Where can I find a used SLR Film Camera for cheap?

Question

I need an SLR film camera for a black and white photography class where we will be developing our own film in the darkroom. It is not a hobby I have yet fallen in love with the hobby yet, so I would obviously not want to pay more than around one hundred dollars for a camera, is this doable????

Answer 1

Do-able, yes; practical, NO; sensible, NO; wise, NO!

Don't look for cheap; you'll get what you pay for. Getting a cheap camera will be a handicap in the long run and for the duration of the course. A cheap camera will not offer you the features you can have with a camera like the Nikon N80.

Get a good and reliable camera; don't work with junk. Be willing to spend at least $250 or a little more and you will NOT regret it. If you buy from eBay or a pawn shop... you might get "burned" with defective gear and you'll waste time, effort and money!

Go to www.keh.com and look for a Nikon N80, a very, very versatile camera (considered the Poor Man's Pro Camera); it can be used as a manual camera, semi-auto (in either aperture priority OR shutter speed priority) or totally automatic. You can use it with manual focus OR automatic focus (expecially if you don't have 20/20 vision); it also has a diopter adjustment if you have a slight vision impairment or wear glasses (or contact lenses). It sets the ISO for you, advance the film and rewind the film as you take the last shot. The BEST feature is that it has Average Metering (like manual cameras) and Matrix Metering plus Spot Metering (this is an extrememly valuable feature for difficult shot like when your subject is standing with the light coming from behind, so you don't get silhouettes). It is a no-nonsense camera and is made ergonomically. You'll want to keep this camera after you finish the classes, believe me.

I also recommend the Nikkor AF 28-105mm f/3.5-5.6D lens, but if you cannot afford it, go for the older but equally as good lens, the Nikkor AF 35-105mm f/3.5-5.D-macro, which is just as good but a bit more economical (make sure it says either micro OR macro on the lens... don't get the lens that is NOT for macro photography. You can use these as for wide angle (28-35mm), regular lens (45-55mm), a portrait lens (85-90mm) and as a short telephoto lens (105mm) and as a macro lens!

If you REALLY want to skimp and get a really cheap lens, go for the Nikkor AF 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6D lens. It's the best of the more affordable lenses, and it's a Nikkor lens... made by NIKON!

Other great features: a built-in flash (great for fill-in flash, or up to about 6 feet), has a hot shoe for a regular flash, and an on-demand grid lines to help you keep horizons level when shooting landscapes or seascapes. All of the features you need to grow with and a camera that you will NOT outgrow anytime soon. Check out the links below.

Also get the instructions manual and Thom Hogan's Book on the N80/F80, which has many, many great suggestions and tips on how to get the most of this fantastic camera.

Remember to check with www.keh.com for the camera and the lenses. If you don't see what you want, go back in a day or two; they're always getting new merchandise in. Be ready to buy once you see what you want because the cameras and lenses do not stay very long on their shelves. They're also a long established place and they ARE very reputable (not one of those fly-by-night places).

This camera will enable you to learn and get great images, and your classmates will envy you. That's a FACT.

Good luck and best wishes!

Answer 2

Ok- Here's what I suggest.... Go to an equipment store, or BestBuys or something... Speak with someone who knows their film stuff. Talk to them about good quality cameras - but don't buy it there! Just get the name and info of the one you like... Then, go online and search for ebay bargains or something... ALSO -- a lot of universities upgrade their equipment every year or so... so check with the Tech departments at local universities and see if they've got any equipment that they're selling pretty cheap. I went to film school and I know that they were giving away high quality SLRs to students for about 400 bucks or so. That's a pretty sweet deal ;) (I couldn't afford it at the time, but it's good to know that you can get good cameras that way.) Good luck!

Answer 3

Film cameras are pretty much selling out right now, maybe you could even get a new one for that cheap. I'd suggest you rather pay a little bit more and buy a new one istead of a used one. You never know why they want to sell it.
Besided once the new film cameras were about 70% more expensive, and now those people who paid that much won't sell them for a lot less then what they paid when it was new.
Good luck findin the right one!

Answer 4

I strongly agree with the ebay answer. I've switched to digital and was going to sell my film camera on ebay but they are going so cheap I just decided to keep it. You can get a good quality 35mm film camera with accessories for $100.

My film camera was a Minolta XG-1 and I see it, with accessories, selling for about $90.

Answer 5

Ask your photography teacher if he recommends any local used camera stores. We've got a local guy who sells cameras at the beginng of a semester, buys them back, then sells them again next semester. It works out for everyone. He doesn't charge an outlandish amount to what amounts to camera rental.

Answer 6

Keh.com is the worlds largest and perhaps cheapest used and new camera broker. You can definately get a good used camera for around the $100 price range.

Answer 7

I am thinking to sell my Pentax ZX-M. I have 50mm
lens on it + flash. Make me a offer then. I have had it for about 4years. I have used it maybe 4 times so it is practically new. Later

Answer 8

ebay. i bought a panasonic fz10 for about 140$$$ its originally 380-400$$$ try ebay.

Answer 9

ebay

Answer 10

ebay