Advice sort re 35 mm camera

[Firefight]

Okay this is me :wacko: , I know nothing about cameras and shit like that, Mrs F/F has told me I have to take high school daughter into town and buy her a 35 mm camera for high school photograpy class, any advice on where to go, what to look for, budget is up to 1K. :confused2

Firefight :wacko:

[Motoracer]

She'd probably have a wealth of info on cameras since she is interested in photography, if not her then surely her school teacher. When my mates had photography classes at school, the teachers would basically sujest the best and most suitable option/equipment for them.

But I would imagine that that would be the first place you asked anyway so sorry for talk some shit. Better get back to work now, lucnh is over. :bye:

[SPman]

Okay this is me :wacko: , I know nothing about cameras and shit like that, Mrs F/F has told me I have to take high school daughter into town and buy her a 35 mm camera for high school photograpy class, any advice on where to go, what to look for, budget is up to 1K. :confused2

Firefight :wacko:
Well. I just got a Minolta Dynax 7000i with sport card, 35-105 and 100-300 Minolta Zoom lenses and Minolta 3000 flash off Trademe for $400!
So I'd say browse Trademe! With Digital cameras coming in , there are some real bargains out there in good 35mm cameras.For 1k, thats a shitload of choice.

[SPman]

Whoops, should READ the post - yeah, do what Moto said,.Get an idea of what is required from the school and your daughter to ascertain what is required. Then browse Trademe and the shops!

[Motu]

Look in Dollar Dealers or Cash Converters,film cameras are like vynal a few years ago.Look for a Seagul,that's the student camera,find something you can get lenses for,or pick up some when you get it.You want a 50mm or so standard,a 28mm wide angle,say 135mm tele and a zoom of some sort,that will do all she needs,and some.

[Ghost Lemur]

Personally I'm a Nikon fan myself. Totally love their lens quality. So of course I'm going to point out you can get a brand new entry level Nikon with 2 lens' for less than $1k. This would be an ideal combination for her, as she'll not only have the programable/auto side of things, it can also do full manual which I expect is still a requirement for high school photography.

The other thing to think about if your daughter is very serious about photography are the other addittional expenses. Filters, adapters, tripod, etc. Thankfully with her doing it through high school she'll have access to dark room facilities so that should save you a bit.

If looking secondhand, make sure you at least see it before buying. Look for scratches in the lens, dust/etc in the casing.

If you find Nikon too expensive (accessories wise), Canon, Minolta, and Pentax (in that order) are also good.

[bungbung]

I have been through tertiary photog courses a while back,

I've pm'd you my phone number if you want advice.

[White trash]

Okay this is me :wacko: , I know nothing about cameras and shit like that, Mrs F/F has told me I have to take high school daughter into town and buy her a 35 mm camera for high school photograpy class, any advice on where to go, what to look for, budget is up to 1K. :confused2

Firefight :wacko:

PM Jimbo750. He's the guru, loves to help too.

[Firefight]

thanks guys, I have made a note of all your advice.

F/F :grouphug:

[Wenier]

Go to a decent Photo store in the your area and they should have a whole range of nikon cannon wut eva, i would imagine you wont be using a digital camera as it is the school photography. Alot of the cameras have packages with two lens that come with them so you can do alot of good photography, of course the school should suggest something. just make sure ya can use it for other stuff besides their school projects otherwise its not really worth it. :)

[Jackrat]

Personally I'm a Nikon fan myself. Totally love their lens quality. So of course I'm going to point out you can get a brand new entry level Nikon with 2 lens' for less than $1k. This would be an ideal combination for her, as she'll not only have the programable/auto side of things, it can also do full manual which I expect is still a requirement for high school photography.

The other thing to think about if your daughter is very serious about photography are the other addittional expenses. Filters, adapters, tripod, etc. Thankfully with her doing it through high school she'll have access to dark room facilities so that should save you a bit.

If looking secondhand, make sure you at least see it before buying. Look for scratches in the lens, dust/etc in the casing.

If you find Nikon too expensive (accessories wise), Canon, Minolta, and Pentax (in that order) are also good.

Would of said the same myself if you didn't beat me to it.
Useing a camera to make a living I and most of my team members used Nikon's.They are considered the industry standard,even with the advent of digital, Nikon film cameras are still the most popular.
I am certainly no expert and was told during my training,If you want the best, buy Nikon.I did so and have never regreted it.

[Angry Puppy]

I don't know how much they cost over here, but the Olympus OM10 is a good basic SLR. It is widely used so there is a myriad of accessories available.

Go to a reputable dealer, if only to get some free advise. I wouldn't go to places like cash converters as they are generaly over priced.

Good luck.

FB

[bungbung]

OM10 not recommended as a school camera unless it has a manual adaptor fitted to give full manual control. While you can achieve exactly the same results without it, its a bit harder to teach with. OM1, OM2 OM4 all good.

[Big Dog]

Having done 7th form photography and having sold cameras for a living before, the biggest mistake students make is getting big whizz bang point and shoots.

If you buy something with auto settings make sure it has fully manual settings as well otherwise all you learn is how to point and shoot.

Also if you buy a ten year old pentax or similar (expect to pay around $250) you should be able to get a selection of lenses (28mm, 35-75mm, 70-200mm was my assortment) for around $80 apeice, a cleaning kit light meter and filters. Pentax should be very good value for money when it comes to accessories as they used the same bayonet mount for all manual gear 1970 onwards and some 60's gear.

If you really want her to learn something make sure you get her a comprehensive cleaning kit.

Take someone with some experience when you go to buy.
Avoid curtain shutters as these rip easily or develop kinks that scratch the film.
You can buy a base with a damaged lense as you will be buying other lenses any way But never buy one with a damages prism as thse tend to cost around $1000 to replace (minor damage can be reground for around $4-500) as this is the tool you use for composition and focus. If you want me to inspect it just give us a yodel.

[Big Dog]

I don't like Canon or minolta as second hand lenses are difficult to get hold of as they use a different mount for each successive range.

Nikon are also hard to get lenses but that is because it is hard to get people to sell their lenses because they are that good!on the other hand they have been using the same mount since the 50's.

Ricoh and pantax have been using the same since the70's and share the style of bayonet. I had a ricoh it was, very robust, with pentax and ricoh lenses.

[Angry Puppy]

OM10 not recommended as a school camera unless it has a manual adaptor fitted to give full manual control. While you can achieve exactly the same results without it, its a bit harder to teach with. OM1, OM2 OM4 all good.

:Oops: I thought the OM10 was the fully manual one! I stand corrected! :niceone:

[pete376403]

[QUOTE=Big Dog]
Avoid curtain shutters as these rip easily or develop kinks that scratch the film.QUOTE]
You'd suggest leaf shutters? Such as Hasselblad, Mamiya, etc use in the medium format cameras? Would have thought that a bit out of school budget. <_<

[Big Dog]

[QUOTE=Big Dog]
Avoid curtain shutters as these rip easily or develop kinks that scratch the film.QUOTE]
You'd suggest leaf shutters? Such as Hasselblad, Mamiya, etc use in the medium format cameras? Would have thought that a bit out of school budget. <_<
I was referring to fabric shutters used widely in 80's slrs. My 1986 Ricoh had a leaf shutter.
Difference being in a 35mm the leafs are horizontal not diagonal. Unless a lot has changed in the last few years the hasselblads etc use a dual leaf, one set from the top one set from the bottom to give a more even exposure.

Brand new prices were lower, but there should only be a $50 difference second hand. There is good reason no reputable manufacturer makes them any more. They are unreliable and not very hardy.

[Big Dog]

A freind got a seagull recently with leaf shutter for $350 (including some extras.)

[Firefight]

Thanks to everyone for your helpful advice, have now got the camera.

F/F

[pete376403]

Curtain / leaf shutters. Maybe things have changed but when I was interested in photog (Miranda F, Miranda AutoSensorex EE and Canon FtB), 35 mm cameras had rubberised fabric curtain shutters going from side to side EXCEPT the Nikons whose curtains went top to bottom. This is why Nikons had a flash sync shutter speed of 1/125 when all other 35mms were 1/60 (Sync speed was the highest speed possible when the leadig curtain was fully open before the trailing curtain had started to close)
OTOH large format camers, Hasselblad, Mamiya, Rollie,etc had leaf shutters which were in the lens itself, had multiple leaves overlapping just like the apeture iris. These could flash sync at any speed. Thats how I remember it, anyway.

[riffer]

Damn. I just sold a couple of cameras on trademe last week too.

For a photography class the most important things for a learner to be able to do is adjust shutter speed and aperture independently of each other.

What you are looking at is essentially a 35 mm SLR (single-lens reflex) camera.

What makes these different from most others is that you can see through the lens as you set up the shot, allowing you to see which bits are in focus.

The ability to change shutter speed and aperture allows the pupil to learn how you can use shutter speed to capture movement at different speeds, to creatively control blur/movement etc. Aperture controls how much of the photograph is in focus at any one point. You learn how to use this to great creative effect, particularly in portaiture (ie to 'knock' the background out of focus).

My advice for a learner starting out in photography. Buy a totally MANUAL camera. Some good deals can be found on trademe at times, particularly with the Olympus OM-10 cameras. Be careful when you buy one of these. They have an optional manual adapter, without which the camera is aperture-preferred automatic only, and basically useless for a photography class.

Personally my personal preference for what you want would be an Olympus OM-2N, with a Zuiko 50mm lens, a 28mm lens, and a 90mm lens. Of course I'm biased, since this is my favourite setup, although I have many other cameras. You could pick up an excellent setup for around $600. You could also grab some zoom lenses, but to be honest, for learning good skills zooms just don't cut it. You need to learn to work with the focal range you have before you go to zooms. Kind of like learning the basics first.

[jimbo600]

Okay this is me :wacko: , I know nothing about cameras and shit like that, Mrs F/F has told me I have to take high school daughter into town and buy her a 35 mm camera for high school photograpy class, any advice on where to go, what to look for, budget is up to 1K. :confused2

Firefight :wacko:

OK here's my 2cents and I'm a photographer so I know what I'm talking about. First off buy either Nikon or Canon. Nikon would be my choice however as they do plenty of entry level stuff and the after sales is awesome. Plus there is an abundant supply of secondhand nikon lenses and accessories available. Go for a FM2 or FE. Good sturdy stuff that is student proof. They are also mainly manual which is a must for photography training and they also have an auto function. A great place for new or second hand gear is progear in Auckland. www.progear.co.nz their second hand stuff comes with a guarantee. Also I can recommend joining the RNZAF for a career as they employ photographers and provide training. You will also need a wide angle lens (about 28mm) a standard lens 50mm, and a small telephoto for portraits etc (about 135mm). If budget allows get a flash and maybe a 70-200mm zoom. I use Canon for my digital work and a Nikon FA for my film stuff. Any probs give me an PM. Hope this helps.

[Drew]

What a nice cunt! You really are a great bloke, Jimbo.

Gonna get your arse kicked on Monday?

[Firefight]

Hey Jimbo750 & Celtic06, thanks heaps for your replies, I have now got my daughter the camera, but will most likely call you if I need more info, thanks
guys.

F/F

[jimbo600]

What a nice cunt! You really are a great bloke, Jimbo.

Gonna get your arse kicked on Monday?

Better a nice cunt than a reamed hoop like you boyo.

And yep, I'm gonna kick your sorry arse on Monday. I take it you have got the fizzer back on the road.

Going to show us some more stunts on Monday?