need help in what to look for

[CalebGGodwin]

Hey, I used to come here in search for advice for when i was going to get a 35mm camera + lenses and such. Well, it's been somewhere near 9 months to a year, sadly, and I'm ready to buy a camera to kinda play with and learn from. I'm not 100% sure what I want, just something reliable, nice (older of course), and is going to be somewhat basic for me to learn (quick learner though, so it shouldn't take me too long). I figured my best bet would be to look on EBay for some packages of all the above. I've searched before and I've found many many MANY 35mm cameras with a few lenses and other accessories for pretty cheap (in my book). Anyway, I just need to know what I'm looking for really. Brands, lenses, accessories, functions, etc.

I'd appreciate any and all help. The more opinions the better.

my brother lives in Gainesville Florida and is going to look at this one for mehttp://gainesville.craigslist.org/pho/1004256043.html

thought it may be a decent start. Again, I'm still going to look on Ebay as I may find a better deal and more lenses to go with it.

Thanks.

 

[puyjapin]

Are you buying digital?

 

[gsgary]

Are you buying digital?

Did you read the post :lmao:

 

[flyin-lowe]

Are you buying digital?

Do you have a brother, if so where does he live??

 

[tirediron]

The OM-10 is a good body; I'm guessing that comes with either a 50 1.4 or 1.8 and the ubiquitous 70-210 zoom. Definitely a decent learning outfit. My preference would be for either a Pentax ME-Super or Pentax K1000. The K1000 is a fully manual camera, and very well made. The older Pentax lenses are top-notch, there are LOTS of them available, and they're usually reasonably priced. I would be hesitant about buying a used body and/or lenses sight-unseen however. "Works well" or "Works fine" to the seller may not mean the same thing to you. Local used boards and camera stores where you can handle the gear and have a good look at it before putting money down is a good plan. Also consider the Canon AE-1, AE-Program, and almost anything from Yashica.

 

[CalebGGodwin]

appreciate it. and yeah I know it's a bit of a gamble to buy before trying it out. but it's something I'm probably just going to have to do ya know? stores don't exactly carry 'old' cameras, lol...

 

[tirediron]

stores don't exactly carry 'old' cameras, lol...

Then you're looking in the wrong stores. There are three camera stores in my immediate area. All two of them are "new" stores which carry some used gear. One those always has a good selection of used film bodies, and the third is a used store, which carries many used bodies. If you don't have that luxury, then look to Craig's List or other local boards where you can meet face-to-face with the vendor and check out the gear before shelling out cash.

 

[TheOtherBob]

On one hand, there's no harm in getting the Craigslist one -- I mean, $30 won't even buy dinner and a movie these days.

But both B&H and Adorama have used sections with old film cameras of every stripe. They're worth checking out as well.

 

[CalebGGodwin]

I don't even know what B&H is... and I haven't heard of the other store, but I'll definitely do a search for both in my area, thanks for the heads up. Much appreciated.

 

[tirediron]

B&H and Adorma are both large, reputable stores which do a big on-line business, and from whom you can trust that the product is as advertised. In Canada, Henry's is an equivalent.

 

[TheOtherBob]

www.bhphotovideo.com and www.adorama.com are the websites (there used to be links on these pages, but I'm not seeing them). They're both based in New York -- I don't think they have stores anywhere else -- but their online used selections are...vast.