Buying my first film camera

[jimiismydaddy]

I have shot digital my whole life(im young). Wanted to get a film camera more to mess around with than rely on solely. I shoot a Sony alpha digital so it only makes sense to get a minolta maxxum. Anyone have any suggestions as to what type? Does anyone here shoto Minolta? What features should i look for in a film camera?

 

[Don Simon]

You should buy a Minolta Maxxum 7.

OK sorry that was wrong. There's no one-size-fits-all, one must choose the best camera for oneself based on various factors, and what is right for me is not necessarily right for you.

Seriously though you should get a Minolta Maxxum 7.

Of course you could go for a cheaper model which would do most if not all of what you need and be more compact.

But it wouldn't be a Minolta Maxxum 7.

Joking aside, most of the Maxxum series were very good and are now very affordable. Considering how little they cost now you can go for the more recent ones, and the higher-end models, and it will still be affordable. The 800si is excellent. The Maxxum 5 is plasticky but this may be a benefit since it's very lightweight, yet it handles well and has almost everything you could want, with custom settings right down to the choice of leaving the end of the film in or out. And then of course there's the Maxxum 7... I won't go into too much detail except to say that the 7 really is a great camera. But having said that, if you look at the 7 and don't like or don't think you'd use the many many dials and buttons on it, or simply if you want a smaller and lighter camera, then I would consider the 5.

 

[PhotoPhoenix]

if you're a beginner and not really interested in shooting seriously with film then i would suggest a Pentax K1000. it's fully manual and old school. i still used mine from time to time. it's the best if you want to REALLY know how to expose film and digital in my opinion. there's nothing like learning when you're learning with no automatic features.

 

[jimiismydaddy]

I have a Sony/Minolta system already, so I need a Minolta SLR.

 

[nealjpage]

I have a Sony/Minolta system already, so I need a Minolta SLR.

Why is that? I didn't think modern Minolta lenses were interchangeable with the older stuff.

If that's the case, I second the K1000.

 

[PhotoPhoenix]

the K1000 is an amazing camera. it was my first slr and i still use it like i just bought it. it's good to be able to rely on pure knowledge and not rely on automatic funtions. i shoot with a Canon 30D and i shoot fully manual at all times. i believe that was strongly rooted with shooting with the K1000.

 

[jimiismydaddy]

The Minolta Maxxum/Dynax A-Mount is the same as the minolta digital and sony alpha mount.

 

[blackdoglab]

Well, what kind of things do you want to shoot? Do you wanna try color, black and white, or slides? Have you thought about developing your own b&w? I'd reccomend a k1000 becuase they're simple and stripped down, but you also seem pretty hot on that Maxxum. What about a k1000, an m42 mount adapter, and m42 mount lenses. The m42 mount is very simple and the lenses are cheap. What's more, I bet you could find a Maxxum to m42 adapter and switch between both cameras. Then again I'm a bit biased cause m42 is all i use and I've learned to love screwing.

 

[jstuedle]

I was taught old school. Manual camera, hand held meter. I taught my grandson (age 12) the same way a few years ago. I am of the opinion this is the only way to get the full feel and absorb the max experience from film photography. Being a Nikon guy, I like the old "F" body, or Nikkormat bodies. The K100 is good, as was the old Spotmatic. (M42 screw mount) Nikon has several newer manual bodies, FM, FM2, FM3a. I know Minolta had manual bodies, but they will not take your lenses. The only brands that used the same lens mount across manual and auto-focus lines were Nikon and Pentax.
Another think to consider, most start out with only a 50mm lens. This teaches you to "see" as the camera sees. About any brand old manual camera with a normal lens can be had very cheaply and would not conflict heavily with your Sony budget.

 

[PhotoPhoenix]

great advice.

 

[jimiismydaddy]

Ok lets make this more basic then, does anyone here shoot a Minolta camera?

 

[Bayko]

Canon AE-1 or A-1. Or Nikon FM2N. Amazing cameras.

 

[Don Simon]

Ok lets make this more basic then, does anyone here shoot a Minolta camera?

Yes.

Again I recommend a Maxxum 7 or 800si, or a Maxxum 5 if you want something smaller and lighter. Personally I would go for a higher-end model like the 7 or 800si because the extra dials are more convenient for manual exposure. There are of course plenty of other Maxxum cameras which will work very well, but those are the ones I would go for.

In response to all the other suggestions... yes they're all good cameras, Pentax K1000, Canon AE1 etc are the suggestions that always come up when someone says they want to learn to shoot film, mainly because these are the sort of cameras we learned on. Focusing and controlling exposure manually may be the best way for some people to learn photography but it's not the only way. You can always take full control of exposure on modern SLRs, and if you're interested in learning then it's not like you'll suddenly break down and switch back to program mode. More to the point the OP did specifically say it only makes sense for him to buy Minolta.

 

[DoSayWhat]

I too shoot with a Minolta also. The Maxxum 70 to be precise and wouldn't trade it for the equivalent of any other brand out there.

ZaphodB gave a few good camera suggestions but I would also add the Maxxum 50 and 70 to the list. The Maxxum 5/7 are the upgraded versions of the 50/70 respectively.

And in/despite what a few of the others have said Minolta's are awesome cameras and ALL of their lenses are interchangeable regardless of the camera body including the Sony Alpha. The only things to remember is that the older lenses (the non auto focus ones) will require you to shoot in manual mode more often than not. And when used on the Alpha you will get a slight vignetting effect on the edges of your pictures since the lenses were not designed specifically for digital cameras. But don't let that scare you away from using them on the Alpha as this is something all digital cameras suffer from to one degree or another when borrowing the lenses from their film counterparts.

 

[skyonfire]

I have a Maxxum 50 and a Maxxum 9000. I use the 50 more than the 9000 just because of the weight of the motordrive. The 50 is pretty easy to use and you should have no problems finding them cheap. I think I paid around $50 for mine off ebay. It will work with your current Sony gear.