New Photographer Hooked by Film, but looking to go Digital

[Sharpshooterr]

Hi cool peoples! I look forward to learning from and improving with all of you while I embark on my photographic journey But I do start this with a question and a bit about myself in the process. So this is an introduction and a topic at the same time, I hope that's okay. I'm not great at forums, lol. I'll get better at this as I do it. Anyway...

Figuring that a lot of people here have quite a bit of experience with digital cameras, do any of you have suggestions for high quality camera system (body + lens ecosystem) for someone coming into the 21st century from the 1980s? I may be 24yo, but I've been learning photography on my dad's 1980 Canon A-1 35mm film camera. The A-1 is great, and I'm doing some work to make it bring it back into spec by replacing the light seals and cleaning it up. The A-1 got me hooked, and I love shooting on film, I'm an Analogue Man still using a flip phone, but I'm getting kind of tired of having to wait 2-5 weeks to see the pictures that I've shot.

I'm willing to save up for a decent camera that will last me for 10 years making top computer monitor resolution images.(at least 4K, 8K preferable I think... still figuring that out) I like shooting nature, cars and airplanes as my main subjects with other stuff scattered in here and there. I like the idea of a full frame sensor so that the FOVs remain similar to what I'm used to with the A-1. I started looking into this when the Canon R3 hype train was going, but that camera is probably a bit beyond my budget and not exactly for my use case. I've been watching videos on the Gordon Laing YT channel and doing some research on my own. I like the performance stats of the Canon R5, but I feel like I would take five to ten times as long to set up a shot if I have to navigate all of those menus rather than just turning the dials on the lens for focus and rapidly changing my Av/Tv with just my index finger without taking my eye from the view finder. The mechanical nature of the A-1 is easy for me. Are their any high quality cameras that don't seem to require me to go into menus to change these settings? And I misunderstanding the R5's system based on my inability to get my mom's EOS M100 to do what I want? Any suggestions and help would be great. I don't believe in brand loyalty, just in getting the best camera for the person using it, and at this point, I'm just lost on how to do that. I just want something that will compete with the better or maybe out perform the best film rolls that I can buy if it turns out that just competing is actually not that hard. I have some friends with some of the older cropped sensor cameras from about 10 years ago and their performance is similar to low-mid end film rolls that I can get. I don't want to feel like I'm stepping down to go digital. At this point I don't know if I'm making sense, or if what I'm looking for is out there, but if anyone knows something, I'm open to suggestion. Thanks for any responses, even if your correcting me on where I should be asking this, that helps too.

Shinden

Shinden, first welcome to TFP. Hey been a while since anybody has called me a "cool" dude! loL
Next, stop pouring money into your dad's old money pit, there are better way, I'll explain in a bit.
Assuming you are going to continue shooting film side-by-side with digital consider Canon which you are already using. When I went from Film to digital I did a lot of research and went with Canon because I found out it's glass was faster and there were twice as many used Canon lenses on the market than just about all the other brands combined, making buying used Canon glass easy to find and at least a little bit affordable.
Next, you can start with a Canon dslr. That's much easier to learn and get your digital feet wet and all the Canon dslr EF glass you obtain can be used on your Mirror-less(ML) when you go that route.
I would put off going ML for a year or two until you know exactly what ML body will serve you best.
Back to film for a second. Earlier I was eluding to you changing film cameras so you can build a complete and seamless film/dslr/ML ecosystem and everything will interchange.
The following excerpt I've cut and pasted from another reply I did a few days ago to someone else about film cameras. When most think film, they think cameras like the one you are currently using.
So read my following excerpt as an explanation why I switched to a Canon 1n from a Pentax/Contax combo....

"Don't know if this could work for you or if you even have an interest in switching film casmeras since the A-1 was your Dads.
I still shoot 35mm film on occasion in the studio when I want that certain look.
In the past I've used my aging Spotmatic with a 50mm and the same with my favorite Contax 137 with the built-in electric film advance. But sometimes when shooting portraits I was always thinking I'd like to get a more specialized portrait lens but never do.
Digitally I shoot with a high mp Canon setup and a full complement of L lenses. I have a lens for every occasion.
About 5 years ago the light bulb went on in my head, "ping", why am I beating myself up? I don't shoot film to satisfy some primordial film urge, I use it simply for the look not the experience.
So I got me a Canon EOS 1n. That was Canons first EOS Pro film camera with AF. Being EOS I can use ALL of my full complement of modern L lenses and flash triggers etc.
So as long as I match my film speed to my dslr's ISO I shoot the same lenses at the same apertures interchangeably etc. My film work has now caught up to my dslr in equipment and modernization".

Anyway I can now seamlessly move back and forth from film to digital using the same lenses as needed.
Now as to FF digital, as I said I would stay away from ML for at least the near future, even though ML is the future.
I currently shoot with an R5 to see if it will replace my 5Ds and 1Dxll.
I recommend that you look for a good used Canon 5Ds. It has basically the same focus system as the 1Dxmkl with 50mp ans should cost less than a $1000. 50mp will give you a tremendous amount of post process(PP) power and versatility with the big files. Also memory cards for it are CHEAP compared to the cards for the ML cameras etc.
I stayed away from the R6 because of the 20mp. Yes that's adequate most of the time but I use a 44" printer, that should give you a hint why I wanted more mp!
I'm glad to elaborate more if you need. Good luck with your choices.
SS

 

[Shinden]

Thanks for the input everybody, it's helping me learn what to consider and what to look at when I'm researching digital cameras. As was probably clear, when I first made my post, I didn't have much of an idea where to start with my research. I'm learning a lot from your responses.

Where I am right now, I like the idea of the Fuji X-T4 because of it's controls, that camera just looks like something that I'd be able to adjust to the controls of far more easily than something like a Canon R6 or R5, but it's got an APS-C sensor. I like the idea of a full frame sensor so that I don't have to math out the crop factor when I choose lenses; other than that I don't know what the advantages are to full frame over APS-C.

Beyond that, I like the idea of high MP sensors because I expect that a camera with high MP today will stay relevant longer. I generally don't like replacing things unless they don't work any more. But it sounds like people upgrade their camera bodies fairly regularly, and thinking that way, I probably don't need to get the highest end camera as my first digital camera, and I probably don't need need a super high MP sensor because I'm not making huge prints right now, although, I think that would be really cool to do. So I should pick a camera body that uses lenses that will be supported by future camera bodies because the lenses are the most important part of the system.

As for my A-1, Yeah, it was my dad's from the 80s and it works, I have three lenses for it and speed light flash. So things that I want more lenses for, I'll get those lenses for what ever digital platform I get, that's what I'm figuring. If the A-1 stops working, I'm a hands on tinkerer, so I would not mind doing repairs on it if I need to. But I hope that, aside from the light seals, I won't have to do that for a long time if ever. I also like shooting film because I like analog things. I also recognize that I can get sharper images with digital, and I want in on that for some of my shooting applications. Plus not having to wait 2+ weeks to see my photos is nice. lol. I haven't found any photo labs that I can take my film directly to yet. Been getting it sent out by the drug stores, ie CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and they all take at least two weeks to get my photos back to me.