Help me start my film journey

[sharkylittleton]

Basic SLR body with good lenses.

Suggest ... Yashica body with Contax lenses

For large prints with low grain ... I suggest shooting with Ilford Pan F plus (50 ISO) ... or Agfa APX 25 (not sure if Agfa still makes film).

I used Ilford Pan F 75% of the time ... I had no problems with 16x20's.
Ilford Delta 100 was also a nice film.

Thanks for the reco. 16X20 is a great size. I'm guessing the exposure has to be spot on with no camera shake. Stupid question, do old school film SLR's detect what ISO film it's using and automatically adjust the light sensor accordingly?

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[Sjixxxy]

Stupid question, do old school film SLR's detect what ISO film it's using and automatically adjust the light sensor accordingly?

Depends on the body. I don't think DX encoding hit the market until the late 80's, so most old school SLRs don't. (Old school to me does not include the 90s, FYI)

[Cat nt Tat's Dusky]

Right now I shoot strictly film.

Canon AE-1 and a Rebel 2000. The 2000 works with the EF lenses that i was given.

My AE 1 just needs atune up once I finish the film in it now. I won't ever get rid of this camera. I may upgrade to the A-1.

[Photochick]

I am a professional photographer that shoots all medium format film and always have. I have no problem what so ever with getting beautiful 30x40 prints from my negatives. 16x20 has never been a problem.

[djacobox372]

Great posts guys. Some great information.

I'm thinking about getting an older 35mm SLR, I've been seeing 35-50mm fixed lenses from f1.4-2. That's pretty good. Image quality is my main concern. I've been eyeballing Canon AE1 and the recommendations I've gotten here.

Shooting with 120 film is appealing as I'd like the ability to enlarge my prints in the future. I hear you can get 20x20 if the conditions are correct. Does anyone have any recommendations on a medium format camera and what lens to go with it?

TIA

I would definitely recommend medium format, but with your budget there's not much out there for you.

The mamiya c33 TLR with the f2.8 80mm lens would be the least expensive choice--they go for about $200. It's 6x6 negative offers 4.5 times the resolution of 35mm film. Of course you pay for it with only 12 shots per roll.

Keep in mind that, since the format is larger, a "normal" lens is about 80-90mm with medium format which means the f2.8 lenses give similar DOF to the f1.8 lenses do on small format.

[Actor]

Stupid question, do old school film SLR's detect what ISO film it's using and automatically adjust the light sensor accordingly?

Depends on the body. I don't think DX encoding hit the market until the late 80's, so most old school SLRs don't. (Old school to me does not include the 90s, FYI)

The first camera to detect DX encoding was marketed in 1985.

[sharkylittleton]

Thanks for all of the info guys. I ended up with a Canon AE1 w/ 50mm f1.8 fixed lens. Cost me $46 bucks.

[javier]

Thanks for all of the info guys. I ended up with a Canon AE1 w/ 50mm f1.8 fixed lens. Cost me $46 bucks.

A great choice...Here are two recent galleries with my AE-1...
jgredline : photos : MacArthur War Memorials

jgredline : photos : Farmers market, Alhambra

[Sangetsu]

Good deal on the Canon. If you have the additonal $150 of your budget left over, you should have enough to get a 24mm 2.8 FD, and a 50 1.4 FD. If you are a careful shopper, you may even have enough money left after these to get a short telephoto as well.

FD glass is next to free right now, and it's as good as anything ever made by Nikon (I've been shooting Nikons for more than 20 years). Have fun with your new camera.

If you really want to have fun, invest in your own black and white processing kit. You can do it in your kitchen, and you can probably get all the stuff you need for $50 or so. Look on Youtube for "how to develop 35mm film".

[sharkylittleton]

Still waiting for the darn camera to arrive... had a ebay shipping snapfoo. Should arrive today so crossing my fingers.

Do you guys recommend a hand held light meter? A friend of mine is willing to sell me his, got him through school, for what appears to be a decent price.

[javier]

Still waiting for the darn camera to arrive... had a ebay shipping snapfoo. Should arrive today so crossing my fingers.

Do you guys recommend a hand held light meter? A friend of mine is willing to sell me his, got him through school, for what appears to be a decent price.

Glad to hear it is on its way. The AE-1 has a great light meter built in. I would instead use the money of a lens. My most used is the FD28F/2.8 lens. Also be sure and put a new battery in it and carry a spare one.

[sharkylittleton]

Still waiting for the darn camera to arrive... had a ebay shipping snapfoo. Should arrive today so crossing my fingers.

Do you guys recommend a hand held light meter? A friend of mine is willing to sell me his, got him through school, for what appears to be a decent price.

Glad to hear it is on its way. The AE-1 has a great light meter built in. I would instead use the money of a lens. My most used is the FD28F/2.8 lens. Also be sure and put a new battery in it and carry a spare one.

I FINALLY received the camera in the mail!!! Had it shipped to the office to insure delivery! Funny you mention the light meter... I've spent the last few hours trying to figure it out... I was expecting something like my 40d's light meter and to my surprise I have solid and flashing numbers which appear to be f stops! Frustrating! Other than that it appears to be in great condition. Thanks for the battery tip.