Beginner...

[vicky_h1]

Hi ive recently been on to India and i took my digital camera its only a cheap

one just to click and go, but i went with some people who had classic and

digital slrs and i really likd the pictures they took they were amazing. So i

wondered if anyone could give me any advice on a begginers classic slr i can

buy and any more advice for begginers.

Much appreciated,,

Vicky.

[charles_stobbs3]

You can do a lot of learning and practicing with the camera you already have. Find a good book on photography in your public library and practice, taking notes as you go.

[steve_bellayr]

read Matanle"s books Classic Cameras & Classic SLRs. After that you should have a very good idea about which cameras to look for and you will be able to ask the correct questions when buying.

[steve_bellayr]

try www.cameraquest.com also for old rangefinders. You will find that interesting but those items when found are costly. There are other sites that will come up that are also interesting. And, there are several outstanding essays on this site under gearing up.

[kymtman]

You might try a Kodak Retina IIIc. I took one of mine out today to give it a try, had not shot with it before since I bought it a year ago. Can't let them sit around you know. It is a very nice camera with a sharp German lens and it folds up and fits in your pocket or pocket-book.<div></div>

[connealy]

You should be able to find a good old slr for under a hundred dollars. There are many brands to choose from; the main thing is to try to get one that doesn't have functional issues and comes with some guarantee to back that up. I've been shooting the same Pentax Spotmatic for 35 years. I had it in the shop once about ten years ago to have the speeds adjusted and the light seals replaced.

[daniel_cytron]

Go to keh.com. You can get one there with a warranty for the same or less than ebay.

 

You can't go wrong with a Minolta SRT or Pentax K1000.

 

Don't be afraid of Bargain rated stuff, it is fine.

[stephen_w.]

I can support the previous, except getting a rangefinder. Quality SLRs are dirt cheap. Too bad you missed my latest give-away:

 

http://www.photo.net/gc/view-one.tcl?classified_ad_id=678432

[Mike Gammill]

A Minolta SRT, Pentax K1000, Olympus OM-1, Canon FTB, or Nikkormat(don't remember exactly which one) will be a great learning tool because you have to set lens aperture and shutter speed. And if your battery expires, you can still take pictures. Some autoexposure SLR's do offer limited battery independence if you want a little more automation. Haven't seen a digital that will work without batteries.

[shane_hansen]

<P><I>A Minolta SRT, Pentax K1000, Olympus OM-1, Canon FTB, or Nikkormat(don't remember exactly which one) will be a great learning tool because you have to set lens aperture and shutter speed. And if your battery expires, you can still take pictures.</I></P>

 

<P>I'll have to throw in a vote for the Canon AE-1. You can easily get started with one of those and a 1.4 50mm lens for ~$50, maybe even less. The meter runs on a battery but I've had mine in for probably 7 years and it's still good. I'm not a professional photographer so I've probably only put 50 rolls through in that time.</P>

[richard_oleson]

I like Mike Gammill's list best. Try to get a user's manual for whichever one you get.... if you can't get the manual, there are places on line where you can download all you need to know for most of them.

[sumo_kun]

There are a lot of good cameras out there to be had. And they are usually cheap! The classic starter/student camera is the Pentax K1000. Its fully manual. Actuaklly, that is something you will need to think about. Do you want a full manual camera or one with some automation built in? Just about everyone will say that its best to learn on a manual camera but I would beg to differ. Autofocus is a personal choice, so it depends on your needs for that one but auto exposure is useful. Think about it. You go on a trip to take photos and you are not fully comfortable with manual metering. There is a really good opportunity but because you have to think about all the settings, you miss it. With a auto camera, you point and then shoot. Simple. Now you have the shot, you can proceed to set it to manual mode and then fiddle with the settings all you like. Starting with a manual camera is frustrating and although you will be grateful later for learning about exposure etc, taking photos is the most important part.

 

So, I recommend you get a camera with at least some sort of metering built in. Better if it has an auto exposure mode that you can over-ride when you get more confident. Now the main dilemma becomes your focussing method. Auto focus cameras will have auto exposure usually. Some can take manual lenses (Pentax, Nikon) and you can manual focus but the problem is the screen on just about every autofocus SLR is useless for manual focus.

 

It also depends on your budget. If you have a tight budget, you will want to go with manual focus because the lenses are cheap and of good quality. For a low budget, I would get a Pentax K mount camera. Personally I have the MX. Make sure you get one with a meter. It won't be automatic but at least you have a meter. Its not too bad once you get the hang of it. You look at the needle/LEDs and then change the shutter speed/aperture until they indicate a correct exposure. You get to learn about exposure and you have some convenience. I think some later Pentaxes had auto metering. The P30 was it? Or something like that. Search around and I'm sure you will find one. For a higher budget, I would go for a cheaper auto focus SLR. I got the Canon EOS 55. Has autofocus and all these other random features you will likely not need. They're speed to use and they have manual override etc. Problem is that they are autofocus only and the lenses are pretty expensive for good quality ones. So, take your pick! Since you are probably going to be travelling, you will need a versatile camera that you can operate quickly. Auto everything cameras are great and anyone can use them but they lack feeling in my opinion. Manuals are great because they are solid and reliable, and they feel like a real travel partner. But they are slow to use until you get used to them. I personally started wtih an auto evrything camera (the Canon) adn then I subsequently went all manual, hand held spot meters and all! For learning, you can use anything as long as you have the determination and motivation to do so.

[jon_b.1]

Let me put in my vote for a Nikkormat EL. The EL model has both automatic and manual exposure capability, and unlike many classic SLRs the batteries are not obsolete and are readily available. They are very solid and durable, and have a metal shutter instead of cloth...no leakage problems. Like most film cameras, they are reasonably priced and there are miriad lenses available. On the downside, they are a bit heavy.

[john falkenstine]

If you still have a local camera/photo shop there's a very good chance that they will have a selection of decent used cameras for sale. Another source that I have used in the past are pawn/hock shops. In one case I got a Fujica St901 in working order for $40.00 complete with lens. However you can still buy a very good NEW slr with a lens for less than $200.00 In such a case you will have an excellent camera and none of the aging problems that older cameras have.

[nagle]

Get an Olympus OM2n. Possibly the best slr evermade:) Small, light, looks divine. Ive had four of them.

[lauren_macintosh]

If you want a classic and thats simple to use: My suggestion is get a Zeiss Ikon Contina Model # 529/24 this model has an Interchange-able lens its called Pantar , the camera comes with 45mm F2,8 lens then at some time if you wish to you can locate yourself a 30mm Pantar or a 75mm pantar for the camera also: when I say Its simpple to use I mean it:

One make sure the meter is working if not get a cheap light meter!'!

two you would set the ASA as it was knowen back then now called ISO now on the dial on top of the camera, then pop the light meter hood or you light meter and take a reading, if on the carea then just line-up the circle with the neddle and the it will tell you how you need to set the camera for shutter speeds and F-stops, I use the red numers and lock them and I go by those settings [ which are called EV settings] then take a guess at the amount of space between you and your subject: cannot get any simpler by my books than that!!!\\

good luck which ever way you go: the Zeiss Ikon Contina should not run you more than 50dollars\\\Lauren

[m._howard_edwards]

In line with Chuk Tang's post, I suggest a Nikon N50 with a 35-80mm, f4-5.6 kit zoom. It is dirt cheap, and very versatile. It is auto everything, but it is switchable to manual.

 

A minus is the hokey, early version user interface, but it is invisible once it is learned, and the learning curve is not very steep. The lens is slow, but it has a built-in flash. It is lightweight and makes an excellent walking-around camera, even for taxing lighting situations. I repeat: it is dirt cheap.

[steve_bellayr]

On this site classic cameras are 1970 and earlier. However, for your purposes you can extend that date somewhat. Be aware that the glass or lenses are very good but for some cameras the meters need batteries that are no longer available and special inserts are needed. Zoom lenses for early cameras are extremely heavy and you would not want many of them. A classic slr system would have several lenses based upon what you want to photograph. The 50mm lens is the basic lens that came with the camera. This lens, however, has gone out of vogue as of the moment. For street photography people are using the 35mm lens. Other lenses that you might consider are the 24mm or 28mm for landscape and architecture. The 85mm is for portraits. Some people prefer the 105mm lens. After that you get int the telephoto range. If you go to this system consider to what use you want to put the camera to and the availability and cost of the lenses. Some systems have many lens and are readily available as they sold well. Others, equally good, sold poorly and lens availability is limited.

[david_m]

Prices of classic SLRs have dropped a lot. Don't pay more than US $25 for one. Good ones that are undervalued are the Fujica ST605n and the Vivitar 250/SL. It's easy to find either very cheaply and they both accept screw-mount lenses.

[fernando_mcsoto]

Go for any classic SLR is good state. You sholuld get it damm cheap.

[steve salmons]

No-one has yet mentioned the screw fit Pentax Slr cameras. The best to aim for is probably the Spotmatic F as it does not have the battery issues of the earlier Spotmatics. The earlier models such as the S1a and the SV had no meter at all and while lovely cameras to use are perhaps not appropriate here.<br>

The best thing about using the screw fit Pentax however is the bargain SMC lenses available for very little money. The common prime lenses, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm and 135mm can all be had for sometimes laughably small sums. The Pentax Super Takumars and Smc Takumars will not disappoint. Good luck in your hunt

[arjun_mehra]

Vicky, if you're interested in getting an S.L.R., or a "classic camera," that's fine. I'd suggest, though, that you not invest in a "good" camera in the hope that doing so will somehow dramatically improve your pictures. Using an S.L.R. (or rangefinder, or T.L.R., or large-format, or whatever sort of camera) is different from using a modern "point-and-shoot" digital camera in at least one very significant way: it's harder. "Harder" does not, however, imply that its results are any better. Yes, there are more things you can manipulate, and, going the whole nine yards (from developing your film to making your prints), you might get a better "final result" (all other things being equal). Nevertheless, if you liked a picture you saw taken by someone using a Nikon F5 or a Canon EOS Rebel or an old Leica, you probably liked it because the person who took the picture knew what he or she was after, and knew how to get his or her desired result. My point is just this: A more complicated, more expensive, "better" camera, by no means, ensures better images; in fact, the added complexity and weight (you might not take it everywhere) might just make your photography worse (i.e, if you're unhappy with it right now).

 

My "speech" over, if you do want to get a classic camera simply out of interest, I think, at this point, you've gotten some very helpful advice here. Be sure, though, that your choice has what you need: If they're important to you, check for auto-focus, built-in metering, auto-rewind, etc. The farther back you go, the less likely it is that you'll find some convenience that's now largely taken for granted.

[wendell_kelly]

"The best to aim for is probably the Spotmatic F as it does not have the battery issues of the earlier Spotmatics. "

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "battery issues" - if anything, it is the Spotmatic F has has issues.

 

The Spotmatics prior to the Spotmatic F used a bridge circuit for the meter which automatically compensates for different battery voltages. That means that a (modern)silver oxide cell can be substituted for the original (now obsolete and unavailable) mercury cell without any problems with the meter accuracy. The current 387 silver oxide watch battery fits the Spotmatic battery chamber properly and is an appropriate substitute for the old 400 mercury cell.

 

The Spotmatic F used a different meter circuit, one which requires the 1.35 volts of the mercury cell; simply substituting a silver oxide or alkaline cell will cause inaccurate meter readings. Either a Wein zinc/air cell or the CRIS adapter will work well in a Spotmatic F or the camera metering can be recalibrated for a silver oxide cell.