Plastic SLRs

TheToadMen · May 27, 2016

I was given a Nikon FM10, sometime bought in Indonesia. That one surely qualifies, doesn't it?

"The FM10 is not actually manufactured by Nikon itself, and is not a true member of the Nikon compact F-series SLRs, as the name implies. It is manufactured by Cosina in Japan (as are both the lenses), and is derived from the Cosina CT-1 chassis."

trythis · May 27, 2016

Another N70 user here.
I bought an N70 at a flea market because it had a nice lens attached, I think it was $20. I used it once and thought the interface was awful and compared to the N80 or F100. Its missing a depth of field button but for traveling with a favorite manual focus Ai-s and a favorite auto focus lens you really can't beat it. The N80 cant meter with your best ai-s lens and your F100 has no built in flash and weighs too much. If you drop your N70 or pour orange juice on it, just buy another one, they are cheap. The little IN/OUT buttons once you figure out the code to use them make swapping from manual focus to AF lenses very easy. Next time I travel again, I am going to try a cheap but decent AF zoom with the N80. The N80 is a bit more fragile.

The other older plastic nikon SLRs with flash and metering ability with manual focus lenses are just too slow at AF to beat the N70.

narsuitus · May 28, 2016

Ricardo Miranda said:
As a 1st generation AF, the flash features are all commanded from the flash unit.
That was a "trick" to make the F4/F801 have less buttons, but also to sell more SB-24 units.
The rear curtain sync is commanded from the SB-24/-25/-26.
That's why when someone asks for a recommended flash for the F4 I recommend these.
The F4 and the F801 also have flash exposure compensation, again in the top range flashes only.

Later, and starting with the F-601/F90 series, the flash features were moved to the body.

Thanks for the information. However, it does not help me because I do not have Nikon flash units. I need rear curtain sync controlled by the camera body so I can use any flash unit.

The N70/F70 provides rear curtain sync to any flash unit. The Nikon F4 does not.

4season · May 28, 2016

My first-ever plastic SLR:

I wonder how long the battery door, diaphragm lever and film rewind prongs will last, but it's too soon for me to really know. Maybe they'll cause me no problems at all? But it's got me thinking that I want to try one of the last-generation Japanese film SLRs too. That's a class that I totally missed the first time around because I was taking my fancy German cameras too seriously at the time.

cuthbert · May 28, 2016

4season said:
My first-ever plastic SLR:

I wonder how long the battery door, diaphragm lever and film rewind prongs will last, but it's too soon for me to really know. Maybe they'll cause me no problems at all? But it's got me thinking that I want to try one of the last-generation Japanese film SLRs too. That's a class that I totally missed the first time around because I was taking my fancy German cameras too seriously at the time.

As you are already familiar with quirky designs I would recommend you the first of the Japanese automated all plastic cameras:

Sometimes I also think about getting one for pure nostalgia value.

TheToadMen · May 28, 2016

cuthbert said:
... the first of the Japanese automated all plastic cameras:

Sometimes I also think about getting one for pure nostalgia value.

Like watching an episode of The Transformers: a true Autobot

Marvin · May 28, 2016

I have two of the N75 and N80 bodies they are great cameras and can be had for cheap. I bought grips for them so I could rum them on AA batteries. These cameras have the Matrix metering which is very accurate and good for finicky slide film.

frank · May 28, 2016

In Nikon polycarbonate, I prefer the 801s aka 8008s.

cuthbert · May 28, 2016

TheToadMen said:
Like watching an episode of The Transformers: a true Autobot

These pre-Minolta AF lenses reminds me of the AF cameras the Colonial Marines wore on the helmets in Aliens:

In the movie there is a close up of one of these cameras and you can see the lens moving frontward and backward to find the focus...with the relative swirling sound.

Paul Howell · May 28, 2016

The late model Konicas, TC FS had one if the first integrated motor winders.

blockend · May 28, 2016

4season said:
My first-ever plastic SLR:

I wonder how long the battery door, diaphragm lever and film rewind prongs will last, but it's too soon for me to really know. Maybe they'll cause me no problems at all? But it's got me thinking that I want to try one of the last-generation Japanese film SLRs too. That's a class that I totally missed the first time around because I was taking my fancy German cameras too seriously at the time.

I like the look of that Zenit, the construction is almost toy like but it'll probably go on for years with careful handling.

4season · May 28, 2016

cuthbert said:
As you are already familiar with quirky designs I would recommend you the first of the Japanese automated all plastic cameras:

Sometimes I also think about getting one for pure nostalgia value.

I like the flat angular look of that camera body. Dunno about those big lenses though! Was thinking more along the lines of a Canon Rebel or Pentax *Ist, want my camera bag to feel practically empty when I'm carrying it.

cuthbert · May 28, 2016

blockend said:
I like the look of that Zenit, the construction is almost toy like but it'll probably go on for years with careful handling.

I heard bad things about the last Zenits after the 122. The old ones (with the characteristic "tank" shape) are sturdy and reliable (also because there's very little that can break down, the shutter is still the one of the Leica IIb) but it appears that the Russian plastic isn't that great.

Probably the best Zenit is the 19 with electronic shutter and all the speeds, despite of the plastic top cover and lever (that feel really cheap) it has all the standard speeds you might ask.

4season said:
I like the flat angular look of that camera body. Dunno about those big lenses though! Was thinking more along the lines of a Canon Rebel or Pentax *Ist, want my camera bag to feel practically empty when I'm carrying it.

I am not familiar with the Rebel or the Ist, but I handled a T80 and it's relatively lightweight, the problem is that the AAA batteries are in the lenses, that are three: a 50mm snubnose, a "standard" 35-70 zoom ad a 75-200 zoom. That's it.

I must confess sometimes I toy with the idea of getting one and try to see what I can extract from such a rudimental machine, from some points of view it's ever more crude than a Zenit as it just has programs and you can't set up the camera manually.

GarageBoy · May 28, 2016

Rebel T2 and a 40 is my poor mans fancy point and shoot - cheaper than a Yashica T4 etc, though a lil bigger - faster handling too

Maxxum 5- cheap and supports SSM lenses

TheToadMen · May 29, 2016

cuthbert said:
I must confess sometimes I toy with the idea of getting one and try to see what I can extract from such a rudimental machine, from some points of view it's ever more crude than a Zenit as it just has programs and you can't set up the camera manually.

Same here And I finally found me one yesterday with one zoom lens. I'm gonna pick it up tomorrow. Maybe I'll get me the AC 50 mm lens later?
I was looking for a Canon T80 first of all just for the looks of it. That tank-like build lenses just look great. It was Canon's first autofocus camera in 35 mm format. A whole different aera that was!

BTW: I already have a T70 with 50 mm lens and it handles great. To top it off I'll keep an eye out for a cheap T90 too.

Whitesands · May 29, 2016

Just bought a Nikon N75 that was a leftover refurbished for $35 that was like brand new because I wanted to get back into film...I was a little worried as I really like all my dials outside the camera and no ISO setting....But figured the workaround that's actually very easy with the exposure compensation....But wow, I was so surprised the n75 worked so well.....The autofocus was accurate and quick with the 50mm f1.8..I felt really giddy getting back into film and when I got my results back I was so excited and couldn't believe how well the photos turned out....

Paul Howell · May 29, 2016

The last that comes to mind is the Sigma SA7, had a boatload of feature, bracketing, mirror lock up, 2.5 FPS film advance, spot, matrix, and center weighted metering. ISO over ride, the same features as the SA9 which had 1/8000 top shutter speed and 3.5 FPS drive. I own both, both dead, Sigma used a gule in the Pentaprims that turned yellow then orange. The down side is that they will only work with Sigma lens, I used my Sigmas for almost 20 years.

MattKing · May 29, 2016

Whitesands said:
Just bought a Nikon N75 that was a leftover refurbished for $35 that was like brand new because I wanted to get back into film...I was a little worried as I really like all my dials outside the camera and no ISO setting....But figured the workaround that's actually very easy with the exposure compensation....But wow, I was so surprised the n75 worked so well.....The autofocus was accurate and quick with the 50mm f1.8..I felt really giddy getting back into film and when I got my results back I was so excited and couldn't believe how well the photos turned out....

Welcome to APUG.
Have fun with your return to film.

blockend · May 29, 2016

Whitesands said:
The autofocus was accurate and quick with the 50mm f1.8..I felt really giddy getting back into film and when I got my results back I was so excited and couldn't believe how well the photos turned out....

The late models were very good, especially regarding autofocus. The useful features had trickled down from the pro models by the late 90s/early noughties and they were, in fact still are, vary useful cameras. No weather sealing or metal chassis, but good otherwise.

Theo Sulphate · May 29, 2016

Up until four years ago, I was an all-mechanical, all-manual, all pro-body photographer.

All of that changed four years ago when whimsy caused me to consider a Canon Rebel G (also known as EOS 500N outside the U.S.). Such a camera was the exact opposite of what I would normally use. In fact, I remember scorning Canon for producing this plastic entry level camera with a pretentious name.

Anyway, I found the camera fun to use and surprisingly capable. You can use it fully automatic, shiftable program, aperture priority, shutter priority, or all manual. You can set exposure compensation and use a self timer. You have three autofocus points. For 1996, I think it was far better and easier to use than the competing Nikon N-50/F-50.

With an inexpensive EF 50/1.8 II lens, the outfit weighs almost nothing - it is amazingly light.

I have made many nice photos with these cameras. Often they sell for around $10-$20 today - a total bargain.

Check out:

(simplified, fails to mention shiftable program mode)

http://w3.marietta.edu/~mcshaffd/macro/canonrebg.html

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/eos/eoscamera/EOS500nRebelGKiss2/index.htm

cuthbert · May 29, 2016

TheToadMen said:
Same here And I finally found me one yesterday with one zoom lens. I'm gonna pick it up tomorrow. Maybe I'll get me the AC 50 mm lens later?
I was looking for a Canon T80 first of all just for the looks of it. That tank-like build lenses just look great. It was Canon's first autofocus camera in 35 mm format. A whole different aera that was!

BTW: I already have a T70 with 50 mm lens and it handles great. To top it off I'll keep an eye out for a cheap T90 too.

Let us know how to survive with the T80, I'm curious...I think at that time it was regarded as a very advanced camera but the AF idea with the motors in the lens never really worked fine. I have a T90, nice camera filled with features but I have problems using it at 100% of the capabilities, the T80 is so funky that I MIGHT consider to get it.

cooltouch · May 30, 2016

I own a Nikon N80 (F80), which was Nikon's last consumer grade camera -- maybe "prosumer?" -- before they moved over entirely to digital with the exception of a couple of models. Now, I gotta say that I really, really like this camera. Yes, it's very light -- but it's also very quiet -- and it has just about any feature one would ever need on a 35mm camera. My only other AF Nikon is an F4 and I find the N80 to be a great alternative to the Beast when I don't need all its capabilities.

These days, the N80 is very plentiful on the used market and can be picked up all day long for about $40. I think it is an incredible deal at that price.

Whitesands · May 30, 2016

MattKing said:
Welcome to APUG.
Have fun with your return to film.

Thank you....

4season · May 30, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
Up until four years ago, I was an all-mechanical, all-manual, all pro-body photographer.

All of that changed four years ago when whimsy caused me to consider a Canon Rebel G (also known as EOS 500N outside the U.S.). Such a camera was the exact opposite of what I would normally use. In fact, I remember scorning Canon for producing this plastic entry level camera with a pretentious name.

Anyway, I found the camera fun to use and surprisingly capable.

Thanks for the suggestion, I just ordered one! ($16 shipped) Thinking that I shall pair it with the 40/2.8 EF pancake lens.

Theo Sulphate · May 30, 2016

4season said:
Thanks for the suggestion, I just ordered one! ($16 shipped) Thinking that I shall pair it with the 40/2.8 EF pancake lens.

I think you'll like it - be sure to get a manual (available on the net), since you'll probably want to customize some of the settings.

Plastic SLRs

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