Looking to buy a Film Camera..but..

[Sbuxo]

Hello all, I'm a Freshman in college and and I've been longing to buy a 35mm Film Camera for awhile now. I do own a digital camera, the Canon Powershot SD750 and I love it. But like I said, I'm been looking into Film more, now especially since I'll be taking two photography classes in my next semester. I did take Photography I in High School but it was a half credit class, meaning half the time to learn and everything was squeezed in so I didn't really grasp how to adjust the aperture and use the light meter and such. But, I have been learning from online articles and photography books, all I need now is the camera. One thing. I'm very picky in choosing which one, and many things have started to confuse me. Amazon has great prices on great cameras, but I'm not sure which one to pick. I've been seeing SLRs and Completely Manual cameras, and really can't decide because of the different reviews I see. SLRs seem to have blur problems, and don't make crisp prints? Of course, I can't totally rely on reviews because those can differ from person to person, right?

Then, I'd like to know if any/all SLRs have the option of going completely manual? As in the ability of setting aperture & focus, and have a light meter? I hope I don't sound stupid asking this..-nervous laughter-.

The second (probably obvious/stupid) thing I'd like to know is can these cameras shoot in both B&W and Color? Or just B&W? When I took Photography I we used Leicas, but it was only B&W photography. Was this because of the film or the camera? I suppose the film, am I right?

Hmm..I'd also like to know what all of you think about the Canon Rebel Series in general. I'm attracted to the Canon EOS Rebel K2 35mm SLR w/ EF 28 to 90mm II USM but..again..the "blurry, bad color quality" reviews have set me back a little.

I'm a Canon fan, but I'm also open-minded. Especially towards Nikon, which I know is Canon's arch rival and leap-frog partner. But I really want to start practicing with a camera before class, and want it to meet most (all would be nice though..) of my expectations.

I would appreciate it if experienced/serious photographers helped me out on this one. Thanks so much.
-Sabrina

[TPF Sponsor]

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum Sabrina.

Firstly, don't worry about 'SLR' type cameras. Those are what most professional photographers have been using for several decades....no worries about blurry photos because of an SLR camera.

As for color vs B&W, that's the film, not the camera. You can buy color or B&W film and there are many brands & types to choose from.

Pretty much any SLR camera that you will find, will have the ability to shoot in manual mode, both manual exposure and manual focus.

I think the Canon Rebel series would be a good choice to start with. It would be able to do everything you need for your class...plus, the lenses will be compatible with a Canon Digital SLR camera, if you ever buy one.

[Early]

What's your budget?

PS I don't understand the blur problems. Camera shake? Miss focus? Subject movement?

[Sbuxo]

@Big Mike: Thanks so much!
So, the Canon Rebel isn't an SLR camera?
I would want to buy a camera ideal for my classes, but something I could also use for the future.
How is the Canon that I am contemplating on buying?

@Early: I've seen a couple reviews about "blurry prints", probably not on-point focus.

Thanks you guys.
[:

I'm beginning to love this forum. [:

[Sbuxo]

Oh and my budget..hmm..no more than US$350.00
I saw that on Amazon there are used Rebels and even new ones for about 250-something, so that's another reason why I was interested.
But of course I'll be testing out the camera and how it feels at a store, beforehand.

Thanks again for going out of your way and answering & inquiring!
-Sabrina

[Big Mike]

@Big Mike: Thanks so much!
So, the Canon Rebel isn't an SLR camera?

Yes, the Rebels are SLR cameras. All Canon 'EOS' cameras are auto focus SLR cameras.

You could probably find a better deal than $250 for a rebel...unless it comes with a couple of lenses and a flash, for example. I'd suggest $100 for a rebel. You could even look for a better SLR camera like an EOS ELAN.

I'd also suggest an EF 50mm F1.8 lens. Something like a 28-90mm would be nice, but it's probably better to learn with something like a 50mm lens, not to mention that the quality will be better.

[randerson07]

I would think you could get an Elan II from ebay or craigs list with a lens for $100 or below.

This one for example is $70
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...highlight=elan

[Sbuxo]

So..what's difference between the EOS ELAN and the Rebel Series?

& as for the 55mm lens, I've heard that that length is better and can provide better quality pictures but what if I get both?

And what exactly does EOS mean?

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1220043124/ref=sr_nr_n_0?ie=UTF8&rs=499106&keywords=Canon&bbn =172441&rnid=499106&rh=n%3A502394%2Ck%3ACanon%2Cn% 3A499106%2Cn%3A172441"]http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1220043124/ref=sr_nr_n_0?ie=UTF8&rs=499106&keywords=Canon&bbn =172441&rnid=499106&rh=n%3A502394%2Ck%3ACanon%2Cn% 3A499106%2Cn%3A172441[/ame]

Which one of these are the best?

[randerson07]

So..what's difference between the EOS ELAN and the Rebel Series?

& as for the 55mm lens, I've heard that that length is better and can provide better quality pictures but what if I get both?

And what exactly does EOS mean?

http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=12200431...6%2Cn%3A172441

Which one of these are the best?

I dont know the exact differences but I can tell you this, think of the elan vs rebel almost the same as a xxxD vs xxD series. The rebel is the lower range, the elan in the middle and the 1 series at the top.

The 50mm does not automatically make your pictures better, but it is a faster lens than your standard zoom, and probably is a bit higher up quality wise than any of those kit zooms. Dont get me wrong it takes wonderful photos, but it wont make a bad photo better. 50mm in the film world is a very good all around focal length, I personally find I shoot at that length quite often.

Well from that list of course the EOS 1v is the best, as its Canons Top of the line.

For a definition of EOS check here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS

[Big Mike]

The ELAN series is a step up from the Rebels. A bigger body with a more rugged build quality. Best of all, the ELAN has a thumb wheel on the back for adjusting the settings.
The Rebel bodies have more plastic, so they are smaller and lighter but they are still good. You might even prefer smaller and lighter.

as for the 55mm lens, I've heard that that length is better and can provide better quality pictures but what if I get both?

The 50mm lens will have a few advantages over something like a 28-80mm lens. Firstly is a larger maximum aperture. (F1.8 is bigger than F3.5-5.6). Secondly, the 50mm lens is very simple, so the optics are very good...the image quality will be very good. The 28-80mm lens is a 'kit' lens, made to be a cheap lens to be sold with the lower level cameras. It would still be a good idea to have both but you will probably upgrade the zoom when you realize that there are better options.

[ABPASnapshot]

....I have the Canon EOS Rebel T2 and it's great - color, B&W, auto and manual settings, love it....

[djacobox372]

Nikon FM is a "full manual" camera with a light meter. I can sell you this one for $65:

[danjchau]

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[Sbuxo]

~overwhelmed~
Yeah, I've seen that Nikon before, djacobox372.
It looks very similar to the one I used in Photo, but they were Leicas.

And..
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Canon-EOS-3-35mm-Camera-Body/dp/B00006I542/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1220076542&sr=1-14[/ame]
The link above is the 'look' I like for cameras, I like all black, but the Rebels are mostly silverish, aren't they?

And for "autofocus" is there a way to disable it so I can manually focus, or can I just do that in Manual mode?

[danjchau]

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