CANON AE-1

[tevo]

I can get a Canon AE-1 in good condition with 2 flashes, a 1:3.875-150mm, a 1:2.8 35mm, and a 50mm 1:1.8 for $150 from a friend. Worth it?



I am also planning on getting a Nikon FM or an FM2n with a 50mm lens, any resources on where to buy those / more information on the body itself / compatible lenses?

 

[compur]

I can get a Canon AE-1 in good condition with 2 flashes, a 1:3.875-150mm, a 1:2.8 35mm, and a 50mm 1:1.8 for $150 from a friend. Worth it?

Seems a little high to me (though I am a notorious cheapskate).

I am also planning on getting a Nikon FM or an FM2n with a 50mm lens, any resources on where to buy those / more information on the body itself / compatible lenses?

The Nikon SLR lens mount has gone through an evolution since it's introduction in 1959
with the Nikon F camera. This original version of the mount is now referred to as the F mount.
The first major change was in 1977 with the introduction of "AI" (auto indexing) lenses.
Then came the AI-S mount followed by the auto-focusing AF and AFD lenses. Other
changes followed.

The FM2 can use AI, and AI-S lenses (which are all manual-focus) and can also use the
auto-focus AF or AFD lenses but focused manually.

Many of the early F-mount lenses have been converted to AI and these can be used as well.

The earlier Nikon FM model can use all the FM2 lenses plus the earlier F-mount lenses though
using these early lenses requires a little added procedure to get a correct meter readings.

Both use the same motor drive accessory and share many parts. Both are also fine cameras
which are widely respected. The FM is older, of course, so extra care should be used in finding
one in good condition if you choose to get one. The FM2 has a much advanced shutter over
the FM and better metering and interchangeable focusing screens -- all very nice improvements.

KEH.com and eBay are probably the most popular sources for purchase.

 

[tevo]

I can get a Canon AE-1 in good condition with 2 flashes, a 1:3.875-150mm, a 1:2.8 35mm, and a 50mm 1:1.8 for $150 from a friend. Worth it?

Seems a little high to me (though I am a notorious cheapskate).

I am also planning on getting a Nikon FM or an FM2n with a 50mm lens, any resources on where to buy those / more information on the body itself / compatible lenses?

The Nikon SLR lens mount has gone through an evolution since it's introduction in 1959
with the Nikon F camera. This original version of the mount is now referred to as the F mount.
The first major change was in 1977 with the introduction of "AI" (auto indexing) lenses.
Then came the AI-S mount followed by the auto-focusing AF and AFD lenses. Other
changes followed.

The FM2 can use AI, and AI-S lenses (which are all manual-focus) and can also use the
auto-focus AF or AFD lenses but focused manually.

Many of the early F-mount lenses have been converted to AI and these can be used as well.

The earlier Nikon FM model can use all the FM2 lenses plus the earlier F-mount lenses though
using these early lenses requires a little added procedure to get a correct meter readings.

Both use the same motor drive accessory and share many parts. Both are also fine cameras
which are widely respected. The FM is older, of course, so extra care should be used in finding
one in good condition if you choose to get one. The FM2 has a much advanced shutter over
the FM and better metering and interchangeable focusing screens -- all very nice improvements.

KEH.com and eBay are probably the most popular sources for purchase.

The reason the price is high is because I would be buying it directly from a friend of mine who needs money, and I am happy to give a little bit more.

Thank you for your information on the Nikon Lenses, very helpful. I have never heard of KEH.com, I'll check it out! When you say the Fm2 has an advanced shutter, what exactly do you mean?

 

[compur]

^ You're welcome.

The FM has shutter speeds to 1/1000. The FM2 has speeds to 1/4000. The FM2 can also be used with flash
at higher shutter speeds than the FM.

 

[tevo]

^ You're welcome.

The FM has shutter speeds to 1/1000. The FM2 has speeds to 1/4000. The FM2 can also be used with flash
at higher shutter speeds than the FM.

from what i can see there is around a hundred dollar price gap between the fm2 and fm.. and i read somewhere that there is an fm2 and an fm2n, and the n supposedly has a better shutter, are you familiar with this?

 

[pixilstudio]

digital... viva la revolition

 

[compur]

from what i can see there is around a hundred dollar price gap between the fm2 and fm.. and i read somewhere that there is an fm2 and an fm2n, and the n supposedly has a better shutter, are you familiar with this?

Yes. There were actually 3 major versions of the FM2. The first one had titanium shutter curtains and flash sync
speed of 1/200. Then the titanium was replaced with aluminum curtains and then the flash sync speed was upped
to 1/250. Those with the 1/250 sync are unofficially referred to as "FM2N"

The difference between these models in actual use is minuscule but the titanium curtain models and 1/250 sync
models usually sell at a premium (as do the black paint ones).

There were 2 versions of the FM -- the first having a "shutter mode" switch surrounding the shutter release and
the later one without it. Again, there is no great reason to prefer one over the other as far as shooting is
concerned.

 

[tevo]

@compur, i ordered a Nikon FM chrome body, and an f/1.8 50mm lens. Only ran me about 150 dollars, just a good starting point. The next step for me (in the future) is to get a FM2n.

 

[compur]

Great! The FM and FM2 are among my favorite cameras and Nikon lenses are top notch.

 

[tevo]

Great! The FM and FM2 are among my favorite cameras and Nikon lenses are top notch.

yeah i'm hoping i like it too! any suggestion for film? i know i want 35mm b&w, but i know nothing about the quality of different brands

 

[compur]

any suggestion for film? i know i want 35mm b&w, but i know nothing about the quality of different brands

I would recommend getting some color print film. Get 100 speed and shoot outdoors in daylight.
Brand and exact type doesn't really matter at this point.

Get accustomed to using your camera's meter and other controls and have fun.

Worry about the rest later. One step at a time and all that.

 

[tevo]

any suggestion for film? i know i want 35mm b&w, but i know nothing about the quality of different brands

I would recommend getting some color print film. Get 100 speed and shoot outdoors in daylight.
Brand and exact type doesn't really matter at this point.

Get accustomed to using your camera's meter and other controls and have fun.

Worry about the rest later. One step at a time and all that.

why color? i<3b&w c;

 

[compur]

why color?

At this stage it's easier to get an acceptable image with color photography than with B&W.

If you must shoot B&W you can use a chromogenic film such as Iilford XP-2 or Kodak BW400CN which
can be processed at most any lab.

But, keep in mind that newbies are frequently disappointed in their first B&W images gotten from a lab
because good B&W images take work. Most lab-printed B&W images are terrible. It's really best to take
a photo course and do everything yourself (film processing, printing, etc) to really learn B&W and get
what you want out of it.

But, maybe you'll get lucky.

Tip: If you get one image per roll that you like -- don't worry, you're doing fine. Most of us don't get
much more than that (if that).

 

[tevo]

why color?

At this stage it's easier to get an acceptable image with color photography than with B&W.

If you must shoot B&W you can use a chromogenic film such as Iilford XP-2 or Kodak BW400CN which
can be processed at most any lab.

But, keep in mind that newbies are frequently disappointed in their first B&W images gotten from a lab
because good B&W images take work. Most lab-printed B&W images are terrible. It's really best to take
a photo course and do everything yourself (film processing, printing, etc) to really learn B&W and get
what you want out of it.

But, maybe you'll get lucky.

Tip: If you get one image per roll that you like -- don't worry, you're doing fine. Most of us don't get
much more than that (if that).

well in the past, i have composed and set a shot with my dslr, then moved the settings over to the film and gotten DECENT results.. but i understand what you mean. ill probably buy a few rolls of both color and b&w

 

[Josh66]

Tip: If you get one image per roll that you like -- don't worry, you're doing fine. Most of us don't get
much more than that (if that).

Oh ... come on. It's not that hard!


I would agree that B&W is 'harder' than color though, because with color - you have all those colors contrasting with each other. In B&W, all you have is the light. (Kinda simplified, but I hope you get the point.)

Colors that may contrast with each other a lot in color might be almost the same tone in B&W. So, while it may look like a nice and contrasty scene to the eye, it might be flat in B&W.

To really get the best results, you'll also want a few colored filters...