Seeking recs for professional level 35mm camera for my son

RhodriMawr · Jun 20, 2018

My son will be going to London to study photography at university. My wife and I purchased him a DSLR two years ago but he has discovered that he prefers working on a film camera. Unfortunately, the camera that he uses is my old Contax T3, which is a point and shoot that isn't really great for professional photography, he has many other cameras that he purchased from charity shops, but my wife and I would like to get him a high quality, professional 35mm camera. Which models do you recommend?

His style of photography is mostly street photography, and he mainly uses the film used to make slides to go in a projector, he also uses a lot of black and white film.

Our budget is £1000/AU$1800, or around US$1320. We can't really afford to spend more on the camera itself because we would also like to purchase lenses and other accessories, including a film scanner and a newer slide projector.

Thank you for your assistance.

locutus · Jun 20, 2018

If he already has a DSLR system, look into a film body for that. For example Nikon F or Canon EOS, that way lenses can be shared between digital and film.

RhodriMawr · Jun 20, 2018

locutus said:
If he already has a DSLR system, look into a film body for that. For example Nikon F or Canon EOS, that way lenses can be shared between digital and film.

He has a Fujifilm XT10, but he uses it only seldomly and doesn't have many lenses for it .

locutus · Jun 20, 2018

The Fujifilm lenses for digital aren't compatible with any film system so that opens up all your options.

As for your budget, 1000GBP really is a lot of money for a film setup. For that price you could get essentially a whole outfit.

Say:

200GBP Nikon F100
350GBP Nikon 35mm AF-S f/1.8
250GBP Plustek 8200i Scanner
~100GBP Film developing starter materials.

zkascak · Jun 20, 2018

Personally I would look at something like a Nikon F5. It is a beast, it is big and heavy, excellent for everything but street photography, though very usable. They are readily available used at decent prices and there are many lenses that would be compatible with it everything AI and newer should work. The only thing is that pre AF lenses only support center weighted metering.

But I would also suggest anything recent (sold with in past 20ish years of Canon should be fine as well. (Though I am partial to Nikons myself)

faberryman · Jun 20, 2018

I would begin by asking him. Let him pick it out.

ReginaldSMith · Jun 20, 2018

faberryman said:
I would begin by asking him. Let him pick it out.

Bingo! If he is interested enough to be going to photography school, he darn well knows what he wants.

blockend · Jun 20, 2018

Street photography is generally associated with something smaller and more dicreet than a pro SLR. That is not to say an SLR cannot be used for street photography, but it makes photography of a candid nature more difficult because of its physical presence, and if powered, because of the noise of the film advance.

Slides demand exposure accuracy, so a later automated exposure system would be of benefit. For black and white this is not necessary. If he's studying photography he'll learn how to expose properly with any camera. Really, any reliable camera that takes different lenses will be up to the task, and he'll probably develop a preference once he's there. A generation ago when film was the only medium, photography students used almost any 35mm camera you could name, plus larger formats for their studies.

Pentode · Jun 20, 2018

faberryman said:
I would begin by asking him. Let him pick it out.

I completely agree. There are literally dozens of cameras that would fit your description. Actually more. And many of them are rather affordable nowadays.
Choosing a camera that you like to shoot with is pretty personal and I would bet your son already has a pretty good idea of what he'd like to be shooting with. Just ask.

ReginaldSMith · Jun 20, 2018

As for "street" photography, an SLR is not really the standard tool. The standard tool is a RANGEFINDER, such as Leica and it's many imitators. A big clunky SLR is like walking the streets with a boat anchor.

Pentode · Jun 20, 2018

ReginaldSMith said:
As for "street" photography, an SLR is not really the standard tool. The standard tool is a RANGEFINDER, such as Leica and it's many imitators. A big clunky SLR is like walking the streets with a boat anchor.

I have to respectfully disagree. Not all SLRs are big or clunky. Not all rangefinders are small or quiet. I've shot on NYC streets for the past 25+ years with everything from SLRs to rangefinders to TLRs to folders. They all work just fine. I'm pretty sure there isn't really any "standard" tool for street photography.

One thing we most definitely DO agree on, though is that the recipient of this generous gift is very likely to already know what he wants.

film_man · Jun 20, 2018

For £1000 you can kind of buy anything you want body wise except the F6 and some collectible stuff. Questions:
1. Rangefinder or SLR?
2. ...and if SLR, autofocus or manual?

As far as I'm concerned I would highly recommend any of the following setups which I have owned at some point or the other and all in various combinations within £1000:
Nikon FM2n or F3HP. a Zeiss 35/2, Zeiss 50/1.4, Nikon 35/2AIS, Nikon 35/1.4AIS, Nikon 50/1.2AIS.
Nikon F100 or F5 with either of the above lenses or a modern 35 or 50mm lens.
Canon EOS 1N or 3 or 1V with a 35/2IS, 50/1.8STM (amazing lens for the money), any of the other 50s (they're all great) or any of the Zeiss lenses (make sure you get a Ec-S screen if you want to use a manual lens, it is night and day to the stock screen for manual focusing)
Leica R8/R9 with a 35/2 or 50/2
Voigtlander R3A with a 40/1.4 or any 50 you can get your hands on (the Zeiss ZM 50/2 is amazing). The R3A is an amazing camera with a unique 1:1 finder (you can shoot with both eyes open)
For something unique: Nikonos V with the 35/2.5 lens. Cheap but factor in £200 to service (needs to go to US) every 2-3 years. This is an amazing camera that works both on land and in the water.

Beyond that there are a number of other cameras you can get that are cheaper but personally I think if you have the money then get one of the above.

ReginaldSMith · Jun 20, 2018

I stand corrected. There is no "standard tool." I might have better said something like: street photography has some unique characteristics to consider and the SLR is not always the preferred tool for many street photogs.

4season · Jun 20, 2018

Chances are he'll be fine with what he's already got: Almost all professional work is done digitally. And for the odd assignment calling for film, £100 might be a more realistic budget than £1000. Even back in the 1980s when I was taking photo classes at the university, no one really cared whether the camera was pro-grade, they mostly wanted something which allowed a degree of manual control.

blockend · Jun 20, 2018

Street photography on slide is very niche. There are precedents, but in nearly every case digital has superseded it as a preferred medium. Street photography on colour negative is more common, and even that is hardly mainstream in 2018. It sounds like your son has very particular ideas, and will know exactly which camera he prefers, or he's going through a stage and will move on to other things.

So long as you don't spend a small fortune on an unrepairable late 1990s to mid-noughties cult 35mm compact, you'll be good.

Pentode · Jun 20, 2018

ReginaldSMith said:
I stand corrected. There is no "standard tool." I might have better said something like: street photography has some unique characteristics to consider and the SLR is not always the preferred tool for many street photogs.

And now we're in agreement on everything!

Chan Tran · Jun 20, 2018

There is the Nikon F6 which is still available new. Then there is the Canon EOS-1V which has been discontinued but I think you can get a new one. Or he can get a Leica new.
I guess all of the new options would be too expensive for your budget. I would then recommend the Nikon F5 if he has to really rely on the meter to shoot his slides. The matrix metering in the F5 doesn't work well for negative film but great for slides. It also has spot metering for more careful metering. Otherwise I would recommend the Nikon F3HP which is less expensive.

RhodriMawr · Jun 20, 2018

4season said:
Chances are he'll be fine with what he's already got: Almost all professional work is done digitally. And for the odd assignment calling for film, £100 might be a more realistic budget than £1000. Even back in the 1980s when I was taking photo classes at the university, no one really cared whether the camera was pro-grade, they mostly wanted something which allowed a degree of manual control.

He prefers shooting on film, not digital. He's chosen this programme in London because they've an extensive dark room setup and lecturers with similar interests. This is something that he and I have spoken about quite a bit, and this is the professional and creative path that he wants to take. Respectfully, I would prefer if you didn't try to project your own career goals and artistic preferences onto anyone other than yourself, and especially not my son or myself, since you seem to be assuming that I'm ignorant and wanting to purchase something that he doesn't want or need. As for others caring, I don't think that this is really about that, I would like to get something nice for him, not for others.

Your presumption and tendency toward interrupting an internet discussion with unsolicited advice is rude and bothersome, I request that you refrain from posting on any post that I've made unless your intention is to answer what's been asked.

RhodriMawr · Jun 20, 2018

Chan Tran said:
There is the Nikon F6 which is still available new. Then there is the Canon EOS-1V which has been discontinued but I think you can get a new one. Or he can get a Leica new.
I guess all of the new options would be too expensive for your budget. I would then recommend the Nikon F5 if he has to really rely on the meter to shoot his slides. The matrix metering in the F5 doesn't work well for negative film but great for slides. It also has spot metering for more careful metering. Otherwise I would recommend the Nikon F3HP which is less expensive.

Thanks! With regards to metering, he has an external light meter, and he's told me that what he wants in a camera is something that can focus automatically when needed, but can also be set up manually. It's my understanding that a lot of automatic cameras have no manual setting and vice versa. I will talk to him about all of these models.

RhodriMawr · Jun 20, 2018

blockend said:
Street photography on slide is very niche. There are precedents, but in nearly every case digital has superseded it as a preferred medium. Street photography on colour negative is more common, and even that is hardly mainstream in 2018. It sounds like your son has very particular ideas, and will know exactly which camera he prefers, or he's going through a stage and will move on to other things.

So long as you don't spend a small fortune on an unrepairable late 1990s to mid-noughties cult 35mm compact, you'll be good.

He says that he likes slide film because the colours are very vibrant, much moreso than colour negative film, although he's said that they can't be printed in the dark room like normal photos, so he scans them and has them printed at a print shop, or he scans them, turns them into negatives with an editing programme, makes the image the size that he likes, prints it onto clear acetate paper and makes a contact print with them at the dark room. He's really very good at what he does, for someone whose grown up in the era that he has. I took photographs on slides when I was younger, but we would have then mounted and project them onto the wall.

flavio81 · Jun 20, 2018

RhodriMawr said:
He says that he likes slide film because the colours are very vibrant, much moreso than colour negative film, although he's said that they can't be printed in the dark room like normal photos, so he scans them and has them printed at a print shop, or he scans them, turns them into negatives with an editing programme, makes the image the size that he likes, prints it onto clear acetate paper and makes a contact print with them at the dark room. He's really very good at what he does, for someone whose grown up in the era that he has. I took photographs on slides when I was younger, but we would have then mounted and project them onto the wall.

So, if the requirement is pro-quality body and excellent metering, and considering the generous budget, there are two choices that come to my mind:

- Canon New F1
- Nikon F3.

Either of those will be excellent and last a lifetime. I prefer more the Canon and the Canon FD lenses are cheaper, but any of those two is fantastic.

Additionally, i'd include a third option: a 6x4.5 (Medium format) body:

- Mamiya M645 or M645 1000S

With your budget you could get any of these three fully professional cameras, plus a wideangle and a tele lens.

halfaman · Jun 20, 2018

A Canon EOS 1V is a proffesional workhorse that will stand along for many many years. The best film SLR built by Canon (and better than many DSLR), it is extremely affordable in second hand market. Mine was mint for about $400.

I would suggest also a Contax G2, very compact and silence operation. AF accuracy is not as precise as SLR's but good enough with 28 and 45 mm lenses.

Chan Tran · Jun 20, 2018

Chan Tran said:
There is the Nikon F6 which is still available new. Then there is the Canon EOS-1V which has been discontinued but I think you can get a new one. Or he can get a Leica new.
I guess all of the new options would be too expensive for your budget. I would then recommend the Nikon F5 if he has to really rely on the meter to shoot his slides. The matrix metering in the F5 doesn't work well for negative film but great for slides. It also has spot metering for more careful metering. Otherwise I would recommend the Nikon F3HP which is less expensive.

Any camera considered as professional should have manual focus option. So I think the Nikon F5 is a good candidate because it's relatively new and not very expensive. For $500 you should be able to get one like new. It has very good autofocus among film cameras.

darkosaric · Jun 20, 2018

He uses Contax T3. That and love to street photography is hard to beat (I fall in love in T2 recently). Or as other stated - let him chose, or he should keep the Contax T3, and you can buy him tons of films, papers and chemicals.

jspillane · Jun 20, 2018

ReginaldSMith said:
As for "street" photography, an SLR is not really the standard tool. The standard tool is a RANGEFINDER, such as Leica and it's many imitators. A big clunky SLR is like walking the streets with a boat anchor.

Also have to respectfully disagree. My favorite street camera is a Rolleiflex TLR.
A lot of people would say that, in fact, the Contax T3 is an ideal 35mm street camera... Others would say you can't beat a Speed Graphic!

Cameras are all about personal taste, so I agree it really needs to be a personal decision. In early phases, I think it is best to shoot with as many types of cameras and formats as possible until you find the ones that 'mesh' with you.

Seeking recs for professional level 35mm camera for my son

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