What is the best SLR film camera with manual exposure capabilities for under or around 0?
This is for a college Photography I class. There are so many models out there I am feeling overwhelmed. Even telling me which ones to stay away from would be helpful. Thank you !
I found it at a rummage sale today for cheap. Thought I would do a little video to show it off.
What is the best SLR film camera out there?
I have used the Canon T70 for a good amount of years now and I'm wondering if I should stick with it or upgrade. I want to stay in the Canon family and I'm thinking either the Canon T90 of the Canon EOS Elan 7NE.
Tags: canon t70, slr film
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
If you expect you may want to move to digital, I would suggest you look at the used equipment market. You can pick up a great camera at a reasonable price there.
I have had good response from KEH Camera Brokers in Atlanta, http://www.keh.com/onlinestore/home.aspx . With 2nd day shipping, you could pick up a Nikon N90 (auto focus) with a 50mm f/1.8 lens for arround $200.00.
If you want a manual focus camera you could look at a Nikon FE with a 50mm f/1.8 AI lens for about the same money.
Restrict your choices to Nikon or Canon cameras. Any Canon EOS or Nikon FM2 or the like will shoot manually. If you get one of the newer Nikon N series cameras all the lenses that fit it will work on the DSLR you may later purchase if you get into digital stuff
in dreamland, child…slr cameras are a little more pricey than that…even old ratty ones…the lenses alone are worth about that on a bad day
GO to http://www.bhphotovideo.com, and do a search. You can search buy 35mm SLR, cost, etc. Dont forget the lens. Go with a simple 55mm lens. Sometime you can get the body and lens together, but not always. After your search, go thru the camera, and find which one has the “bells and whistles” that YOU want. For $300, body and lens, there wont be much.
Once you get a few choices, do further searches, online and “brick and mortar” shops, to find the best price.
Have fun.
The Nikon FM-10 is a current model that takes all Nikon mount full-frame lenses. The lenses you buy for it can be used in a DSLR when you move up. And it will use virtually any Nikon mount lens made in the last 30 years, such as Nikkor AF-D, AI-P, AF-I, AI-S and AF-S lenses.
It’s a solid film camera, with manual focus, manual metering, and a proven Nikon system behind it.
http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=6&productNr=1689
Here’s one vendor who has several outfits for under $250.
http://www.adorama.com/Search-Results.tpl?page=searchresults&searchinfo=fm-10
I hope this is helpful for you.
I’d recommend a Nikon N90s.
Search http://www.bhphotovideo.com, http://www.beachcamera.com, http://www.calumet.com and http://www.ebay.com
a few years ago I picked up an N90s, a 35-70mm lens and an SB-22 speedlight for $150.
The n90s is a great performer and dirt cheap.
Any SLR film camera willtake good pictures in manual mode. It’s the lens(glass on it) and skill of photographer that matter. In manual you are controlling the shutter speed, & aperture opening.
If you want a good camera that also has great auto features, I suggest the Nikon N90S or F100.
When you’re ready to go digital the Nikon D200 is excellent. And it will work with your film camera lenses.
check out http://www.says.com they have good prices and good info on their products.
If you can’t afford the Nikkor lens, than a good alternative is Tamron. Other name brand lenses are literally crap.
That is a hard question to answer. From a business standpoint (the last time I used a film camera in my business was over 5 years ago), film cameras are extinct. You must either be a photography student with an ancient instructor, or a real dyed in the wool hobbyist. In any case, the last two film cameras I used were a Canon EOS 620 and a Canon EOS 650. They were, in my opinion, a couple of the best film cameras ever produced. I think I still have the old 620 body tucked away in one of my closets.
In any case, I now use D5 Canons and they are so much more flexible and higher quality than the old film cameras I spent my first 30 or so years using in my business, that I don’t know how I was able to sell any images back then.
If you feel like it is time to upgrade, I think it is time to consider going with a high quality digital camera. When you finally go digital, you will probably regret that you waited so long. The T70 was the most advanced camera of its time, but that time has long since passed.
depends on the requirement, tastes, there’s a lot and all have they’re own nuances, just like cars or people or animals or flowers
The best camera for your exsisting system is the T90, this was the professional model and the last model with the FD mount that Canon produced. Should be fairly inexpensive now.
The T70 is a reasonable enough camera, if it’s still working then I wouldn;t see the T90 as much of a neccessity.
However unless you have lots of FD lenses then I would maybe think about moving to Canons newer system , the EOS system. This has an entirely different mount to your FD lenses and T70, and as such your lenses will not be compatable.
Also if you buy a later model such as the Elan & any flashgun you have for your T70, canon branded or not, will not be compatable.
However it is worth making the move with an eye to the future.
You’ll get autofocus, you’ll get far more sophisticated metering, far more sophisitcated E-TTL flash, quicker frame advance rates, and access to the world of EF lenses.
If at somepoint you might consider buying a digital SLR you can be certain that canon EF lenses will work with their DSLRs and EX flashguns will work too.
No reason to stop shooting film yet (I use both, film has the edge for some applications) but rather than spend more money on gear that is strictly film, you can spend money on a system that can have a life in the digtial age.
The 7E is a good camera, midrange model, with used film prices the way they are I wouldn’t buy anything lesser or older. Another cracking option would be the EOS 3. A real bruiser of a camera.
All the EOS cameras can be used in manual exposure mode and with manual focus if thats what you prefer, higher end models like the EOS 3 (you would need to check about the Elan 7) have interchangeable focus screens, so if you wanted to continue using manual focus with a split prism focus screen you could have one fitted.
Modern AF systems are very quick and accurate, they have various modes to suit your shooting style such as single point or multi-point, user select point or auto select point, and fast tracking focus called Ai Servo.
The best ever canon film SLR is the EOS 1V, these still command premiums at used prices and are available new, but at substantial cost. The EOS 3 can do nearly almost everything that the 1V can do but are a third of the price used.
why go low end if you can get an eos 1V for peanuts on e-bay. There was, with the nikon F5/6 never a better film camera on the market in 35mm
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