Suggestions / advice for new camera

[Godfrey]

I would think most about what you want to do with a camera, and look for that.

Don't look too hard or too long, because nearly anything you pick up will do the job once you learn how to make it sing. And if you want to make photographs, nothing makes making photographs better than just doing it, rather than wondering if the camera in your hand is the best one for the job.

G

 

[silvershadelynx]

@Coldkennels thanks again for your response! I decided to just try it, an analog film camera. I can still buy a digital camera in future to complement. As one can get a (rangefinder) film camera for very little money there is not much financial risk involved. So I will delve deeper into the (b&w) film developing and printing & digitalizing process and analog rangefinder cameras.

Do you have any suggestions for an affordable, good quality rangefinder camera? I have no idea if viewfinders differ very much, like magnification factor, but I would prefer a bright not too small viewfinder.

@Godfrey thanks for your response - I think you are correct - I tend to overthink way too much...

 

[plexi]

@Coldkennels thanks again for your response! I decided to just try it, an analog film camera. I can still buy a digital camera in future to complement. As one can get a (rangefinder) film camera for very little money there is not much financial risk involved. So I will delve deeper into the (b&w) film developing and printing & digitalizing process and analog rangefinder cameras.

Do you have any suggestions for an affordable, good quality rangefinder camera? I have no idea if viewfinders differ very much, like magnification factor, but I would prefer a bright not too small viewfinder.

@Godfrey thanks for your response - I think you are correct - I tend to overthink way too much...

You can find something like a Canon Canonet QL17 for 150-200 euro on eBay. But tbh I'd rather start out with a nice SLR like a Nikon FE2 or something.

 

[Coldkennels]

@silvershadelynx, the answer to your search for an affordable, good quality film camera is going to depend on what you value and what you need in a camera.

Do you want interchangeable lenses? Do you need a light meter built in? Are you sure you want a rangefinder over an SLR? Do you definitely want 35mm over medium format?

If you're just cutting your teeth on film and are set on rangefinders, a cheap fixed-lens rangefinder with a built in lightmeter would go a long way - @plexi's suggestion of a QL17 is a good one.

If you're not sure about rangefinders, any 1970s SLR in good shape with a working light meter will be an easy pick-up-and-play option; you'll get a million different suggestions of models, and it doesn't really matter what you go for - just avoid the overhyped and overpriced stuff like the Pentax K1000 and Canon AE1.

If you want interchangeable lenses and definitely want a rangefinder, you're probably going to need to learn how to meter by eye or use an external meter, whether hand-held or clip-on. Interchangeable lens rangefinders and built-in meters are rare, and TTL (through the lens) meters are even rarer. You're looking at the various Voigtlander Bessas or the Leica CL, M5, or M6. All pricey.

There are some older and cheaper interchangeable-lens rangefinders with uncoupled meters built-in, like the Contax III, FED 5, and Canon 7. They're almost universally terrible. The meter, that is. A Contax III is a classic, and a FED 5 is a very cheap way to get used to rangefinders. The Canon 7, on the other hand... a lot of people love them. I personally loathe the damn things. Your milage may vary.

If you've reached this point and still want the interchangeable lens rangefinder option, and have accepted using a clip-on or handheld meter... my money would go towards a Leotax in good shape. 90% of the screwmount Leica experience with maybe 50% of the cost. You could go a long way with one of those.

 

[silvershadelynx]

Thanks again for your responses! I will take some time to think what first analog camera I buy and what film format to try. I'm also considering the option of shooting analog and digitalizing (scanning) and printing the analog film.

At least, the analog camera can be much more affordable compared to a quality screenless digital camera like the Pixii-max full frame digital rangefinder which I find interesting, or the Leica M11-D. And it will have the nicer build quality compared to my current Olympus plastic camera.

 

[seany65]

I'd suggest looking at the weather-resistant ones and choosing the one that seems most likely to be able take a few knocks.

 

[silvershadelynx]

@seany65 fair points about the weather resistance and durability, I will take these into account.

I was wondering how digitalizing (scanning) slide film (E-6) compares to digitalizing negative film (C-41)? I will look into this and I am curious because if digitalizing slide film has no real disadvantages to digitalizing negative film, it could be a good reason to consider slide film.

 

[Coldkennels]

In the simplest form, digitizing all film works much the same way: adjust the exposure, set your black point, set your white point, done.

The biggest difference between E6 and C41 film is that with E6 you get exactly what you see on the film, while with C41 you have to compensate for the orange mask. A lot of scanner software (and some dedicated post-processing software) will attempt to do that for you with film profiles, but you can do it manually by tinkering with the histogram for each colour channel and then adding any extra adjustments "to taste", as it were.

This guide is a pretty good starter to the process of doing it manually: How to Manually Invert Film Negatives

Bear in mind that slide film has far less latitude and is much less forgiving than colour negative film - you have to be bang on with your exposure and there's a lot less "salvaging" you can do in post. It's also harder to make traditional (i.e. "real", darkroom-based) prints from slides.

 

[Ray Kilby]

Go to a camera shop that sells both new and second-hand gear. Do some research online and check out sample photos from different cameras. Then, get a few in your hands — I think you’ll know which one feels right for you.

Your girlfriend sounds like she’s in a good position to give you some solid advice, too.

As for film, it’s wonderful but can get expensive. If you love the analogue experience, go for it — but digital is definitely easier and more affordable.

In the end, remember: the best camera is the one you have in your hands.

 

[silvershadelynx]

Hi again!

My girlfriend had some old analog cameras which she didn't use. One of them was from an older man who used to live in our village. He gave her the camera when he moved to the other side of my country. Its a Pentax S1a: Pentax S1a

He was the first owner, the receipt is still there, as well as the original manual and some extra attributes like filters, flash, light meter attachment. When looking through the viewfinder I only see black. The lens was difficult to unmount, I managed to loosen it - but it won't detach fully. Have to look into that.

As I feel attracted to sliding film I decided to give that a try as well: there are not many options for monochrome sliding film, but I found the Fomapan R100, in a package so I can do the development myself, if I'm correct:

FOMAPAN R 100

Panchromatically sensitized film intended for shooting with a film camera or for making black and white slides. It is characterized by very good resolution and high contour sharpness.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />

www.foma.cz

 

[Godfrey]

It's interesting but rather an involved process according to the instructions. Might prove fun to work with but slides/transparencies are always a bit more difficult on exposure latitude and contrast, dynamic range.

G

 

[Axel]

As I feel attracted to sliding film I decided to give that a try

This would be a good choice. I tried to shoot slide film without metering only guessing light by sunny 16 some years ago.
It worked great! Modern films have a good range you can use to expose.
Although I gave up film shooting (nearly) completely it was much fun and good exercise to go slow and find pictures.
Leica M6, Leica CL, FED2 and some Zorkis were the rangefinders I used and enjoyed mainly.
For scanning slides there are some cheap usb-devices or try a slide adapter for digicams. Good luck! 🙂

 

[Coldkennels]

When looking through the viewfinder I only see black. The lens was difficult to unmount, I managed to loosen it - but it won't detach fully. Have to look into that.

Three possible issues could cause this, ranging from minor to severe:
1) lens cap is on ( 😅 )
2) the mirror is locked up (which in itself could just be a minor or severe option - I don't know whether the S1a has a dedicated mirror lock-up mode/lever which might be enabled, or if it's actually stuck, which would need a repair)
3) the prism in the viewfinder has failed completely (which is rare)

If it's point 3, I'd say repair is uneconomical (but not impossible). If it's point 2 and you can get the mirror down/unstuck, you should be fine.

 

[Richard G]

This would be a good choice. I tried to shoot slide film without metering only guessing light by sunny 16 some years ago.
It worked great! Modern films have a good range you can use to expose.
Although I gave up film shooting (nearly) completely it was much fun and good exercise to go slow and find pictures.
Leica M6, Leica CL, FED2 and some Zorkis were the rangefinders I used and enjoyed mainly.
For scanning slides there are some cheap usb-devices or try a slide adapter for digicams. Good luck! 🙂

In my golden month in Italy in 1986 I went without a camera. For two days. By the Arno in Florence I bought an M4-2 and 50 Summicron. The camera store had no meter and my Gossen was home in Melbourne. I shot FP4 and Kodachrome by Sunny 16 for the whole month and hardly had one bad exposure. Indeed, an in camera reflective light meter might be inferior to Sunny 16 for Kodachrome which is basically incident light exposure setting.