Looking for a Film Camera for Photography Class.

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

In terms of value for money, and reliability, I think the Minolta SRT series are hard to beat. I've been using one quite a bit lately, and I have to say they're pretty darned nice. Few other systems offer mirror lock, reliable metering, depth of field preview, a great range of good lenses, and such solid build quality, all at such low prices. Bear in mind this is from a German camera freak with an avowed preference for lens shutters, not a Minolta fan boy.

Otherwise a Spotmatic is a great option. Unsurpassed lens options. Why people put so much stock in a Spotmatic without DOF preview and no self timer that has a bayonet mount (Ie, a K1000) is beyond me. I bought one to see what all the fuss is about. Granted the focus screen isn't bad, but as about as boring as bat**** a camera, as I've ever held.

Newer options include the T90, great build quality at a great price, and reasonably priced quality lenses Canon themselves orphaned when they went autofocus, and if you already have a few FD lenses, this might be the easy option.
Cheers
Brett

 

[noisycheese]

Probably the most economical option would be a Pentax K1000 and a 50mm lens. This is the classic "student's camera" and about a billion of them were made over the years.

Another good choicce would be the Pentax MX ( https://sites.google.com/site/analogatheart/reviews/pentax-mx-review ).

IMHO the best choice for a sturdy, well built and reliable manual SLR (without going to the Leica R series, that is) would be the Nikon FM series (FM, FM2 or FM2n). These are just outstanding cameras and they can be bought for a song these days (thanks to digital photography 😀 ).

Here are a couple of places to shop: www.sherrykrauter.com
www.camerawest.com and www.jackscamera.com

 

[JohnTF]

Cruise a few camera shows, if you can find any.

A guy sold an AE1, in good working condtion, with case and lens-- it was the model that you can use manually, I don't think all are the same, for $25, so you are not exactly married to it.

Actually, the camera you have sounds as if with a bit of thought, can be set manually via ISO choice, etc.

Local camera stores start stocking up on student cameras soon, there are several new ones specifically designed for that niche, but with your lenses, I would say stick with Canon, they should not be hard to find, nor expensive-- though give it a good go over in the seals and general functioning.

The wholesale CLA on one of them is pretty low, several of the shows let you in free if you are a student-- and the dealers are pretty sympathetic -- you may well walk out with a few cameras for less than $100.

If you do get a "battery dependant" camera, don't forget to find the guy at the show selling batteries and get some spares.

Check KEH, Igor's Camera, -- for sites as well.

If you come across some good condition processing tanks, (I was always partial to Patterson), someone might give them to you-- my opinion in courses is that you should do your film processing and proofing at home, save your class time for the enlarger work.

Regards, John

 

[JohnTF]

Probably the most economical option would be a Pentax K1000 and a 50mm lens. This is the classic "student's camera" and about a billion of them were made over the years.



IMHO the best choice for a sturdy, well built and reliable manual SLR (without going to the Leica R series, that is) would be the Nikon FM series (FM, FM2 or FM2n). These are just outstanding cameras and they can be bought for a song these days (thanks to digital photography 😀 ).

In the K mounts-- Ricoh had a number, and at a show this month, FYI, four Leica R bodies in good shape went for less than $200 each-- glass is a bit more, but he has a lot of Canon glass.

A billion is a lot of cameras, I think I would buy stock in any company who was selling a billion cameras-- but I know what you mean-- it was a successful model with a long life. It may have taken the late Carl Sagan to count them. ;-)

Regards, John

 

[KoNickon]

Folks -- he's got several FD lenses. Why are you telling him to go with a completely different system?

 

[sepiareverb]

Folks -- he's got several FD lenses. Why are you telling him to go with a completely different system?

Because he might be shooting himself in the foot buying into an antique body.

I see a wide range of cameras every semester, thirty cameras of varying ages and levels of function each semester at the least. The problem with cameras from the 60s or 70s and even now the 80s is that unless one buys from a reliable shop that has given the camera a good once over there is often something waiting to go wrong over 15 weeks of hard use. I had one guy this semester who had his Pentax K1000 and MX serviced at a reputable shop and the MX went south partway through. These cameras are old and are often in bad repair.

In my Photo One class last semester where there were two K1000's, an OM1, some Ricoh SLR and a Canon AE1. The AE1 had metering problems (in addition to the silly meter readout in manual mode) and the student had a steep learning curve. One of the K1000 bodies had no meter, but that student had an incredible knack for sunny 16 and managed to do alright. The other K1000 worked, but the meter was off by a good bit, so when the student changed from HP5 to Delta 100 his meter adjustment was wrong, and that was a setback. The Ricoh died halfway through the semester, and had a wind-on issue from day one. The Olympus had wind-on issues, rewind issues and the meter was off, that student lost several rolls due to tearing the film, and film winding on very erratically. Spending a good bit of many classes troubleshooting individual camera issues is a terrible waste of everyone else's time, even if learning how to recognize torn film or figure out how to adjust your meter to match a good meter might be useful sometime down the road.

It can be heartbreaking to see someone come into a class rearing to go and have one problem after another because of faulty equipment. Beginners have little clue when it comes to problems that more experienced users would recognize and diagnose after a frame or two. Meter off by one or three stops? No clue. Wind-on really long or short? No clue. Shutter sticking? No clue. Not stupidity, just no frame of reference.

The modern SLR cameras are familiar to anyone who has shot a DSLR, and the skills learned with an N80 or Rebel Ti can translate to a DSLR pretty seamlessly. They generally operate without trouble, and the meter is correct. Electronic shutter speeds work well, and many of them even have a flash that works via Program mode should the need arise (and it does). And while an N80 with a lens is dirt cheap these days, more importantly it will work properly.

 

[swoop]

There are only so many. Pentax K1000, Canon F-1, Canon FTb, Nikon FM/FM2

Those are some of the cameras I've suggested when I taught Photo 1. You can usually find them with a 50mm f1.8/f1.4 lens for $100-$300

 

[Jake06]

The AE-1 Program is one of the best cameras ever made. It's a cheap system too, so if it dies you can replace it without too much worry. The things to look out for are squeaky shutters and crumbling light seals, both are common but the latter is easily repaired.

FD lenses can however be tricky to use in full manual mode - they're designed to be left in 'A' permanently, but once you get used to the resistance in the aperture ring they're dandy 🙂

One caveat might be that the AE-1P only displays suggested apertures as a form of metering, which I found to slow me down a little when in manual mode, but then I shot mine mostly on the street, so perhaps it just seemed like a hassle because I was always rushing to get the shot.

I've since switched my film SLR body to a Nikon FM2n for lens compatibility with my Nikon DSLR system, and to be honest I still miss the AE-1 sometimes.

 

[drew.saunders]

I started with a T70, then went to an F-1 (2nd version) and then a "New F-1" a.k.a. F-1N. Either style F-1 is a good choice, and will likely be in better shape than any AE-1, but don't count out the A-1. They were a step up from the various AE-1 versions and were well made, sort of a semi-pro camera of the day (like the 5D is to the 1D). Looking at Keh.com, it seems the battery door gets easily chipped or broken on the A-1, which reduces the price significantly, and can probably be remedied by some gaffer's tape. They have a "BGN" grade one for $60, intact battery door, which is a good deal.

My F-1 had a dented shutter curtain, which never caused me problems in over 10 years of use. Keh.com has an F-1 2nd style with a wrinkled curtain for $119 now.

 

[sepiareverb]

Just re-read post one and saw you have the T2i not just the T50. I will ammend my recommendation and say Rebel Ti. You can get one for about $75-80 with a lens used. Familiar controls from your Digital, and it will work without having to fiddle around with light seals, wrinkled curtains or some different metering readout. Simplest solution.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

It's been interesting to read your posts since they agree nicely with my theory/bitter experience that second-hand cameras should be expected to fail from time to time and not be in "mint" condition when you buy them off ebay.

What I would dearly like to change is this idea that the poor student should buy the camera before the classes start. An initial class explaining about cameras and repairs etc would save a lot of grief, to judge by other post over the years. Failing that a handout about cameras highlighting the problems etc.

I'm reading this after typing it and hoping no one will see it as an attack on you.

Regards, David

 

[JohnTF]

My first thought would be to stick with the lens system he has.

My friend's shop supplies used and new cameras for the local schools, he usually has a supply of some current models .

Buying on ebay I would think a really chancy affair, I don't think some of the sellers don't even know what they are selling, and some just act ignorant and post fuzzy photos.

See your local shop, call Campus Camera in Kent, Ohio, or check with Igor, - I know they have access to repair, and a CLA is often included, or Danny at Campus Camera always seems to find a new manufacturer of student cameras at very reasonable prices, and 30 years of selling cameras for students.

He may have an F4 on ebay this week for $150?


Regards, John

 

[furbs]

I'll second the Nikon N80, it was my first camera for photo class in high school. They're dirt cheap and you can find a working one with autofocus kit zoom lens for under $100 on fleabay. Personally I started with a 50mm f/1.8 AF lens, but use whatever works. I would recommend a Canon but I don't know much about that system, just never felt right.

 

[Ranchu]

I think the AT-1 also, baffling to me why people keep suggesting nikons, they're way over priced because the lenses can be used on the digitals. Nikon's 50's other than the af-s 1.4 and the 50mm f2 K and AI are terrible colors, imo. Though FD canon 50's aren't any better. You could also get a Rebel Ti with the Mk II kit zoom for around 60 bucks or so. Use an M42 adapter with your M42 lenses.

edit: I see sepiareverb beat me to the Ti. I have a couple, they're light, cheap, and the meter is good.

 

[YYV_146]

I decided to go rangefinder for my film photography class, a hexar RF kit. It's of course a bit pricy, but you can sell at original prices easily if you don't like the body or the shooting style, with cheap SLRs problems pop up every so often and the more recent models are simply not as fun.

Sadly all I got out of the class was that I could never be a film guy, and I made it a point not to take more non-digital visual courses. Hope you enjoy the format better than I did 🙂

 

[Landshark]

Folks -- he's got several FD lenses. Why are you telling him to go with a completely different system?

+1 on non related systems.
AT-1, TLb, FTb, F1(any), T90. All of them are compatible with FD lenses.
The AT, T and Newest F1 cameras use current production batteries. The first two iterations of the F1 use PX13 or PX625 which are mercury batteries and are no longer made.

Regarding the Canon A series(all of them) squeak, it's NOT the shutter but the mirror governor. A small gear train next to the mirror box that controls the speed of the mirror as it risess and falls. The MIRROR is what actually releases the shutter, not the shutter button.