Help for a beginner

Matthew57892 · May 1, 2005

Hello
I have recently became interested in photograghy and want to purchase my first camera. I plan on buying a used camera and want to get a manual focus 35mm SLR. I was thinking about getting a Nikon FM2 or a nikon FM10, mostly because i have heard many people say that they are easy to operate and are cheap. I plan on taking pitures of mostly sports such BMX and skateboarding so i need something that can take pictures of things moving relatively fast such as the flip of a skateboard or someone spinning on a bike.

I would greatly appreciate the help

Ps. The pawn shop down the street from my house has a fm10 in perfect working order for 119.99 would this be a good deal?

Rob · May 1, 2005

Hi Matthew, welcome to the forum!

These are both good cameras, with the FM2 being more basic and a great place to start. They are classic photography cameras and you may find it challenging to do action work with them because you need to manually focus.

That said, you get complete control over the focussing distance and the depth-of-field and the speed, so you can make cool blur effects, or freeze motion at your leisure. There's also lots of help here for you if you want to create a certain shot.

The FM10 would be a good deal if it comes with a lens, otherwise a little pricey for just the body - the Nikkor f1.8 or f1.4 standard lens are the best starting place for lenses. When buying from a camera shop or pawn shop make absolutely sure that you have a no questions return policy. Tell them you're going to go out, shoot a roll and if you're not happy they're getting the camera back. They should be fine with it, and the camera will most likely be fine, however it's vital to ensure you can get a full refund should it not work. Do not ever buy anything described "as is".

Now is a great time to get a 35mm SLR as the prices are being forced down by part-exchanges for digital compacts. There are some fantastic deals to be had as the private second-hand dealers wind down their trade. You should be able to get that camera, with a lens for about £100, or the body for about £50 I would guestimate.

Good luck

Rob

KevinR · May 1, 2005

I would stick with an FM2 or FE2 if you are going with Nikon. The FM-10 isn't made by Nikon. It is a pretty cheap camera IMHO.
Two more I would look at is:
The Canon AE1 or A1
Minolta X-700

Get yourself a good fast 50mm lens and you should be set.

ksmattfish · May 1, 2005

Matthew57892 said:
The pawn shop down the street from my house has a fm10 in perfect working order for 119.99 would this be a good deal?

No. A good deal on a Nikon FM-10 would be under $75.

You can get a clean, used Nikon FM2 or FM2n on Ebay for around $200. It's a much better camera than the FM-10.

Matthew57892 · May 1, 2005

thank for the help so far i really appreciate it

also I went to a swap meet by my house and looked around to see if I could find anything and I asked a few people and a this one guy said he had a nikon fm2 with motor drive and I forgot to ask what kind of lens he said we would sell it too me for one hundred bucks flat he said I can come look at it next saturday because thats the next time the swap meet is open the one catch he said was that it has been setting for a while and I might need to get it cleaned

What do you guys think?

ksmattfish · May 1, 2005

Matthew57892 said:
... a nikon fm2 with motor drive and I forgot to ask what kind of lens he said we would sell it too me for one hundred bucks flat... it has been setting for a while and I might need to get it cleaned

What do you guys think?

If everything works that's a good price (even without the motor drive). If the "dirt" is cosmetic (on the outside) then you'll be able to do the cleaning yourself.

Matthew57892 · May 7, 2005

well I went to the swap meet to look at the camera the guy had for sale and I was slightly dissapointed.......it looked pretty beat up, pretty bad in my opinion the the veiwfinder had a pretty large dent in it but it didnt affect the veiwing I looked through the veiw finder and there was quite a bit of dust the lens was a wide angle lens which is not what I think I want. The motordrive though was in pretty good condition compared to the rest of the camera. The paint was barely worn there was no corrosion where the batteries go after noticeing the condition of the camera i decided to try to get a lower price and i got him down to 75 which i would pay it was a last resort and i couldnt find a better camera he mentioned that he had alot alot of other camera gear. He said he had a fe2 with a 50mm lens that he would sell for 130 which I think would be slightly better suited to what im after so does anyone know the difference between the FE2 and the FM2? I think im going to try to get him to throw in the motor drive if I can and pay like 145 or 150 instead

let me know what you guys think

ksmattfish · May 7, 2005

The FE is the electronic version of the FM. Personally, I'm a mechanical man. Don't worry about beat up, as long as the camera functions, and the price is right. You'd be surprised at how nicely they shine up with a little use and love. Motor drives seem cool, but unless you are shooting subjects that require more than a shot per second, they are just extra weight, size, and battery eaters. Dust in a lens is no good, but you could get a different lens.

Matthew57892 · May 7, 2005

So since the FE2 is electric does it mean it will not work at all without batteries or would it be like the FM2 work, but only have limited use?

tempra · May 7, 2005

Matthew57892 said:
So since the FE2 is electric does it mean it will not work at all without batteries or would it be like the FM2 work, but only have limited use?

Without the batteries in an FE2, you can only shoot at 250, or B setting.

Matthew57892 · May 9, 2005

well im the proud new owner of a FE2 and i really like it the camera is in super good condition im mean there is like next to know brasing anywhere everything works great (im lovin the motordrive) which i also got i went and bought some film i picked just a few different speeds and brands to see what i like and also is black and white film more expensive than color? cause i got some kodak black and white and it was like four a roll than i got some fujifilm speed 800 and it was six for a pack of four so im confused i thought black and white was cheaper

let me know
Matt