35 mm camera advice for a high school photography program

As a start, I would try out manual camera. K1000 is a good selection and it is very much affordable. Also, the Nikon FM2n is a good choice. Minolta system is also another choice and lots of lens are available as well as bodies

As you can see, the possibilities are huge.

Just keep in mind what you should avoid:
- bodies requiring mercury batteries (Konicas, Spotmatics, etc.), the main reason being the difficulties to find out battery replacements;
- too much electronics distract you from the fundamentals for a starter;
- Canon series A (AE-1, A-1) and series T (T90) don't age well. And the series A require lithium batteries, which are expensive although they last long. Also, the FD lens system doesn't fit the next Canon generation (EOS), unless you get an adapter.

My 2 cents...

Pentax KM and KX are less money than the k1000 and offer more features.
Several of each CLA'd give you durability and reliability.
Whatever, just don't grab a bunch of cameras with different lens mounts.

The K1000 has not always been the standard student camera. When I started taking pictures there was no K1000 and there were no other K mount cameras either. What about the Nikkormat EL? If it's working properly it's fine but the electronic parts are not easily repaired and it has not proven to be as reliable as the later FE or FE2 models. I taught one person with a Mamiya 500DTL. The stop down metering showed the depth of field and the student was able to learn the difference between spot and averaging metering. The 500DTL does not have mirror lock-up.

Yeap try to standardize as much as you can. If you digi purchase is one make, make sure your film body lenses are compatible/interchangeable. Saves you money and students get familiar with the feel and direction of focusing.

Also k1000 is expensive, it's touted by so many beginners the price is inflated. I recommended the fm and n90s as they are cheap, not the best but very good (not a fm2 or f100) and versatile. If you get a digi nikon body the ai ais lenses mount right on. No worries about adapters or locking pins etc.

dynachrome said:

The K1000 has not always been the standard student camera. When I started taking pictures there was no K1000 and there were no other K mount cameras either. What about the Nikkormat EL? If it's working properly it's fine but the electronic parts are not easily repaired and it has not proven to be as reliable as the later FE or FE2 models. I taught one person with a Mamiya 500DTL. The stop down metering showed the depth of field and the student was able to learn the difference between spot and averaging metering. The 500DTL does not have mirror lock-up.

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I think the OP needs these now and probably doesn't have the time to putz around looking for oldies. Suspect the school board would prefer one-stop shopping and a warranty. Besides, as already mentioned, nothing will kill the analog mood faster than a bunch of dead or dying K1000s, Nikkormats, or Yashicas. If it's going to be used, then the newer the better.

The problem with the K1000 is that they've become sought-after by collectors, so prices are getting silly for what is, after all, a very bare-bones camera.

Look for a set of Pentax P30s (or P30n/P30t) instead. They're fully manual (providing you don't set the lenses to "A") but with shutter speeds in the viewfinder, self timer, DOF preview and DX coding. They're smaller and lighter than a K1000 and can be had for next to nothing now as nobody wants the "plastic" body (they actually have a diecast metal chassis underneath). Probably not as robust but at the price you can afford to replace broken ones.

The only snag with them is that some of the original P30 models don't have a socket for a cable release. Later P30s do, as do the P30n/P30t. The latter two have Av mode but you don't have to use it.

If the model numbers seem unfamiliar they were sold as the P3 and P3n in the USA. I've no idea why!

I received a Nikon FM-10 almost 14 years ago, for 7 years it was my only slr. I have no idea how many rolls of film Ive ran through it. With a Nikon you have a world of lens to choose from, I have some older Vivitar lens that are great. No it is not built as strong as most cameras listed here but with reasonable care it will last a long time. Good luck with your search and use lots of film.

The easiest way to damage a camera is probably "touching" the focal plane shutter blades. I gather that cloth shutters are more robust, under this respect, than metallic shutters.

Considering how easy it is that inexperienced users make a damage, I would go for cameras that have an horizontal cloth shutter.

Second hand in good condition with proper CLA for each camera is the way I would choose.

Also I would buy mechanical cameras as I gather that repairers can more or less deal with any mechanical cameras. Electronic cameras risk to need more specialized repairers. Maybe I am wrong.

PentaxBronica said:

The problem with the K1000 is that they've become sought-after by collectors, so prices are getting silly for what is, after all, a very bare-bones camera.

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I just checked the listings at KEH and they have K1000 bodies in EX or better condition for $100 to $120.

That's pretty cheap for a decent camera body.

- Leigh

I've paid as little as 99p for a fully functional P30 on ebay before now. Found one for £12 a couple of weeks ago which included a case and a Pentax-A 50mm f2, judging by the test roll it's perfect.

My wife teaches art and for her high school she asked for donations from parents and our camera club here in Fort Collins. She ended up with a hodgepodge of cameras but uses the mechanical shutter, manual focus, manual exposure cameras with the sunny 16 rule. Seems to work well.