Advice sort re 35 mm camera

[Firefight]

Okay this is me , 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

[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.

[SPman]

Okay this is me , 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

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 , 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

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

[Firefight]

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

F/F

[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.