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advice needed on new body.
- Thread starter rweakins
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Think about a Nikon F/N80 (same thing) or F100. They once cost in the neighborhood of $1000 or more, and now can be had for about $100-150 for the 80 and $250-400 for the F100, depending on the condition of the body.
Both have good autofocus systems, and all that you need to shoot film well.
Both have good autofocus systems, and all that you need to shoot film well.
Even the former mid to high end film bodies are going for dirt cheap these days. I have a Nikon F80 that I wanted to sell, but was given an estimate for $30 from a local shop, so I decided to just hang onto it to pass it on to my dad or something.
Or you could go old school and pick up an old Nikon FM2, Pentax K1000, etc. and learn on something that will force you to learn all the basic skills before moving onto something fancier.
Or you could go old school and pick up an old Nikon FM2, Pentax K1000, etc. and learn on something that will force you to learn all the basic skills before moving onto something fancier.
The Nikon F5 once went for D3-type money, and now sells for a fraction of that.
It's also useful to observe that every single 35mm film body is "full frame," rather than being cropped like most digital cameras are.
It's also useful to observe that every single 35mm film body is "full frame," rather than being cropped like most digital cameras are.
Before I switched to Nikon Digital, I started off with a Canon Rebel T2. Overall, I liked it as a camera, but the cost of developing film helped my decision to switch to digital. I don't have a whole lot of knowledge in the film area, but I do know that I liked my T2 while I had it.
Film body? My favorites are Nikon F3. Sometimes you can find them at B&H for around $500.00. Also, the flash for it (SB-12?), as well as the motor drive for it (MD-4) are nice additions. This is a heavy but wonderful camera, and made to last. The motor drive moves around 8 frames per second.
I now use Canon digital SLR cameras, but have a F3 my oldest daughter wants fro Christmas.
I now use Canon digital SLR cameras, but have a F3 my oldest daughter wants fro Christmas.
I second the recommendation to look into an F80 or an F100 (I used to have the former, great, great camera).
If you get a Canon slr, make sure not to use EF-S lenses with it (e. g. 18-55 mm kit lenses or so), because they will break your camera. (On crop bodies, the mirror is smaller.) Other, normal, Canon lenses, will work, of course.
I'm personally a fan of the Nikon FE, or it's cousin the FM. The FM doesn't require batteries for any shutter speed; the FE does. The batteries run forever in them because you're only powering the light meter (and in the FE, the shutter for a split second at a time).
They're incredibly rugged, and the best learner/starter camera you can find; a full kit is ~$50 these days. Nothing like doing it all yourself... focus, f/stop, shutter speed. The light meter's just a suggestion-- these cameras make you think about each photo you're going to take.
They're incredibly rugged, and the best learner/starter camera you can find; a full kit is ~$50 these days. Nothing like doing it all yourself... focus, f/stop, shutter speed. The light meter's just a suggestion-- these cameras make you think about each photo you're going to take.
Which can lead to some really neat effects when you put a DX crop lens on an FX body *I shot a few with a DX fisheye that turned out nicely.
You can get a second hand film camera for next to nothing these days. I can't even sell my EOS 500N (not sure what the special USA name for that is) with two telephoto lenses for US$50. Nobody wants to pay that much.
But since you can get film cameras so cheap, you can go 'all the way'. I did. I recently picked up a great condition, used EOS 1V for about US$300. Not bad for the most advanced film camera Canon ever produced.
But since you can get film cameras so cheap, you can go 'all the way'. I did. I recently picked up a great condition, used EOS 1V for about US$300. Not bad for the most advanced film camera Canon ever produced.
I still use a Canon EOS-1 that takes fantastic photos. I would bet you can find one with the motordrive in good shape for no more then $200. They sold new with the drive for about $2500.
I own a Nikon F4 still, sold my Nikon F3 (sadly) and I've had the Canon 7 Rangefinder (awesome). Prior to that I had a host of Minolta bodies that I eventually left behind for Nikon.
The thing about the F4 and F5 is that you are relying on electronics, the F3 ... not so much. That was always the argument an old friend had with me about digital cameras in general. We rely on electricity too much. He was very old school.
That said, if you can find an F3 I would go for it. An F4 can be had for next to nothing. Don't discount the Canon lines, you don't need to go with a rangefinder and may actually not even want one.
The thing about the F4 and F5 is that you are relying on electronics, the F3 ... not so much. That was always the argument an old friend had with me about digital cameras in general. We rely on electricity too much. He was very old school.
That said, if you can find an F3 I would go for it. An F4 can be had for next to nothing. Don't discount the Canon lines, you don't need to go with a rangefinder and may actually not even want one.
Mamiya M645s are relatively cheap and shooting 120/220 gives you a lot more real estate to work with than shooting 35mm. However, if you really want to do film right, I'd suggest skipping the SLR and getting a good 8x10- there's a lot of interesting stuff to take with a camera with movements and you can contact print your negatives at 8x10. Plus the fact you're forced to slow down will impact all your photography for the better. You'll end up paying a lot more attention to composition, distractions and framing.