What is the best analog camera?

[Kitpentax]

Hi
I would really like to get into film photography and am wondering what is the best camera to buy? A friend gifted me their Pentax p30 but it didn't survive the journey in the post. It had an electric shutter which the camera repair man explained often cause problems. So I would like to buy a fully mechanical operating one.
Ideally I wouldn't like to spend more than $200 Australian dollars.
Your thoughts are much appreciated!
Kit

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

You should be able to find something like a Pentax K1000.

 

[trythis]

It's wonderful that you put in a price, you'll get to avoid the very expensive (Leica) $uggestions.
Do you have full frame DSLR with lenses that you would like to use? If you have some AF or AF-D (have an actual aperture ring) style Nikon lenses lying around I would suggest an FM or an FM2. The lenses will work.

You can buy 10 or so Canon EOS 630 (650 or 620) or the smaller Rebels for $200. They arent at all manual but if you have a Canon full frame DSLR with some good lenses, the film cameras are so cheap!

 

[Les Sarile]

Your repair person may have left out that mechanical shutters can also fail. Obviously the "best" one for you is one that works! Having the features you need - whatever those are. Affordable lenses in the range you need will also be key.

 

[Slixtiesix]

Honestly, a box camera. Will even work in 100 years... Joke aside, 200 $ can buy you a lot of 35mm cameras nowadays. What do you prefer: fully manual, mechanical with auto exposure or fully automated?

 

[Kitpentax]

Honestly, a box camera. Will even work in 100 years... Joke aside, 200 $ can buy you a lot of 35mm cameras nowadays. What do you prefer: fully manual, mechanical with auto exposure or fully automated?

Id probably prefer either fully manual or mechanical with auto exposure. I'm very new at this so having a bit of help from an exposure reader would be helpful.

 

[darkosaric]

Id probably prefer either fully manual or mechanical with auto exposure

There is only one SLR camera ever build with fully manual (=all shutter speeds working without batteries) and with aperture priority auto exposure: nikon FM3A.

 

[zanxion72]

There is only one SLR camera ever build with fully manual (=all shutter speeds working without batteries) and with aperture priority auto exposure: nikon FM3A.

And I think this one is the best film camera ever made.

 

[Mick Fagan]

In Australia I think you will find squillions of Pentax, Nikon and Canon cameras. Other brands are there, but their market penetration was nothing compared to these three in the seventies, eighties and nineties in this country.

Canon AE1

Pentax K1000

Nikon FM series, any of them should be alright. FM, FM2, FM2n, FM-10 and the latest derivation, the FM3a. These cameras have a light meter built in, but their shutter and everything else is completely manual. These cameras will work without any batteries. This range of cameras was introduced in the mid to late seventies.

The sister camera to the FM range was the FE range. The FE range had electronic (the E in the numbering name) to help the photographer. Essentially the FE range differs from the FM range in that the shutters are electronically controlled. A flat battery and basically apart from one mechanical speed, these are dead.

The FE was the last camera Nikon produced for the amateur that can take all lenses from 1959 onwards. The FE2 camera (I’ve owned one of these from new) cannot take lenses manufactured before somewhere around the early seventies. This is not a problem as the amount of Nikkor lenses available (Nikon’s name for their lens range) is astounding.

The Olympus range of cameras are terrific, but their prices are usually way too high for me to see them as reasonable value, let alone good value. The Olympus range of OM cameras like the OM1, OM2, OM3 and OM4 and their variants were, in most cases, filled with ground breaking technology, either in clever flash technology, or clever miniaturisation of the camera as a whole. In short, the OM range were a breath of fresh air. The amateur range of the Olympus cameras were the OM10, OM20, OM30 and OM40.

If you have small hands and find cameras heavy, then the Olympus range of cameras could probably be more suitable for you.

Where in Oz are you? It is possible that there is someone near you that may read this and they may have a suitable camera just waiting to be matched up with you.

 

[blockend]

At this point in time, the condition of a mechanical camera is more important than theoretical advantages four decades ago. A secondary consideration is whether you want to build a collection of lenses, some makes are more expensive than others.
A third factor is whether the camera runs on readily available batteries, without adaptors or professional intervention.

The best advice is to research which cameras fulfil these criteria, and monitor prices on eBay for a while. If your ideal camera doesn't fit your budget, compromise on some aspects. If you're prepared to work with a hand held light meter, "Sunny 16" rule, or a smartphone meter app (which are more reliable than the internal light meters of the era, IMO), there's a world of perfectly good mechanical cameras with dead meters at bargain prices to explore.

 

[neilt3]

Hi
I would really like to get into film photography and am wondering what is the best camera to buy? A friend gifted me their Pentax p30 but it didn't survive the journey in the post. It had an electric shutter which the camera repair man explained often cause problems. So I would like to buy a fully mechanical operating one.
Ideally I wouldn't like to spend more than $200 Australian dollars.
Your thoughts are much appreciated!
Kit

Saying you want to get into film photography and having a user i.d with "Pentax" in it , implies you already have a Pentax DSLR ?
If that's the case , it's a fair bet you already have some K mount lenses .
If so are any of them full frame or are they all for the smaller APSC sensor ?
What do you already have ?

If you already have a selection of lenses suitable for a Pentax FF/film SLR , then stick with that .
Earlier cameras need an aperture control ring of the earlier lenses as this can not be altered via the body .
Later lenses without an aperture ring can only be used with later film cameras and DSLR's .

Some other accessories are also backward compatible with some film cameras .
Flash , extension tubes , remote releases etc .

So before everyone tells you to buy a Canon , Nikon , Olympus SLR etc , and a full new set of lenses , tell us what you already have .

$200 can buy you a lot of camera , but if you need several lenses it soon disappears !

Cheers .

 

[mynewcolour]

Most schools and colleges here in the UK had fleets of K1000 cameras through the 1990s. I think some still do. They are tough, simple to use and hard to break. They are mechanical cameras with a match-needle light meter running off a small, long lasting battery. The 50mm lenses were excellent (and cheaper than a Nikkor – although that price gap has probably now closed). They rarely had problems and most are still ok to use now. They might need light seals replacing but you can do that work easily/cheaply yourself.

I shoot with an Olympus OM1n which is essentially very similar. These are both cameras of a generation that were designed for easy manual use. Metering is read through the finder with a needle. I took match-needle for granted for years... moaned about not being able the see the needle at night etc but have come to the conclusion it's actually a really awesome way to read metering on a manual camera. More 'sophisticated' SLRs with semi-auto features are (perhaps unsurprisingly) usually better shot in semi-auto, with workarounds such as exposure compensation applied. Manual is more fun.

Unless you feel strongly otherwise just shoot with a 50mm for a year or two.

 

[removed account4]

kit

there are a few pen ft's for sale in the apug classifieds
they are half frame 35mm, so you will get 2x the exposures / roll
the ft has a meter, the f doesn't they both are fantastic cameras
slr's, eugene smith used to advertise and use them.
https://cameraquest.com/olypenf.htm
i've had one for years and it is my favorite 35mm to use ( yes i have one of those german things
that people claim are magical too, but they aren't ) and i have a pentax k1000 and me super
the pentax's are great cameras too. the k1000 is fully manual, heavy wonderful, the me super is small
has aperture priority mode and other useful "stuff" ... the oly, and pentax's don't cost much
and their lenses aren't expensive either.
box cameras are a great learning tool for composition and letting go too, but there aren't many that are 35mm ....

have fun!
john

 

[Hatchetman]

the most important thing is finding one in good working order. most of these things are 20-40 years old and need proper servicing which will cost more than the camera itself.

 

[Chan Tran]

I guess you meant best 35mm camera as this is the 35mm forum. You're already has the opinion that mechanical ones are better so really I have no idea. To me I prefer a camera with electronically controlled shutter.

 

[tedr1]

I have done very good work with a vintage Pentax Spotmatic, it is a nice simple reliable manual camera on which it is easy to learn the fundamentals of photography. Both the body and the lenses are inexpensive, in the USA US$50-100 buys a body and a very good standard Pentax 50mm lens. There are a gazillion used lenses (M42 mount) out there that fit the body, at all price points and quality. Use the "sunny 16 rule" for exposure estimation. You can't go wrong.

PS the attitude that electronic shutters are unreliable is not supported by the experiences of millions of photographers. Yes they can fail but so can mechanical shutters, much depends on the quality of the parts used to make the shutter, which often is related to cost.

The Pentax Spotmatics are a bargain because by modern standards they are obsolete and unwanted, not because they were cheap to begin with, they were well made.

 

[Luckless]

While it does seem kind of natural to start at 'consumer grade' 35mm if you're getting into film, I would argue that there are strong arguments for going with a medium format camera instead. The larger negatives will help hide a few more sins than what the small 35mm negatives will show through. Having 'more to work with' is always nice. It is of course a bit more money per frame, but it isn't that painful if you're taking your time with things.

Of course if you already have lenses for a 35mm SLR with some digital gear, then a film body to match makes a lot of logistical sense. As does if you're planning to shoot long telephoto, or getting a super compact little camera that is easily carried in a pocket while going about your day to day business.


There is a huge range of camera models out there covering a vast number of use cases and suited to a great number of different tasks. Context is important. A large format field camera isn't of much use to a photographer if they're setting out to produce a series of images that could only be done with a motor driven 35mm camera with an 800mm lens because they want a series of photos showing a bird's wings flapping as it takes off.

Stepping back and carefully asking yourself what you want to do with the gear will greatly help you in narrowing down your search. Having a budget is a huge help in narrowing the selection, but the use case is what helps guide you to specific models.

 

[mynewcolour]

View attachment 169588 Pentax Spotmatic.

Do you have to perform 'stopdown metering' with these things?

I've handled one (and it seemed beautifully built) but didn't get to shoot with it.

 

[Helios 1984]

View attachment 169588
The Pentax Spotmatics are a bargain because by modern standards they are obsolete and unwanted, not because they were cheap to begin with, they were well made.

+1 to that.

Well made is an understatement.

 

[Sirius Glass]

First the camera that fits your hands and you are comfortable with.
There are many good recommendations posted above. Just starting out I would recommend something with autofocus and autoexposure with the ability to do shutter priority, aperture priority and manual, as well as change the film speed [ISO/ASA].

 

[faberryman]

Funny, I would recommend the opposite: manual exposure and manual focus. Internal meter is helpful. I think you need to learn the basics first. Once learned, you can turn some aspects over to automatic, knowing why.

 

[brofkand]

I quite like the Pentax P30T. It's a fairly rugged camera, and is often one of the cheapest cameras to buy because it isn't as well known and as sought after as other models like the Canon AE-1, Pentax K-1000, Nikon FM, etc. I would recommend you try to find another one.

I also like the Pentax MX - I've bought several on Craigslist over the years with a 50mm lens for anywhere from $25-40. I usually send them off to Eric Hendrickson for a light seal replacement, meter and shutter adjustment, and cleaning - but that probably isn't especially necessary in most cases.

The MX is one of my favorite cameras ever. It's nearly as small as a film point and shoot with a pancake lens like the Pentax 40mm 2.8, but offers a lot more control.

 

[mgb74]

The problem with a question like this is that people often suggest what's best for them, as opposed to you. Here are my thoughts.

• The more electronics the more failure points. Though that P30 may not have failed in the mail. It may have failed since the last time she used it.
• Unless you really, really want to use a hand meter (or sunny 16), I think it's foolish to have a 35mm slr without a meter. That means batteries (ruling out older, in-camera, selenium meters which are largely obsolete). So what? As long as it's a commonly available inexpensive battery.
• Some older cameras (and I have many of them) were designed for mercury batteries that are not longer available. Yes, there are workarounds, but in your situation why bother - unless it's another gift.
• Some cameras have known failure points (prism foam in earlier OMs, sticky backs in some later Nikons, shutter-squeak in AE-1s). If you don't want to deal with this, best to avoid.

Your P30T probably came with a lens. It will be a Pentax K-mount. So, I think the suggestions above for a MX or K1000 is best as you can use that lens. And they would be a good choice even if you didn't have the lens.

I don't own a K1000 or MX. I do own many of the others mentioned (OMs, Spotmatics, Nikon MF); but that's me.

 

[tedr1]

Do you have to perform 'stopdown metering' with these things?

I've handled one (and it seemed beautifully built) but didn't get to shoot with it.

If I recall correctly there were several different models having different meter arrangements. Some do have stop down metering, which is done with a slide switch on the front of the body near the lens flange, quite easy to do, this is also the depth of field preview control.

Some of these cameras suffer failure of the meter, and repair is uneconomic, hence my "sunny 16" recommendation, while saving up for a battery powered external meter

 

[mynewcolour]

Thanks tedr1.