Does anyone but me use old 35mm cameras anymore?

Great thread. I also have a Canon FTQL that I purchased in Viet Nam in 1967. I haven't used it for awhile but will have to break it out now. Also, have and use a Nikon FE-2. Sold(gave away) a F-1 to a younger friend who begged me for years. Several lenses for all the above.
 
I'd do more film if there was a good lab around...(my labs have scratched/screwed up many rolls over the years and I don't shoot much)

The equipment I bum off my dad:
Nikon F3/T in champagne
58 1.2 Noct Nikkor
100 F2 Kinoptik converted to Nikon
28 F3.5

Still kickin him for selling the 300mm F2 before I got a chance to play with it

These days, if I do film, it's 120
 
I like the FE-2. That poor baby ended up in the pawn shop twice during my grad school days when I needed to pay the rent.....I managed to get it back each time and made that pawn shop owner all the richer.

The FM-2 was cool, but after the 2nd time having to get the mechanical shutter re-set due to weakening of the springs I found I liked the electronic shutter of the FE-2 that much better. It has been sitting int he closet for somewhere around 4 years now. I just pulled it out to see if the light meter and battery go and low and behold it is still in good shape!
 
rmbrad said:
...I was recently given a Nikon F with the F Tn view finder. I have had a little trouble getting this camera back up and running, but seem to have solved the problems. There is just something about film camera's that does not translate to digital. The old Nikon has a needle at the top of the view finder. You have to manualy set the film speed, The F stop of the lens, the shutter speed, and the aperature opening, and then focus the lens. What a hoot in todays point and shoot view of photography.
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The Nikon F...I had one of those MANY years ago, with the original Photomic "F" meterhead. The only thing about that camera that I didn't like is that you pretty much had to take the camera apart to change film in it...The bottom and the back (in one piece) had to be removed.
 
But they lasted FOREVER. I don't know how you could break one permanently.

Supposedly they were all handmade. I can't imagine how much they would cost these days.
 
Nice to see someone else still using a Rollei 35. Over the years that series (I've had a few) have been part of the best shots I have taken. Great for candids. Nobody believes it's a real camera, nobody believes you can take photos without a flash (steady hand and pushed Tri-X) I learned to judge distance (and exposure to a lesser extent) and the shutter is instantaneous.
Nikon kit got stolen years ago and I never rebuilt the set - though I thought long and hard about the FM3a knowing it would be the end of the line and still regret not getting one...
 
I had 2 older Nikons. I had an F with the tn finder. I used it a lot in college.

I also had an S2, which was a 50s vintage rangefinder -- copy of a German Contax. It was the second model 35mm camera Nikon made. As with the Leicas, I regret ever selling them. :(
 
I still use my Cannon Pelix (sp?). My dad let me borrow it in the late 60's and let me keep it. The only "luxury" on it is the light meter, but I found I didn't really need it. No automatic stuff. I learned that if I was using a low shutter speed (0.5-2 seconds), I could get very good results if I used breathing control as if shooting a firearm... oh yeah, it was also before I got addicted to coffee.

I used to shoot alot of Kodachrome 64 slides, then get them printed if they looked good.

Ric
 
bobofish said:
Doesn't Olympus offer 4/3's converter mounts for their digital SLR's? I thought they did.

If they do indeed, that might alleviate some of your guilt. Their digital SLR's aren't the worst critters, in fact they have some really nice features.
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I have been meaning to check into that - I would feel a little better buying a digital body and using the lenses I already have. Guess I need to do some surfing.....
 
:cool:...I have an old Minolta XD-11 that I bought new with all the "goodies" some 30+ years ago that still takes the best pictures imaginable...My daughter is gonna use it in photography class next year in high school...When the instructor told the kids that they should bring a 35mm SLR for next year, for the photography class, they didn't know what the heck he was talking about...:p
 
The SRT 100 and 101 are probably my two favorite film cameras, and the Argus C3 is my third. All of which I still enjoy using.
 
I've owned a bunch of film cameras over the last thirty five years, I must have no soul as I like digital. Certainly more flexible, at least for my uses. I do miss my Leica M6...
 
My old Nikon was given to me by my Dad. He got it from one of the Uncle's who bought it new in Japan. The old camera was not working when I got it. I took it to the camera shop, and they said they couldn't fix it. I did some research, and found a number of web sites that have information about fixing old camera's. I have cleaned some parts, replaced the alkaline batteries with an adapter that provides the proper voltage, and just finished replacing all of the foam light seals. The old camera sounds and feels like a new one. The light meter is working, and the first roll of film turned out some fairly good pictures. The light meter was off on the first ones due to the wrong voltage, once the adapters were installed, the light meter was right on. What a hoot getting this 40 plus year old camera back up and working again.
 
bladefixation2 said:
Check out the latest generation of digital SLRs - My Canon EOS 40D generates 14 bit images, probably costs about $1000 over there...

I have an old EOS 5 that I'm keeping as a curio but I havent shot film for years
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Heck even the EOS Rebel XSi is 14 bit color. The entire Canon line is 14 bit now. 14-bit A/D Converter
With the EOS Rebel XSi, analog to digital signal conversion is executed by a 14-bit processor, which generates digital data with incredibly smooth tones. Formerly a feature only present in top-of-the-line pro digital SLR cameras, the 14-bit conversion gives incredibly smooth transitions from light to dark colors, with far less risk of "banding." A sky at sunset is a perfect example. With this rich 14-bit gradation the EOS Rebel XSi offers RAW images of the highest quality that can be processed with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software. Even JPEG files, which are always finished at 8-bits per channel, use the full 14-bit conversion initially to generate the best possible color and tonal detail. Another huge benefit of the 14-bit conversion is the Highlight Tone Priority option, which allows critical shooters to increase the level of detail in bright areas of a scene up to one stop, without affecting overall exposure.
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That said I have a Nikon Coolscan that is looking for a good home. I can't give the darn thing away.:D
 
tedwca said:
...That said I have a Nikon Coolscan that is looking for a good home. I can't give the darn thing away.:D
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...Wanna bet?.:D.:D.

Send it to me:

Dann Fassnacht
708 North L Street Apt. 2
Aberdeen, WA 98520
 
I have two SRT-101 bodies and an SRT-100 with a bunch of lenses. They perform very well. Also an old Yashica D TLR in 120 format.

What I wish I had is a good friend's pristine Nikon FTN. He passed away prematurely and although I'm sure his widow has never used it, I just don't feel right about asking to buy it.

Also wish I'd bought a Rollei 120 format TLR with the 80mm f 2.8 lenses. Sweet! But the above-mentioned Hasselblad would do the trick too!

DancesWithKnives
 
I can see myself (someday) completely walking away from "film". As digital technology grows, "film" will go the way of the dinosaur I'm afraid. Large format will probably continue, but the 35mm is gasping.

It will be hard for me to part with my film cameras though... Pentax K-1000 (rubber focal plane shutter which operates better in the deep cold than anything I've ever used! It will continue to shoot EVEN if you pull out the dead batteries... just a tank of a camera). I love my Canon A-1... thousands of rounds through it... hurts to think about giving it up. Then there are the Medium formats I own... sometimes one likes to spend an hour setting up ONE shot...

Sometimes I HATE the fact that "digital" came along (so why do I own 3 digitals? Convenience, pure and simple).
 
Just received another Minolta X700, with a good selection of lenses, filters, and accessories. It had been Dad's, and Mom had no use for it; she prefers the simplicity of her new digital point-and-shoot. :)

Some day I'd like to upgrade to digital, but the cost-reward threshold has not been reached yet, especially not with high-quality film equipment being so affordable now.
 
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