Help needed for buying film SLR

[jbzonda]

hey guys, iam currently in year 12, and i have about 10 weeks left in yr 12, iam lookng for a film SLR for my photography course next year, and i want to get in early and have everything set up

i need some feedback on what camera you think would be suitable when buying a film SLR, also types of lenses, possibly filters, and basically one that will get the job for a photography course.. also keeping in mind with the budget around $2500 :)

thanks in advanced for your help!!!

[IndyJeff]

You don't say where you live so pointing you in the direction of a good camera shop is hard.

Find a good camera shop in your area and a used film SLR cna be picked up these days for a song and a dance.

As for lenses, what will you be shooting? People as subjects in portraits require a different lens than fast action sports. In fact, sports can require different lenses. Night sports in lighted venues and indoor sports vs outdoor daytime where as you could use say the 70-200 2.8 for all of them. If your not shooting any indoor/night sports, the 70-200 4.0 might work very well for you.
What would work for motorsports might not work for baseball or football.
Give some insight into what you will be doing and you might get a better idea of what you will need.

Good luck

[jbzonda]

im from melbourne, australia.

well, definatly sports will be something ill be shooting, also studio shots, whether it will be cars, people, im not sure. more for the photojournalism type shooting if that helps.

there are pleanty of camera shots around the place, but im hoping to get some insight from actuall photographers because they are the ones who use the equipment rather than people who work at a camera shop.

[exposingmyself]

jbzonda: i purchased a no frills film slr-nikon w 50 mm lens from ebay $90. i only purchased 1 generic filter to protect the lens but no extra lenses and i received A's on 3 photography courses i signed up for. :D

Good luck on your search!!!

[embdude]

What is your current expirence level?

I have found those who come from a P&S electronic camera which makes its own decisions do best with a no-nonsense non electrical (light-meter is ok) manual camera. The advantage here is the student learns to set exposures himself, something they tend not to learn with the cameras that can make all the decisions themselves.

Some great affordable systems come to mind...

Nikon- Nikkormat FT/FTn
Pentax- Spotmatic/K1000
Minolta- SRT

I myself learned from the Leica M a not so affordable non-slr system. It took the best photos though, and I was really motovated to learn to use the manual controls on this amazing camera. A used M3 with 50mm can be had for $800 USA. I cannot recoment it higher! for learning or shooting!

If you already have the knowledge and expirence gained by using a manual camera then it will come down to the features/functions you want most. Nikon and Canon both make a full line of modern fully featured systems, and have done so in the past as well. A good light meter and apeature priority are a good start.

[blinking8s]

I picked up a Canon 7n and a 50mm and never looked back, although the 1.4 is much better than the 1.8 for what I was using it for., then when i started shooting sports a lot I grabbed the 85mm 1.8 which totally rocks..I think nikon has a better overall grasp on 35mm film slr's but my digital is canon so I went with what I would invest for my lens linup. Its been a great camera...and is seriously silent

[etaf]

The best film camera I have had is the Canon EOS5 - it had everything I needed and I would still not be trying to replacing it.
I guess the equivalent is the EOS3 then some lenses, however, I suspect there are some very good deals on the 2nd hand market.
a 28-105 or 28-135mm zoom and a 50mm 1.8 would be a great start, but have a look here for lenses and reviews and info.

and then if/when you move to digital you can get a canon DSLR like the 20D and all the lenses will work on it

[KevC]

You should find yourself a Pentax Spotmatic from eBay. Less than $100 for sure, and it has the m42 mount for all those nice east german zeiss and cheap russian optics!

Use that for your first few years, then move up to a Canon EOS film SLR. You'd eventually move onto digital, so choosing the Canon line might be a good idea. All the lenses that fit the EOS film cameras will work on the digital!

[rudgej]

All the lenses that fit the EOS film cameras will work on the digital!
Unless of course, they are older Sigma lenses that just give Err 99 errors on Canon cameras like the 350D... :(

[KevC]

Unless of course, they are older Sigma lenses that just give Err 99 errors on Canon cameras like the 350D... :(

Hehe. I said work, not work well :) You could use them wide open, can't you? :D

I was actually referring to the Canon EF lenses ;)

[rudgej]

I've not had any luck with them at all. On one occasion, I managed a few shots with a 90mm lens, but I've not found a consistent way of getting them to work even if only in a very limited fashion.

[Matatazela]

You should consider the battle lines drawn - on the one side is Nikon, and the other, Canon. These are the most serious, most widely available systems, which is what you are looking towards building up.

There are some good amateur models and some full featured models, in both film and digital, backed by a huge range of accessories. The Canon models, at least in South Africa, seem to have a bt of an edge. The film models are going very competitively priced.

Remember, rather spend the bulk of your AU$ on lenses. Maybe think about a speedlight, a circular polariser and the best tripod you can afford, to get you started. These would add greatly and help you get started.

Choose wisely...

[d'homme]

Go with Canon or Nikon. Get some good lenses. In the future you can use them if you decide to go digital.

[lostdoggy]

I agree that a Non auto everything SLR is a good learning exprience. Much of the the time. many Noob start of with these P&S cameras and are lost when the situation comes when the Camra makes the wrong decision. I learn from an old camera w/o meter and leaned a great by doing so. I recommend a good condition used Nikon FM/FM2. with its full mechanical shutter it is capable of shooting without batteries. I'm not fimilar w/ any Canon that have the same capabilities. start of with a Nikkor 50mm lens and some inexpensive zooms like a 28-210. Don't invest too much into it since film base photography is pretty much passe. Save the rest of the money for a DSLR. Better yet see if your photography course will allow you to use a DSLR instead of a SLR, with $2500 you'll be able to get a body and 2 or 3 good lens. This way you'll be ahead of the game. By the way I shot for many years with just a 50mm lens.

[jbzonda]

well, after spending a good week doing some research, ive gotten a pentax MZ-50, some people might know it as a different name, but i got that, also with a 28-200mm marco & 75-300mm zoom lense, for just over $200 so im happy with that!

@Matatazela, yeh thats what i thought, iam heading to get a polarizer filter, a close-up macro set, and some other stuff

@embdude, well, im stuck between ameture and semi-pro, but i wasnt helped with the camera i started off with (sony cybershot 3.2mp lol) ive been told by my photography teacher that my photos would be outstanding if i had more equipment and a better camera.

@d'homme, i was thinking the same thing, but my photography teacher suggested pentax, and i found some pretty good reviews from professionals on the net, so i got a little bit influenced :P

thanks for all your help guys!