35mm camera recommendations

[stewart]

Hi all
My son is interested in taking photography at college and he will need an SLR 35mm film camera for this. Ebay is awash with them and they're a lot cheaper than digital!
Anyone have any tips on makes, types, pitfalls, etc...
Many thanks in advance
Cheers
Stewart

 

[cutting42]

SLR 35mm film camera for this. Anyone have any tips on makes, types, pitfalls, etc...

Hi Stewart

Get an older top spec Nikon film camera such as an F4. Thought by many to be the best camera Nikon have ever made, has a good albeit now a bit out of date auto focus system but will support all the older manual focus lenses that ALL the top pro snappers have used forever and are now on eBay for an absolute song.

If your son is interested in taking photography seriously this kit will let him do anything and for a sensible budget. They are bullet proof and will survive student parties, they can be updated with faster motor drives if sport photography is his thing.

Older Canons are good as well but not in Nikon's class - Canon only matched Nikon in the digital era.

The other thing to think about is medium format for the ultimate quality. I know you said 35mm but my mate who is a pro snapper cannot give his Mamiya 6x7 kit and lenses away and it cost over 30K when new. You could also look at old Hassleblads but they tend to keep there value quite well as the backs are interchangeable and people are putting digi backs on them.

HTH

 

[cutting42]

Hiya

for example:

Here

 

[chiba]

Fully manual if you want a "classic" learning tool.

Leicaflex SL.
Old Nikon F series.
Old top of the line Olympus OM.

These were all really serious pro cameras, especially the Nikon Fs.

...add a 35mm rangefinder for a different approach? Leica are too expensive, if beautiful. I love my Olympus 35RC, and they cost a tenner or something. The meters are usually dead, given the age, but with black and white I just guess!

As HTH said, older MF stuff's cheap these days. If your son's doing his own processing then it can be more fun working with 6x6 or 6x7 than 35mm. The bigger negs make beautiful contact sheets, for example. The plastic Holgas are fun.

Hope he enjoys himself! 8)

 

[Paul Chapman]

I too would go for Nikon. Unless he "needs" auto-focus, auto-exposure, motor drive, etc., I would go for a Nikon FM2. I have three of them \/ It's all mechanical except for a small battery to operate the meter. Very well built, little to go wrong and he will learn a lot more with a manual camera than one with all that auto-focus hocus-pocus stuff. If he gets one I would advise him to change the focusing screen from the standard split-image type to the plain type B.

Even better would be a Nikon F or Nikon F2. However, I would caution against them but only because they would be a bit old now and might have been subject to heavy professional use. If he could pick up one that had only had light amateur use they would be excellent.

Be careful if buying on ebay - would be better to examine any old camera before buying :wink:

If he subsequently gets into processing his own films and prints and wants to build and equip a darkroom, there are some real bargains to be had in processing equipment. For black and white work, there are some fabulous Leitz Valoy enlargers about and loads of stainless steel developing tanks. People are almost giving the stuff away. Buy it now before the revival puts up the prices

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Edit: If he wants a bit of inspiration, and to see some proper photography, browse the Magnum site here http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.a ... 7O3R1VX08V

Edit: For just about everything on Nikon see here http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/co ... in8090.htm

 

[beejay]

Nikon, Olympus, Canon and Pentax all offer excellent SLR cameras.
For the novice the top end Nikon may be a bit complicated but cameras like the Olympus OM1and 2. Pentax Spotmatic, canon AE1 and Nikormat FTn all offer ease of use and manual override facility as well as a good basic auto metering system. All very good for beginninig to understand the basics of film based photography. I would avoid auto focus cameras if he really wants to get in to depth of field, focus and hyperfocal disrtance etc,, just like learning to driver in a automatic.
beejay

 

[promhandicam]

. . . he will need an SLR 35mm film camera for this.

Hi Stewart,
I'm just interested to know if this is what the college have said or are you assuming this. I'm a member of the pentax user group and there has been quite a lot of discussion over a long period of time about Digital vs 35mm. There are inevitably 2 schools of thought but increasingly at all levels people are going over to DSLR. I'd therefore recommend that even if you choose to go down the film camera route then you go for kit that your son can use with a DSLR back if he wants that option in the future. I believe that I'm right in saying that pentax although not the number one choice of most pro's offers the most compatibility / interchangability between bodies and lenses. The only thing to say however would be that the latest lenses sold for DSLR's won't work on an old 35mm body, however old manual PK mount lenses can be used on the Pentax DSLR's. For more info or advice on pentax have a look at their forum

Steve

 

[Adam]

If he subsequently gets into processing his own films and prints and wants to build and equip a darkroom, there are some real bargains to be had in processing equipment.

Or join freecycle - I've seen at least 3 full dark rooms be given away for free. Alternatively, you could just post a wanted ad for the camera - I'm sure someone on the Brighton group would have an old camera to give away.

Adam

 

[mr]

Hi Stewart
I started with an Olympus OM1, I still have it, it works perfectly well. Its manual only so as someone above said akin to learning on a manual car. I thought they might be hard to come by cos theyre no longer in production, apparently when the production run ended Chris BOnnington bought the last 50 in the factory to make sure he always had one available and working to take uo mountains. Havign said that there are a few on ebay like this

cheers Mike

 

[stewart]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I now feel pointed in the right direction!
Cheers
Stewart

 

[woodbloke]

I know very little about photogrophising but I did have a couple of Nikon FM cameras at one time, very basic but built like a tank and I have heard that Olympus do good 35mm SLR's as well - Rob