What 35mm camera would you recommend for the cost of a meal?

[benveniste]

I'd probably choose a Nikon N75, which can be had for around $50 in decent shape.

 

[KinoGrafx]

A few years ago i was getting n90s/F90x bodies for less than $10 (best was under $4) from KEH of all places. Then I guess some blogger wrote about them, and that was the end of that…

 

[abruzzi]

Nikkormats are a dime a dozen. Can't beat 'em.

+1 I don't quite have a dozen (closer to 6) but the FTn's only negative is the mercury battery, but fixing that isn't too hard. FT2 gets you silver batteries, and FT3 gets compatibility with AI lenses. if you can find a FS, you get no meter and a very uncluttered viewfinder.

A few years ago i was getting n90s/F90x bodies for less than $10 (best was under $4) from KEH of all places. Then I guess some blogger wrote about them, and that was the end of that…

For the price of a nice meal with tip ($30) I once got a fullt functional Sinar F from KEH. It was listed as "as-is" but there was nothing wrong with it. I have to figure that was a pricing mistake, but I'm not complaining.

 

[chuckroast]

+1 I don't quite have a dozen (closer to 6) but the FTn's only negative is the mercury battery, but fixing that isn't too hard. FT2 gets you silver batteries, and FT3 gets compatibility with AI lenses. if you can find a FS, you get no meter and a very uncluttered viewfinder.

I have an original Ft with a meter that works. I use an MR9 and silver battery with it.

The only thing I've ever had to do since I bought it used 20 years ago was take off the bottom plate and internal cover to lubricate the film advance return mechanism.

I similarly have a F Photomic FtN, F2, and F3. All working perfectly, all metering just fine.

Nikons of this era were just bulletproof.

 

[GregY]

I have an original Ft with a meter that works. I use an MR9 and silver battery with it.

The only thing I've ever had to do since I bought it used 20 years ago was take off the bottom plate and internal cover to lubricate the film advance return mechanism.

I similarly have a F Photomic FtN, F2, and F3. All working perfectly, all metering just fine.

Nikons of this era were just bulletproof.

Literally. Really one of the great camera designs of our lifetime!

 

[mshchem]

Yep, another vote for a nice late Nikon F.

 

[abruzzi]

Yep, another vote for a nice late Nikon F.

However, an F (especially with the unmetered prism) is a bit more than any meal I’ve ever had.

The Nikkormats on the other hand have stayed cheap. The exceptions seem to be the FT3 (low production numbers, compatibility with later AI lenses) and the FS (low production numbers and collectible, I guess.)

The FTn was my first camera. Bought in 1990. So it was already 20 years old. I still have it with the Nikkor-H 50/2, and it still works perfectly. I like the F2 better, but the easy simplicity of the Nikkormat is nice. Interestingly, I pulled the top off my second FTn to install a diode and the wire I had to cut to solder the diode in place already had a 5mm bare strip that was covered by a clear cover. Snip the clear cover and the exposed wire under it in half; snip the legs of the diode to very short; solder the legs to the bare wire; then slide the clear cover over the legs and dab a little glue so the didn't come off. It almost seemed like Nikon saw the voltage change coming and prepped it to be as easy to fix as possible. (the the easy fix would have been a design that wasn't voltage dependant, but I can't ask for everything.)

 

[GregY]

However, an F (especially with the unmetered prism) is a bit more than any meal I’ve ever had.

The Nikkormats on the other hand have stayed cheap. The exceptions seem to be the FT3 (low production numbers, compatibility with later AI lenses) and the FS (low production numbers and collectible, I guess.)

The FTn was my first camera. Bought in 1990. So it was already 20 years old. I still have it with the Nikkor-H 50/2, and it still works perfectly. I like the F2 better, but the easy simplicity of the Nikkormat is nice. Interestingly, I pulled the top off my second FTn to install a diode and the wire I had to cut to solder the diode in place already had a 5mm bare strip that was covered by a clear cover. Snip the clear cover and the exposed wire under it in half; snip the legs of the diode to very short; solder the legs to the bare wire; then slide the clear cover over the legs and dab a little glue so the didn't come off. It almost seemed like Nikon saw the voltage change coming and prepped it to be as easy to fix as possible. (the the easy fix would have been a design that wasn't voltage dependant, but I can't ask for everything.)

Dinner for two? I bought this one in November for $175...albeit without the lens.
It's not like anyone on this forum has only one camera. Back in my student days i ate lots of ramen to save up & pay for the best camera i could get. I had one Nikkormat...for a week or so and traded it for my first F.
On the other hand my last box of 5x7" Kodak TMY-2 was over $350 USD, a box of Ilford Warmtone 16x20" is $350....so i'm considering the Nikon a bargain

 

[grain elevator]

Dinner for two? I bought this one in November for $175...albeit without the lens.
It's not like anyone on this forum has only one camera. Back in my student days i ate lots of ramen to save up & pay for the best camera i could get. I had one Nikkormat...for a week or so and traded it for my first F.
On the other hand my last box of 5x7" Kodak TMY-2 was over $350 USD, a box of Ilford Warmtone 16x20" is $350....so i'm considering the Nikon a bargain View attachment 391169

Today and here, ramen (I assume you mean instant ramen, the real deal has probably never been one of the cheaper meal options outside Japan) is not that cheap either. You can cook pasta or something much cheaper - enough instant ramen to be full is easily 3-4 €.
Which coincidentally, and to stay on topic, is 3-4 € more than the clunky old Agfa viewfinder Camera I was given with a lot of other, useful accessories the other day cost me. I admit I threw that camera away, awful thing.

 

[Paul Howell]

When I was with UPI staff photographers were issued F, and F2, I had my own F and later F2, but some of the freelancers used Nikkormates. What I liked about the Nikkormate was that as I am right handed the shutter and aperture and focus could be operated by my left hand leaving my right free for the shutter. I also liked the 1/125 flash sync, and until I got the F2 the hinged back door. I don't think the viewfinder was as bright and only a few of the later model Nikkormates took a winder, but I dont think a true motor drive. For a while I considered a Nikkormate for a second body to replace my Leica IIIG and Canon 7.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I'd probably choose a Nikon N75, which can be had for around $50 in decent shape.

The Nikon N75 is exactly the camera I would recommend as a camera for serious work at a low cost. I used it as my go to camera for 35mm color work for years.

 

[abruzzi]

Today and here, ramen (I assume you mean instant ramen, the real deal has probably never been one of the cheaper meal options outside Japan) is not that cheap either. You can cook pasta or something much cheaper - enough instant ramen to be full is easily 3-4 €.
Which coincidentally, and to stay on topic, is 3-4 € more than the clunky old Agfa viewfinder Camera I was given with a lot of other, useful accessories the other day cost me. I admit I threw that camera away, awful thing.

In the US ramen is about the cheapest food you can buy. It used to be 10 cents for a pack of ramen ~20 years ago, but inflation has tripled the price to 30 cents a pack. You'd be hard pressed to find a functional camera for that cheap.

 

[Les Sarile]

Of course in the used film market the range can vary greatly from free to not free. Patience and luck play a huge factor. At the OP's price range, I saw a local craigslist listing titled Bagful of Pentax for about USD$35. When we met for the exchange, I was handed a couple of plastic shopping bags full of purported Pentax gear. The presentation definitely matched the price so I wasn't all that optimistic but hoped to get at least a good lens or two for the money

The lens and camera cases were all but disintegrated and sticky . . .

Bagful of Pentax 1 by Les DMess, on Flickr

Turns out there were 4 exceptional lenses . . .

Bagful of Pentax 3 by Les DMess, on Flickr

And two perfectly working and reasonably good condition bodies to use them on . . .

Bagful of Pentax 2 by Les DMess, on Flickr

 

[GregY]

When I was with UPI staff photographers were issued F, and F2, I had my own F and later F2, but some of the freelancers used Nikkormates. What I liked about the Nikkormate was that as I am right handed the shutter and aperture and focus could be operated by my left hand leaving my right free for the shutter. I also liked the 1/125 flash sync, and until I got the F2 the hinged back door. I don't think the viewfinder was as bright and only a few of the later model Nikkormates took a winder, but I dont think a true motor drive. For a while I considered a Nikkormate for a second body to replace my Leica IIIG and Canon 7.

Besides the noisy shutter of the Nikkormat, I never warmed up to the shutter speed location on it or the Olympus OM1.
Needless to say those non-battery dependent cameras, have proven to be so reliable in the long run.

 

[Pieter12]

You can probably pick up a Nikon FM3a for the price of the tasting menu at Seline for 3 people. https://www.selinerestaurant.com/menu

 

[pentaxuser]

Lunches have become quite expensive due to the analog revival.

Yes so expensive that I had to do without lunch for several weeks at a time All I could do was walk around town telling people I had not had a bite for hours Most just ignored me but one man listened and then he bit me

The joke was by kind permission of that great comedian, the late Jack Beeny

pentaxuser

 

[Big G]

Another vote for the Nikkormats (or Nikomats here in Japan). Models in reasonable shape can be had in the $20 - $40 range on local second hand sites. Simple, robust, unpretentious, and made in numbers that make them undesirable for collectors. Even their meters (the weak point of many cameras from the 70s) seem to have held up pretty well.

 

[KinoGrafx]

Besides the noisy shutter of the Nikkormat, I never warmed up to the shutter speed location on it or the Olympus OM1.
Needless to say those non-battery dependent cameras, have proven to be so reliable in the long run.

I don’t know about other Nikkormats, but my ft2 has the smoothest, quietest shutter of any slr I’ve ever used.

 

[GregY]

I don’t know about other Nikkormats, but my ft2 has the smoothest, quietest shutter of any slr I’ve ever used.

All the Nikkormats are generally acknowledged to have louder shutters than the Nikon F/F2/F3 equivalents...
" The Nikkormats are based on the copal metal shutter, noticeably louder than the titanium foil shutter of the F2 and F."

 

[KinoGrafx]

Well, as a longtime owner & user of Nikon F/F2/F3 (and nikkormat) cameras, this seems to be another case of theory vs practice I guess!

 

[JParker]

Nikon:
F801(s), F70, F65, F75, F301, F601.

Canon:
EOS 500(N), EOS 300 (V), EOS 300X.

Minolta:
Dynax 4 and 5.

Pentax:
MZ-5 (N).

 

[BradS]

How about a ten dollar Leica?

 

[Paul Howell]

Besides the noisy shutter of the Nikkormat, I never warmed up to the shutter speed location on it or the Olympus OM1.
Needless to say those non-battery dependent cameras, have proven to be so reliable in the long run.

Most people agreed with you the FM, FA and FE all had traditional shutter speed dials on the top.

 

[Paul Howell]

All the Nikkormats are generally acknowledged to have louder shutters than the Nikon F/F2/F3 equivalents...
" The Nikkormats are based on the copal metal shutter, noticeably louder than the titanium foil shutter of the F2 and F."

It's why Nikkormates were cheaper, the lower end models, less cost to build.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I have had very good prefomance from Minolta slrs SR7 though MD11 and Nikon N75, N90, F100 and Z7II.