Canon Film Camera

Gotcha. If all goes well, I will have an FM2 tomorrow evening.

Ultimately, I want the F3 with two viewfinders to suit the mood.

Thanks for the input. Guess I have some window shopping to do.

I use a canon ae-1p and it works amazing. it was cheap at 50 dollars for the body and lens. i also picked up a nikon n50 and that is a very great camera. i would suggest the older canon a series w/ the fd lenses. these can be found cheap on ebay

If you bought a canon digital, you are probably aware that buying. the mainstream standard of the industry is usually a wise purchase. with that in mind, IMHO, get a nikon f body. I mean as long as you are going for the ways and means of a bygone era, why not go pre EOS and ride the wave of the 35mm revolution? get the camera that recorded most of the great images of the era, preferrably a well worn body with lots of history that smells of emulsion and tobacco and old cars and late nights. way cool!

1v-HS... But then, I'm partial.

Seriously though, an EOS-3 or Elan 7 or similar would give you identical results and you get to use all your existing lenses. That's the cheapest way to get in. If you want to spend a little more, considering you'll need to get lenses as well - there are a LOT of options. Canon A series (A-1, AE-1P, etc.), Nikons, Olympus, etc.

If you really want to work the medium, get yourself some MF kit.

birdfromboat wrote in post #5730905
.....get the camera that recorded most of the great images of the era, preferrably a well worn body with lots of history that smells of emulsion and tobacco and old cars and late nights. way cool!

A Leica M3, like I said

My M3 went to Korea and took war shots according to the son of it's first owner who I bought it from.

yeah, that leica qualifies as way cool too. would probably trade in for about a prius full of beat up nikons.

birdfromboat wrote in post #5730905
why not go pre EOS and ride the wave of the 35mm revolution? get the camera that recorded most of the great images of the era, preferrably a well worn body with lots of history that smells of emulsion and tobacco and old cars and late nights. way cool!

I'm not so sure I'm into the smells and the history.

I'd get something with an electronically controlled shutter, but manual film advance that nikon made in the 90s. Something like F3 of FM2. A bladed shutter with high speed sync.

The really old nikons are just leica copycats. The shutter is practically the same, there's just a mirror box in front of it. If you're going to go THAT old, then get a rangefinder.

Double Negative wrote in post #5731059
1v-HS... But then, I'm partial.

Seriously though, an EOS-3 or Elan 7 or similar would give you identical results and you get to use all your existing lenses. That's the cheapest way to get in. If you want to spend a little more, considering you'll need to get lenses as well - there are a LOT of options. Canon A series (A-1, AE-1P, etc.), Nikons, Olympus, etc.

If you really want to work the medium, get yourself some MF kit.

Like you, I'm biased in favor of the 1vHS. Quite simply, one of the top 5 autofocus 35mm SLR's ever made.

cujo_gone_mad wrote in post #5732406
Like you, I'm biased in favor of the 1vHS. Quite simply, one of the top 5 autofocus 35mm SLR's ever made.

Definitely... What I appreciate about it is that it's almost identical to the 1D2N, so switching between bodies is a thoughtless process (I don't have to change the way I work). It's also weathersealed, so that's also a perk. And of course, I only have one set of lenses for both film/digital.

I would also recommend a Leica M series.

If price is a concern you go for a Canon F-1. They're tanks and fully manual.

I wouldn't recommend a canon F-1

They were a learning experience for canon... and overall there are many better cameras which can be found cheaper.

If you want something manual I would say Nikon. Fm2 or F3. But if you want auto focus I love my A2. You can get them pretty inexpensively.

A Leica or other rangefinder is a great, great camera to play with. I still have my first "real" camera; a Voigtlander RF. Man could that thing take nice pictures. I hope to one day get another one. That Epson R-D1 looks very interesting.

For a simple, trusty camera - try a Pentax K1000 SLR. As close to the "four basic controls" as they come. Heh.

DocFrankenstein wrote in post #5733392
I wouldn't recommend a canon F-1

They were a learning experience for canon... and overall there are many better cameras which can be found cheaper.

Thats nuts...The Canon F-1 in the three different incarnations were around for over 20 years doesn't look like a learning experience to me and the newer F-1 was probably the perfect SLR for professional photographers because you could add the automation if you wanted it or not. One of the MOST STURDY cameras I ever shot with. They are tanks and once you've shot with one you'll clearly see why it was the choice of allot of pros. I owned Nikon Fs & F-3 and ALWAYS preferred the F-1 to both and I never cared for the A-1.