camara for middle school student

[tom_hipple]

I need a camara for a middle school (in my day Jr. High) student...I don't want to loan her my m-4... but I do want her to learn to read the light and set the cqmara her self so a full auto point and shoot is out...

 

<p>

 

I am told that the old cannon QL G111 is a good range finder with full manaul controls...any one know much about the cannon and what do you think of it a first camara.

[jackflesher]

Tom:

 

<p>

 

Depending on how much you want to spend, I might first suggest an

older SLR - such as a Nikon FM (or FE in manual mode) and a 50 or 35

lens - as they're a bit more intuitive to previsualise and focus

with; and my experience with teaching youth is that early sucess

leads to sustained interest... If you want to have her learn with an

RF system, how about one of the cheap Russian copy Leicas?

[joshroot]

Pentax K1000 baby!

 

<p>

 

Unless you are going to get her a light meter, I'd stay away from

most of the 70's RF cameras. They don't have a metered manual mode.

So really won't be much help in teaching her to read the light.

[Spearhead]

I just gave my son an old Konica rangefinder (Auto S2) that I wasn't

using. I would have preferred to give him my Olympus 35RD (smaller

and lighter) but it's broken. I think any older rangefinder will do,

there's nothing better or worse about the Canonets, but meters are

often not working and mercury batteries are impossible to find

(although there are reasonably acceptable substitutes.)

[david_page1]

Tom, I agree with Josh that an SLR is preferable for instructing

beginning photographers vs 70's era rangefinders. I would recommend

an OM-1, K-1000, or FM with a 50mm lens. Plenty of good used cameras

are available at reasonable prices.

[iván]

Hi, Tom:

 

<p>

 

I just went almost all over the old threads archive looking for a

previous question very similar to yours that got many answers at that

time, but I couldn't find it for you.

 

<p>

 

But I remember that the the old Pentax K1000 was the most voted

recommendation. Even one of our friends who sells cameras to

photography schools recommended it.

 

<p>

 

Best of luck and have fun.

 

<p>

 

-Iván

[stevierose]

I just went through this with my own daughter. I ended up getting

her a Pentax MX, which is arguably the best fully manual K mount

camera Pentax ever made. It is small, light, but built very tough. It

has DOF preview. It takes any of the millions of used Pentax K

lenses for sale at used camera stores, camera shows, and on

the internet for very little money. If you can find one they sell for

about the same as a K-1000, but it is a better camera. Costs

about $150 with a 50mm lens.

 

<p>

 

I happen to collect old 70's rangefinders. The Canonette QL GIII

is a great camera with a very sharp lens that you frequently can

find for $50 or so in good condition. It will teach your kid to focus

manually and to think about exposure settings. It can be used

(without a battery even) in full manual mode, but the meter is

coupled to an shutter priority mode. So to shoot manually you

have to take a reading in shutter priority mode, note the Fstop

and then extrapolate from there. So it is not a truly manual

camera, but it is close and it is cheap, and it is not rare. The one

draw back is that it uses the now outlawed 625 mercury battery. It

is possible to use a wein cell substitute or buy a little miniature

battery converter (I forget who makes them but can find out for

you if you want). Some people have a camera repairman

re-adjust the meter for use with the newer alkaline cells, though

the voltage fall off curve is different for mercury and alkaline cells.

I still have a few mercury cells left over from the old days that I

still use. They last a long time. There are still a few places on the

net selling the old cells. Whether or not you feel comfortable

buying and/or using them is a personal matter (and set off quite

a flame war on another list recently).

 

<p>

 

If you want to learn more than you ever wanted to know about

these cameras and rangefinders in general check out Stephen

Gandy's www.cameraquest.com site, and click on the review for

the Canonette.

[Niels - NHSN]

I wouldn't torture a kid w. a fully manual camera like Pentax K1000

Nikon FM or some Russian LTM etc. It could easely kill any interest

in exploring photography further.<br>

My first camera was a Ricoh 500G, a coupled rangefinder w

shutterpriority auto, and full manual override. I think this type of

camera is excellent for supporting a growing interest -it was for me

at least when I was 13:<br>

First step; w. shutter set at 1/60 or 1/125 only focusing and framing

is needed to make a decent image. <br>

Second; the meaning of shutterspeeds in eg. freezing action becomes

more interesting to explore.<br>

Third; aperture and DOF begins to make sense and so does the

understanding of the relationship between the parameters.<br>

That most of these cameras doesn't support coupled metering in manual

mode does not matter too much, as long as you can see the suggested

reading.<br>

I would suggest SLR's like Nikon FE, Canon AE-1, Pentax ME, Olympus

OM-10 (w. manual adaptor) etc. if you should consider that route.<br>

But I dont think it is necessary; a smaller coupled rangefinder is

much easier to carry around = more likely to be used. -And it is not

such a big deal should it be damaged og lost.

[richie chishty]

A used Pentax K1000 with a 50mm/f2 lens can be obtained for $100-

$150, depending on condition. It used to be considered the perfect

student camera!................................

[Rob F.]

"I wouldn't torture a kid w. a fully manual camera like Pentax K1000

Nikon FM or some Russian LTM etc. It could easely kill any interest

in exploring photography further."

 

<p>

 

Well,I don't know. I learned on a Leica model D and Weston Master

exposure meter. Of course, my very first cameras were box cameras.

I'm talking about as a teenager when I say I learned on a Leica. It

was my dad's but he showed me what to do, and slowly let me use it

more and more. I learned to produce uniform exposures form one shot

to the next, and to understand DOF and hyperfocal distance.

 

<p>

 

Learning in this way didn't dampen my enthusiasm. It's only in

recent years that I've gotten spoiled by built-in metering: M6, FE2,

8008. I guess I believe in starting with learning basic control.

 

<p>

 

On the other hand, the reflex finder probably does help to develop

the ability to see what the film sees. Fewer surprises when the

pictures come back. I guess I could agree that an SLR is a very good

camera to learn with. Probably the concept of things being in and

out of focus is learned in a more experiential way with the SLR.

 

<p>

 

Actually, my first SLR, when I decided to try an alternative way of

seeing, was a Nikkormat FTN. Great camera. Today it goes for a

reasonable price used, and the lenses, being non-AI, can be picked up

very cheaply! So having thought it out, I'll join the camp

recommending an SLR as a learner.

[jackflesher]

Tom:

 

<p>

 

Had a thought... Don't know how much you want to spend, but you can

buy a new Nikon FM10 with the cheapo 35-70 Nikkor lens from new from

B&H for about $220. The FM 10 is MF and ME but also has an AE option.

From what I hear the lens isn't much, but the body is pretty good.

For the price, what the hey...