35mm Camera recommentions needed

[hadrons]

for whateven reason I have to urge to do something creative at the age of 37 and I think photography is the one outlet I can do it; I want to get a good 35mm camera (not a fan of digital ones), but I have no idea what to look for. I'm not going to go crazy and I would like good solid camera say no more than $150.00-$200.00 range at most ... any recommendations???

[edbermac]

1. Probably get one secondhand...new bodies alone will run a few hundred!

I got a Nikon N80 kit; body, 28-80 and 70-300 lenses for about $500 a few months ago...

[trogdor]

22. Check out the pawn shops.

They probably have plenty of good used cameras. Most of the new ones are shit. Made in China and designed to break in a year or two. You might as well get a $35 Rite-Aid camera.

[bif]

2. Go the extra $150 and buy a Nikon

Great lenses and great cameras. My brother-in-law has a Nikon 80 and loves it. But I think the N65 is almost as good. Best Buy usually offers one with a zoom lens for around $350.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

3. 1 word - Canon

[PinkTiger]

4. Go Digital

For just a little more, invest in a good digital 35 mm slr with extra lenses and you will never have to pay for developing film.
You can experiment all you want, too.

A good choice is Canon's Digital for about $1200, but I have a fuji that I bought at sams and it is wonderful -- less than $300

[nine30]

5. Nikon N80 is the most advanced camera for the money

When I bought mine several years ago it was just over $400, but now you can get it new for $250 or below. It is without a doubt the most advanced camera at that price range.

Metering (light measurement/exposure determination) is second only to the F5 ($2000). Your exposures will never come out wrong.

Autofocus (5 point) is fast.

The Nikon flash system is legendary, that takes into account flash subject distance when calculating exposure. Even Canon's isn't that good. The built in flash will serve most purposes but you can always buy an external ( SB 80DX or SB 28DX ) for more power. And No more bleached faces in close range portraits.

If you want something cheaper, you could try the N55 which is smaller and more cheaply built, but the N80 has no peer in its range.

[r_u_stuck2]

6. Here's my take

I started with a Canon AE-1, Then a Nikon F-3, Canon A-1, Nikon 8080, Hasselblad.

If you are just starting out and have not done 35mm photography before, and are looking to be creative, you do not need the lastest bells and whistles. Get a 35mm without automatic zoom.

I would personally pick the AE-1 or preferably the A-1, with a 50mm lens. Use the foot zoom (walk up to where you want to take the picture)

Use this website as a starting point to finding out more information.

http://www.photo.net/community/forums
http://www.photo.net/

Use ebay as a price guide, but be careful there, cameras are one of the favorite sites there for rip off artists.

[Florida_Geek]

13. Hasselblad -- everybody show own one once

but as much as I loved it I do not miss it.

[Rjnerd]

21. Does the russian clone count?

I have a domestic market Kiev. What it most makes me think of, is what you would get if you asked a tractor factory to build a camera. Fire the shutter, and the noise it makes says "agricultural implement". But the glass is excellent. Huge, HEAVY, but very sharp and contrasty.

For real rollfilm work, I wound up with an old Rollie SLX. Its a very nice design. Unfortunately it was never that popular in the US, so accessories are about impossible to find. Discovered when it needed repair, that the importer was absolutely horrid. May partly explain why it never was popular here..

Actually I think a more important experience for learning photographers is to play with a view camera. The upside-down image on the screen is just enough of a break with recognizable, that you can evaluate the composition, without getting hung up on an interesting point in the frame. Then you add all the perspective control that lens movements can give you...

(in fact, I went straight from 35, to sheet film, but I really wanted to photograph architechure. (especially ruined sites) I needed something that would let me raise the lens, and a starter view camera outfit was cheaper than a shift lens, and a body to match. Would have needed an extra body, because I would have to shift brands... I was using Olympus at the time, and while they made a shift lens, the chances of finding one used was about zero, and they were very pricey new)

[edbermac]

7. I think Pentax or Vivitar cameras are the cheapest...

You could get a body and 50mm lens for around $200...no frills to be sure, but they probably take a decent picture...you might check Ebay or some camera shops to get a good deal...everyone is going to digital so they're starting to unload their film cameras wherever they can...

[hadrons]

8. I was thinking that (eBay), since 2nd hand isn't an issue for me

[edbermac]

26. So what kind of pics do you want to take?

[hadrons]

28. its hard to describe ....

not people posing or portriats ... more like 'day in the life'), events, etc ...

Here's some I took with a $8.00 camera ... stuff like this

[edbermac]

31. Where are you located? See if any camera clubs are in your area...

I joined one in the Boston area for about $40 per year...about 200-300 members...you might find a few people there who are interested in photo-journalism and get some good tips from them...

[Florida_Geek]

9. Good site for camera ppl

The below link is by a man nicknamed Moose, he took the above picture of one of DU posters out nude swimming :)

http://www.moose395.net/index.html

But the site is very good and lot of wildlife pictures and HOWTOS

[Nicholas_J]

10. I like rangefinders

But there are bvery few inexpensive options there. None with interchangeable lenses. I have an old Yashica Electromatic 35, which is a great rangefinder camera, but has a fixed lens

If you can find an old Richoh Singlex or Pentax Spotmatic. YHey are great old SLR's and have the widest variety of lenses available using a screw on mount rather than bayonette mount.

I hate all of these newer cameras with polycarbamate (essentiall plastic) parts becasue if something breakes in the camera, it is almost always new camera time. THe older pentax and ricohs have metal parts and gears and you can almost drop them off of a roof and nothing will happen to them. I also prefer cameras withoug built in metering, and those are nearly indestructable. An Old Nikon with those qualties is also very good. The Ricoh was my first SLR and it was essentially a knock off of the Pentax Spotmatic. The main differnce was that the Ricohhad a metal shitter and the Pentax a cloth shutter and so the Ricoh made more noise when taking a Picture.

My dream camera would be a Leica M-3 or M-4. An old rangefinder that is so quite that you can snap a picture up nest to someones ear and they wont hear the shutter going off. The inside of it looks like a machine gun bolt and they can take a LOT of wear and tear. Very good for candid shots.

But thats way beyond the price range you gave.

If you dont care about the composite parts on newer cameras, I would suggest you go to www.heartlandamerica.com sand look under cameras. A lot of nice Zoom cameras cab be found on the site for about a hundred dollars as since the advent of digital cameras, a lot of recently made film cameras are going for a song. Drop by a K-MMart and you may see a few nice newer 35 mm camera on sale for deep discounts.

Examples from Heartland Ameican is right now they have a 30-150 mm zoom Yashica Zoommate going for 99 dollars. Its original recommeded retail was over 500 dollars and even new would cost at least 250-300 at a deep discount outlet.

THey have a Canon Rebel for 179 dollars with a 30-80 zoom and you can also add interchageable lenses to this camera later. This one listed for about 600 dollars, and has about every advanced feature on an SLR that you would want to have, 7 point selectable autofocus,11 exposure modes including fully automatic, multizone metering. Its probaly one of the best chouces you could make for a newer camera, and the price is obscenely low at this website.

[Thtwudbeme]

27. I would be lost without my Olympus XA

if you like rangefinders, check that one out!

Another way to find rangefinders is on Ebay-

[Nicholas_J]

30. Also like TLR's

I have a Yashicamat 124G as well. The lense on it has been rated as good as anything that can be gotten fo a hasselblad.

I sort of like it because with the viewscreen you get a better idea of what the negative will actually look like than you can looking through a viewfinder.

[Rjnerd]

11. Get something that has non-automatic modes too.

If you ever take a class, they will expect a camera that you can control, not one that insists on _always_ thinking for you.

Automation is handy, and thats especially true of flash automation. But there are times when your brain is better than the one they installed.

Nikon has the best support for rental gear, but that has been changing of late. (there will be times that you want to play with a lens that you can't afford).

Oh yea, pay more attention to the glass you get. The camera bodies job is mostly to be dark inside. The quality of the lens is what makes the difference. There are some good third party lens makers, but there are a lot more cheap lens makers. In general the camera makers lenses are of good quality. A camera store may be more interested in their cheap zoom and its high margin, than picture quality.

When you get some cash to spare, get a tripod.

General rule of composition: Get closer. Center of frame specs are rarely interesting. Get uncomfortably close...

[Calligirl]

12. NIKON!

I've had Pentax, Olympus, Canon... Nikons I htink are the best. Particularly the lenses...Don't skimp on the lenses!

[nine30]

14. Actually that really depends.

For sheer joy of use nothing beats a Leica M6 ( $3000 + including lenses) but I agree with r_u_stuck that for learning/experimenting with photography try one of the older rugged manual focus cameras.

I often use a manual focus Olympus OM-4 with the Oh-so-good Zuiko lenses purchased used from eBay. For handling and the joy of holding there isn't another camera like it.

If you want to devote more time to the art of photography and really make art work, try going large format ( largeformatphotography.info)
A used Crown graphic will cost in the neighborhood of $200 and the 4x5 negatives/slides will blow your socks off. ( I think I am getting a little ahead here )

[bloodyjack]

15. ahem...should be "recommendations"

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

16. Nikon N65

would be a good starting point. You may be able to find a nice kit for $150-200 on eBay, but for a new camera plus lens (probably a N75) you will probably pay a little more.

Two good places to get camera gear online are:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com
http://www.adorama.com

You may find that prices in local stores (especially camera stores) are much higher than what you will pay for the same equipment online.

You might also find this website helpful:
http://www.photo.net

[amber dog democrat]

17. Nikon FM2 or Nikon FM

Its still a fully manual camera - only uses the battery for the light meter.
I have used one for over 20 years - still happy with it.

[Davis_X_Machina]

18. Get a Pentax K1000.

It's the '73 Dodge Dart & stick shift & slant six of cameras -- I rolled mine down the side of Vesuvius for 75 yards or so, and it did no appreciable damage.

Basic, brawny, dumb -- only a simple meter -- but that means you have to learn how to take pictures.

[Mick Knox]

19. I love my Canon Rebel and not to expensive.

[bif]

20. Used Nikkormat

I had mine for over 30 years and took it all over the world. I recently "lent" it to my daughter when I made the switch to digital. The thing is so sturdy you could drive nails with it. And it's fully manual.

[Hand]

25. Good choice if you can find it!

One advantage of good used 35mm film cameras is that they can be had dirt cheap in these digital days. I've used a Nikkormat FS (totally manual--no built-in light meter, even) since 1970. It rode in my motorcycle fairing, backpack, car, etc., and has never had a problem. Takes a lickin' and keeps on clickin'! It's compatible with virtually all Nikon lenses and third-party offerings as well. Nowadays I usually just put on a third-party zoom lens.

:toast:

[NV Whino]

23. I have a Nikon N70

And I love it. (But I love my D100 more.) Check out www.bhphotovideo.com

I have purchased my last two cameras from them. They have a very good used department. Be prepared to spend more than $200. Camera bodies are cheap. Lenses are expensive. And lenses are the key to good photos.

[yellowdogintexas]

24. Putting my word in for Minolta

I have had two Minolta 35mm cameras and loved them both.
the old one is fully manual and the new one is auto w/manual features.

The old one is nicknamed "albatross" and weighs a ton.

I also have a simple Kodak digital and it is a ton of fun. It is the handy cam for cute kitty shots, tuck in the purse for events, and it does an amazing job in adjusting for light.

I was in Yellowstone in September and took some shots w/digital and Albatross ..the 35 mm photos bleached out and the digitals did not.

One of the companies has a new digital out that will accomodate lenses from its companion 35mm. You could get the 35 mm now and a good lens, then later add the digital body and an alternate lens..you could do anything with that combo.

I love my new Minolta with auto focus, as it does not weigh a ton and gets some wonderful details. Great for garden photos, and people photos.

do you have friends who are into photography? Maybe you could borrow some of their stuff or get them to demostrate it to you complete with the good bad and ugly features...

[OldLeftieLawyer]

29. Anything Nikon

I worked as a contract photograph for food magazines and, until we went digital, I was all Nikon FM. I love manual, though, so it might not be good for a beginner.

But, why wouldn't you want digital?

I just got a Sony T-1. Amazing camera.