Transition to film photography

[Irusia]

Thank you all for replies and avdice! I didn't expect so many answers in a day.

Here are my answers to your questions:
1. What do I like to shoot?
a) street photography, both in cities and in villages. This is something I enjoyed doing the most before
b) photo sessions for my family / friends
c) photo illustration. It is interesting to take a short story / poem and come up with a photo to illustrate it. I have tried it, but not much, and without success. Now I am becoming more insterested in it.
d) to a lesser extent, I like photographing pets. Often, this photos turn out blurry due to pet's moving, but with a better camera, I would be able to set the shutter speed and have more success with it, I hope.
e) I would like to try out something interesting, like lightpainting with long exposures; ultraviolet / infrared photography

2. With regards to processing: At first, I would send my photos to a lab, but after a couple of rolls, I want to try it myself. I want to print the photos. I don't want to scan them. If I want a digital image, I will shoot it digitally. If I want the same photo in digital and on film, I will just shoot them with two cameras.

3. My mother's camera does not have any manual settings. I think it's called UFO 10 DLX (that's what's written on it, at least)

4. About the films:
I like the idea of shooting black and white, probably will shoot most photos with it. But I would like to experiment with different films, that's part of what makes film photography appealing to me. If color positive film is good for learning, then I will definitely try to use it, if I manage to find it. Never heard of this kind of film before, honestly. Maybe it isn't that common?
Also, are there films that are responsive only to a particular wavelength only? Only red or green, for example. Or is it better to use light filters for that purpose?

5. About cameras:
I have found this shop in my country: https://fotomaniya.com/g17070428-plivkovi-fotokameri?product_items_per_page=24
Which of these should I order? Their advantages / disadvantages? (Only the ones where you see green letters below are available)

6. How many copies can I print from a negative? Does the quality of the negative deteriorate with each subsequent print?

7. As for the suggestion to buy a movie camera: Aren't they more expensive?

8. How do you store your negatives and prints? I have found this article: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explor...iving-your-film-negatives-and-prints-properly
How much should I budget for this kind of things?
Besides my own photos, I would like to collect and store all of my old family photos in a proper way.

 

[Paul Howell]

Looking at the list, largest issue is that most are 40 year old cameras, hard to have repaired. In terms of street photography the most expensive camera the Leica CL is a great street photography camera, great lens, light, easy to carry, a wide angle or telephoto lens will be expensive as well. I recommend maybe 2 bodies, one a Yashica rangefinder for street work, the other the Canon T70 for everything else. The Yashica rangefinders were solid cameras, need to make sure you can the right battery for it. The Canon T70 seems be priced right if it is good working order, uses AA batteries, and lens for the manual focus bodies, at lest in the US rather inexpensive as Canon changed mounts when it moved to auto focus. For me the bottom line is to buy as inexpensive body that can find knowing that if stops working you can replace it.

 

[Irusia]

Why not jump in? A camera like Nikon F90x and any AFD Lens will allow you to start out with Program mod and autofocus, and turn off automation gradually when you feel comfortable. F90x is a great professional grade camera which is a bargain these days and AF-D kit lenses cost next to nothing.
Consider looking at https://kamerastore.com. They test their stuff and have reasonable worldwide shipping. (no relation just had good experiences with them).

Ok, I will look at this shop.
Thanks for recommending.

 

[AgX]

Welcome to Apug (Photrio) !

Just buy some textbooks from soviet time and any film camera that you come across, that looks decent, seems to work and is cheap. Already a Zenit E with Industar lens is a good choice.

Spend more time with those text books than searching the internet for advices on which camera to buy.

 

[Irusia]

Looking at the list, largest issue is that most are 40 year old cameras, hard to have repaired. In terms of street photography the most expensive camera the Leica CL is a great street photography camera, great lens, light, easy to carry, a wide angle or telephoto lens will be expensive as well. I recommend maybe 2 bodies, one a Yashica rangefinder for street work, the other the Canon T70 for everything else. The Yashica rangefinders were solid cameras, need to make sure you can the right battery for it. The Canon T70 seems be priced right if it is good working order, uses AA batteries, and lens for the manual focus bodies, at lest in the US rather inexpensive as Canon changed mounts when it moved to auto focus. For me the bottom line is to buy as inexpensive body that can find knowing that if stops working you can replace it.

I'll think about it.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

I'll think about it.

@AgX had it right. I did not notice where you live. You should be able to find a good working copy of Zenit and not just Industar but a Helios lens for $30 or so. It is no Canon, but as capable to record imag on film al the same. You can spend days and weeks and months searching the net for what to do, and after a day you will not get any further, it will be just same grind from all kinds of folks, each with different own history, how they started and what they think of it now etc. With hundreds of cameras on used market, choice out is great, yet majority has no implications on images you can make with them. With budget to watch and not really knowing what film shooting is about, you have cheap local choices that will give you a taste of it. You can later go anywhere you want with next camera.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

If you like street shots, a P&S is handy like your mother's. I couldn't find her camera from the description you gave.

 

[Paul Howell]

And I should have added, find the manuals online for the cameras you are interested in, I would give them a look over so you understand the features and battery needs. If there is a camera repair shop near you give them a call and ask if he repairs classic cameras, run by him the cameras you have in mind. Butkus at www.butkus.org has an extensive collection on line.
https://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_cl.pdf

https://www.butkus.org/chinon/canon/canon_t70/canon_t70.htm

 

[VinceInMT]

If you decide to get a vintage 35mm camera, make sure it’s one you can still get non-mercury batteries for.

 

[Les Sarile]

5. About cameras:
I have found this shop in my country: https://fotomaniya.com/g17070428-plivkovi-fotokameri?product_items_per_page=24
Which of these should I order? Their advantages / disadvantages? (Only the ones where you see green letters below are available)

I like a vintage camera as the next person but I wonder if there are more current autofocus cameras available to you locally like a Canon Rebel, Minolta Maxxum, Nikon N60? In my area, complete ready to go autofocus camera and lens kits are widely available for well under $100 - 2821 грн. Perhaps a local for sale listing or even an from relatives who don't use them anymore? These more modern cameras usually have all the shooting functions available so you can start with automatic to full manual functions as get more comfortable.

 

[Irusia]

I like a vintage camera as the next person but I wonder if there are more current autofocus cameras available to you locally like a Canon Rebel, Minolta Maxxum, Nikon N60? In my area, complete ready to go autofocus camera and lens kits are widely available for well under $100 - 2821 грн. Perhaps a local for sale listing or even an from relatives who don't use them anymore? These more modern cameras usually have all the shooting functions available so you can start with automatic to full manual functions as get more comfortable.

These are the ones in my city: https://m.olx.ua/uk/elektronika/foto-video/plenochnye-fotoapparaty/lvov/
But on this site I will be buying directly from people, not from a shop. I don't know how to check whether they are in working condition. Shops usually check it themselves, so I thought it was more secure.
But I can find someone knowledgeable to go with me and check.

 

[Irusia]

I don't know anyone who shoots film and can check it for me.

 

[Les Sarile]

I don't know anyone who shoots film and can check it for me.

Hopefully because they've stored them in a closet or drawer . . . ;-)

These are the ones in my city: https://m.olx.ua/uk/elektronika/foto-video/plenochnye-fotoapparaty/lvov/
But on this site I will be buying directly from people, not from a shop. I don't know how to check whether they are in working condition. Shops usually check it themselves, so I thought it was more secure.
But I can find someone knowledgeable to go with me and check.

In that link you provided is a Nikon F60 claimed to be working, with battery and 35-80 lens for $58 - 1650 грн. SInce it comes with batteries it likely is working and would be easy to test basic function. Manual can be found at https://cdn-10.nikon-cdn.com/pdf/manuals/archive/N60-N60 Quartz Date.pdf

 

[Paul Howell]

If the are in the city you live in, make sure you bring fresh batteries, print out the manual and bring it as well. Hopefully the current owner has some knowledge of the camera, make sure all the shutter speeds work, set the camera to 1 second, dry fire the camera without film, if the shutter sounds like it is open for a second that's a good sign. If the camera has interchangeable lens take the lens off and look through it, no scratches, haze of spots the glass. Make sure the apuature works at all F stops. In older all mechinal cameras you can open the film door, set the shutter to B for bulb, when you press the shutter keep the shutter down and the shutter will open, you can turn the apature contorl and you should see the lens wide open and stop down a smaller opening.

What you wont see until you run a roll of film through the camera is if the seals are in good shape, damaged seals can cause light leaks. There are several very good You Tube videos on how to buy a used 35mm camera, as well as a few web sites with helpful hints.

https://petapixel.com/2018/12/17/5-tips-for-buying-your-first-used-film-camera/

 

[BrianShaw]

If one of those Pentax K1000’s are in good operating condition... the classic beginners camera with excellent optics. Full manual and easy to use match-needle metering. Ensures that one understands the basics of photography yet doesn’t impede creativity and “spontaneous use”. Plus... well within the affordability range it seems.

 

[Les Sarile]

BTW, there are even numerous youtube videos on the Nikon F60 . . .

 

[AgX]

These are the ones in my city: https://m.olx.ua/uk/elektronika/foto-video/plenochnye-fotoapparaty/lvov/
But on this site I will be buying directly from people, not from a shop. I don't know how to check whether they are in working condition. Shops usually check it themselves, so I thought it was more secure.
But I can find someone knowledgeable to go with me and check.

Make a choice of a few models you like and we can give you advise on what to inspect resp. the common points of trouble.

 

[Вormental_old]

I don't know anyone who shoots film and can check it for me.

I agree. Buy from a shop that can take it back. The first store you posted here looks pretty good. I see plenty of great beginner cameras there: Canon AE-1, Olympus OM4, Nikon FM2n (my favorite), and finally, the most-recommended Pentax K1000 (cheap and easy to use).

Basically, you need to decide on:

• SLR or a rangefinder?
• Metered or non-metered.

My advice would be to go with a metered SLR. Easier to get started, more reliable and you get more for your money.

[EDIT] I see, you're from Lviv. I hear it's a gorgeous city for street photography! Enjoy!

 

[AgX]

I see plenty of great beginner cameras there: Canon AE-1, Olympus OM4, Nikon FM2n (my favorite), and finally, the most-recommended Pentax K1000 (cheap and easy to use).

When film cameras were really expensive, buying a camera for a start was a much more crucial question, where one should not overlook the costs of lenses.
In current times I rather advise to buy what is at hand where an attraction exists. One always can change later.

Most advices here are written from personal view. Overlooking that the situation may look quite differently elsewhere.
For instance, I rarely come across locally Nikon SLR and Nikon-mount lenses and then typically on shelves. And the Pentax K1000 was never advised as beginners camera over here, I am not even sure I ever even came across a sample.

 

[BrianShaw]

And the Pentax K1000 was never advised as beginners camera over here, I am not even sure I ever even came across a sample.

Too bad... very popular over here back in the day. Simple and straight-forward. Reliable. Great optics. Your village missed out on a really good thing!

 

[Deleted member 88956]

Whatever camera you chose and works will be fine. Don't get too hung up on that Pentax K1000. Some kind of "cult" following keeps their price way above their value. It is true that in US Pentax very successfully pitched K1000 to schools and it became a go to so-called student camera. It is a good camera, although not anywhere near what it may seem from a lot posts, not just here. But Pentrax lenses are great indeed.

But you need a starter and you want is as cheap as possible correct? Kamerastore is a good place to shop, but not cheap.

 

[Les Sarile]

In a classroom setting where fully manual cameras are required, the K1000 and similar others make sense. Since the OP has stated that a camera capable of doing fully automatic as well as fully manual modes are important, then a camera capable of only part of that would not make sense.

When I took a basic photo class many years ago, the instructor even accepted fully automatic cameras as long as they were capable of full manual modes. I found the class worthwhile and enjoyable due to common interests besides having access to film and paper processing. Highly recommended if accessible.

 

[CMoore]

Is there a local College/School that offers a beginner photography class.?
If so, i would HIGHLY Recommend that you take it.
You will benefit A LOT from having a teacher, and you will also enjoy being with other students that are at the same level as you.
Good Luck

 

[Mick Fagan]

Of all the cameras for sale, the Pentax K1000 with the single 50mm f/2 lens is the one I would suggest as the best available there. Code 7162215 is their number. The price is approximately $145.00 Australian which is slightly cheaper than the same camera in Australia. The standard lens takes 49mm filters

There is another Pentax K1000 with a zoom lens and a flash, this may or may not be better, but you are paying for the extra lens and flash. The extra lens could be nice for you, it does not look to be very high quality, but it would allow you to frame things differently. This larger lens takes 52mm filters.

With regard to filters, if you have different filter sizes on different lenses, then it is often possible to have a set of the largest sized filters and use a stepdown ring to enable you to use the larger filter on a smaller filter ring.

https://www.google.com/search?q=bes...rlz=1C1CHWA_enAU599AU599#imgrc=nR3v-x84-_SXKM

Picture 8 on the website shows the inside of the camera back, normally with great use this backing plate, which is spring loaded to hold it against the film, has markings that often look like train tracks. This particular back seems very clean, suggesting that the camera has not had that much use in the last 30-40 years.

Picture 10 on the website shows the back of the lens, it looks like a new lens. This would suggest that this camera has only ever had the standard 50mm lens on for most, if not all of its life. When you take lenses off and on, they do get marks on the metal, this one looks remarkably clean.

The Pentax K1000 does not need batteries to work, there is a single battery which runs the light meter. The camera will work without a battery, it is all mechanical. The shutter speeds are 1 second to 1/1000 of a second and bulb. Bulb is used with a cable release, you squeeze the cable release, lock it, then your shutter will stay open so you can paint with light. When you are finished, you release the cable and the shutter closes.

If this camera interests you, let us know and we can talk you through steps to checking it.

In general, you can make thousands of prints from a single negative, they do not wear out.

To store your film negatives, the article you linked to is quite good. I myself used those paper negative holders for around 30 years, these days I use identical film storage holders, but they are all plastic based. A ring binder 3 or 4 rings is best, or in a cardboard box will be good enough at the start. If you progress, you will learn the best way for you.

Colour positive film is slide film, using this film (1 roll) is usually sufficient to see if your camera is working correctly, or correctly enough. A colour slide tells you exactly what the camera has done, it is the final step and you would look at the slide film by holding it against a window to see the pictures. Negative film requires another step to get a print, colour or B&W. For this you will need an enlarger and access to a darkened room with a safelight.

You can also hold B&W negative film up to a window, this will also tell you how correctly your camera is working. I myself use B&W negative film and use a light box (same as a window) for testing my camera. Looking at the home page of that link, they have Ilford HP5+ for $8.81 Australian Dollars, which is far cheaper than in Australia. This film is one that I use. The camera shop may have other brands of film, as I don’t understand your language, I could not find any other than what was on the home page.

In general, B&W films respond to all visible light, you can use filters to restrict some wavelengths to make things slightly different. My most used filters are orange and deep red. This links to a major filter manufacturer and gives some quite interesting information.

https://hoyafilterusa.com/pages/how-black-white-filters-work

Hope this helps.

Mick.

 

[Europan]

7. As for the suggestion to buy a movie camera: Aren't they more expensive?

Prices are in the two-digit field, also for projectors. What costs more is to have an exemplar serviced which I strongly advise to because it can be 88 years old, at least 55 (2020 minus 1965, the arrival year of Super-8).

Question is whether you like spring mechanisms or prefer an electric drive. A purely mechanical camera will not let you down, if it got serviced properly, the more so in the cold. No battery worries ever. My spontaneous recommendation is a Bell & Howell Filmo Eight Companion. See that you find one that doesn’t show any rust. A heavier machine is the Agfa Movex Reflex. It sports microprisms in the finder and it runs for more than two minutes on a wind.

I do winterize cameras and lenses. The viscous lubricants are washed out and a dry powder is applied so that the closely fitting threads of objectives keep going easily. A winterized lens can be used in summer as well.