Which MF 35mm SLR?

[chad_worthman1]

Due to the consumables cost of using my Mamiya C330S I've been

seriously thinking of selling it and buying a MF 35mm SLR. I sold

an autofocus/autoexposure Minolta to get the Mamiya, but my current

cost per image is approaching $2CDN (only one shop that

sells/develops 120 in my province). I figure I could get a lot more

pictures if I switched back to 35mm. I have a lot of fun using a

mechanical camera. I've now got a Sekonic meter, so I don't think I

want another AF/AE SLR.

 

I've already got a Nikon Coolpix 5400 and SB-26 speedlight, so I

think I'll stick with Nikon. I'm thinking of getting either an F2,

F3HP, FM, maybe an Olympus OM-1. I know the F3HP has an electronic

shutter, is it still a good choice?

 

This is in preparation for the birth of my first child, coming in

July. I know I'll be taking a lot of photos of her. Would I be

making a mistake getting manual focus to take pictures of a

baby/toddler? Should I just get an F75 or F80 instead?

 

Thanks,

 

Chad

[awahlster]

Canon F-1 F-1n or FTb

[paul_blum]

Chad: Occasionally my wife uses the camera, and it's nice to have one that she can put into auto-exposure mode. She doesn't understand f-stops and all that other fun technical stuff which turns us on, she just wants to focus & shoot. I have a Nikon FG which is perfect for this, and it also features thru-the-lens flash metering with a Nikon -dedicated flash (I have a Sunpak 433D). So, while I'm off to work, she was able to take pix of the baby growing up. Something to think about.

Otherwise, I highly recommend an FE, or even better, an FE2 which adds the TTL flash metering. Both cameras give you Aperture-priority Auto-exposure mode for those lazy times that you don't want to set exposure manually (You set the f-stop, the camera controls the shutter). These are very rugged cameras and can be had inexpensively.

 

If your wife is artistic / creative at all, get her interested in putting together creative photo albums as your children grow! She'll be more likely to support your photographic hobby!

[jordan_w.]

If you take B&W with your Mamiya, you should consider processing your film at home, which will keep the cost down considerably. Buy film from Freestyle -- their "house brands" are good and shipping to Canada is reasonable (you will still save money). As for a MF Nikon, a good inexpensive option is a Nikon FG.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

The Mamiya is nice, but too slow to use when photographiong an active child (I used to have a C330f). You might want more than one camera - a Contax T2 or T3 - fast and easy to use with a wonderful lense. For the SLR, manual focus is fine. You'll get lots oof practice focusing. For Nikon, the FE2 is very nice (I also owned one long ago). Otherwise, the Contax CY mount camera bodies are excellent, and the Zeiss glass is wonderful. You should look at the 85/1.4 MM lense for portraits. As fpr bodies, the RTS II, RX, or Aria, depending on personal likes, are all solid.

 

As for electronic shutters - they seem pretty reliable to me. But always carry a spare battery.

 

Robert

[randrew1]

The good news right now is that film SLR bodies are cheap and plentiful on eBay. For taking pictures of infants, a manual focus camera will work fine. Once they get older and more mobile, autofocus is worth having. I can remember the years my wife and I were trying to get a good picture of the kids to include in Christmas cards. I was shooting with a manual focus SLR with a powerful flash that took several seconds to recharge. My wife would shoot with a Kodak K-12 that had a very fast autofocus and a flash that recycled in less than 2 seconds. She got all of the good shots.

[ethan_melad]

i'm a big fan of f3's. theyve never given me any trouble, shutter is consistant, and if you

get stuck without a battery you can still pop the shutter mechanically.

for auto exposure you might want to look at an FA..their electronics are sometimes a little

sketchy, but when they work they work really well.

[larry h.]

"This is in preparation for the birth of my first child, coming in July. I know I'll be taking a lot of photos of her. Would I be making a mistake getting manual focus to take pictures of a baby/toddler?"

 

With all due respect, yes. MF will be fine until they start to crawl. When my twins turned one, I bought my first AF camera.

[awahlster]

WOW I take photos of cars at the drag strip and airplanes at the air show and horses and bulls at the Rodeo and people on the street and and and and I use a manual focus camera with no problems TLR's RF's and SLR's the only camera I can't seam to get action photos right with is my Canon G3 digital. If the kids are moving to fast move away from the kids a bit if you want a tight crop do that after you take the shot. OR use a longer lens. What did you guys do before 1984? My dad has shoe boxes full of Kodachromes taken of us four kids starting in about 1957 and going through about 1976 and he was using a Braun Paxette RF he didn't seam to have any problem with getting good shots of us.

[gaburdette]

I have a Mamiya M645, a couple of Minolta MF bodies and a couple of Minolta AF bodies. The Mamiya and Minolta MF cameras are a pleasure to shoot with but when chasing my children (6,4 & 9 months) around I would not trade my Minolta AF bodies for anything. My advice would be to keep the Mamiya if possible and pick up a used F80 from some place like KEH.

 

Congratulations! Since this is child number one your world is about to be turned upside down.

 

Greg

[frank uhlig]

How about an F100: very nice camera, and if you are very particular, you can set it to go manual-manual-built-in-spotmeter.

 

You will have one of the best all around cameras. And you will need not to look back ever even when your Sekonic meter runs out. Matrix metering will always be right on, once you learn/care how to switch it in/on, but do use that lightmeter for now; you have paid for it ....

 

Manual is so much fun, though! For better pictures I do, however, on occasion use the built in conveniences of the F100, lazy me, and I enjoy them tremendously, too.

[kenny allyn]

I vote for a Minolta XD11 or X700 in MF ...

 

My personal fave is the XD11 but having used an X700 for some 15 years the P (program) full auto exposure mode is nice ... I like the cheap! 45mm f2 "pancake" lens and the 50mm f1.7 for normal length and the 28mm f2.8 wide angle. The 135mm is a good cheap tele choice ... add a $15.00 eBay special Vivitar 2x converter and double you fun. For a zoom you can't beat the 35mm to 70mm f3.5 macro lens ...

 

I've used Minoltas for years and consider them very underrated ...

I also use Nikon AF and Leica and Leica based RF cameras and lens ... but have 5 Minolta MF bodies and some 16 lens ... so I guess you could say I like them!

 

As for AF ... I have a Nikon N75/F75 I really like ... with the 28mm to 100mm zoom lens ... It is plastic fantastic!

 

Kenny ...

[low light]

F3hp is excellent, in fact i use it more than my F100. It is the best manual SLR ever made and a pleasure to use.

[frank granovski]

Chad, take a look here http://www.photoethnography.com for suggestions.

[frank granovski]

Re: "I'm thinking of getting either an F2, F3HP, FM, maybe an Olympus OM-1."

 

The F2 is very nice, so's the FM. I prefer the FM2 over the F2 and FM, however. Today I would pick a SLR with TTL flash, though.

[frank granovski]

The best SLR ever made?? I don't know, but perhaps read this about Gandy's Nikon picks:

 

http://www.cameraquest.com/nikonslr.htm

[frank granovski]

Sorry, one more post. Have you looked into the Pentax LX? That's a very nice SLR.

[frank granovski]

Pentax LX info here:

 

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/pentaxlx/index.htm

[chad_worthman1]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

The F100 is too expensive for me right now. The FE2 looks nice, but I'm now beginning to think I may as well go plastic and AF for when the baby begins to run around. The N75/F75 has a fairly slow flash sync speed (1/90) so that's turning me off a bit. I believe the F3 has the same sync speed, so that'd be out too.

 

The F80/N80 has a sync speed a bit faster (1/125), but it's still not as fast as the FE2 (1/250).

 

Developing at home isn't really feasible right now and I'd love to keep the Mamiya, but I'll need to sell it to finance a new purchase.

 

There's lots to think about! Feel free to keep giving advice.

 

Thanks,

 

Chad

[frank granovski]

If I were starting out with a SLR system, and I didn't have much money, I'd look for a Spotmatic 11a and a 3 screw-on lenses. They're good SLRs and they're dirt cheap. If I just wanted to get a camera, and I didn't have much money, I'd get a rangefinder with a fixed lens such as the Yashica Electro GSN, Olympus 35RC. You don't need an expensive camera to take great pictures. You just need a good camera and a little bit of elbow grease.

[kenny allyn]

You know you could have a range finder AND AF ... the Contax G1 and G2 systems get you into Zeiss glass too... they generally run from around $400.00 to $600.00 on that BIG auction site ... check them out.

 

http://contaxg.com/

 

Kenny ...

[andy_aitken]

In your position I would definitely go with the above advice. Contax G series kit is going used for really good prices these days. Also, before you know it your child will be crawling/running all over the place (gawd knows mine is) and you'll be very glad of the AF. Nice and compact so you can take it with you everywhere and great lenses. I'd get one myself but my wife says I have far to many cameras and shes always right ;-)

[StuartMoxham]

I am a big fan of the FM series bodies, as you know they are totaly manual and mechanical, but I understand your concern that maybe an AF camera would be better for you. While it is possible to photograph small children with a manual camera given that new technology is available to make this easier why not take advantage of it in this case. You can always use the AF camera manualy if you want to. As you have an SB26 you could go for a Nikon AF body you don't need an F100 you could manage with an F50 but you may prefer an F75 or F80 I am not familiar with the F75 or F80 so I can say they perform. Incidently my wife has managed with an F50 since 1998 and is now on her second F50 body, for what was a budget body it works very well. They are now available very cheaply used. Another model to consider is the N90s I bought one of these to use while I worked on cruiseships and it served me very well and it balances much better with a heavy flash and zoom lens than the small FM bodies and would be really at home with your SB26. You should really go to a store and try to hold some of these bodies and see which ones you like the feel of.

[richard_meyers]

Chad -

 

I'd choose the F2. The F3 is a fully electronic camera. If the battery fails, you only have 1/60 sec. Of course, carry a spare battery and it's not an issue.

 

Both the F2/F3 are pro bodies and are built more ruggedly than the consumer models. Since were taking a used body (except maybe an F3/HP) I'd say you're better off with something built to last in the first place.

 

Another nice feature of Nikon is that most of the newer Nikon lenses can be used on these bodies although of course in stop-down mode and some features aren't applicable such as AF, etc.

 

Good luck in whatever you decide.

[ray g.]

Chad,

 

Let me see if I understood you right. You are looking for a manual 35mm SLR, with a fast synch speed, and would like to stick with Nikon?

 

That really narrows it down to the FM2n or, if you want aperture priority, the FM3a.

 

An enviable predicament! Good luck.