Best bang for buck manual focus SLR?

Gerry M · Feb 9, 2018

Another good reference:
www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/zoomsMF/2850mm.htm

The 28-50 is considerably smaller than the 25-50 f4 which is/was considered a pro lens.

Theo Sulphate · Feb 9, 2018

cooltouch said:
Nikon also made a 25-50 ...

The 25-50, like my 28-45 shown below, is a very attractive appearing lens and I think is somewhat rare. A good focal range.

cooltouch · Feb 10, 2018

Theo Sulphate said:
The 25-50, like my 28-45 shown below, is a very attractive appearing lens and I think is somewhat rare. A good focal range.

Nice looking F2s outfit. I have one that looks just like it.

As for the 25-50 being somewhat rare, I don't think that's the case. I got lots of hits for that lens on eBay.

NJH · Feb 10, 2018

Best band for buck has to be Pentax M series. Everyone overlooks those cameras these days, dirt cheap but they were always decent gear back in the day.

cooltouch · Feb 10, 2018

Yeah, MX of course, and ME Super, if you like futzing with buttons instead of dials. But I'll pass on the ME because I want more control than Aperture Priority only.

Gerry M · Feb 10, 2018

Nikkor 28-50 f3.5 AIS on F4

nsurit · Feb 10, 2018

You mention the camera is for your girlfriend. I started using Olympus OM cameras because my wife, who would also use the camera, had small hands and the OM cameras fit her. The wife is gone, however I still use Olympus OM film cameras. They are smaller than many slr cameras, as are their lenses and might fit the bill for your gf. You might have her handle some different cameras and see which is most comfortable for her. The battery issue is a non-issue on the OM 1 cameras. Just buy one that has been converted to use modern batteries or have an unconverted one go through a cla and conversion. PM me if you are interested in a converted one.

Theo Sulphate · Feb 10, 2018

cooltouch said:
...
As for the 25-50 being somewhat rare, I don't think that's the case. I got lots of hits for that lens on eBay.

So, looking up what caused me to say that, Braczko's book mentions the earlier 28-45 as gaining interest from collectors but actually doesn't say the same for the later 25-50 (which I think is a better choice).

Odot said:
The bodies for a FM3a are in the $500-600 range so i am trying to get her to settle for a less pricey body ...

cooltouch said:
If she llikes the FM3a feature set, you might suggest the FE2 to her then. They are very close in terms of features and a clean FE2 can be found in the $100 range, sometimes less. ...

Right. With the FM3a, Nikon basically combined the FE2 and FM2n. The FM3a is a great camera, the last manual Nikon SLR and will be coveted in decades to come, but perhaps your girlfriend will like the less expensive FE2 just as much.

blockend · Feb 10, 2018

The answer depends whether the OP wants a camera in isolation, or is looking to build an outfit. The price of lenses come into bang-for-buck, which depends on factors like whether the mount fits existing cameras and the reputation of the manufacturer. Another factor is whether the company made "exotic" lenses like an 85mm f1.4 or 24mm f1.4, or they're happy with more orthodox maximum apertures.

If someone wanted to build a manual kit, a Canon FTb with FD lenses would be easy to acquire based on numbers of both built and cost, followed by something like a Yashica FR with ML glass. Up or down market from those lenses become more expensive or harder to acquire (which often means the same thing) based on rarity. A Nikkormat with pre-AI lenses would be my recommendation as the best compromise.

I think the original FM (and FE?) take pre-AI lenses where their successors do not.

cooltouch · Feb 10, 2018

Correct. Both the FM and FE will accept pre-AI lenses, while the FM2 and FE2 will not.

Chan Tran · Feb 11, 2018

cooltouch said:
Yeah, MX of course, and ME Super, if you like futzing with buttons instead of dials. But I'll pass on the ME because I want more control than Aperture Priority only.

But how much one has to pay for a good MX? I like the MX but I think the price is too high to make it the best bang for the bucks.

cooltouch · Feb 11, 2018

I just took a look on eBay. Wow. Prices for the MX have gone through the roof. You know, this is a trend I've been noticing for many cameras that were built in the late 1970s to 1980s. I sure am glad I bought my cameras when I did.

I bought my MX at auction at Goodwill's auction site: shopgoodwill.com. Back when I bought mine a couple years ago, prices were still cheap. I doubt I paid more than $40 for mine. But you know, this acceleration in prices is a trend I'm also seeing at Goodwill's site. I'm astounded when I see things like a Canon AE-1 with normal lens get bidded up to $80 or $90. Geez. Used to be you could find really good deals there. Now, not so much anymore. Prices on 70s classics, like the Canon FTb, Nikon's Nikkormats, or Minolta SRT-101s are often still quite low. Which is a good thing, I think, because I like those old 70s classics. I can't include the Pentax K1000 in that group, though, because I frequently see it getting bid up to fairly high numbers.

I just took a look over at shopgoodwill.com. There are several Pentax K1000s that have gotten bid up to $75-85. They also have two MXes there. One with 9 hours left on the clock that comes with a 50/2 and an aftermarket zoom, plus filters, etc. for $39. That's not bad. Chances are the auction will close at quite a bit higher than that, though. Another MX with a 50/1.7 and 28/2.8 plus an AF160 flash is sitting at $82.50 with three days to go. That's not all that bad of a price, though, because of the 28mm being part of the package. But still, the prices I'm seeing there now are reflecting this overall trend of rapidly increasing prices in manual focus film gear that was highly regarded in the 70s and 80s.

Chan Tran · Jun 20, 2018

cooltouch said:
I just took a look on eBay. Wow. Prices for the MX have gone through the roof. You know, this is a trend I've been noticing for many cameras that were built in the late 1970s to 1980s. I sure am glad I bought my cameras when I did.

I bought my MX at auction at Goodwill's auction site: shopgoodwill.com. Back when I bought mine a couple years ago, prices were still cheap. I doubt I paid more than $40 for mine. But you know, this acceleration in prices is a trend I'm also seeing at Goodwill's site. I'm astounded when I see things like a Canon AE-1 with normal lens get bidded up to $80 or $90. Geez. Used to be you could find really good deals there. Now, not so much anymore. Prices on 70s classics, like the Canon FTb, Nikon's Nikkormats, or Minolta SRT-101s are often still quite low. Which is a good thing, I think, because I like those old 70s classics. I can't include the Pentax K1000 in that group, though, because I frequently see it getting bid up to fairly high numbers.

I just took a look over at shopgoodwill.com. There are several Pentax K1000s that have gotten bid up to $75-85. They also have two MXes there. One with 9 hours left on the clock that comes with a 50/2 and an aftermarket zoom, plus filters, etc. for $39. That's not bad. Chances are the auction will close at quite a bit higher than that, though. Another MX with a 50/1.7 and 28/2.8 plus an AF160 flash is sitting at $82.50 with three days to go. That's not all that bad of a price, though, because of the 28mm being part of the package. But still, the prices I'm seeing there now are reflecting this overall trend of rapidly increasing prices in manual focus film gear that was highly regarded in the 70s and 80s.

Old thread but I just saw your post now. I bought an MX in excellent condition with the 50mm f/1.4 lens for $5 at garage sales. It has one problem, that the flash sync doesn't work whether the hot shoe or the PC connection. I should have kept it but I sold it for $50 with the lens and now I figure who bought it just wanted the lens. I could get the $50 selling just the lens.

ctrout · Jun 22, 2018

If you have patience, MXs occasionally show up for reasonable prices. About 6 months ago I got a chrome MX in perfect functional and cosmetic condition with the winder and an aftermarket zoom for $47 on Ebay. That's the best deal I've ever gotten on an MX but I've found others in similar condition, body only, for about $50. I think that the Pentax KX and KM are great cameras too if you can find a good deal on them. I got my KM for $25 and my KX was $29. The KM needed a CLA before it would function reliably. I ALWAYS figure the price of a CLA into the purchase of a 40 year old camera. The KX came with two ME Supers, one broken, and one that I resold for about $40 if memory serves correctly.

Sirius Glass · Jun 22, 2018

Or look at Dead Link Removed which has a wide selection and great return policy, not like eBay.

sissysphoto · Jun 23, 2018

Theo Sulphate said:
The 25-50, like my 28-45 shown below, is a very attractive appearing lens and I think is somewhat rare. A good focal range.

View attachment 195177

Nice F2s with MD1

kivis · Jun 23, 2018

Odot said:
I am eyeing one of the Nikon and saw someone sell it witha 50mm Planar lens so i have to ask, is this better in terms f image quality than a Nikon AF-D lens?

Great lens but save your money at get a Nikon 50mm f1.8 AiS lens. Simply the best.

Theo Sulphate · Jun 23, 2018

sissysphoto said:
Nice F2s with MD1

Looks even better from the rear. Notice the little round analog voltage gauge on the side, which I like. Later ones had LEDs.

Best bang for buck manual focus SLR?

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