First Vintage Camera?

[sophiemallard]

hi, i have recently begun to be interested in vintage cameras, and i was wondering if anyone could reccomend any cheap cameras, i would preferably like sopmething which gives a 'retro' feel to the end photos, although i have heard that this more depends on the lense?. any help would be very appreciated .
Sophie.

 

[matfoster]

FED 2b (f2.8)
FED: FED 2 (Type b) (F130) (F/2.8) Camera Price Guide: estimate your camera value

 

[matfoster]

FED 2b (f2.8)
FED: FED 2 (Type b) (F130) (F/2.8) Camera Price Guide: estimate your camera value

yo por mí on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Rituals II on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[Jeremy Z]

I had a phase in which I shot exclusively 35mm rangefinders.

In your case, the lower the lens quality, the better.

Check out www.rangefinderforum.com. Most of the guys there shoot vintage rangefinders, on B&W film, and develop & print their own stuff. It is really fun, but pretty time-consuming.

If you want the output to be vintage, (read: Low quality) you can go to a pinhole camera. That's a whole cult on its own.

After going through that phase, I figured I should just shoot digital, and when I want to make it look vintage, I either make a B&W or sepia version in software.

 

[usayit]

Is there are particular format of film?
Is there are particular vintage (year)?

SLR = Spotmatic with M42 screwmount lenses. In particular, I like the 35mm f/2 takumar. It is the prototypical student camera of the film days. M42 lenses are numerous and inexpensive.

Rangefinder (non-interchangeable lens) = Canonette QL17. A bit more electronic than you might like.

Rangefinder (interchangeable lens) = Russian FEDs (Leica screwmount copies) are ok but consistent quality during manufacturing was sketchy. Getting a good one can be a crap shoot at times. If you are lucky, you might be able to find a Canon Rangefinder (Leica screwmount).

Medium Format = I like my Pentax 67 which I've seen cheap lately. Feels like a tank. Russian Kiev (Hasselblad copy) is good.. again getting a good one can be a crap shoot. Kiev is a copy of Hasselblad but I don't believe the accessories/lenses are interchangeable with Hassy.

Be aware, that many of a certain vintage might require a CLA prior. Seals begin to degrade for example. Leather coverings can be replaced: CameraLeather.com Custom camera leather and leatherette

 

[Mike_E]

Zeiss folder, pre WWII. 120 film for great quality negs and uncoated lenses for the vintage look.

 

[Joves]

Graflex Speed Graphic if you want real vintage I had one as my third camera when I was a kid. I found it at a garge sale for $40. Which even then was a great deal considering it had the flash. This is one of those cameras where you will be doing good old style photography. The big thing is usually the bellows are cracked from drying out.

 

[Goontz]

You could also consider something as simple as a Holga if you want some quirky and fun results.