New to Film :)

Bertie · Jan 31, 2012

First of all Im new to the forum so hello

A few years ago my dad bought a Canon 400D and apart from the odd disposable camera when I was little this was my first experience with photography and I kind of enjoyed it. I do love the challenge of taking a good photo.

I was then given a box brownie by a friend and really enjoyed taking pictures with that, unfortunately I have only processed one film which I did my self at college and am yet to print them so I am interested to see how that comes out.

I bought my girlfriend a Canon 300 film camera for her birthday and if Im honest I use it more than her (one of those presents given to yourself kind of thing xD) but yes really enjoyed that, I think the added challenge of taking a photo on film and the more 'ownership' you have of the final product.

Even more recently my dad got out his old Minolta XE-1 with some very lovely lens Rokkor f1.4 50mm and a shift lens (still getting to grips with that) however I believe the shutter speed is broken on it as it sometimes gives a ridiculously long exposure.

So after that waffle (sorry)

I was wondering if you guys could recommend a camera you think would suit me
I prefer the XE-1 over the canon 300 purely because I love the superior quality and engineering of it.

Ha so I probably sound like a complete noob but any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Rob
P.S. I dont want to break the bank

bhop · Jan 31, 2012

I know you said you don't want to break the bank, but what kind of budget are you looking at? (not sure how big your bank is) Personally i'm a Nikon shooter as far as SLRs are concerned. Prices range from around $50 for older cameras, up to around $3000 for a brand new F6.. so as you can see, there's a big price gap when film cameras are concerned.

I assume you want to stick with SLRs and since you're a canon shooter already, why not look into something like the EOS-1V? It was a Pro camera of its day, so it'll have excellent build quality and probably have similar controls to your digital. Or if that's too much, how about the 1N..

Personally, i'd get a Nikon F100

Josh66 · Jan 31, 2012

+1 on the 1N. I shoot with a 1N RS all the time. I think it cost me about $200.
Canon EOS Camera Bodies - KEH.com

Bertie · Jan 31, 2012

Wow these are both gorgeous cameras! I really wish I could afford them! I am probably looking to spend up to about £60. I know a depressingly small amount but if I see something nice for a little more I might be persuaded.

Canon EOS Camera Bodies - KEH.com ... is this the favoured place to get your cameras? Is there anything wrong with looking on eBay?

I’m feeling like a bit of a pauper now haha

Thanks for the quick reply guys

Rob

Josh66 · Jan 31, 2012

Oh, I didn't notice your location before... They do ship internationally though (not sure how much that would cost)...

I like KEH, but eBay is good too.

Bertie · Jan 31, 2012

Iv had a quick look, but do you know of an UK equivilent?

Mike_E · Jan 31, 2012

Did you check the battery? If low it might be causing the problem.

If it's the camera I would get another Minolta if I were you. You already have a start with a couple of nice lenses and the MD and Rokkor-x lenses are fairly inexpensive and too are some of the third party lenses with the MD mount.

I think that you could find the same model as you have much cheaper than getting yours repaired. You could also look at the Minolta SRT- line which will take your lenses I believe.

All in all Minolta made some fine cameras and lenses and you would likely be very happy sticking with them.

If, however, you want to venture off into the auto focus world (pricier of course) I would save my pennies and shoot for the Nikon F100. This camera will do everything you are likely to want in a camera and the lenses hold their value very well so trading up is much easier to take.

Bertie · Jan 31, 2012

The camera has new batterys so unfortunately i dont belive its that although i guess its worth checking!
That is a good peice of advice ill have a look around although they seem fairly hard to come by

Rob

Mike_E · Jan 31, 2012

Bertie said:
The camera has new batterys so unfortunately i dont belive its that although i guess its worth checking!
That is a good peice of advice ill have a look around although they seem fairly hard to come by

Rob

Try looking into the SRT models too, I have an old SRT-101 that's a Great camera.

Bertie · Jan 31, 2012

Was actually just looking at them ... would you recomend it yes? Which lens mount does it have?

Bertie · Jan 31, 2012

Ok, lets approach this in a different way, since i am of small budget and just enjoy taking pictures and am perhaps a bit of a sucker for the retro design what would people then recomend?

Rob

Derrel · Jan 31, 2012

I checked out a nice clean Minolta SRT-101 the other day at Goodwill, a US based thrift store...$19.95 with a 50mm f/1.7 Rokkor lens...nice!

I also saw a newer, nicer Nikon FE with a 50mm f/1.8 Series E lens for $59. Pretty nice, simple to use camera.