Inherited Photography Gear Advice Wanted

[richard_akers]

<p>I have just been fortunate enough to acquire my Grandad’s photography equipment collection, as he no longer has any use for it because of its size and weight etc. I am an amateur photographer myself but would love to learn and improve.</p>

<p>Among the collection were 2 Nikon SLR's a Nikon FA and a Nikon FM along with a collection of lenses, filters and flash guns.<br /> Now forgive me if i get this wrong i will attempt to list of lenses and kit that are with the collection for these cameras. There is:</p>

<p><strong>Lenses:</strong><br /> Vivitar MC Tele Converter 2x-3<br /> Hanimex MC automatic zoom C-Macro1:4.5 f=80-200mm 52<br /> Nikon Zoom-NIKKOR 43~86mm 1:35<br /> Nikon Skylight 50mm 1:1.8</p>

<p><strong>Power Winder:</strong><br /> Cobra Power Winder n-1200<br>

<br /> <strong>Flash Guns: </strong><br /> Braun 2000 320BVC<br /> Nikon Speedlight SB-15</p>

<p>A Tripod and an extensive collection of films and filters remote flash releases etc.<br /> Now i am aware some of this stuff is quite old, but it has all been kept in excellent condition. What i am after is some advice on what to do, My Grandad suggested i use it, or sell some of the gear and put it towards a DSLR.</p>

<p>What do you guys think!</p>

<p>Cheers</p>

<p>Rich</p>

[SolaresLarrave]

Please, use it.

 

If not, send it to me.

[richard_akers]

<p>Haha, i take it from that in your opinion its definatly worth holding onto, the only reserve i really has is the lack of ability to play around while lerning, i will not be able to see my mistake till i get the film developed.</p>

<p>Is it possible to get a Digital SLR that wil lfit these lenses at all do you know?</p>

[c._f.]

<p>Use it and <em>enjoy it! </em> :)</p>

[tmcleland]

I concur! Use it, even if it's just sometimes. No DSLR is going to be worth the connection to the equipment you have. I

think old cameras are more fun anyway.

[JDMvW]

<p>The camera bodies wouldn't have much monetary value, but there are still lots of people shooting film as you would soon discover at any of the short-lived "film is dead!" threads that crop up from time to time. If the cameras and meters are still working, join in the fun of shooting film. I would suggest color negative film as a sort of universal medium, since it can be easily scanned into digital form (in fact, many developers offer that as an option), you can easily make either color or B&W prints from it, and it can be shown on computer screens to good effect. Slide film these days is still good, but requires more equipment to view in its native format, and is much more sensitive to exposure errors on these old, aging cameras where shutter speeds and so on may be just a little cranky.<br>

The lenses are a pretty middle-of-the road, cost-conscious collection. They will work fine on the cameras, but are not lost treasures waiting to be snapped up by collectors. The Nikkor is close to being one of their first zooms, and is decent, but dated. The Hanimex is a budget lens, perhaps made by Tamron. The extender will make either lens have a longer telephoto reach, but at a price both in the speed of the lens and its sharpness.<br>

The two zooms should be AI lenses, but you should be cautious in trying to fit them to new digital bodies.<br>

In any case, even if they can be fitted, they'd still be manual focus, and most modern Nikon bodies would not allow through-the-lens metering, which would make actually using them, especially with the extender, very difficult.<br>

The reason to use them would be nostalgic anyway, so I'd just give the film cameras new batteries and exercise the shutters a little and use everything together as a kit.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>On a slightly different but related topic. If your Grandad still has film--slides, or negatives--think about whether you might want to scan in at least some of the collection while your Grandad is still able to comment on the pictures, identify Aunt Suzy from Cleveland, and so on.</p>

[andylynn]

<p>Don't worry about instant feedback, generations of photographers have learned without it (including most people on this site, probably). There's 1-hour processing, and lots of good inexpensive film, and you've got an automated camera and a manual camera to support your learning curve. Go shoot something!</p>

[richard_akers]

<p>Thanks for you advice very helpful, JDM and the idea about scanning som of his old pictures is a great one thanks for that!</p>

<p>I also agree with the comments about the connection to the equipment that is why i am struggling with a decision. I think using them myself would be the best way to go.</p>

<p>I was aware the equipment wasnt of any great value but as a student on a very modest budget and an interest in photography, with the price of most moder cameras being well out of my price range at the moment. I was wondering would it still be any use which i am glad to see it most likely is. Or would it have been more useful fo put the proceedes aside for a new camera.</p>

<p>Looking forward to getting out and shooting with it!</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I now wish I had done my family pictures when people were still alive, and the stories I always meant to tape, but never got around to.</p>

<p>Your Grandad's gear was fine for its day, and unless it's damaged in some way, will still take wonderful pictures. I don't remember what batteries were in these but you might need to find substitutes if they were mercury batteries.</p>

[richard_akers]

<p>Just standard AA batteries, it has a set in already. Last time it was used it all worked fine, will try it out over the next few days.</p>

[radfordneal]

<p>The Nikon FM and FA are nice manual-focus film cameras, with the FA being the more modern one, offering aperture-priority and program-mode auto-exposure. The FM is all manual, except that there is a meter built-in. They're not highly collectible, but would fetch maybe $100 for the FM and $200 for the FA if you sold them, assuming they're in good condition. In that regard, note that the light-seal and mirror foam may need replacing (WILL need replacing if it hasn't already been done in the last decade or so). This is not too hard, with various cheap foam replacement kits that are readily available. (See the vendor "interslice" on ebay, for instance).</p>

<p>The lenses are nothing too special, which of course doesn't mean that you couldn't take good pictures with them. The SB-15 flash can be used for bounce flash, which is way better than direct (like from a built-in flash), but is a bit underpowered. It should (I think) work in TTL mode on the FA, and in non-TTL auto mode on the FM.</p>

<p>If the lenses worked on the FA, they will work on all later Nikon film and digital SLR cameras. However, on lower-end cameras, the camera's meter won't be usable with them. (Of current Nikon DSLRs, I think only the D300, D3, and D3x would meter with them.) The SB-15 flash is compatible (ie, usable and won't cause damage) with all Nikon's later film and digital SLR cameras. However, it won't be usable in TTL mode on any DSLR; it will be usable in manual and non-TTL auto mode. Non-TTL auto actually works pretty well with a DSLR.</p>

 

[mark_drutz]

<p>The gear is pretty dated but still usable. I would't sell it . It has more sentimental value than monetary value.</p>

[ArthurRichardson]

<p>Richard, the mere fact that you don't have instant feedback perhaps forces you to think before you shoot.</p>

<p>I just got a fabulous D700 but I found myself confronted with more just-ain't-right shot than during my film days. Film cost money, so I was using my brain before firing away.<br>

YM2C</p>

[hammer531]

<p>The AA batteries are for the winder . I don't recall if they power the meter when attached . But both cameras take two button batteries that are under a round screw in cover on the bottom of the camera .</p>

[SolaresLarrave]

The batteries are probably the D76 type.

 

Richard, I'd give the gear a try. Yours-truly purchased a digital behemoth (to me, not to others), the Nikon D700... and

guess what is it I've been shooting the last month? My meterless Leicas (M3 and M4-2).

 

Load up the camera, take the glass for a spin, burn the roll, take it to a one-hour lab and ask for the film to be just

developed and scanned into a CD. No prints. It's incredibly cheap... and you get two sets of scans: one at a very decent

resolution, and another at low resolution. At least, that's the deal I get at my local Walgreen's.

 

Take care!

[JDMvW]

<p>You do want to take all of the old batteries out and wipe them off (not with your shirt tail), If the "button" batteries are swollen, don't use them. Modern equivalents (from Wein™ for one), don't last as long and are not quite so accurate, but you can get them from real camera stores.</p>

[david_carroll4]

<p>The FM (and therefore almost certainly the FA) take standard silver oxide batteries - no problem getting replacements at a drugstore or anywhere else.</p>

[richard_akers]

<p>Yep, I was mistaken about the batteries whatever they are they were just replaced before he gave me the stuff so its good to go.<br>

I will give the camera a run out tomorrow more than likey and see what sort of results i get.</p>

[paulbrobst]

<p>I would keep it, put some Velvia through it. Digital is great and convenient but if I had all that equipment I would keep it and use it. Getting familiar with film and manual cameras is an excellent way to improve your photography, but it can get expensive for film/developing. I would test everything and just keep the items that are most useful, the rest I would sell. </p>

[stephen_asprey2]

<p>The FM will be worth a bit, but not the rest. Sell the FA now and use the rest to learn all about exposure, speed and focus. Pay no attention to digital prophets. Film is fine for the learning process and very cheap. With fine grained film you can produce images with your kit that would be the envy of the z generation and at a fraction of the cost. Then when you move to digital it will be so much easier.</p>

 

[leland_pritchard]

<p>Rich,<br>

As always excellent advice from the photo netter's. You have some good equipment now just learn to use it, just go out and do it !!!!</p>

[richard_akers]

<p>I agree Leeland excellent advice, very much appreciated.</p>

<p>I do also have myself a Fuji Finepix s5700, its not an SLR but it does have a shutter priority, aperture priority and manual mode which has been great to teach me some of the more advanced parts of taking a photograph. <br /> Stephen from my understanding the FM is the older of the 2 cameras, what are the reasons for the higher value and using this one rather than the FA?</p>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>As my oldest son says, "why not both?" The FA will be good to start with because it's automatic. Start with the 50mm lens and learn to use it first. When you feel comfortable with it, try the FM. Being manual exposure it will make you think a little befoer taking a photo. Who knows, you may become a classic Nikon enthusiast. Added advantages of the FM- will work without batteries and can also use non-AI Nikkors which can be real bargains.</p>

[nsfbr]

<p>Be careful about using them. The focusing screens in them will perhaps make you perpetually dissapointed when you get your first, second, third and so on, digital. Just about every manual focus camera is a joy to peer into as compared to the modern equivilent - and some, like my D70, are just dreadful.</p>

<p>On the other hand, the more time you invest in using a pure manual film SLR, the more you will appreciate what a modern dSLR will do (and won't do). Some day, we will have digital cameras that have the wonderful properties of film. We aren't there yet. It is probably pretty important to know what those properties are first hand. I couldn't imagine not having learned on film. (And for what it's worth, darkroom time is really the only way I make sense of Photoshop techniques like burning and dodging, etc. Even USM and the various other sharpening techniques have their roots there.)</p>