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beginning a basic photograpy course shortly and i am looking to buy an SLR before it starts. I've been advised to buy a film SLR rather than a digital SLR in order to learn how to use a camera properly and manually, is it worth doing this if i am going to be taught anyway? :shrug:

got about £400 to spend, was hoping to get a decent body and maybe spend a little more on a good lens, could anyone point me in the right direction? thanks in advance :thumbs:
 
Personally i dont see how learning on a film camera in this day and age will help you at all...
 
Most "modern" cameras can be set to be as manual or as automatic as you want them to be.

Before I got into DSLR use (and since!) I use a couple of Nikon SLRs - an F65 which was a basic entry level body that rekindled my interest in photography and the F80 that I upgraded to. I originally went for the F65 since of the 3 or 4 bodies on the shortlist, it simply fitted my hands best. IIRC, the other contenders were a Canon EOS 500, a Pentax MZ and a Minolta Dynax.

If you've got a dealer near you who keeps a decent stock of 2nd hand kit, I would go there and try a few to see which fits you best. You should be able to get a decent body in mint condition for under a hundred quid - as for lenses, you pays yer money and yer takes yer choice! For film though, a 28-80 zoom will get you started and shouldn't break the bank. If you want another lens to increase the range, a 70-300 will give you that extra reach. If your budget will stretch, see if you can find a 50mm f/1.8 as well - the wider aperture available will help in lower light situations. That kit should all come in at under £400 2nd hand - and could be got even cheaper on e-bay (without warranty though...). There might even be some film stuff on the For Sale board here.
 
In your situation I would buy a digital SLR, a film SLR and a lens which will work with both. For example a Canon EOS XX(X)D body a Canon EOS film body (£less than £50 on eBay) and an EF lens (not EF-S)...
 
I'd look at a second hand canon EOS 300 with a lens or two on the bay, body only they struggle to sell for £10. then look to get a second had 350D with a kit lens which should let you cover both film and digital for your budget.
 
It seems rather odd to me that they are asking you to start with a film body, unless part of the course requires you to learn developing and printing, in which case, it's a must.

Better by far, unless a film body is required, to buy a DSLR and a good lens, and as has been suggested here, buy a film body from Ebay for £20 or so.

If the film body is a requirement, then buy the best you can afford, together with a lens which you can use on a DSLR body later.

If you are going to have to use the SLR as a photographic tool, for any length of time, and depend on it for good results, then I would suggest a Nikon F4 as a body, (this was a pro photoraphers dream not many years ago) and your choice of AF-D or even cheaper manual focus lenses from hundreds offered second hand, nation wide. You can use an AF-D lens on both the F4, and later on a Nikon body such as the D100/200, or D70/80 when you are ready to make the change. I think that the F4 is the absolute pinnacle of Nikon film cameras, and the last of the 'true Nikons'. Probably the best looking SLR of all time too!

Unlike the cheaper AF film bodies, I think that the F4 has reached a price where it's not going to get any cheaper, and may even increase in value. For me, it's a desireable body, and the one I would chose if I went back to film. Buying a cheaper, entry level camera may save you a bit, but you'll soon grow out of it, and no matter how cheap it is, you'll struggle to sell it later.

Good luck with your course.

Edit - Good F4 with battery pack here, cheap, and guaranteed: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NIKON-F4-MB-23_W0QQitemZ370074836034QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116
 
a1ex2001 said:
I'd look at a second hand canon EOS 300 with a lens or two on the bay, body only they struggle to sell for £10. then look to get a second had 350D with a kit lens which should let you cover both film and digital for your budget.
Click to expand...

a 350d kit lens wont work with the film body you need the EF lenses for film.
 
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