35mm body/film advice (?)

[Peter McCullough]

Been thinking about trying 35mm film photography again. Around 20yrs ago I used to shoot with both a Nikon Fm2n and a FM body.
I love the manual idea, really makes you think more about the shot your about to take, composition/f/stop etc....

What about the likes of Ilford XP2 film, seen many images shot with this film and love what it produces! How and where would the likes of XP2 get processed, anyone any experience of who to use and where to buy this film please?

So which 35mm film body would anyone suggest please....? Olympus OM1/OM2n/Nikon FM/Canon....??


Advice/experience/thoughts greatly appreciated.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

As you're a Canon user, you could go for an EOS film body, and use all your existing lenses.

EOS 5 is excellent as is the EOS 1 of course - and both are remarkably cheap these days, as people don't want them!

I went with an EOS 1n, something I'd lusted after when they were new, but could never afford at the time.

Picked one up off EBAY - cheap as chips compared to the old new price, super fast, killer quality - so glad I got it.

I can go fully manual or fully auto - and use all my EF lenses.

I did a write-up recently here: http://www.realphotographersforum.com/sports/9238-torrey-pines-golf.html

Worth a look

- - - Updated - - -

Couple of Ilford B&W shots taken with the EOS 1N and 50mm f/1.2

 

[Larry Bolch]

XP2 is a chromogenic film that uses the C41 process. The silver you expose is replaced by dye in the processing. It is a monochrome film, but totally uses colour negative technology. Thus any one-hour lab that does snapshots can process it without any adventures. C41 is by far the most common film process, and at one time there were places everywhere. Nothing whatever special is needed. It can even be processed at home with any C41 chemical kit, tank, timer and accurate photo thermometer.

While it is an excellent B&W film, it can not yield colour images. Turning a B&W into colour takes a great deal of skill and patience, while turning a colour negative into B&W is no challenge whatever, and gives you a high level of control. For the last two decades of film, I shot colour negative exclusively, even if the assignment specified B&W.

 

[David Mitchell]

Check out the FM2n, all the features you will ever need lol I have a spare Fujica ST705 if you are interested?

 

[Pete Askew]

Great advice from Chris there I think Peter. Looking forward to seeing how you get on.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Pete is right

 

[Brian Moore]

Hamish is right.

 

[Pete Askew]

I agree!

 

[Steve Boykin]

Check out the FM2n, all the features you will ever need lol I have a spare Fujica ST705 if you are interested?

What lens do you have with the Fujica? The Thrift Store has an 801. It only has a 55mm F1.8. If I could find a the Fujica 28 or 35mm I would buy it. I read there are some problems mounting other M42 lenses on a ST bodies. So I'm keeping my eyes open. I like Fuji.

 

[David Mitchell]

What lens do you have with the Fujica? The Thrift Store has an 801. It only has a 55mm F1.8. If I could find a the Fujica 28 or 35mm I would buy it. I read there are some problems mounting other M42 lenses on a ST bodies. So I'm keeping my eyes open. I like Fuji.

The thing with the Fujica lenses is that they are M42, however they are a bit more advanced in the fact that they are open aperture metering - much like the Nikons. Where you don't need to stop down the lens to meter as the camera already knows what the lens is at via a mechanical connection. I believe that M42 lenses do fit, however you need to stop it down, I also have the ST605n which you do need to stop down to meter, so it looks like the ST705 is an upgrade - plus it has a crazy shutter speed of up to 1/1500 whereas the ST605 went to I believe 1/700.

I have for it:

Fujica 55mm f1.8
Vivitar (converted to Fujica mount) 70-150 close focus f3.8
Fujica 35mm f3.5

 

[Steve Boykin]

The thing with the Fujica lenses is that they are M42, however they are a bit more advanced in the fact that they are open aperture metering - much like the Nikons. Where you don't need to stop down the lens to meter as the camera already knows what the lens is at via a mechanical connection. I believe that M42 lenses do fit, however you need to stop it down, I also have the ST605n which you do need to stop down to meter, so it looks like the ST705 is an upgrade - plus it has a crazy shutter speed of up to 1/1500 whereas the ST605 went to I believe 1/700.

I have for it:

Fujica 55mm f1.8
Vivitar (converted to Fujica mount) 70-150 close focus f3.8
Fujica 35mm f3.5

I'm reading up on the ST801. If I bought the one here I would already have the 55mm. However it seems the lenses are hard to come by. I guess they didn't sell many of them. I would definitely want a 35mm or 28mm so let me think about it. I have some money left from my garage sale that I didn't spend on the Klasse.

You are right this is kind of addictive. I know I am going to get that Spotmatic if the meter works. Sigh...