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What is the best analog camera?

I was walking around in Namdaemun market today, and i got quoted around 150 dollars US for Nikon FEs in pretty good condition, with a 50mm-1.7 lens.
 
Army35mm said:
I was walking around in Namdaemun market today, and i got quoted around 150 dollars US for Nikon FEs in pretty good condition, with a 50mm-1.7 lens.
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The FE is a workhorse. The Copal Square shutter is accurate and very reliable.
Good choice for a starter.

I'm not familiar with the 1.7 lens. Some 50mm versions are better than others. None are expensive unless they're really fast.

- Leigh
 
A Rolleicord Va or Vb should be just about in budget. Wonderful lens, beautifully screwed together, light enough to carry all day, reliable, simple. Buy a handheld meter and you're ready to go.
 
Soeren said:
I found it a big step up when i moved from olympus om 1 and 2n (having had an om2sp) to f90x. I find My f100 easier to focus manually than my f3, on parr with the mamiya645pro and a bit easier than the RZ67PROII.
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The F100 (and most all autofocus cameras) has a miniscule VF magnification of 0.76X compared to the near lifesize 0.92X of the OM2. Additionally, the OM2 has a wide selection of screens to aid in manual focusing. Good for you that you find it easier to manually focus with the F100.
 
The most important thing for the OP is simply to get started
 
Well maybe, it just feels like a much better finder.
 
Hello, Kit!

Many good suggestions! I ran a university darkroom for 24 years and checked out all sorts of cameras to new students. All the brands and many models...as long as they had a setting for manual. Some students had preferences, but they all worked fine. The K1000 is a workhorse, but no bells nor whistles. A cheap used Canon Rebel with its standard (kit) zoom lens would also get one started just fine and dandy.

I learned with a TLR (Rolleiflex) and a hand-held light meter, so naturally that is my preference/suggestion, but equally as much fun and education can be had with a metered 35mm camera. Afterall, IMO, it is one's curiosity that drives learning...not the tools.

Have a grand adventure!!!
 
Vaughn said:
Afterall, IMO, it is one's curiosity that drives learning...not the tools.
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This is really an important observation. Or perhaps the most important remark on this thread.

May I suggest giving the "beginner" also a wideangle and a "tele" lens? This can help keeping curiosity alive, by opening him/her to the world of modifying the angle-of-view, relative proportions, etc.
 
The best analog camera is the one that you can still buy your favorite emulsion for!
 
You can buy a Minolta SRT for a few bucks.
 
We should all ignore her.
 
Speaking of the OP, he/she was gone after their second post. Can we say "information overload" boys and girls? Yes, I knew you could!

But I might as well keep things going. Let's see, after 215 posts, I doubt anything I recommend will be unique, but I'll do it anyway. Since the OP specified a mechanical camera, my order of preference is:

Original Canon F-1 -- I prefer the second version, aka the F-1n
Nikon F2 -- any flavor
Canon FTb
Pentax KX
Pentax MX
Nikon FM
Nikkormat FT3, FT2, or FTN
Oly OM-1 -- any flavor
Nikon F w/Photomic FTn finder
Minolta SRT-101

I restricted my selection to 35mm SLRs, or else things would have gotten really messy. Now, while these are ranked in my order of preference, I should note that any one of these cameras would make an excellent choice. They differ among themselves by very small degrees.
 
The Minolta SRs and SRTs are real workhorses that do not quit working. I used them for decades. They will well serve the beginner through the expert.
 
The OP is based in Australia, but in which State I don't know.

The Camera Exchange (Box Hill, Victoria) website has a selection of student cameras (used), along with progressively more pricey offerings e.g. from Leica.

http://cameraexchange.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=95&product_id=572

My early photography was done with an OM 10 and later, an OM 1N ... I never got to use the OM 2 or variants, moving on a bit later to the OM4. But all OMs are still popular.

There's also a Pentax MX:
http://cameraexchange.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=95&product_id=671

...And still others in the Student Camera category:
http://cameraexchange.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=95&product_id=1247

I would advise upping your price range a bit so that you do not end up with a camera that will cost more in repairs than provide any degree of enjoyment through use.

Camera Exchange
Factory 17, 277-289 Middleborough Road,
Box Hill South 3128
Ph. (03) 9898 4999

Disclaimer: I am not associated with Camera Exchange in a PR capacity; I am a professional customer having purchased from them several times.
 
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Great selections; i'd add the rest of the SRT series, and also the Canon TX, FT and perhaps FX.
 

I apology for asking you with such a question. Most people who talk about the exposure triangle know about Peterson's book "Understanding Exposure". The book which over half of it talks about the triangle and very little on how to determine exposure. I don't know if Peterson invented the term but I think he did.
 
Kitpentax said:
So I would like to buy a fully mechanical operating one.
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Here are the manual/mechanical 35mm cameras I have used and liked:

Leica M6 35mm rangefinder (with built-in light meter)

Nikon F 35mm SLR with a standard meterless prism or meterless action finder

Nikon F2 35mm SLR with a standard meterless prism or meterless action finder

Nikon Nikonos III 35mm waterproof

Argus C3 35mm rangefinder

Canon QL17 GIII 35mm rangefinder (has a built-in light meter)

Minolta Hi-Matic 9 35mm rangefinder (has a built-in light meter)

Pentax Spotmatic 35mm SLR (has a built-in light meter)

Fujica ST705 35mm SLR (has a built-in light meter)
 
I would recommend Minolta Dynax 7 or 9.
You then have access to superb lenses like the 135 STF or the 85 / 1.4.
Overall the Minolta lenses are very often underrated.
 
This is getting off topic, for the latecomers to the party, back at the top of the thread, the OP asked what he can get for A$200
 
Kitpentax said:
Ideally I wouldn't like to spend more than $200 Australian dollars.
Your thoughts are much appreciated!
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tedr1 said:
This is getting off topic, for the latecomers to the party, back at the top of the thread, the OP asked what he can get for A$200
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For those of us latecomers to the party, the original poster also asked for our thoughts and that is what we gave. Plus, some of us were probably too lazy to perform money conversions.
 
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