Advice for film camera please

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Jambonier

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I owned and loved my Pentax ME Super but sold it many years ago when I moved to digital and Nikon.

I now want to buy another film camera partly as I'm doing an evening class C&G and we use film for that, and also as I miss film and want to continue with the medium alongside digital.

So the advice I'd like is about a body.

Looking on ebay I can get another ME Super with say three lenses for about £80.

Alternatively, I could get a Nikon body and utilise my nice Nikon primes.

So the advice I'm after is:

1. ME Super or Nikon?

2. If Nikon, which body? I don't want bells and whistles - happy with manual focus, manual metering etc

My overall budget is about £150, but I could stretch a bit further if necessary.

Thanks in anticipation for any help/advice
 
It will come down to personal choice really. I have used the Pentax ME, ME Super and MX. The ME Super is very small and compact. I think the controls are a bit idiosyncratic but that is just me perhaps. I have used and own a number if classic Nikons, FM, FM2,FE, FE2, F3HP and F4.

My personal preference are the Nikon's but they are bigger and heavier so if size is an issue the Pentax has benefits.

You could consider a Nikon FE or FE2 , these are parallel cameras to the ME Super. Electronic shutter, Manual and Aperture priority options.

However you might want to consider an Nikon FM or FM2. All manual, built like a tank and in my view great performers.

As for glass, Pentax Takumar's are great but my preference is the Nikkor's. There are bags of each on eBay at some good prices. Lots of other makers lenses available for both.

Again choice is highly personal and others will I am sure offer other views, just my personal choice here.

Hope it helps though.
 
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If you liked the ME super then you would probably also like the MX - it has the same form factor but has a traditional shutter speed dial instead of the strange "2 button" shutter speed selector. It is fully manual so fits the "no bells & whistles" requirement. :thumbs:
 
Why not have a look in the 'other brands, film and conventional' classifieds who knows what delights may be found there....:whistling:

Andy
 
Andysnap said:
Why not have a look in the 'other brands, film and conventional' classifieds who knows what delights may be found there....:whistling:

Andy
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I can't imagine for a minute there would be anything of interest in the f&c classifieds, there's never any good cameras to be found in there, it's like a bargain desert :tumbleweed:

Althoug occasionally there will be a clapped out old Nikon for sale but they're best avoided :naughty:
 
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Or possibly some knocked off bits from a D700.......:thinking:
 
As a general rule with film:- lenses are more important than the body, Nikon lenses are very good and as you have them.....it's gotta be a Nikon body.
 
I hear the classifieds are just made up of old digi parts and some crusty old Nikon pro cameras... avoid at all costs :thumbs: :D

The Nikon FM sounds perfect for this, fits the criteria perfectly. I'm a big fan of the Nikon and Pentax cameras of that era, but if you've got the glass already (AF-S lenses excluded, they don't really work) it makes a lot of sense.
 
Yeah i'd go for a Nikon body and avoid the Pentax ME Super at all costs, had nothing but problems with my one even after i paid to have it fully serviced.
If you got Nikon AF-D glass (or any others with aperture rings) then get a Nikon FE or FM series body as it fits the ME Super bill with none of the drawbacks, the FE is superb in my opinion and in a different league to the ME Super and you could easily get a great condition body for that £80, probably less if you are patient on eBay.
 
Thanks for the advice.

I think I knew that a Nikon body was the rational option...just the sentimental side of me considered the ME.

So yes, a FM or FE body is the way to go. Luckily, there are quite a few on ebay so shouldn't be too long before I get my mits on one.
 
Jambonier said:
Thanks for the advice.

I think I knew that a Nikon body was the rational option...just the sentimental side of me considered the ME.

So yes, a FM or FE body is the way to go. Luckily, there are quite a few on ebay so shouldn't be too long before I get my mits on one.
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Dont discount the F3, a quality camera and quite affordable for a camera that was once cutting edge pro equipment.
 
RaglanSurf said:
Dont discount the F3, a quality camera and quite affordable for a camera that was once cutting edge pro equipment.
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:thumbs: Correct.....ahem
 
I've bought a few ME Supers and MXs from ebay and have often found the foam light seals and mirror bounce cushions have degraded. I think this applies to a lot of cameras from this era so I'd make sure whatever you go for that the light seals are good or have been replaced. Many sellers on ebay don't seem to be aware of this. Also I've had a few lenses with fungus that haven't been mentioned by the seller.

I love buying old primes to use with my Pentax DSLR.
 
For 150, you could get nice Canon FD kit with Len's and the fancy bits :)
 
RaglanSurf said:
Dont discount the F3, a quality camera and quite affordable for a camera that was once cutting edge pro equipment.
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Or an F2, my personal favourite, but I suppose these are getting long in the tooth now and good ones are a bit pricey.
 
MartynK said:
Or an F2, my personal favourite, but I suppose these are getting long in the tooth now and good ones are a bit pricey.
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I love the F2 but most examples do need a good service... and the meter information in the viewfinder of the Photomic/Photomic A isn't the best.
 
The FE/FM series are the best from that era, the F3 is nice but it doesn't have a proper hot shoe and unless you need to have interchangeable focus screens the FE/FM is better than the F3 for hobbyist use. Probably the best all around Nikon F series is the F4, i think you can use pre-AI lenses (with stop down metering), AI, AI-s, AF, AF-D, AF-S and Gelded natively but it can't use VR functionality on newer lenses.

Canon FD system is a good choice as well but you really need red ring or L glass from that era as the lower end lenses feel like junk, and do most of the bodies really, i was rather unimpressed with the build quality of the AE-1 Program, get a FTb, F-1, New F-1 or T90 or don't bother at all. I was going to say you can't use FD glass on EOS mount but Ed Mika is working hard on that and now apparently will be offering conversion kits for all but 6 of the Canon FD lenses in the future.
 
Good advice above and I would also recommend Nikon in this case. Either FE or FE2 if you want the option of aperture-priority shooting, or FM or FM2 if you prefer all-manual, are very good choices. FA is nice too. I would also agree with those suggesting the F3. The viewfinder of the F3HP in particular, if you are a glasses wearer like me, makes it a much easier camera to use, and probably helps you take better photographs as a result.

As a rough guide, on Ebay, FM/FE will be cheapest of those mentioned (£40-60), FM2/FE2 £80-120, F3 £100-£150 in fully working and decent cosmetic condition, though possibly in need of new light seals (like most of these old SLRs). The bargains are definitely the FM and FE - great cameras and undervalued in the market IMO.
 
Thanks again for the advice....was a big help in coming to a decision.

Now have a FE2 in the post to me :)

Very excited and hope to post some film efforts on the forum in the near future.
 
Incredible camera - when using mine, I am stunned with what the Nikon engineers were capable of producing at the time. It must've been an absolute revelation!
 
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