I need a camera...?

Question

I am taking a photography class in the fall of '07, and I need a specific kind of camera. It has to be SLR, 35 mm., not digital, and not automatic. (I don't really know what any of these mean.) If anyone has a camera like this, or knows of where I could get one for a fairly inexpensively, I would really appreciate it.

Answer 1

I would suggest a Canon FTb and 50mm 1.8 lens. This is quite readily available either off of Ebay, or at KEH.com(one of the top used camera dealers).

To find one at KEH, do the following.

Click on "Camera Store". Under 35mm, click on "Canon Manual focus" and then on "Camera bodies". Look through until you find an FTb-they are listed roughly alphabetically. Anything marked BGN grade is fine, although I would suggest staying away from "Ugly".

Once you've found a body, go back to the Canon manual focus page and click on "Fixed focal lengths" under the lens heading. Scroll down to find a 50mm 1.8. Again, BGN is fine, but avoid Ugly.

These two things should cost less than $100, and probably less than $75. This is about as inexpensive as you're going to get for this type of camera.

Answer 2

Some terms:
SLR - Single lens reflex - you view the scene you are about to shoot through the same lens that will be used to expose the film. A little mirror in the camera body redirects the optical path to the viewfinder until you press the shutter button. The mirror then flips up and the shutter opens to expose the film

Not digital - ie film. The stuff you will (presumably) learn to expose, develop and print from on your course.

Not automatic - manual (only). Automation of various camera operations began in the 1970s for 35mm SLR cameras. Nikon introduced their first motor drive to automate film advance with the F2 (~1971). Automatic exposure setting was common by the mid-1970s, and automatic focusing followed about a decade later.

You will need to confirm which bits of 'not automatic' your school means. It might be happy with manual exposure and manual focus, and allow a motor drive for film advance. It might also be happy with a camera that can be operated in a manual mode, ie have the automatic focus, exposure etc turned off. This considerably increases the different makes/models that you could use.

The last manual only Canon models were the F series, introduced from the mid 60s through to the mid 70s. Most were also completely mechanical. The A series were all manual focus, with varying levels of automation for exposure control and shutter operation. The FTb is a good example, but remember that these cameras were made in the early 1970s, and it will be increasingly difficult to find a really good one.

Nikon FM2n, introduced in 1983, in production up to about 2001, and the FM10 (1998 - ?) were the last manual only cameras from Nikon. They were also completely mechanical. All other Nikons had some level of automation, initially for film transport, then exposure control and shutter operation, and finally auto-focus.

The FM10 appears to have been introduced to fill the very much the requirement you have - a new manual only camera for someone learning photography. It was introduced the year after the last manual only Pentax, the K1000 ceased production. I don't know much about this camera, but it takes the K series lenses introduced in about 1976.

You haven't mentioned what lenses you will need? Do you know yet?

I own an FM2n, FM10, FTb and FTQL, together with a range of prime and zoom lens. The FM10 is the lightest of these, but my favourite is probably the FM2n. The Canons are both good cameras, but heavy in comparison to the Nikons. They all take technically good photographs, whether I can match them artistically is another matter entirely.

Answer 3

I've been using Pentax 35mm cameras for years.Mine's an ME with a K mount bayonet fitting. I've just switched to digital and the lenses have the same mount, so I'm really pleased. Second-hand examples should be fairly easy to find, and not very expensive. I Iive in Dorset, UK, so I don't know about priced where u are, but I hope this helps.

Answer 4

Go on ebay, or any place that sells used cameras, and look for a Pentax K1000. It's the standard "student" camera.