Recommend me: 35mm camera

David Mitchell

David Mitchell

Well-Known Member
Hi all,

As you may have seen on some of my other threads I have a couple of medium format cameras, my Kodak Six-20 and my new Sputnik stereoscopic camera, the Kodak takes 8 exposures and the Sputnik takes 6 3D exposures or 12 2D exposures.

I have seen that most 35mm film is 36 exposure, due to the smaller nature of the film format meaning that its much easier to go out and point and shoot. I am getting tempted about adding a 35mm camera to my (seemingly growing collection) of vintage cameras.

I do still love the increase in resolution the medium format will bring, but I will find it harder to find places to process the film (until I can do it myself) and I know most places are geared towards the more popular 35mm film.

I am looking for a good 35mm camera, I have seen that the Pentax Spotmatic seems to be a common choice, what other 35mm cameras do people recomend? I will be shooting in black and white (not that it would matter what film I use!) I am looking more towards the 'value' end of the market initially so I can simply go around and take some photos and enjoy them, I will then think about upgrades once I get a few hundred photos shot.

I am looking for:

Good quality lens
Good build quality
Easy to use
Maybe an SLR although not too fussed
If SLR - fairly cheap/common lenses
Can be a bit different, but need to ensure parts and attachements are rare and expensive
 
Wow, what a beast lol looks amazing with a huge number of options and I am guessing lenses as well, but it might be a tad much for me to start with, I would like an SLR due to the fact that you can change the lenses over, but im looking for something slightly less to get me started, would probably build up to something like an F3. Im looking for something thats inbetween a point and shoot compact and a full on SLR, I can see the lenses getting expensive, so if there is a camera whos OEM lens is pretty good but can be changed for something else at a later date, that might be something I would look at, ive heard that there are quite a few russian cameras that might fit the bill.

Whats the most common lens fitment type?

I could start with something as basic as this TL3/MTL3?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Praktica-...178785?pt=UK_Film_Cameras&hash=item257032f961

It takes an M42 lens which I believe is a common size?
 
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Looking in there shop a couple of lenses for the F3 would set you back about £80 so for £260 you get a really decent bit of kit then you can add lenses after if you wanted it is simple to use as well If you want to go down the Eastern European route I would suggest a Praktica MTL series fully manual but finding any decent ones now would be difficult

- - - Updated - - -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Praktica-...178785?pt=UK_Film_Cameras&hash=item257032f961

finding lenses to fit will be difficult though

Actually checking for M42 mounts there easy
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carl-Zeis...=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item2ebe4edc0a

First lens I ever had with my MTL 5
 
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There are so many!
Do you have any preference for era?

M42 lens mount is one of the most common and is shared by a few brands ... Lenses can be very cheap too!

Why not go with a nice compact scale focus camera from the 50's like Austin http://www.realphotographersforum.c.../5573-voigtlander-vito-b-first-roll-film.html

Or an Olympus trip for some point and shoot fun
or Olympus XA like Brian uses so much
or Olympus mju ii for more modern point and shoot fun ...
 
I saw an Olympus OM10 with 50mm F1.8 recently - in a shop - for £60! BARGAIN!

I use both a Nikon FM2n and an F5 - both GREAT cameras for different reasons. If there's ever a Nuclear Holocaust - the dust will settle - and the FM2n will be sat there - and it'll still work :)
 
Thanks for all the comments guys, I am after something with a metal body rather than plastic, something with a bit of weight to it rather than just holding a plastic box with a bit of film in it lol I am looking for earlish cameras ie before the market became flooded with plastic cameras or the cheaper cameras like the Olympus Trip.

Im looking for something like the Pentax Spotmatic, I like the design thats classic but also fits a M42 lens so different lenses will be cheaper

Pentax Spotmatic SP SLR Film Camera with lens | eBay
 
Good quality lens / Canon FD & FL range.

Good build quality / Canon A series cameras. All metal bodies.

Easy to use / Canon A series have priority modes. A1 has both shutter and aperture priority, the AE has shutter priority and the AV aperture priority.

Maybe an SLR although not too fussed / Canon A Series are SLR.

If SLR - fairly cheap/common lenses / Some Canon A Series can be had cheap as chips. ie: Canon AV1 plus standard 50mm lens for under £50. Lenses are in abundance from 60 OE lenses and even more third party manufactures.

Can be a bit different, but need to ensure parts and attachments aren't rare and expensive. / Canon A Series are still fully serviceable. Light seal kits are available and spares in abundance.

Did I mention Canon A1?? BTW, they're all manual focus lenses which depending on the individuals view is either a positive or negative.

Canon A series Cameras
 
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I went with a nice Canonet QL G-III 17 35mm - bought used online for very reasonable money

9b10c6c8-7614-4a17-a1a3-2277d5624080-l


Sharp fast 40mm/1.7 lens fixed lens - built-in light meter which also self-adjusts to any filters used. Features user selectable rangefinder focusing, and flash sync at all speeds. It is one of the nicest of the '70s compact Rangefinder genre.

Metal body, nice weight, good quality of construction. QL stands for Quick Load - which is an ingenious system to make loading the 35mm smile and easy, every time.

Had to replace old foam light seals which had rotted away, but that was an easy, cheap fix, and fun to do. Also sourced a replacement battery for the light meter on EBAY, but have yet to need to replace the one it came with.

A few sample shots using Ilford 50ASA PanF Film

6af791a3-6e6c-41f3-83e9-6b30f3f569a5-l


4ea7821f-e175-471a-9f9f-01f00d9a9c5f-l


a37b418d-a3c8-40b9-a71c-3b41d0dcd536-l


Simple to learn, and very effective in the field - focus and exposure were easy to master.


It was then a natural progression to the Fuji X100, and then the X-Pro1 from this film camera - lots of fun.
 
David Mitchell said:
Thanks for all the comments guys, I am after something with a metal body rather than plastic, something with a bit of weight to it rather than just holding a plastic box with a bit of film in it lol I am looking for earlish cameras ie before the market became flooded with plastic cameras or the cheaper cameras like the Olympus Trip.
Click to expand...

Realize that modern composites are not the same as your daddy's plastic. Burt Rutan has built aircraft out of them that have set all manner of records, including non-stop around the world.

Burt Rutan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Weight is no indication of quality. My new Fuji X-Pro1 is light and people have posted that it felt "cheap". Nothing could be farther from the truth. Weight was a major consideration in my purchase. With three superb prime lenses, the kit weighs only 967g, while the D700 body alone weighs 995g. Add lenses and the D700 is fine when working out of a vehicle or in a fixed location, but explore a city on foot and the fun quickly goes out of it unless you can find a domestic Sherpa to lug the stuff. Contemporary materials and design involve no compromise in quality.
 
Gavin Robert said:
Good quality lens / Canon FD & FL range.

Good build quality / Canon A series cameras. All metal bodies.

Easy to use / Canon A series have priority modes. A1 has both shutter and aperture priority, the AE has shutter priority and the AV aperture priority.

Maybe an SLR although not too fussed / Canon A Series are SLR.

If SLR - fairly cheap/common lenses / Some Canon A Series can be had cheap as chips. ie: Canon AV1 plus standard 50mm lens for under £50. Lenses are in abundance from 60 OE lenses and even more third party manufactures.

Can be a bit different, but need to ensure parts and attachments aren't rare and expensive. / Canon A Series are still fully serviceable. Light seal kits are available and spares in abundance.

Did I mention Canon A1?? BTW, they're all manual focus lenses which depending on the individuals view is either a positive or negative.

Canon A series Cameras
Click to expand...

Hmm maybe a Canon A? Can't quite figure out what camera you are suggesting :p

Looks like they are at around £100ish

Canon A1 SLR Camera with 50mm f/1.8 Lens in Very Good Order | eBay

Ive just had a look on youtube on 'theartofphotography's channel, just watched a video where he went through a box camera as well as a TLR and then got onto the Kodak Retina, which is a 35mm folding camera, which looks amazing, although slightly difficult to operate lol but apparently a very sharp photo.

KODAK RETINA Ia XENAR f2.8 folding 35mm film camera | eBay

- - - Updated - - -

Chris Dodkin said:
I went with a nice Canonet QL G-III 17 35mm - bought used online for very reasonable money

9b10c6c8-7614-4a17-a1a3-2277d5624080-l


Sharp fast 40mm/1.7 lens fixed lens - built-in light meter which also self-adjusts to any filters used. Features user selectable rangefinder focusing, and flash sync at all speeds. It is one of the nicest of the '70s compact Rangefinder genre.

Metal body, nice weight, good quality of construction. QL stands for Quick Load - which is an ingenious system to make loading the 35mm smile and easy, every time.

Had to replace old foam light seals which had rotted away, but that was an easy, cheap fix, and fun to do. Also sourced a replacement battery for the light meter on EBAY, but have yet to need to replace the one it came with.

A few sample shots using Ilford 50ASA PanF Film

6af791a3-6e6c-41f3-83e9-6b30f3f569a5-l


4ea7821f-e175-471a-9f9f-01f00d9a9c5f-l


a37b418d-a3c8-40b9-a71c-3b41d0dcd536-l


Simple to learn, and very effective in the field - focus and exposure were easy to master.


It was then a natural progression to the Fuji X100, and then the X-Pro1 from this film camera - lots of fun.
Click to expand...

Wow, that looks exactly what im looking for *makes notes* I have a few ideas on what I want now, will spend some time this weekend thinking about exactly what I want to go with :)
 
David Mitchell said:
Hmm maybe a Canon A? Can't quite figure out what camera you are suggesting :p

Looks like they are at around £100ish

Canon A1 SLR Camera with 50mm f/1.8 Lens in Very Good Order | eBay
Click to expand...

But David, that link is a BIN price and there are many cheaper BIN prices on there :rolleyes:

AE1

AV1

A1

The most I have paid for an A1 is £120 because it's factory mint and complete with original paperwork and sales receipt. IMO you need to decide if you wand a fixed lens or not and what's important to you, the bargain price or performance because rarely will this come hand in hand.
 
I guess its kinda like car performance, choose 2 of the following:

High performance
Reliable
Cheap

The reason why I do a BIN usually is so that I know its mine and I know exactly what it will cost lol I can see with that body only listing its at around £10, 2 days to go, but already has 13 bids lol meaning there is a lot of interest and will shoot up at the end.

I think I need to think about exactly what im after, I guess im looking for something fairly common with good cheap lens options but not nessasarily a camera with all the bells and whistles or loads of features on, just something thats got some of the basic adjustments on and nothing too technical (im still learning lol)
 
Why don't you consider a Mamiya-Sekor 500 DTL or 1000 DTL. They are SLRs. But they are cheap and they take any M42 screw-mount lens, as has been mentioned previously by Hamish. You might find that the meter no longer works, but that's not a problem if you have an external meter or shoot "Sunny 16".

It's a good solid robust camera with good glass.

As an aside, the 500 DTL was my first 35mm camera. I think I was 17 at the time I got it.
 
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