Hey from Casey

readysetgo · May 6, 2012

Hi, i have recently become interested in film cameras, i own a canon 1000d and have been using it for a little while....My brother on the other hand loves film cameras, and he has now got me into them too.
This may sound stupid but i love the "not knowing" part of it...the excitement of finding out if you got the shot or just to see how it ended up turning out.
So about me... i'm 25, a girl, and i'm from Australia....i'm in love with black and white photography and also i love to take people shots. i hope to purchase my first film camera soon ( i'm still learning whats what).
bye for now from Casey.

Ken Nadvornick · May 6, 2012

Welcome to APUG, Casey.

That's about the most honest introduction I can remember. Well done.

Can you tell us what you've been doing with your camera recently? And which film camera you might hope to purchase?

That "not knowing" part is one of the most exquisite pleasures of film photography. We all enjoy that. It's also an excellent taskmaster because it will force you to really learn how to use a camera since there is no instant feedback.

Enjoy your stay...

Ken

zsas · May 6, 2012

Welcome to Apug! Is is that wonder and mystery yet symmetry (and sometimes lack thereof) with the camera/materials that keeps me so thrilled with analog! You will have a ball, welcome!

segedi · May 6, 2012

Hi Casey,
You, and through your involvement here, your brother will find a lot of info on all things film. In the past 3 years I've acquired quite the film camera collection. Black and white is great as it's easy to process yourself. And the tonality is great too. If you ask, you'll get dozens of options for your first film camera. Any manual SLR will do the trick, cheaply, but with top-notch bodies and lenses. Good luck on your adventure!

readysetgo · May 6, 2012

Ken Nadvornick said:
Welcome to APUG, Casey.

That's about the most honest introduction I can remember. Well done.

Can you tell us what you've been doing with your camera recently? And which film camera you might hope to purchase?

That "not knowing" part is one of the most exquisite pleasures of film photography. We all enjoy that. It's also an excellent taskmaster because it will force you to really learn how to use a camera since there is no instant feedback.

Enjoy your stay...

Ken

Hey, recently i went to the zoo for practice, this week coming i hope to stay at my sisters so i can practice portraits (she photographs well which comes in handy for me) then soon after i will stay at my nans so i can practice some more.
as for what camera...i'm pretty sure it's called a film SLR, i haven't picked which one though a shop somewhat near me has a Nikon FE-2 and a F3-P at a price i can afford so i might researched them for a while....i'm a little confused if i get a film SLR, what lenses i can use with it. plus all these numbers and letters get a little overwhelming since i was only just getting used too it with digital (learning all the models).
Well thanks for the reply.
from Casey.

readysetgo · May 6, 2012

zsas said:
Welcome to Apug! Is is that wonder and mystery yet symmetry (and sometimes lack thereof) with the camera/materials that keeps me so thrilled with analog! You will have a ball, welcome!

Thanks, i'm real excited!

readysetgo · May 6, 2012

segedi said:
Hi Casey,
You, and through your involvement here, your brother will find a lot of info on all things film. In the past 3 years I've acquired quite the film camera collection. Black and white is great as it's easy to process yourself. And the tonality is great too. If you ask, you'll get dozens of options for your first film camera. Any manual SLR will do the trick, cheaply, but with top-notch bodies and lenses. Good luck on your adventure!

Thanks, i can't wait to get started! i'm doing some research now.

andrew.roos · May 6, 2012

Hi Casey

Welcome to APUG and to the wonderful world of traditional photography.

The Nikon FE2 is a fantastic camera, provided you will be happy with manual focussing. It's relatively small and lightweight, but rugged and well built. It, and the closely related FM series (excluding the recent cheap plastic FE10 and FM10) have been the preferred cameras of many photographers who wanted to travel light but have a reliable camera. For example, Steve McCurry's iconic portrait "Afghan Girl" was taken with an FM2. The FE2 is essentially an FM2 with an electroniclly controlled shutter (hence the "E" in the name) to give it aperture priority automatic exposure. Jeff Widener's famous photo of a man standing in front of a line of Chinese tanks at Tiananmen Square was taken with an FE2 (from about half a mile away, which is why it's not competely sharp).

The F3P is a ruggedised "press" version of the F3, Nikon's top professional camera of the time. It's very capable, but heavier and more complex than the FE2. I also think it was optimised for the needs of press photographers, which may not suit you as well as a more general purpose camera like the FE2. As far as I know it does not have autofocus (The F3AF has autofocus, but the F3P is not compatible with the AF finder used in the F3AF). Personally I would pick the FE2 since it's smaller, lighter, almost as rugged and has everything one needs to take great photographs.

Both cameras taken Nikon F-mount lenses. Since they are manual focus cameras, you would be best off with manual focus AI or AI-S lenses. These are optically good, widely available, and not too expensive (for example, keh.com has a 50/1.8 in excellent condition for US$ 99 - ebay would probably be cheaper but is definitely more risky).

I must admit that I'm biased. I learned photography on a Nikon FM, and loved it. Of all the 35 mm SLRs in the world, the FE2 would be my second choice. (The later version, the FM3A, would be my first choice).

With respect to your other post about automatic film loading, note that the FM/FE does not have this. After loading as I described in the other thread, would would need to manually advance the film using the thumb winder until the frame counter shows you have reached frame 1. After cinishing the film, you would have to manually rewind it back into the cartridge before opening the camera back.

Good luck!
Andrew

mooseontheloose · May 6, 2012

Welcome to APUG Casey! Nice to have another girl on board! I love Nikon FEs (the precursor to the FE2) and have four of them to date -- I use them much more than my Nikon F100, which by all standards is a great camera, but somehow pales in comparison to how uncomplicated the old manual cameras can be.

Andrew's given you a lot of good information but feel free to ask questions here anytime -- we're a friendly helpful bunch! (most of the time anyway...)

munz6869 · May 6, 2012

Welcome to APUG from another Australian! You'll just soak up info here...

Marc!

M.A.Longmore · May 6, 2012

.
Welcome Home Casey !

Ron
.

Chazzy · May 6, 2012

Welcome to APUG, Casey.

Jeff Kubach · May 6, 2012

Hello Casey, and a warm welcome to APUG! Give it time you will love film even more.

Jeff

removed-user-1 · May 6, 2012

readysetgo said:
i love the "not knowing" part of it...the excitement of finding out if you got the shot or just to see how it ended up turning out.

Welcome to APUG! The anticipation is part of the fun of film, I agree. BUT - just wait until you go from "not knowing" if you got the shot to *knowing* that you got it the moment the shutter fired. That is a real thrill.

ambaker · May 6, 2012

Welcome to APUG! I shoot both, actually I shoot everything I can get my hands on, and film for.

Both have their purpose. But I see it as film as a 5 star restaurant, and digital as McDonald's. If you are in a real hurry for a quick bite, McDonald's is the better choice. If you have the time to savor the experience, the 5 star restaurant leaves you with memories you won't soon forget.

Another person in another forum put it very eloquently. They had lost a loved one, and they said, "When I look at the image on the film, I see the light that actually touched him. It is there frozen in time, and a tangible moment of my loved one that I can hold in my hands".

papagene · May 6, 2012

Casey - hello and welcome to APUG!!

readysetgo · May 6, 2012

andrew.roos said:
Hi Casey

Welcome to APUG and to the wonderful world of traditional photography.

The Nikon FE2 is a fantastic camera, provided you will be happy with manual focussing. It's relatively small and lightweight, but rugged and well built. It, and the closely related FM series (excluding the recent cheap plastic FE10 and FM10) have been the preferred cameras of many photographers who wanted to travel light but have a reliable camera. For example, Steve McCurry's iconic portrait "Afghan Girl" was taken with an FM2. The FE2 is essentially an FM2 with an electroniclly controlled shutter (hence the "E" in the name) to give it aperture priority automatic exposure. Jeff Widener's famous photo of a man standing in front of a line of Chinese tanks at Tiananmen Square was taken with an FE2 (from about half a mile away, which is why it's not competely sharp).

The F3P is a ruggedised "press" version of the F3, Nikon's top professional camera of the time. It's very capable, but heavier and more complex than the FE2. I also think it was optimised for the needs of press photographers, which may not suit you as well as a more general purpose camera like the FE2. As far as I know it does not have autofocus (The F3AF has autofocus, but the F3P is not compatible with the AF finder used in the F3AF). Personally I would pick the FE2 since it's smaller, lighter, almost as rugged and has everything one needs to take great photographs.

Both cameras taken Nikon F-mount lenses. Since they are manual focus cameras, you would be best off with manual focus AI or AI-S lenses. These are optically good, widely available, and not too expensive (for example, keh.com has a 50/1.8 in excellent condition for US$ 99 - ebay would probably be cheaper but is definitely more risky).

I must admit that I'm biased. I learned photography on a Nikon FM, and loved it. Of all the 35 mm SLRs in the world, the FE2 would be my second choice. (The later version, the FM3A, would be my first choice).

With respect to your other post about automatic film loading, note that the FM/FE does not have this. After loading as I described in the other thread, would would need to manually advance the film using the thumb winder until the frame counter shows you have reached frame 1. After cinishing the film, you would have to manually rewind it back into the cartridge before opening the camera back.

Good luck!
Andrew

Hey, Wow, so much info...thank you
I'm beginning to get used to the idea of manual focus, it is not just the "can i do it" thing but how long will it take me but i guess practice makes perfect.
Light weight is great.
Thanks for the bit on who has used such camera this is reassuring...The FE2 s sounding like the one.

Three questions:
1) Do you know what battery(s) does the FE2 use? i have to make sure i have access to them.
2) Would i have to buy lenses 2nd hand or would any of the "new" lenses work?
3) what options would i have with flash?

Sorry to ask so much, i like to really research something before buying just to be sure.

Thanks again, from Casey.

removed account4 · May 6, 2012

hi casey

welcome to apug !

... not knowing is a HUGE thing for me too, i love not having any idea ..
its as much fun as looking at film that was just processed for the first time with the lights on
or watching the image magically appear in the developer ..

film and paper are pretty cool

have fun!
john

Ken Nadvornick · May 6, 2012

ambaker said:
Another person in another forum put it very eloquently. They had lost a loved one, and they said, "When I look at the image on the film, I see the light that actually touched him. It is there frozen in time, and a tangible moment of my loved one that I can hold in my hands".

Ken

andrew.roos · May 7, 2012

readysetgo said:
Hey, Wow, so much info...thank you
I'm beginning to get used to the idea of manual focus, it is not just the "can i do it" thing but how long will it take me but i guess practice makes perfect.
Light weight is great.
Thanks for the bit on who has used such camera this is reassuring...The FE2 s sounding like the one.

Three questions:
1) Do you know what battery(s) does the FE2 use? i have to make sure i have access to them.
2) Would i have to buy lenses 2nd hand or would any of the "new" lenses work?
3) what options would i have with flash?

Sorry to ask so much, i like to really research something before buying just to be sure.

Thanks again, from Casey.

You're welcome.

1. The FE2 uses two LR44 batteries. These are 1.5 Volt button cells, 11.4mm diameter and 5.2mm in height which are widely available - they are used in watches, calculators, etc.

2. Nikon still sells some manual focus lenses - see http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/list.htm#manual. However most photo shops won't stock them. You would either have to get them on special order, or mail order them from somewhere like bhphoto.com. Zeiss also makes a range of excellent manual focus lenses. The Zeiss "ZF" and "ZF2" lenses are designed for the Nikon F mount which the FE2 has (that's the "F" in "FE2"). Get the ZF2 lenses since they are optically identical to the ZF lenses but are also compatible with more modern Nikon cameras (see Dead Link Removed - you can click the icons under the pic to show info about the various lenses in the range). Also, current Nikon autofocus lenses will also work on the FE2 provided they have an aperture setting ring on the lens. Many of the recent lenses, with official names that end in "G" (e.g. Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.4G) don't have aperture rings. They rely on electronic aperture control by the camera body, which the FE2 does not support. However I would prefer manual focus lenses - they are cheaper (if purchased second hand), generally have a smoother manual focus action, and are usually smaller and lighter. Some of the more recent AF lenses also don't have good focus distance and depth of field markings, which are very helpful if you ever want to do landscape photography. If you want new and can afford it, get Zeiss ZF2 lenses. They're beautifully built and optically excellent. Otherwise second hand Nikon lenses from a trustworthy source like keh.com will do just fine.

3. The FE-2 will give TTL flash control with Nikon's last generation of flashes, the SB-600 and SB-800. AFAIK this won't work with the current SB-700 and SB-900 since they no longer support TTL, only i-TTL which is the digital camera equivalent. You should still be able to use these on manual, though I haven't tried it. The SB-600 is widely available on the used market and is a good, moderately priced flash - I have one.

Cheers
Andrew

readysetgo · May 7, 2012

andrew.roos said:
You're welcome.

1. The FE2 uses two LR44 batteries. These are 1.5 Volt button cells, 11.4mm diameter and 5.2mm in height which are widely available - they are used in watches, calculators, etc.

2. Nikon still sells some manual focus lenses - see http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/list.htm#manual. However most photo shops won't stock them. You would either have to get them on special order, or mail order them from somewhere like bhphoto.com. Zeiss also makes a range of excellent manual focus lenses. The Zeiss "ZF" and "ZF2" lenses are designed for the Nikon F mount which the FE2 has (that's the "F" in "FE2"). Get the ZF2 lenses since they are optically identical to the ZF lenses but are also compatible with more modern Nikon cameras (see Dead Link Removed - you can click the icons under the pic to show info about the various lenses in the range). Also, current Nikon autofocus lenses will also work on the FE2 provided they have an aperture setting ring on the lens. Many of the recent lenses, with official names that end in "G" (e.g. Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.4G) don't have aperture rings. They rely on electronic aperture control by the camera body, which the FE2 does not support. However I would prefer manual focus lenses - they are cheaper (if purchased second hand), generally have a smoother manual focus action, and are usually smaller and lighter. Some of the more recent AF lenses also don't have good focus distance and depth of field markings, which are very helpful if you ever want to do landscape photography. If you want new and can afford it, get Zeiss ZF2 lenses. They're beautifully built and optically excellent. Otherwise second hand Nikon lenses from a trustworthy source like keh.com will do just fine.

3. The FE-2 will give TTL flash control with Nikon's last generation of flashes, the SB-600 and SB-800. AFAIK this won't work with the current SB-700 and SB-900 since they no longer support TTL, only i-TTL which is the digital camera equivalent. You should still be able to use these on manual, though I haven't tried it. The SB-600 is widely available on the used market and is a good, moderately priced flash - I have one.

Cheers
Andrew

hi Andrew,
Ok, cool, i'm glad the battery is easy to get.
As for the lenses, i'll probably just ask them when i get there...see what they have instore at the camera exchange.
i will write down these two flashes and ask the person when i phone up to make sure they still have the camera instock before i go, if they sell either of the two.

Thanks so much, you have been a great help

andrew.roos · May 7, 2012

Please let us know how it turns out, and post some pics to the gallery!

Andrew

Mick Fagan · May 9, 2012

Casey, the FE2 would be my choice of the two bodies you mention. I have an FE2 body, plus a couple of F3 bodies, the FE2 has a very user friendly match needle metering system.

I would suggest you may learn a lot about pricing and what is around, by going to your local newsagent and picking up the latest Photographic Trader, number 156 for $4.75. You cannot miss it, it is an A4 Yellow covered publication and based in Australia. The current edition came out last week.

Mick.

SMBooth · May 9, 2012

Casey, Welcome to APUG, if you in Melbourne I have a very nice looking Minolta X300 and 50mmf2 with 200x flash you can have for $15.00 (which will go to the charity shop that my mother works with)

readysetgo · May 10, 2012

SMBooth said:
Casey, Welcome to APUG, if you in Melbourne I have a very nice looking Minolta X300 and 50mmf2 with 200x flash you can have for $15.00 (which will go to the charity shop that my mother works with)

Hey, thanks.
I am very interested, i live in the Dandenong ranges...but if you have paypal ( or i can do a direct deposit) i could pay you then you could send it (i'll pay for postage)....
Well let me know, thanks again, from Casey.

Hey from Casey

removed-user-1

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