SLR 35mm Camera Shopping Advice

[jrgoresko]

I recently had the camera I've used for the last 8 years (Ricoh 35mm SLR) stolen from my car, and I need some advice on buying another 35mm SLR. I'm not necessarily looking for a NEW model camera. I've been watching ebay camera auctions for the past couple weeks, and it seems like I can get a camera and lens for pretty cheap. I do a large portion of my work with a 28mm-35mm wide-angle lens. I'm pretty much just looking for another SLR with a comparable lens. I looked at a lot of camera reviews for newish model Nikon and Canon cameras, and most of them said the shutter speed doesn't go below 1/30th of a second. Is this true, or am I misreading them? I definitely need a camera that has low shutter speed settings. I think I have pretty modest requests, right? Cheap is good, but I don't want to compromise quality.

Please help!

Thanks!

 

[manfromh]

I looked at a lot of camera reviews for newish model Nikon and Canon cameras, and most of them said the shutter speed doesn't go below 1/30th of a second. Is this true, or am I misreading them?

I think you misread. It probably said that the speeds wont go above 30 seconds.

 

[darich]

I think you misread. It probably said that the speeds wont go above 30 seconds.

You can exceed 30seconds quite easily using the bulb function. The 30sec limit is the maximum using one of the cameras time value settings.

 

[Torus34]

Sounds like any of a number of 35mm SLRs will do. Check out the Konicas, Mamiyas and, of course, the Pentax gang. All are robust and you will not pay a 'name' penalty for a lens. In addition, all will run without a battery. [I have little use for equipment which becomes an expensive paperweight when the battery fails.]

As you indicated that slow speeds [longer than 1/30 sec] are important to you, do be a bit careful with checking out used rigs. As time goes by, lubricants sometimes thicken. This can result in inaccurate slow shutter speeds. You can tell if there is a potental problem by testing the 1 sec. setting by ear.

 

[Luke]

i would get a canon, as they are very compatible, and try for something that was sorta pro back in the 90s
like an eos 30, it should be cheap and a great camera.

 

[Matt_Gill]

Ive got a Pentax MX, And its a great camera, realy nice results and build to last! And thers plaenty of them on the second hand market, another great camera is the Nikon FM2.

 

[Luke]

Ive got a Pentax MX, And its a great camera, realy nice results and build to last! And thers plaenty of them on the second hand market, another great camera is the Nikon FM2..

pentax are great too, i only use pentax atm, but im not quite sure they are worth it these days, you can get a nice canon and nikon slrs with more availible lenses etc.

 

[benhasajeep]

With ebay prices now a days you can get a very good Nikon for low cost. The only advantage with Nikon is you can use the lens from it on future Nikons. Even AF or Digital SLR's! Canon you cannot do this. Matter of fact you can even use Nikon lenses on Canon AF bodies if you like (with and adapter).

Other than the Nikon and them retaining their lens mount. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the big 4. I have used and loved Pentax and Minolta SLR's and enjoyed using them (parents cameras). I would just look for one with full controls.

Guess this post is not much help. But I think as long as you got a good copy of a camera you will be happy with any of the big 4.

 

[jrgoresko]

So, I can pretty much expect the same results from any of the major brands?

What model Nikons, Pentax, Canons does everyone like? Like I said, I don't care about having a nice LCD display or a smooth exterior. I'm strictly interested in the picture quality and exposure capabilities.

Thanks to everyone who responded so far.

 

[benhasajeep]

What is your budget. That has a lot to do with recommendations. Even at used prices. I know that a Nikon 8008 can be had for about $100 on ebay. That was their advanced consumer camera in the early 90's. I bought a Nikon 6006 in 91. And loved it. It did not have as much control as the 8008 though. These are AF cameras. Nikon N90s can be bought for $150 or so and that was their Pro consumer camera during the same period. Heavier feel to it. More pro qualities to it. I don't know very much about the Canons. If your willing to go say $300 you can get a F100 used and that is about as good as you can get without going into the pro price range for Nikon. I use a f-100 as my main film body. The others I have are mostly for playing around with when the mood strikes.

You can actually buy newer Nikon AF bodies cheaper than some of their older manual focus bodies. They have that much of a following.

I would suggest looking on ebay and seeing what models seem to be selling the most (Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Minolta). Also if you use the advanced search function you can check completed listings and see what the finished auctions are going for. That will give you a better idea of pricing.

I just checked and 8008's can be had for $75 on ebay. That is a very good deal.

 

[airgunr]

My personal choice is the Nikon line. One big factor is that almost all the lenses are compatable between the Manual SLR's up to the Digital AF SLR except for the DX specific lenses.

I've got a Nikon FM2n that is fully manual, the only thing that works on the battery is the meter. My other is the F5 all singing and dancing fim SLR. All but one of my lenses work on both cameras.

 

[Don Simon]

Hi, did all your lenses get stolen with the camera? If you have any compatible lenses left you might be best going with a Pentax, as your Ricoh probably used the Pentax K lens mount.