Back to basics

[JSER]

I miss my Nikon F Photomic FTn, and have just begun shooting monochrome again on my DSLR's, BUT....

I want to return to using an SLR, as a treat.

I am not going to ask which one as we all have different ideas, however I am considering one of the following.

Olympus OM1
Nikkormat FTn (had one loved it)
Nikon F3 or 4
Pentax Spotmatic.
Leica SLR (not 4)

What I am wondering is,

1. Has anyone here a camera I have not thought of and enjoys
2. Apart from shutter speeds/wind on/meter/seals/lens operation have I missed a check?

Thanks

Oh I did have a Rolleicord Vb, Bronny SQa and Pentax 645, but I dont want MF again.

 

[robhooley167]

I would reccomend a canon A-1, ive been through a lot of 35mm bodies and its the only one ive really got on with

Checks wise, i would also make sure to check the batteries the camera uses are still readily available and that the battery compartment isnt corroded on the contacts

 

[excalibur2]

Well I've gone through life without owning any of those
i.e.
Olympus OM1
Nikkormat FTn (had one loved it)
Nikon F3 or 4
Pentax Spotmatic.
Leica SLR (not 4)

But I would go Canon as lenses are still cheap, best for an adapter to take M42 lenses and many more reasons.

 

[JSER]

I would reccomend a canon A-1, ive been through a lot of 35mm bodies and its the only one ive really got on with

Checks wise, i would also make sure to check the batteries the camera uses are still readily available and that the battery compartment isnt corroded on the contacts

There are always some clever dicks who find a camera I had not thought of, yes you are right, that is one I have not had, shall look into it.

The only thought is that my new Nikonlenses will fit the old nikons but will the new canons.

 

[freecom2]

K-mount Pentax's are great, their glass at the time was top notch and the usability, reliability and ergonomics easily rival any other mainstream system - maybe aside from the Nikon F and F2 for hammering in nails.

I found the Canon A series too plasticky, and a lot of them end up succumbing to electrical failure, which is very difficult to fix. Things like Spotmatics are seriously getting on now, and metering is likely to be difficult in many of them due to age.

Don't forget that the Olympus system features the shutter speed around the lens mount - some people love it, some people hate it. You've had various different camera systems before so it doesn't sound you find it too difficult to go between systems, but just to bear in mind.

Old Nikons hold their value alarmingly well, so be prepared to spend. A good F3 or F4 (which is a very heavy camera to only get a 35mm frame from, IMO) can still set you back a fair amount, and Nikon glass also holds its value extremely well - which is great if you are selling, but not as fun if you are in your position.

Truth is, most of the 35mm systems were excellent performers in their day and if you get one at the right price, go for it.

I'd factor in a CLA from someone like the very well regarded Miles Whitehead into the cost, as many of these cameras mentioned are three decades old, and an early Spotmatic would soon be celebrating the half century in a few years time - and this brings dirt, grime and mishandling from previous owners.

 

[JSER]

I know the Nikon F is heavy as I had one, the shape, quality and feel is superb, you have to have owned one to appreciate it, if I could afford it I would not hesitate going to Grays to get a good one.

Had a P30T very cheap, you say metering could be a problem, I have the complete and I mean Complete Weston Meter collection, and the original first one is still reading fine.

 

[Strapps]

If only someone was selling an OM2SP and a bunch of OM lenses ...

In answer to 1., I love my T90 but it's a big, heavy beast and the FD system is still surprisingly popular so you don't get too many bargains on really good glass. Does everything I could ask from it and much more but it might be a step away from the manual functionality you appear to be looking for as most options are set with push buttons and the jog-wheel. It's good for puzzling the whipper-snapper staff in my local Jessops too

In answer to 2., modes. For example, Olympus OM SLRs don't have a shutter priority mode, they've got programme, aperture priority or manual. If that's important to you, you might miss it.

 

[freecom2]

I still don't recommend the T90 due to electrical failure - they were first generation of proper electronically controlled cameras, and most of them will punish you eventually for it. A 50 year old purely mechanical camera will be infinitely more serviceable than a 20 year old T90.

So you aren't worried about metering at all? Fair enough. I use a light meter for medium format but prefer an inbuilt light meter for my 35mm shooters, just easier (especially since all of them work perfectly).

 

[Strapps]

I still don't recommend the T90 due to electrical failure - they were first generation of proper electronically controlled cameras, and most of them will punish you eventually for it. A 50 year old purely mechanical camera will be infinitely more serviceable than a 20 year old T90.

The real problem is spare parts. There aren't any NOS available so you've got to hope that there are dead cameras available for cannabilism. It's the same with any camera of an appreciable age, just harder on the T90 because it was only available new for a couple of years before Canon moved to EOS.

On the other hand, the only thing that really kills a T90 is neglect as the shutter magnets jam up. Keep 'em moving and they'll last for years.

 

[excalibur2]

***I still don't recommend the T90 due to electrical failure - they were first generation of proper electronically controlled cameras, and most of them will punish you eventually for it. A 50 year old purely mechanical camera will be infinitely more serviceable than a 20 year old T90.***

Well I dunno if you were paying lots of dosh you might have a point...with electronics after all these years they either work or don't, so what are the chances of buying one and it packs up after 6 months, also as mentioned before:- say you bought a electrical mechanical camera for £60 and it packs up after two years? It would have cost you a Walnut whip (about 57p) a week to use.

 

[excalibur2]

The real problem is spare parts. There aren't any NOS available so you've got to hope that there are dead cameras available for cannabilism. It's the same with any camera of an appreciable age, just harder on the T90 because it was only available new for a couple of years before Canon moved to EOS.

On the other hand, the only thing that really kills a T90 is neglect as the shutter magnets jam up. Keep 'em moving and they'll last for years.

Just seen this on the bay and it seems too good to be true when he says "Any fault can be done whether it be the EEE, not firing, completely dead or been dropped with a broken bodycasting" and for £35.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220867465698&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

 

[AJQS]

I'm guessing the reason for those cameras being listed is their sheer simplicity - in which case a Pentax MX should also be on the list.

I would also 2nd the vote for OM2 Spot Program,the spot metered manual mode is incredibly easy and rewarding to use.

 

[joxby]

I've had a few slr's, non of then differed significantly enough for me to say that one or the other was a particularly naff experience.
Out of the marques not already mentioned, I enjoyed using a Fuji 605n particularly, it had essence of FM2 which was also excellent and probably why I ended up with an F3.
Having trumpeted the Fuji its only fair to say, Nikon pretty much owns the market in this particular area for a few good reasons imo, but there are probably one or two other bodys I haven't used just as capable, OM's always get good press and are great lookers.

 

[freecom2]

***I still don't recommend the T90 due to electrical failure - they were first generation of proper electronically controlled cameras, and most of them will punish you eventually for it. A 50 year old purely mechanical camera will be infinitely more serviceable than a 20 year old T90.***

Well I dunno if you were paying lots of dosh you might have a point...with electronics after all these years they either work or don't, so what are the chances of buying one and it packs up after 6 months, also as mentioned before:- say you bought a electrical mechanical camera for £60 and it packs up after two years? It would have cost you a Walnut whip (about 57p) a week to use.

Yes, the difference is that for the price of a box of Walnut whips, you could get the mechanical camera serviced, brought back to fully functional and then continue shooting it once more. Once that electronic camera goes, unless you can find a whole second spare camera to cannibalise from, it's game over

 

[Strapps]

Just seen this on the bay and it seems too good to be true when he says "Any fault can be done whether it be the EEE, not firing, completely dead or been dropped with a broken bodycasting" and for £35.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220867465698&ssPageName=ADME:BS:GB:1123

It's not necessarily dodgy. The EEE fault is either a stuck magnet, which just needs cleaning, or a shutter microswitch needing to be replaced. If the guy's honest about being an ex-Canon tech then there's a chance he's got access to a cache of spares. God knows how you'd break a bodycasting on one of them though, mine's been battered about a few times and the worst I got was a stuck eyepiece blind, which was sorted with a bit of brute force and ignorance

They were known as 'the tank' for a reason

 

[excalibur2]

Yes, the difference is that for the price of a box of Walnut whips, you could get the mechanical camera serviced, brought back to fully functional and then continue shooting it once more. Once that electronic camera goes, unless you can find a whole second spare camera to cannibalise from, it's game over

If any of my 35mm mechanical cameras stop working it's more spare screws for my collection

 

[JSER]

Actually I want a more manual camera than auto, which is why I was considering the superb Nikkormat, and a camera packing up is of no concern really.

If we were talking £600+ yes, but £50 is nothing, and when you have a camera that you have used it still makes a goos show on a shelf.

 

[excalibur2]

****actually I want a more manual camera than auto, which is why I was considering the superb Nikkormat, and a camera packing up is of no concern really.****

Well you could also have a look at Minolta SRT models and Canon FTb, but to use the lenses on a digital camera you would need a Nex model. I picked up my Minolta 101b, with a dent in the prism (but everything works perfectly), and 58mm f1.4 lens for £8 at the bootie (mind you it was about 2 years ago).

 

[TheBigYin]

TBH Jeremy, all the cameras you listed would be fine, only one i'd add to the mix, showing my Canon bias, would be the Canon F1n - probably the only body of that vintage I'd be tempted by, and gives you access to the range of FD/FDn canon glass. Not cheap mind...


edit: deleted the dupe post for you Brian

 

[CT]

If I was after a camera I know I'd love using and lenses etc wasn't a consideration, it would probably be an F3. Already having Canon lenses though swung me to the Canon F1N - probably the best SLR Canon ever made - built like a tank to endure heavy pro use in any climate. It has the brightest viewfinder and easiest split image focusing I've seen, and a good range of mechanical shutter speeds if the battery fails - pretty well bullet proof.

 

[ianjmatt]

I use Olympus for my SLR (actually an OM40 but keep meaning to pick up OM2 on eBay). The Zuiko glass is just amazing and the cameras are great.

 

[joxby]

.......it still makes a good show on a shelf.

ahh, well, that's where the T90 will let you down, not only will it work, it'll be mighty ugly while doing it..

 

[excalibur2]

ahh, well, that's where the T90 will let you down, not only will it work, it'll be mighty ugly while doing it..

Who cares about looks! My two T70's are my most used cameras

 

[joxby]

Looks are half the reason I buy a camera, at least half.

btw..

Blake 7 phoned.....



...he says he wants his T70 back

 

[nikonf2]

Contax 167MT + Carl Zeiss lens-superb results; although I generally use Nikon F5.

 

[robhooley167]

Contax 167MT + Carl Zeiss lens-superb results; .

Agreed, unfortunately sold my 167MT and zeiss 50mm to pay for my Mamiya RB67

 

[excalibur2]

****Looks are half the reason I buy a camera, at least half.*****

erm so if the camera looks good, you get better shots ...... and how did you know Blake 7 was one of my favourite programmes.

 

[joxby]

erm so if the camera looks good, you get better shots ......

absolutely, I think how you feel about your equipment definitely influences what you shoot and the product of that shoot, unless of course you are completely mercenary about it all.
chuck in to that psycho analysis the variable of what one person considers "looking good" when another thinks it looks like Blake 7's bum lube dispenser, and you have a whole new thread that has nothing to do with this one.

I'll apologise to the op for both of us....sorry Jeremy

I feel guilty about hating those cameras, after all they shoot film so can't be all bad.

 

[excalibur2]

I think how you feel about your equipment definitely influences what you shoot and the product of that shoot, unless of course you are completely mercenary about it all.
I feel guilty about hating those cameras, after all they shoot film so can't be all bad.

Well really it should be:- "do your trust your camera", good looks are for posers
Hey I'll even bore you with some shots from a T70 and a £4 Kiron zoom, plus flash with Canon 28mm f2.8 from my holiday this year, in the other thread :razz:

 

[JSER]

Looks are half the reason I buy a camera, at least half.

btw..

Blake 7 phoned.....

...he says he wants his T70 back

If I were buying new I may not agree as they all look the same these days, BUT, buyinng an icon, a pre loved camera from your own past, looks, feel, all count.

I remember my first car, Ford Cortina Mk11, estate, UAD960H, (even at 50 I remember all my old cars and registrations, sad) Equatic jade (green) a lovely car in all senses, and I feel the same about cameras.

It is ok buying any old camera if you only want to take snaps, but, to me, the real justification in going back to film is nostalge, holding that "designed", and "built" piece of your past that once got you into photography.

To this day I miss my Nikon F, and if like me because of age, you can remember OWNING "the" camera you first saved hard for and lasted over 20 years, then a great part of buying a camera again is for that reason.

Perhaps I may consider my very FIRST camera, the Praktica Super TL.

 

[JSER]

good looks are for posers QUOTE]

Then unfortunately you are missing the point, sorry, but you are.

I can go back thirty years when I was reading the Wallace Heaton Blue book and I fell in love with the Nikon F, the looks alone were to drool over, and I remember the exact words in the book to this very day.

It is not very often that Nikon release a new camera so when they do it has to be special, which is what the Nikon F is".

These days no camera manufacturer can go a month without a new piece of plastic.

 

[excalibur2]

good looks are for posers QUOTE]

Then unfortunately you are missing the point, sorry, but you are.

I can go back thirty years when I was reading the Wallace Heaton Blue book and I fell in love with the Nikon F, the looks alone were to drool over, and I remember the exact words in the book to this very day.

It is not very often that Nikon release a new camera so when they do it has to be special, which is what the Nikon F is".

These days no camera manufacturer can go a month without a new piece of plastic.

Well I was like that once and was a great poser with my new Pentax S3 and had to show my pretty tele Rollei TLR at the camera club although it was useless for general photography, and was so pleased to change it for an ugly RB67...now for me a camera is a tool and it has to be reliable and get the results I want, if it handles well i.e. fits my hands it is a bonus and of course a final bonus (but not important) is if it looks good.
The T70 does what I want but dunno if it would be any good at the north pole or African jungle and so on, and I think the T90 is ugly and it doesn't fit my small hands but with what it can do esp with matching 300tl flashgun I'll put up with that bit of inconvenience and it's superior to your pretty mechanical Nikons or whatever, as the end result in photography is to get an image surely not to look at a pretty camera on a shelf or keep polishing a beautiful camera body.

 

[Yardbent]

.
should have snapped up my mint Nikon F3 with 50/1.8 Ai two weeks ago.........

too late now

so many comments from existing owners who wouldn't sell that............
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..I decided to keep it..............................

 

[TheBigYin]

I couldn't have parted with that F3 myself John - even from a dyed in the wool canonite, it's a lovely camera and no mistake. And yes, the look, and the tactile experience of using a camera is important to me too... even if I shoot a lot of the time with cameras that are really a bundle of electronics and motors, I do appreciate the feel of precision engineering you get from older mechanically based cameras. Just wish I spent more time out there using them to justify their ownership

 

[MartynK]

I still prefer my F2 - the last completely mechanical model in the F series - to any other camera I've owned or used, but good ones are getting harder to find and expensive now. Mine hasn't needed any attention, but I imagine repairs may be a problem too.

I would probably pick the Canon F1n if I wanted to go for a different system.

 

[RaglanSurf]

.
should have snapped up my mint Nikon F3 with 50/1.8 Ai two weeks ago.........

too late now

so many comments from existing owners who wouldn't sell that............
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..I decided to keep it..............................

It's strange how photographers are divided, not only by the usual brand wars but by the models as well. Of my 3 F's (F2, F3HP and F4) the only one I have seriously considered selling is my F3, IMHO it is the least aesthetically pleasing of all the F's and going against the consensus I actually prefer my F4 for it's looks and its usability.

It's a good job we don't all like the same stuff

 

[excalibur2]

***It's strange how photographers are divided***

Indeed and it would seem digital owners appreciate film cameras or regaining old memories, more than people who have never left film.

 

[CT]

I would probably pick the Canon F1n if I wanted to go for a different system.

The designations for the various models of the F1 gets really confusing with not everyone understanding them so you have to check that what's being advertised is what you get, but there were only three versions.

The original F1.

The second version which almost everyone agrees should be shown as the F1n

The last version which is generally accepted to be the F1N.

 

[MartynK]

It's strange how photographers are divided, not only by the usual brand wars but by the models as well. Of my 3 F's (F2, F3HP and F4) the only one I have seriously considered selling is my F3, IMHO it is the least aesthetically pleasing of all the F's and going against the consensus I actually prefer my F4 for it's looks and its usability.

It's a good job we don't all like the same stuff

I suppose it is, and I think photographers are also divided into those of us who used the cameras in their heyday, and the ones who have discovered what they're missing! I like the F2 for lots of reasons - the build quality, handling, interchangeable heads/screens and simple, direct, controls being some of them; but there's a bit of nostalgia and emotion in there too. It brings back a lot of memories............

 

[RaglanSurf]

There's no way I could have afforded most of the cameras in their heyday that are now in my camera collection. The Nikon F series, the Toyo 4x5, the monster Minolta Dynax 9 and the Mamiya RZ would all of been out of reach.

But I have to say it was getting a D80 3 years ago that re-awakened my love of photography so I'm happy to use digital and film side by side, I get huge enjoyment from both systems.

I've also bought a number of fairly cheap cameras in charity shops or on ebay that again I wouldn't have spent £60-100 on a few years ago when they were new but I'm happy to take a punt on them at £10-20.

My latest acquisition is a little Minox 35GT, another ebay bargain. And the joy of all these cameras is that they all work, I don't keep cameras to look at, they all get used apart from a couple of 'folders' that I bought in junk shops years ago or were given by friends or relatives just for the novelty value.