# New To Film - Need Help On Which Camera To Buy



## Mina (Feb 25, 2012)

Hello everyone!

I'm about to start school and am looking for a 35 mm slr film camera and would really appreciate some help. Which camera should I get between the following: Nikon F3, Nikon FM10, Canon AE-1, Pentex K1000, and Promaster 2500 PK?

I would like to keep my budget below $220 and am not sure if streching it for the Nikon FM10 is worth it?

Also, is Ebay a reliable place to purchase a film camera?

Thank you so much!


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## dxqcanada (Feb 25, 2012)

I see that you own a Canon Rebel XS DSLR ... you could consider one of the 35mm film Canon EOS cameras, as they use EF lenses.

Are you intending on keeping a film SLR and it's lenses for the long term ... or just for school ?

If it just for school I would suggest a Canon EOS camera such as the EOS A2 or Elan for cheap.


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## Mina (Feb 25, 2012)

Thank you so much! Yes I do own the Canon Rebel XS - would like to upgrade within a year though. I would like to continue on with film as well as digital, past school...


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## dxqcanada (Feb 25, 2012)

Then you should consider a camera system (Film/Digital) that can share lenses/accessories ... so look at the Canon EOS film line.
If you have any EF-S lenses ... they will cause vignetting on the EOS film cameras.

Now, there are no EOS film camera's made in the old metal body/chassis like the camera's you have mentioned earlier ... the entire EOS line is plastic/metal ... so you will have to live with that.


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## Josh66 (Feb 25, 2012)

What do you have with your XS right now?

Normally, I would agree that you should stick with the Canon EOS line since you're already 'invested' in it - but if all you have is a Rebel and the kit lens, I don't know that I would call that an 'investment'.  Especially when you consider that you're planning on replacing it within the year.

Your choices will be somewhat limited with a $220 budget, but there are still very good EOS bodies to be had for that price:
Canon EOS 1N 35MM SLR AUTO FOCUS CAMERA BODY - KEH.com
Canon EOS 1N WITH POWER BOOSTER E1 35MM SLR AUTO FOCUS CAMERA BODY - KEH.com
Canon EOS 3 WITH DATE BACK DB-E2 35MM SLR AUTO FOCUS CAMERA BODY - KEH.com
...And tons more.


Also, IF all you have for lenses right now is the EF-S kit lens, you will have to buy a new lens too.  EF-S is for digital crop sensors only.  For full-frame digital or 35mm, you need EF lenses.


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## Mina (Feb 25, 2012)

I only have one lense as of now - the lense that came with the kit. It's 18-55mm lense.


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## Mina (Feb 25, 2012)

Btw, I most likely will be replacing the Rebel with another Canon withing the next year.


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## dxqcanada (Feb 25, 2012)

The lens you have now is an EF-S type ... so you will not use it on an EOS film camera.

I think the Canon EOS Elan IIE should be OK: Canon EOS ELAN II E WITH 28-105 F3.5-4.5 MACRO USM (58) 35MM SLR AUTO FOCUS CAMERA OUTFIT - KEH.com


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## Josh66 (Feb 25, 2012)

Mina said:


> Btw, I most likely will be replacing the Rebel with another Canon withing the next year.


I thought so.

I just meant that if you really wanted, say, that F3 - don't let a Canon kit lens stop you.

Right now, no matter what 35mm camera you buy, you are also going to have to buy a lens for it.  That 18-55 lens will not fit it.

If you stick with Canon, the 50mm 1.8 is the least expensive EF lens you can buy (around $100 new).  It would work on the film camera and your digital camera.


So... Switching from Canon wouldn't really be a huge added expense.  I'm not trying to talk you out of a Canon camera (I have a few and love them) - just want to make sure you understand that there is no practical reason that you 'must' buy a Canon film camera.  You need to either add enough money to the budget to buy a lens (even if you go with Canon), or get a cheaper camera (don't worry - there are tons of those too).


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## Mina (Feb 25, 2012)

Thank you very much for both your suggestions.

I am still in school and it's only my third photo class. I will definately invest in a better lense in a few months for the Rebel XS as the kit lense I am not too crazy about.

I found a few deals on Ebay for the Pentex K1000, Nikon F3, and Canon AE-1. I'm drawn to all three of these cameras but do not know which to go for...?


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## Mina (Feb 25, 2012)

Forgot to mention, the ebay deals come with body and lense!


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## dxqcanada (Feb 25, 2012)

If you like the Pentax K1000 and Nikon F3 ... I suggest you look at the Canon new F-1, F-1n, or FTb.

I had the Canon new F-1 ... best 35mm film camera I ever owned.
I never liked the viewfinder info of the A/AE series, it was not made for manual exposure shooters.


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## Mina (Feb 25, 2012)

I looked into the F-1 and F-1n on ebay and it's way above my budget. 
It's FTb QL you're talking about right? What makes this camera better than the Pentax K1000 or Nikon F3?


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## dxqcanada (Feb 25, 2012)

The Canon FTb QL is like the Pentax ... fully manual ... not much extra stuff.

The Nikon F3 and Canon New F-1 battled eachother for the Pro camera crown. I personally think the Canon is the better camera.
Both camera's were designed with very high quality materials, very bright viewfinders, interchangeable screens and viewfinders, many accessories ... etc.
Apparently the Nikon has sunk very low in resale value if you can find it under $200.00 ... both camera's used to retail up to $1000.00

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Canon-F1N-F1-N-F-1N-35mm-Film-Camera-100-Working-Serial-272725-/300640357777?pt=Film_Cameras&
hash=item45ff8fcd91
Canon F-1 Camera Body New Model - Read! | eBay


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## Mina (Feb 26, 2012)

Hi, thank you for all your help. I agree with you, I'm more drawn to Canons and I will eventually look into that camera, but as of now it's above my budget.


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## djacobox372 (Feb 28, 2012)

Nikon f100 is the best camera you can buy for less then $200.  This is a fact.


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## murlis (Feb 28, 2012)

No, that's not a fact, it's an opinion. Any older SLR will do the job, the really old metal body ones are cheaper and have better lenses than the nikon. It will also teach you to shoot with skill instead of letting the camera do the work.


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## djacobox372 (Feb 28, 2012)

murlis said:


> No, that's not a fact, it's an opinion. Any older SLR will do the job, the really old metal body ones are cheaper and have better lenses than the nikon. It will also teach you to shoot with skill instead of letting the camera do the work.



Of course it's an opinion, I just call it a fact for emphasis (doing my best ken rockwell impression). 

I don't really get your statement about older metal body SLR's having better lenses then the nikon.  Since the oldest metal body SLRs are Nikons (the nikon F was the first successful SLR).  And most of those lenses for those "old metal body slrs" from nikon will work on the F100 (which is a metal body SLR).

As for letting the camera do the work for you, the F100 works just fine in "M" mode and you don't need to look at the light meter if you don't want to.  

Of course if you get an old canon, minolta or pentax, the lenses are a little cheaper (but NOT better). However, the selection is limited.  

The older nikon pro cameras (F, F2, F3) are typically more expensive then the F100, but the consumer models like the FE, and FM are good choices--although I'd still recommend spending the extra $100 and getting the f100 so you aren't limited by the cameras features (max shutter speed for example is only 1/2000 on most of those cameras).


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## den9 (Mar 1, 2012)

i have a ridiculous canon 1N, its a flagship camera, might be overkill but id like to get rid of it for 150 bucks with a grip. it was 5 grand new in 1994.


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## mdarnton (Mar 2, 2012)

Since everyone's got a better idea, here's mine. I've been buying Nikon FGs lately. They always go cheap, and they are great cameras. It started when I wanted a film body to use with my Nikon lenses (about four years ago I dumped all my Leica stuff and bought a Nikon D300). Since I've bought mainly a lot of old manual prime lenses, I'm all set on that count. I didn't want one of the big pro models because they're just too big and heavy for me to enjoy. The FG is about the size of the old Olympus OM1 stuff I used to have, and it's so cheap that instead of getting them fixed if they break, I'll just throw them away and get another. I also have an FM (too big, and no handgrip makes it hard to hold) an F90 (MUCH too big, too heavy, plastic, and has a noisy motor that I certainly don't need) and an FA (nice camera, but, again, bigger and heavier than I need), but the FGs have become my faves. Basically, they do everything a camera really needs to do.

The 50mm series E lens they came with originally is Nikon's usual glass, but in a cheaper mount (before cheap meant all plastic, as it does now, so it's not that bad). It's actually a decent lens. FGs have an easy-to-use manual mode, aperture priority, and a simple program mode. Basically, that's plenty. An FG and lens is easy to find under $100 on Ebay. Unlike with Canon, virtually every lens that Nikon has made since around 1970 will work on both my D300 and all my film cameras. Not so Canon, and the reason I did NOT buy a Canon digital is their nasty habit of changing their lens mount to something incompatible every few years, rendering all old lenses useless. That was the single deciding reason why I went with Nikon.


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## kulvirsingh (Oct 7, 2012)

Hi am looking for a camera as well, I jut wanted your advice on this camera:
Pentax K1000 w/50mm lens 027075045002 | eBay
Is it a good deal?


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