How much should i spend on an old film camera?(First camera)

[limr]

Even $35 is not "just a few dollars." And will the camera work? Because people never lie on Craigslist

If it doesn't, you can choose to pass on it.
Why buy something you don't want even though it costs only as much as a sandwich?

Who the hell spends $35 on a sandwich?

 

[spiralout462]

Even $35 is not "just a few dollars." And will the camera work? Because people never lie on Craigslist

If it doesn't, you can choose to pass on it.
Why buy something you don't want even though it costs only as much as a sandwich?

Who the hell spends $35 on a sandwich?

At my deli people were up in arms when we went to 9.29 for a Cheesesteak!

I wouldn't be working so hard if I could get $35 per sandwich.

 

[Watchful]

Even $35 is not "just a few dollars." And will the camera work? Because people never lie on Craigslist

If it doesn't, you can choose to pass on it.
Why buy something you don't want even though it costs only as much as a sandwich?

Who the hell spends $35 on a sandwich?

At my deli people were up in arms when we went to 9.29 for a Cheesesteak!

I wouldn't be working so hard if I could get $35 per sandwich.

Hey, at least I don't pay 2.8 million...

 

[table1349]

How to Make a Sandwich

Seriously, sandwiches aren't tough. Personally when I do buy a sandwich, I buy it new, never used.

 

[gsgary]

You can spend from £10 to over £3000 on a lovely Leica M-A my next purchase, but I wouldn't buy a film camera with any electrics

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk

 

[Dave Colangelo]

You can get a really nice piece for under 50$ and pretty much a solid full working one for under 150$ from what I have seen recently. Of course classics like a Rollei or a Leica will command usual premiums. I shoot nikon digital and have lots of manual nikon lenses I bought for my DSLR. As such I like manual nikon film SLR's for 35mm work since all my manual lenses work on them. I bought a nice Nikon EM (aperture priority style early SLR) for 25$ at a local flea market with the stock 50mm 1.8 about a year ago. 16$ for a new set of light seals and about an hour of clean up work to get it in really nice shape. I Picked up a really nice cannon AE-1 with 3 lenses for 20$ from an antique store in the middle of nowhere PA about a year and a half ago. I was pretty new to film stuff and both myself and the guy selling it had no idea what he had so I got a pretty good deal. I ended up trading that set for a very clean Nikon FT body with a nice 28mm 3.5 lens. The FT needed new seals and a clean up but has been really great since then.

The light meters in these older cameras are a gamble, the EM worked nicely but the FT body has some issues with the meter. For what its worth its not that hard to carry a meter around. I would say that all the shutter speeds are close but I have never officially tested them. The older you go the simpler the cameras are and the less that can go wrong. If you are not sure you are going to like film I would start out with something on the cheaper side. If you have the patience I would check out some local antique stores and flea markets and see what you find. If the shutter clicks and you can see the mirror actuate and possibly the curtain roll on the slower speeds the camera should be good to go.

Regards
Dave