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35mm digital and film cameras for student
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I need to get a 34mm digital slr camera and a 35mm film slr camera for my college course in September, I have no clue which ones to get. Which ones would be the cheapest and best for a student? Could I get them second hand?
Try the classifieds here, and elsewhere. If you need both a digital and film slr, I would advise getting one that has the same lens mount, so you don’t need to double up on lenses. Also speaking of lenses, I would let lens costs dictate the slr you choose, if budget is your main concern.
Film slrs will be reasonable enough, and you should easily pick up something capable for €100 maximum, and most likely quite a bit less. Dslr-wise, go back a generation or two, and you will find a lot of bargains to be had if you buy used. There is a floor of about €200- €250 though, so no matter how hard you look, it will probably be impossible to find one lower than that.
I’m a Nikon guy, when it comes to slr’s and if looking for a recommendation in that regard, would advise something like a D80 which you should pick up for about €250- €300, pretty much any Nikon film slr, and something like a 50mm f1.8 Af-D autofocus lens for about €100 which can be used on both slr & dslr (but will act more like a 75mm lens on your dslr, due to the crop factor. That should set you back about €350- €400, so not sure how that fits in with your budget. In any case, the film slr can be very cheap, the lens reasonable, and the dslr the most expensive part of the trio.
EDIT: you may get a cheap zoom lens thrown in with the film camera, which will also be able to be used on both cameras, in the case of my Nikon example above.
You can’t go wrong with a Pentax k1000 or an Olympus Om10, both with a 50mm lens for a film Slr, you could pick either up for about €50,just make sure the meter’s working. As was stated a Dslr will cost you a bit more. You have a few months,buy either slr and play around with it for a while, it will give you a better idea of what you want. I’m fairly sure though your teacher doesn’t want you to buy the bee knees of a camera,the more basic the better. Both of the film camera I listed are basic,you could even pick a manual up online .Good luck.
dubtom wrote:
I’m fairly sure though your teacher doesn’t want you to buy the bee knees of a camera,the more basic the better.
Would definitely agree with Tom above, and not to get hung up your ultimate choice of camera. Your photography teacher will be used to seeing all sorts of students slrs & dslrs, and there really is no bad choice I imagine. As long as both cameras allow for manual operation (which virtually all slr’s & dslrs will), you’re laughing, and then it really all just comes down to your budget and the potential of your chosen kit to grow with you.
In any case, good luck with your search and your course, and perhaps you might even let the more curious of us know what course it is you’re taking :)
EDIT: with regard to older film slr’s, many take hard to get zinc batteries, so just ensure you can get batteries or replacement batteries for your chosen camera.
Thanks for your help!
I’m taking Photography in the Limerick college of further education.Thanks for your help!
I’m taking Photography in the Limerick college of further education.Just to let you know you can get all types of batteries for the slr cameras in Boots! For my Canon AT-1 I searched online but walked into Boots one day and there were plenty. Happy snapping! ;)
Camera batteries these days are ubiquitous. Most metered cameras made/ designed during or up to the 60’s and many during the 70’s use mercury batteries however, which have been outlawed in most of the modern world these days and thus unavailable. Workarounds exist, such as Wein Cells/ etc, or even having a camera tech switch over the voltage in your camera, but to be aware of.
Famous example of cameras that use mercury batteries, include the Nikon F, Olympus OM-1 and most fixed lens rangefinders, amongst others. For most manual cameras or rather those without electronic shutters, the battery only powers the meter in the camera and thus the only functionality you will lose without a battery will be the use of the meter.
In any case, the best of luck with the course, and the eventual cameras you choose :-)
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