Best Camera
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SockMonkey
Makin' Some Noise
Well in that case..! :blink: I shot film for almost 30 years. My last SLR was a Canon EOS 3 which I traded for my 20D (already had some good Canon glass - it minimized the investment). Hey, film is great and I certainly wouldn't question why anyone would still shoot film, but, personally, I wouldn't go back (though I do miss shooting infrared...). If I start shooting film again, it'll be medium format (6 x 4.5/120mm).
A small 35mm you say..??? Godd luck with that. There are a few el cheapos that I've seen from China, but they won't last. Frankly, your best best there is a disposable. But if you're serious about film, you absolutely cannot go wrong with a Canon EOS 3. Simple, reliable, built like a tank. A good, used body will run around $400 (new ~$800). I'd pair it with a Canon EF 28-135mm IS USM lens (~$400) and a Canon Speedlite 430EX flash (~$250) for a good all around set up.
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artistic rider
Well-known member
I have a Nikon D200. Its heavy as hell but takes great pictures. Sometimes to good. It captures every zit, blackhead, every piece of broccoli in your teeth!!!! Good for blackmailing :lol:
camera56
Well-known member
This thread is starting to feel like "where eagles tread " If film it is . . .
Strategy 1: Buy a Leica (particularly a rangefinder camera). They cost the very earth and they are the very best. Depending on your predisposition you can buy new or old and make wonderful images. Go completely retro and shoot black and white only. There is a huge and rabid subculture associated with the brand. They last forever if looked after properly. There are excellent service professionals in the US or wherever it is you fancy. They don't depreciate. I've owned most of the screw mount cameras, M3s (still own two), M6s, and R7s.
Strategy 2: Similar to strategy 1. Buy a Nikon. Any F model will do. Everything I said in Strategy 1 holds true here. I've owned lots of F, F2, and F3s and loved them all. They're not as big as you think they are and the old glass is superb. Beware of cameras that look beat up as they might have been working cameras (war, sports, etc.) Don't buy anything that's less than cherry. I've bought a ton of this gear on e-bay. I would stay away from buying from an overseas seller. A version of this strategy would be to buy an old Minolta, Canon, Pentax, Olympus (any of the OMs), or any of the other names you recognize. I've owned and/or shot most of these. But my first choice for this strategy would be Nikon.
Strategy 3: Buy a Voightlander. It's sort of a Leica knockoff. A fine piece of kit at a good price point. The lenses are very good, though not as good at the limits (wide open for example) as the Leica equivalent. Go to this site [
https://www.cameraquest.com/voigtlen.htmclicky
https://www.cameraquest.com/voigtlen.htm] for more.
Strategy 4: Buy a "vintage" 35mm Point and Shoot. If you have access to a good camera technician (they often have them to sell and you'll need them to repair them if you don't just throw it away when it dies), either where you live or somewhere else, there are some intriguing smaller film cameras from the not too distant past that have good followings even today. Brands that come to mind are the Rollei, the Leica CL or one of the later models (can't remember what they're called anymore), Contax, Minox 35mm, and the original Olympus Stylus. A good place to look for
Strategy 5: Buy a new point and shoot. Not many out there, and even fewer good ones. Minox still makes a good one and it's priced accordingly (around $500). I know that Canon still makes their Sureshot series.
Strategy 6: Buy a new/slightly used SLR. Canon still makes their EOS series. They were and are great camera bodies. I probably still have one someplace that I'd be happy to sell you for a couple of bottle caps and a frog. PM me if you're interested. The good news here is that it's the same lens mount as their digital cameras. Nikon still makes the FM-10 which is a fine camera.
What is true of all cameras is particularly true of film cameras: they're boxes with a door to let light in. That's pretty much it. All the action is with the lens. This is especially true with film cameras because the film is the same from camera to camera. With digital, the quality of the sensor overrides everything else, including the glass IMHO.
While you wade through all this, think in terms of making a little matrix of your values vs. your choices. If it's price point, "don't care if I break it" and those sorts of things, you go one way. If it's make great pictures, learn about making great pictures, have a cool new piece of gear with gears and other mechanical things, etc., you go another way. For me, anything that sniffs of point and shoot should be digital all the way. Any other story I tell myself about taking pictures involving film lands me on Strategy 1 or 2. Get a Leica or a cherry Nikon F2 and enjoy the heck out of taking pictures with a true icon, and a keen piece of mechanical gear to boot. But be forewarned, if you go down that path, it's like a journey to the dark side. It makes farkling a bike look like the junior varsity.
Cheers
Strategy 1: Buy a Leica (particularly a rangefinder camera). They cost the very earth and they are the very best. Depending on your predisposition you can buy new or old and make wonderful images. Go completely retro and shoot black and white only. There is a huge and rabid subculture associated with the brand. They last forever if looked after properly. There are excellent service professionals in the US or wherever it is you fancy. They don't depreciate. I've owned most of the screw mount cameras, M3s (still own two), M6s, and R7s.
Strategy 2: Similar to strategy 1. Buy a Nikon. Any F model will do. Everything I said in Strategy 1 holds true here. I've owned lots of F, F2, and F3s and loved them all. They're not as big as you think they are and the old glass is superb. Beware of cameras that look beat up as they might have been working cameras (war, sports, etc.) Don't buy anything that's less than cherry. I've bought a ton of this gear on e-bay. I would stay away from buying from an overseas seller. A version of this strategy would be to buy an old Minolta, Canon, Pentax, Olympus (any of the OMs), or any of the other names you recognize. I've owned and/or shot most of these. But my first choice for this strategy would be Nikon.
Strategy 3: Buy a Voightlander. It's sort of a Leica knockoff. A fine piece of kit at a good price point. The lenses are very good, though not as good at the limits (wide open for example) as the Leica equivalent. Go to this site [
https://www.cameraquest.com/voigtlen.htmclicky
https://www.cameraquest.com/voigtlen.htm] for more.
Strategy 4: Buy a "vintage" 35mm Point and Shoot. If you have access to a good camera technician (they often have them to sell and you'll need them to repair them if you don't just throw it away when it dies), either where you live or somewhere else, there are some intriguing smaller film cameras from the not too distant past that have good followings even today. Brands that come to mind are the Rollei, the Leica CL or one of the later models (can't remember what they're called anymore), Contax, Minox 35mm, and the original Olympus Stylus. A good place to look for
Strategy 5: Buy a new point and shoot. Not many out there, and even fewer good ones. Minox still makes a good one and it's priced accordingly (around $500). I know that Canon still makes their Sureshot series.
Strategy 6: Buy a new/slightly used SLR. Canon still makes their EOS series. They were and are great camera bodies. I probably still have one someplace that I'd be happy to sell you for a couple of bottle caps and a frog. PM me if you're interested. The good news here is that it's the same lens mount as their digital cameras. Nikon still makes the FM-10 which is a fine camera.
What is true of all cameras is particularly true of film cameras: they're boxes with a door to let light in. That's pretty much it. All the action is with the lens. This is especially true with film cameras because the film is the same from camera to camera. With digital, the quality of the sensor overrides everything else, including the glass IMHO.
While you wade through all this, think in terms of making a little matrix of your values vs. your choices. If it's price point, "don't care if I break it" and those sorts of things, you go one way. If it's make great pictures, learn about making great pictures, have a cool new piece of gear with gears and other mechanical things, etc., you go another way. For me, anything that sniffs of point and shoot should be digital all the way. Any other story I tell myself about taking pictures involving film lands me on Strategy 1 or 2. Get a Leica or a cherry Nikon F2 and enjoy the heck out of taking pictures with a true icon, and a keen piece of mechanical gear to boot. But be forewarned, if you go down that path, it's like a journey to the dark side. It makes farkling a bike look like the junior varsity.
Cheers
Scab
I got nothin' here...
Now, if you're a film purist and just want a film box for sure, have I got a deal for you. I have one Canon FTb with a Vivitar Macro lense, and one Minolta X-700 with a Minolta 50mm lense. The Canon is just a tad heavy, while the Minolta is not quite as heavy and a tad smaller. Both are good, functioning, 'old-school' cameras.
If you would like one, PM me your shipping address and it's yours.
If you would like one, PM me your shipping address and it's yours.
Checkswrecks
Well-known member
I have an old Nikon F3 and still love the thing, even if I hardly use it any more. Any real true camera shop can fix them and will probably have parts. What's amazing is how low-priced they've gotten on FleaBay and same for their accessories.
Bob
Bob
Dr. Rich
Arrested Development
I have used Nikon since forever. Currently I use a N-70 35mm for film and a D-50 for digital. Both cameras are excellent. They travel well and are not too heavy. I have never had a problem with any Nikon product. I am not a very sophisticated photographer so I appreciate the auto features on both cameras. Additionally if you pick one brand and stay with it, you will find that the lenses are interchangeable. If I could only take one picture with either camera I would use my N-70. Some of the pictures that I have gotten from it are absolutely spectacular.
NoCage
formerly SouthernFJR
uh huh,Alrighty then...
the Stylus I had was much smaller and my Exilim is a nice compact digital too, so the antique above is out of the question, especialy since it would take up half my tankbag.
I appreciate all the comments and offers but a Leica Z2X or Minilux is the size and quality I had in mind, but, a Yashica T4 would probably make more $$$ sense and offers a great Carl Zeiss lens.
daddysbike
Well-known member
I have been in photography all my life, only recently (since kids were born) stopped shooting weddings. My last Film camera was a Canon A2. Good camera but large, heavy and not convenient like digital. I had a Canon Digital Rebel for 4-5 years and it was a pretty good camera. It was small and light but definately had a "cheap" "consumer" plastic feel. I wasn't too upset when the memory card was incorrectly inserted and messed up the pins in the camera. I went to a dealer and thought I was going to buy the new Canon XTi digital Rebel, until I saw the new Nikon D80. Night and day in build quality. Also the Canon's viewfinder is smaller than looking through a regular 35mm SLR and that was kind of aggrevating. Looking through the Nikon was like looking through a 35mm SLR-large,bright image. I shot/kept over 700 images in 2006 and love the Nikon D80. It also has a much larger feature/option set. It comes with a very good quality (I see no reason to buy another lens) 18-135mm (which in 35mm is equal to 28-216mm) lens. A great book to get for it which will help you in setting all the parameters and understanding the menu options is Magic Lantern Guides "Nikon D80" by Simon Stafford. The Canon is a good value for the money but for me the Nikon is worth the extra money. Compare for yourself.
Steve
Steve
sportynow
Member
I also bought a digital dslr a couple weeks ago! After some checking around on different sites (dpreview, ken rockwell) I got the Nikon D40. So far I like the simplicity of it and the vibrant colors.
Bustanut joker
Well-known member
Stay way from digital units from the southern fence builder here.... Damn things! :dribble: Last image they project is the rear tire rollin' over them. Think they just might be pre programed!
:jester:
:jester:
C&C
Well-known member
I don't know about best but I'm happy with my Canon S3 1S. It's a compact with 6 mp, 12X optical zoom and fully automatic or manual.
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