Canon ae-1 or Olympus om-1?

[-Su]

So I just recently got interested in photography and asked one of my friends where should I start. He suggested that I get either a canon ae-1 or olymous om-1 film camera so I can learn how to use and understand the functions on a camera. I am wondering if this is a good idea or should I start somewhere also. I am also wondering where would be the best place to buy one of these cameras. I have looked on ebay and I found a good deal on an olympus om1 that comes with the camera,strap, one lens( I think a Zuiko lens),manual book, viewfinder, lens cap, and winder with free shipping. Would this be a good place to start.
I also have limited budgeting and am researching things like aperture and shutter speed.

 

[Chamelion 6]

So I just recently got interested in photography and asked one of my friends where should I start. He suggested that I get either a canon ae-1 or olymous om-1 film camera so I can learn how to use and understand the functions on a camera. I am wondering if this is a good idea or should I start somewhere also. I am also wondering where would be the best place to buy one of these cameras. I have looked on ebay and I found a good deal on an olympus om1 that comes with the camera,strap, one lens( I think a Zuiko lens),manual book, viewfinder, lens cap, and winder with free shipping. Would this be a good place to start.
I also have limited budgeting and am researching things like aperture and shutter speed.

If you want a film camera to learn about photography, get an old manual camera.

I don't see any difference in AE on a film camera or a digital except the digital AE is going to be more sophiticated and learning on a film camera is going to be more expensive in the long run. Chemicals, film, paper etc...

And if the lab is developing all your stuff you're not going to get as much feel for it either.

 

[-Su]

So do you think it would just be better to invest in a digital DSLR or SLR in the long run?

 

[Chamelion 6]

If you think you're going to pursue it pretty seriously, yeah. You can always shoot the digital in manual and see the effects in post processing.

The film camera is fairly cheap up front, but film and chemical are pretty expensive, so you'll burn up your savings pretty quick. With digital the cost is mostly up front, experimenting is is much cheaper so you can shoot a lot of photos with little expense. That means you're more likely to experiment and not sweat the failures so much. And failing and figuring out why is propbably the best way to learn.

 

[-Su]

Thanks for the advice! What are some good cameras you would suggest?

 

[icassell]

I know there is a school of thought that says that you should learn on a manual film camera (just as there is a school of thought that says you should learn to drive on a standard transmission). I learned that way as did many of the other older photographers around here.

I went to digital about 3 years ago and don't look back. The advantage to digital which cannot be overstated is the instant feedback you get at low cost. You can experiment to your heart's content without worrying about the cost of film/processing and you don't have to wait a couple of days to see what you are doing right/wrong. This way, your learning curve is much much faster than it would be with film. It would cost you a great deal of cash to do on film the hundreds of images you can do in a day with a digital camera. Given this, I would recommend learning on digital. If you want to try film later for the experience, go right ahead and have fun (I still do occasionally).

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

I would say the learning curve may be steeper starting with film, as well as more expensive, and slower. However, you may become more disciplined because you can't just willy Nilly shoot hundreds of images and have 2 keepers.

 

[-Su]

Thank you icassel and Bitter Jeweler as well I will take that into consideration too but I've been looking at cameras lately and they're kind of pricy.

 

[Chamelion 6]

I'm not so good at recomending cameras. That depends on a lot of variables, budget being the biggest.

What are you looking to spend?

 

[-Su]

Well if it is possible under 450 to 500 dollars.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

-Su, you have to look at the costs differently. A $600 canon Rebel XSi will last you 3-5 years, speed your learning with instant feedback, and you can print/enlarge your occasional keeper as you go. With a film camera that you buy for $50 that will last you a few years, you have to add up all the costs of film and developing over that same time.

Digital the cost is upfront, film, you pay over time.

 

[-Su]

True, True but which brand is most reliable? Many people say Canon but my sister's friend who is deep into photography says Nikon is best.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Honestly, it doesn't really matter. They are both reliable.

Canon vs. Nikon is fightin' words round here. Do a forum search if you want a good laugh.

 

[-Su]

Haha,but thanks for the advice it really helped me.

 

[reznap]

What's more reliable? That's hard to say.. depends mostly on use.

Some Canon AE-1 cameras have squeaky shutters.. if the shutter even works. I just replaced a Nikon FE which had a shutter that sometimes decided not to open. Sometimes the light meters on the older SLRs tend to not work so well. It really depends on what you're lucky enough to find and how much you spend.

I recently dropped $100 on a Nikon FE2 body, mostly because I was grieving the dead FE. Reasons for you to consider the FE2: can do 1/4000th shutter. Shutter is made of titanium and is very durable. M250 = 1/250 shutter speed with a dead battery. They look like this: