[Starscream59]

You can also use an EOS-3 in full manual mode with the lens from your T2i.

All I have currently are EF-S and M42 lenses for my T2i.. so Not sure how well that would work 🙂

Of you listed cameras, my vote would be for the AE-1 Program. A bazillion were made; they give you the choice of full auto, semi-auto, or full manual control; batteries are still readily available, metering is generally very good.

Or, if you wanted to try a fully manual Nikon SLR, I would suggest an FM.

In any event, for a photo class I think dependability would be paramount since you will be working under a deadline, so-to-speak. Perhaps leave the FSU rangefinders for more casual work, since they can sometimes be - "ahem" - particular (I own four FSU cameras at the present time.)

Anyways, good luck. I think you'll really enjoy the film and darkroom experience.

Due to cost I will probably just stick with AE-1/AE-1 Program. Unless a Pentax or other M42 mount would be more reliable (or offer something more appealing?)

 

[leicapixie]

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133312

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133312

After thinking about this, and that this is the RF Forum!
i suggest a Leica M with 35mm or 50mm.
If you really love film, you are your way!
If not, sell the Leica, probably at same price.
Only 2 people in this world.
Those with Leicas😀 and those without..
and sadly in some cases, happily without.
It's areal chance for change!

 

[FrankS]

If you have Canon EF lenses, they won't fit on the earlier FD mount bodies like the AE-1, and there isn't a simple adaptor to use them on FD bodies. Canon switched lens mounts when changing to autofocus lenses.

There are lots of choices in M42 mount bodies, since you mention having some M42 lenses.

 

[ray*j*gun]

Do not get an FSU. Although they can be reliable its a krap shoot. Get a good Nikormat and a Nikor (1.8 or slower will be inexpensive in 50mm) lens which will be CHEAP and reliable.... check out KEH or if you get lucky a classified here.

 

[rolfe]

If you want something that uses current lenses, try to find a Nikon FM. Otherwise, the already-mentioned Pentax K1000 or Canon A1, AE1, etc. are good choices. Just be aware that the lenses for those are dead ends for any current camera. However, the prices generally reflect that.

 

[Starscream59]

I have a few FD lenses (I was mentioning lenses for other mounts in my possession).
Currently I have a:
135mm F/2.8
50mm F/1.8
28mm F/2.8
80-200 F/3.5
300mm F/2.8

Anyways, I will probably just stick with an F-1, AE-1, AE-1P, or a T90. But I will look into additionally supplementing it with a rangefinder (maybe hold off on the FSU for a while) like the suggested 35RC (is an argus c3 or yashica electro 35 (not sure if fully manual or not?)worth considering?)

 

[jody36]

Pentax k1000 lots of cheap lenses to choose from

 

[erikhaugsby]

135mm F/2.8
50mm F/1.8
28mm F/2.8
80-200 F/3.5
300mm F/2.8

That's not a bad setup to start with! 🙂 Does the 300 have a white or black body?

(is an argus c3 or yashica electro 35 (not sure if fully manual or not?)worth considering?)

The C3 sold by the millions, but that was in the 40s and 50s. It's cheap but that's about its only redeeming quality when you consider more recent camera designs. The Yashica runs primarily in aperture-priority, with the other options being a fixed 1/30 (the "Flash" mode) or Bulb.

 

[mpjmp]

My recommendation would be to contact the class instructor for camera recommendation. Chances are he/she can also recommend a source for purchasing the camera, perhaps even a former student who might be willing to sell theirs.

Regarding the Canon A series cameras, I would avoid them, personally. One chronic problem they exhibit is that lubricants in the shutter mechanism dry out resulting in a "screech" instead of the normal"click" when the shutter is released. Eventually, this can get bad enough to affect accuracy of the shutter speeds and I've even heard of some locking up completely. Every Canon A series camera I've had contact with exhibited this to some degree. The number of knowledgeable repair people who are out there to fix this are few and far between these days.

 

[Starscream59]

That's not a bad setup to start with! 🙂 Does the 300 have a white or black body?



The C3 sold by the millions, but that was in the 40s and 50s. It's cheap but that's about its only redeeming quality when you consider more recent camera designs. The Yashica runs primarily in aperture-priority, with the other options being a fixed 1/30 (the "Flash" mode) or Bulb.

The body is black. Is the C3 all that bad? 😀

 

[John Bragg]

All older japanese cameras suffer from foam degradation. Bear that in mind when you are looking. A set of door seals and a mirror bumper may be needed on an otherwise pristine camera. It is easy to replace seals on most cameras, just google Jon Goodman. He supplies the best kits.
You could do a lot worse than looking for a Nikon N90x or an F90x as they are also known.. Solid build, great af and a Nikon 50mm lens won't break the bank. The build is also a lot better as they were intended as a semi pro model. Anyway, good luck in your searching.

 

[sepiareverb]

I teach college Photo 1 classes, I'd vote NOT to get an AE1. They are confusing when learning as they were designed to be shot in AE mode.

K1000 with a working meter, any of the F series Nikons (with a meter). But my first choice would be the Nikon N80. The N80 is a camera that you'd be able to continue to "grow into" after a Photo 1 class and has an easy to understand readout for the metering in Manual mode. My program has a bunch of N80 cameras to lend out, they are pretty bulletproof and for what they do dirt cheap these days.

I see many K1000 bodies and Canon AE1 bodies every semester, and they are often in bad working condition, with broken meters or unreliable ones, and winding issues. These were consumer cameras nearly 25 years ago, most often have not seen use in ten to fifteen years and have been sitting in basements or attics or closets since the last roll of film (which is often still in it - Kodacolor II anyone? ). They are often (tho not always) more headache then they are worth. The N80 is recent, takes easy to find batteries and even has a Program Mode for that shot you really don't want to miss when out shooting those first few rolls while learning. I find that getting people excited about film is much easier when the equipment doesn't throw obstacles at them with every roll.

As an added bonus, transitioning to a Digital SLR from an N80 is a piece of cake. The Nikon D bodies use the same control layout.

 

[KoNickon]

One of the first posters had the best suggestion: Canon AT-1. Fully manual (in fact no autoexposure at all) and of course takes the FD lenses. One real problem with the Canon FD cameras with autoexposure is that using the depth of field preview function is a real pain in AE mode. Understanding DOF is a critical part of photography, so get a camera that enables this function easily.

The AT-1 should be easy to find inexpensively.

As for the FSU rangefinders, well, why not? I personally think a Kiev in decent working order (and they tend to be) is an excellent choice -- and gives you access to the great Zeiss lenses also.

 

[Mackinaw]

Easy answer, buy a Canon FTb. Old-fashioned all-metal construction, 100% manual operation, takes FD lenses. Can't miss.

Jim B.

 

[j j]

An A-series Canon really is the obvious choice when you have so many good FD lenses. They are cheap and plentiful so you can afford to be fussy and choose one with no issues from a camera shop that offers a guarantee.