PhD research for non-photographer

[Laurela3]

Hello,
As a disclaimer, I don’t have any photography experience and so please excuse any ignorant questions.
I am a PhD student researching in Africa and I’m investigating a project that would require the use of 35 mm cameras. The camera users would be inexperienced (perhaps never used/seen a camera). There are two goals to the project; to encourage communication and interaction in the community and to have a database of images. Thus, I’m not expecting or looking for professional photographs, but for images that tell a story from the photographer’s (community member’s) perspective. Of course, I still want the photographs to be of a good quality with the option of printing them for display.
I need guidance for the following questions:
Would disposable cameras be sufficient for this project?
If not, which camera should I look into purchasing? I will be needing as many as a dozen or more and price is an issue.
Is there a site that sells cameras like these at a discount rate for bulk purchases?
Any other guidance, experience, etc. is more than welcome. Thanks!

 

[tyler_h]

Point and Shoot cameras should be fine (but they are not 35mm) or are you specifically talking film cameras?

The other suggestion I'd have (if P&S is acceptable) is to consider water/dust/shock proof cameras so they can handle being thrown around a little more.

 

[Big Mike]

It does sounds like they are looking for 35mm (film) cameras.

I think that disposable cameras might be OK in this scenario, although you could probably find non-disposable point & shoot style 35mm camera pretty cheap. They are all but worthless these days, now that just about everybody is shooting digital. Most people probably give them away or just recycle them etc. That might make it hard to actually find a bunch of them though.

I'm not sure if budget would allow, but from what I've seen (but not experienced), people who have not used or seen a camera, are amazed by the ability to see the images right away on a digital camera's screen. In other words, I think that the experience would be totally different with digital cameras, compared to film cameras and it would be much more profound with digital.

You might even look at digital cameras that are meant for children. Kid-Tough Digital Camera - Fisher Price Toys

 

[Village Idiot]

What's your budget and where can you order from? Best Buy has factory refurbed 12mp tough cameras for $109. They're supposed to be water proof up to 10', shock proof up to 5' and an all around tough camera. Something like this might be ideal for people that have never used a camera before.

The thing is, how many photos do you want from each person? With a 35mm roll you can get 36 exposures before you have to pay for development cost. It really depends on your budget though. 12 of that refurbs will cost you $1308 + whatever taxes and shipping and that's if they have that many. Plus, they'll probably need a memory card. Those can be found for cheap, but that will all add up. Plus you'll have to keep the digital cameras charged instead of just buying batteries. I was having trouble finding a good source for 35mm P&S cameras.

Maybe ask for a donation or something?

 

[Dao]

Or maybe some instant cameras such as this one
Cost of the cameras and the supplies

Amazon.com: Fujifilm Instax MINI 7s White Instant Film Camera: Camera & Photo

 

[KmH]

A dozen would likely not be considered a bulk purchase.

 

[Laurela3]

Thank you so much for all the great advice. I had thought about digital, but my main objective with the project is to encourage interaction between participants and I worry that the ability to view the picture immediately may distract from that since the technology would become the main attraction. And I had similar concerns about price and keeping it charged. But I would also like to have the images in a digital format. I've read about ways to scan the negatives, but does that decrease the quality of the digital image significantly?

I'm working on fundraising and grant proposals for the funding, so of course the cheaper the better. Is there any reason why using different cameras would result in drastically different images if I just bought up random used cameras? I hadn't considered the need for water proof and shock proof, but I will look into those as well.

I'm trying to model this project slightly off of another one that used Holga cameras. The images were beautiful and the price of the cameras is affordable, but after reading about the cameras they seem a little too complicated for first time users. Is this accurate or should I look further into these?

Thank you again and please continue to provide any advice you may have. I truly appreciate it.

 

[fokker]

You can buy old film cameras for really dirt cheap prices on eBay. I wouldn't expect to pay more than $50 each for a workable 70's or 80's era 35mm SLR with a 50mm lens or similar. These cameras are still capable of producing amazing photos in the right hands, and because they are mostly manual they are generally quite simple machines (although a basic understanding is required).

Film Cameras | eBay
You could also look at rangefinder cameras, which are pretty similar in operation and price:

Film Cameras | eBay

Another cheaper option would be to go with film 'point and shoot' type cameras which I've seen regularly sell for less then $5 apiece. Probably a bit easier to use but not quite the same quality.

In either case (depending on how many shots you need from each camera) film and developing/printing expenses are likely to be your major costs. If it was me, I would bulk buy some black and white 200ISO film, get a negative scanner and learn how to develop black and white negatives.