Should I begin photography on an analogue SLR?

Question

A friend has recommended I do this as I am an absolute beginner who wants to progress on to photography at a serious level; they said to learn on an analogue before moving on to a more expensive digital SLR- your thoughts?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Film or digital shouldn't be so much the determining factor as finding a camera that has manual controls for both aperture and shutter speed. This means that if you change the shutter speed the camera won't automatically find the appropriate aperture or vice versa. The idea is that you understand the basics, and that you are not letting the camera make decisions for you because there are times when you visualize in your head a certain image, but the camera's automatic settings decides to create an image contrary to what you want. In cases like this, you the photographer need to know when to over-ride the cameras settings so as to create an image the way you want to, not the way the camera wants to.
That said there are both film and digital cameras that have complete manual capabilities. In the digital category you have the Leica M8, Panasonic Lumix L1, Hasselblad 503CWD etc... Most of the cameras in this category are quite expensive, and if you aren't totally commited to photography the investment can be quite a bit even if you purchase used, which I highly recomend. In terms of film cameras you have a lot more to choose from, most of which you can get fairly cheap. One of my personal favorite manual SLR cameras has to be the Nikon F3hp.
If you are serious about photography perhaps before you purchase a camera consider getting a book on photography basics. You might also want to check these websites out keh.com or camerawest.com as both are excellent places to get a quality used camera at bargain prices.

Answer 2

If you can drop about 5000. dollars on a digital camera you can get pretty close to the crisp photos of an analogue. If you love photography go analogue for now. By the time you have a good grip on f stops and depth of field maybe the digital's will also.
I love them both, but until a digital camera can give me what film can I'll keep my analogue handy.
Learning photography takes time and yes film. More reason to study hard before opening that shutter.
Remember it is the photographer's eye and talent that make a great photo. The camera can help or harm depending on how well you know your gear.
I've helped digital owners at indoor events that did not have a clue what shutter speeds were good for.
Read photography books until you start blurting out photo mumbo jumbo, then read some more.
When you are ready young Jedi master the camera will find you.

Answer 3

An analogue SLR is cheaper to buy (you'll pick up great second hand bargains), though at the other end of things, developing your photos will cost more unless you have your own darkroom.

If you want to be a serious photographer, learning the nitty gritty of using an SLR is essential.

Another thing to keep in mind is that many photographers use both types of cameras. Great as digital cameras are, there are some things they still can't do as well as the old film-based ones.

Answer 4

Well you can get very cheap film SLRs, but you have to think how much it is going to cost to develop the film.

When you're starting out, you are probably only going to like or want to keep less than 20% of all the pictures you take - that's a lot spent on developing pictures you're going to throw out!

I would recommend getting a second hand digital SLR - there are lots around that are good value, since many people upgrade to the latest models and sell their old ones.

Check out your local camera shops for second hand deals, or look at ebay.

Buy a camera of the brand you want to develop with though, as you will keep your lenses when you upgrade the camera body.

Answer 5

I don't see the point as the functions are similar. The only difference are some of the automatic settings and of cause how the light that enters the lenses is captured on a medium.

I am trying to sell my Nikon F90x and though it's a great analogue camera, you get little money for second hand gear these days.

If your future is with digital SLRs, learn to use them from the start. (Unless you want to buy my camera... har!?)

Answer 6

Personally i would recommend buying a digital SLR analogue ones are better suited to serious photographers for someone that wants to progress to serious photography buy a digital SLR you can practice as much as you like and you don't have to pay for different types of film e.g. black & white, slide, ISO speed, number of exposures, and you don't have to pay for processing the film only to find out your pictures didn't turn out right
A digital SLR works like a analogue except you have more control over iso speeds picture quality automatic or manual focus you get a preview of the picture after you've taken it
a good quality digital SLR can cost £800+ and the better brands are Nikon or Cannon

Answer 7

Print houses that use traditional silver halides to print are getting harder to find, most develop the negative then scan and print digitally these days. They are easy to spot as they often offer a CD of your images. Don't think that film is the cheap way, work on £1 a print which soon adds up. There are lots of high quality film SLR cameras you can buy cheaply, the sheer quality of the mechanics are very seductive, Pentax were the market leader in this era and there are lots available, but digital started to be as good as film a few years ago for image quality and now beats it, certainly for the 35mm format and certainly in low light. The film 'look' that people go banging on about is actually limitations in the film. An extreme view I know, but IMHO it's true. Chris

Answer 8

This site contains photography tutorials and courses for you to study at your own pace. https://tr.im/XdBNI

To get started, all you need is a camera, whether it be the latest digital camera or a traditional film-based apparatus!

Read about what is ISO, aperture and exposure. Discover different types of lenses and flash techniques. Explore portrait photography, black and white photography, HDR photography, wedding photography and more.

Answer 9

Try Trick Photography Special Effects - http://tinyurl.com/jj5J6xSj1G

Answer 10

learn how to use a basic SLR before you start with anything else.

plenty to choose from on ebay