Spare Body

Now i know this is a digital camera section but i thought others might have gone though this process before. I currently have a canon 5D, however i cant afford another digital canon and as a backup body i have decided to purchase a film body. has any body got any suggestion as to which bodys are worth purchasing. The last film camera i have where a AE-1 and a (i think) 500N.

Thanks

You might consider getting a used Rebel instead, at least it's something you can use, going through the whole process with film looks kind of daunting now days, I was going to do this a while ago and decided it wasn't worth it.

Agreed, for the price you would pay for a good film body you could quite easily get a 350D or a 400D on the cheap side and it would suit your needs as a backup just fine.

I too would recommend getting a Rebel and use that as a second body as opposed to going the film route.

Of course, if you want film, something like the Elan 7 series or the EOS 3 can be found used for great prices. Elan 7's are less than $150, often.

But that's not the end of your costs, of course. A backup body needs backup film. Depending on how much you'd need, you're looking at potentially hundreds of dollars that will probably go unused. Financially a Rebel XT is probably your best bet.

I agree with the above. If affordability is the issue here, then you'd be better off potentially not considering film as backup.

how about a used G7 as a back up. very good pics in good light conditions. will be cheaper in the long run compared to film.

For about $275 for an average, you can find a used 10D. For even less, you can get either a D60 or D30, if money is really tight. But in regards to going to film for a backup, I would not recommend it. You will have cost' that you do not associate with anymore, since you have gone digital. Film gets, expensive quickly.

Say NO to film.

I would not do that...consider how much you are going to spend on film and processing (or setting up a dark room with stinky chemicals). You will "save" money in the long run...well you will end up spending the same money just on cooler things with digital.

having said all that, film is fun too in a different way. i've started getting back into that myself. and if it's a second body, really won't cost you much cos you won't be using it that often anyway...

I have a really nice 10D I am selling. $350 for the body $425 with the grip. I feel a DSLR would be a better solution for a back up over film. hjs

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=529412

cricketboy75 wrote in post #5936090
having said all that, film is fun too in a different way. i've started getting back into that myself. and if it's a second body, really won't cost you much cos you won't be using it that often anyway...

Yeah, for someone who wants to shoot some film for fun there are some cheap film bodies out there.

But a film backup doesn't make sense. Body + film is going to be more than a decent Rebel backup by the time you cover the ISO / color balance ranges you might need. Plus when the day comes that you suddenly need the backup you are going to have to remember all those fun white balance games. Do you have warming filters? Will you be carrying film for various color balances? Ugh.

And finally.....after that big shoot where the 5D went ERR99 and you shot the whole thing on film....do you know where you are going to get it all processed? Do you trust that processor?

JeffreyG wrote in post #5937187
And finally.....after that big shoot where the 5D went ERR99 and you shot the whole thing on film....do you know where you are going to get it all processed? Do you trust that processor?

That would be a scary thought for me.

stathunter wrote in post #5937200
That would be a scary thought for me.

Not to mention I'm a born chimper, especially with flash. I think many photographers have ditched having incident or flash meters and rely on checking the histogram to dial in manual flash, FEC or general exposure. I know I do.

If I was suddenly shooting film I would probably have some metering struggles. This might be a non-issue for you more experienced shooters out there who have a better handle on ambient metering but I have to assume just about everyone would be in trouble metering flash with no feedback.