What older manual 35mm camera is the best to purchase? price max out at 350

[wmwhee]

<p>As I think about it, the nikon f3 camera is not a mechanical camera. I think it requires a battery for operation. Also, it featurtes aperture priority mode. The fm2, however, is a mechanical camera. That would be the one for me.</p>

[mattclark]

<p>I would agree with one of the previous posters that this thread really does go all over the place. <br>

But regarding the original poster's intent to go Minolta, I think my ideal $250 batch of lenses (assuming that's the money left) would be a Minolta 24mm f2.8 ($100), a 35mm f2.8 ($30), a 50mm or 58mm f1.4 ($40), a Vivitar series 1 70-210mm ($30), and tack on a B&W 55mm polarizer ($20) and a Minolta 320 flash ($20) for good measure. All prices are ebay prices. That's a kit that puts more quality at the wide angle range of your spectrum. The Vivitar telephoto is versatile, but not the greatest quality optic, but if you're shooting telephoto, you probably want to use digital anyway. Alternately, one could cheap out at the wide end and get a Minolta 28mm f2.8 in lieu of the 24 and 35 and have $100 to spend on a better telephoto, a 135mm, or a macro lens.<br>

One's choice of a manual focus system really does depend on whether you want to adapt your lenses to a Canon/Nikon digital system. If you've got to adapt to one of those systems, I would agree with the posters in the Nikon/Pentax screw mount veins of the thread, though I'd say cheap out on the body and get better lenses. If not (or if you're adapting to 4/3) Minolta is a great way to go.</p>

[stephen_asprey2]

<p>For the money and with these criteria:<br>

1. Inexpensive<br>

2. Quality<br>

3. Timeless<br>

4. Can use all the lenses the manufacturer made, including the current one's.<br>

5. Repairs and spares still available.<br>

...there are really only two that qualify. 1st is Leica, but far too expenseive for you. 2nd is Nikon.<br>

The three best and most affordable earlier Nikons that meet all the above standards are the FM2n, FE2, F3, F4s. I have them all as well as a D300 (trading on a D700). My favourite is the FE2. It is small, built with the best materials like titanium and magnesium, works in Manual or Aperture Priority auto mode. The FM is like a fully manual FE. I love the F4s for all its features of a pro body, and its bomb proof. It will also support all nikon slr lenses ever made. As one current reviewer said, "its the Rosetta Stone of SLR film cameras".<br>

I did not include but still have an Olympus OM1n. It's on a par with the Nikon FM, but battery availability for the meter is now an issue. The good Zuiko lenses are also hard to get.<br>

I hope this biased opinion is helpful. It comes from my 40 years of photography, and if you put it all in a can and look at it as a whole, it's why so many people are loyal to and stay with Nikon.</p>

[Brian]

<p>People should read the thread before posting. The OP has bought a Minolta SRT-102 and wants advice on lenses.<br>

My picks would be the 28mm f2.8 (any version) and the 58mm f1.4 Rokkor-PF.</p>

[dennis_margeson]

<p> Any MC or MD Minolta lens will give you excellent optical quality and be rugged enough to survive decades of use. Don't rule out Minolta zooms either.<br>

My suggestion would be: All Minolta...(don't compromise quality)<br>

24~35mm f3.5 <br>

35~70mm f3.5<br>

75~200 f4.5 or 70~210 f4<br>

All of these lenses have a 55mm thread size so you only need 1 set of filters. And don't forget to add a Minolta flash to your system.</p>

[dennis_margeson]

<p> Any MC or MD Minolta lens will give you excellent optical quality and be rugged enough to survive decades of use. Don't rule out Minolta zooms either.<br>

My suggestion would be: All Minolta...(don't compromise quality)<br>

24~35mm f3.5 <br>

35~70mm f3.5<br>

75~200 f4.5 or 70~210 f4<br>

All of these lenses have a 55mm thread size so you only need 1 set of filters. And don't forget to add a Minolta flash to your system.</p>

[rdm]

<p>hey Dennis, i agree with you on everything because i use minolta and love them and the quality is superb. However theres really only one or 2 flashes with the minolta badge that are worth getting due to recycle time. Minolta Stoped making flashes for theiir non auto focus cameras a long time age, when Fast strobes wer not too common place and not that cheep. And i dont know if the early autofocus Minolta brand Flashes wer backwards compatible. You can get a good of beter aftermarket brand strobe in my opinion. I personally use a sunpac with TTL dedicated flash foot, I can take 5 consecutive pictures with my motor drive before I need to wait 30 seconds for it to recycle.</p>

[User_502260]

<p>I have three 280PXs and one 360PX. These are dedicated flash units made to work in TTL mode with the X-700 but the 360PX will also work as a regular automatic flash with any camera. If you can find one at a good price and in working condition it should work nicely with your SRT 102. </p>

[andrew_brown7]

<p>Hi.<br>

There are so many great film cameras out there and the greatest imho ! is the Nikon F. My 3 all have non-working FTn heads and who cares. Not me, that's for sure! Just use a seperate meter is all. Rangefinders I find too fiddly and I've used 2 x 111a's, a 111c, and an M3 but I couldn't get on with them- that's me, not the cameras.<br>

Canon F1, Contax S2 (the spot metering one), Olympus OM3 (stolen), Minolta SRT101, OM1n x 2, OM1, FM2n, and perhaps a couple of others now forgotten; each when owned, with a few basic non-zoom lenses. I'm a rubbish picture taker anyway but I love to keep on trying to take a decent picture...and coming up to 40 years of trying !</p>

<p>But of them all, the Nikon F is the most astonishing. It was built to last a lifetime, 10 lifetimes, who knows! the Nikon engineers made it as good as they possibly could and I just feel they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. I feel sure they would be so proud to know that it is still a functioning piece of a technology which has now been thrown aside for things made of plastic.</p>

<p>Good luck in your search for the best for you !</p>

<p>Andy.</p>

[rdm]

<p>Yes Jeff Adler just named the 2 i was thinking of when i said there wer only 2 old miniolta flashes worth buying.</p>

[cj8281]

<p>Congrats on choosing your srt 102. I purchased an old srt 202 at a thrift store for $2 (body only). I have a 50mm 1.7 minolta lens and a Sigma 70-210 zoom. The sigma is only an f4.5 but i like it anyway. i shoot mostly outdoors anyway.<br>

For your original question my recommendations are Pentax K1000, Minolta SRT series, and possibly the Nikkormat FTn. I also have a Canon AE1 but i would recommend against it. I don't like the meter and it requires a battery to operate. The pentax, minolta and nikkormat all have a simple needle meters that is constantly adjusting to the scene. The AE1 shows the f-stop that is recommended so you have to move the camera down and adjust the f-stop before shooting the scene. The nikon lenses are more money because they are nikon. The pentax lenses are a bit more as they fit the pentax digital cameras as several posters have already mentioned. The minoltas are great cameras, since the lenses are basically orphaned from any of the new digital systems they aren't as sought after and can be had for great prices. If you are able to examine before purchase always check that the f-stop diaphragm is not sluggish. I recently purchased a Vivitar 135mm f2.8 and at 1/60th set at f22 it only closes down to maybe f5.6, so beware of as is purchases. I am a fan of the soligor and sigma lenses in the off brands.<br>

Right after i found my srt202, i found on line how to adjust the variable resistor under the floor plate so i could use a 357 battery. I used my pentax k1000 side by side and adjusted the srt 202 till they both were the same. I imagine you could always adjust the film speed to do the same thing though.<br>

Good luck with your SRT 102.</p>

[stephen_york3]

<p>Leicaflex SL or SL2. Too expensive in their day for mass appeal, and quickly outpaced by technology (e.g., aperture priority), but in terms of function, they beat the hell out of anything Nikon produced. But the Nikon F2 is a very nice camera.</p>

[ashton_lee3]

<p>This is an old thread, and the original poster has long ago found a camera.</p>

<p>But I thought I'd add my thoughts for others in a similar situation.</p>

<p>Now that digital has swept the world, the finest professional cameras of the 1960's-90's are available at fractions of their true worth. if you are getting into film photography, why not buy the best of the best.</p>

<p>Any film Leica rangefinder is a treasure. You need to be sure that you don't however want to use really short or long lenses or shoot ultra close-ups. And many of the older Leicas are unmetered. Rarely will a leica (say an M2 and a couple of lenses) seem affordable to a newcomer to film. They may be a better step up at some future time.</p>

<p>Nikons have always been professional workhorses, and the lenses are near Leica-like in quality. However both the original F and later F2 had awkward add-on meters. Either find a plain prism (unmetered) version, or look for the much more compact metered F3 ( a personal favorite). Alternatively the Nikkormat will give you near Nikon F quality with much sleeker design/dimensions than an F/F2 with a meter.</p>

<p>The Olympus OM cameras were tiny, had fabulous lenses, and were hugely successful with pros. They may not be aging as well as Leicas or Nikons however. I'm not sure... I've run across some fussy old Olympus electronics. In their day they were certainly equals.</p>

<p>Other pro cameras from the age would be Canon F1's and LeicaFlexes.</p>

<p>With any of the above you will have a camera good for the next 100 years, plenty of used lenses to pick from, and in the case of Nikons and Leicas the chance to upgrade to the latest technology and still use you older lenses.</p>

<p>For most beginning film photographers wanting a serious camera I'd suggest a Nikkormat, with 35, 50 and 105mm lenses. I could easily see the arguement for a 24 or 28mm lens as an addition to or alternative to the 35mm... but here we get into areas of style. Most old cameras will need a new light seal kit (replacement foam rubber) which can be bought on E-Bay for about $10 and can easily be installed yourself. If you have a bit more to spend look for the F3.</p>