Getting another film camera

Mitchell.

Mitchell.

Active member
Ok, so I shoot the occasional roll of colour film, not too often but still. I never purchased a film camera though and have always just used my dad's Minolta XG-M with a 50mm. Im good with the quality of the images and how they turn out, thing is that its kinda important to my dad, not that he would use it, but regardless.

So what im asking is for as much as I use it; would it be smart to pick up another Minolta XG-M with a 50mm? From what i've seen thats gonna run me ~$85 shipped.

Is that the best option or is there a better camera that will suit my needs for cheaper? I don't really know much about film which is why I

a. dont shoot it often &

b. am asking for advice

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any advice you may be able to provide below!

Mitch

1) What is your budget? How much money can you spend right away, and do you think you can get more money to invest in the future?

Since I only shoot film "recreationally" and not very often, I wouldnt wanna go over $90

2) What experience do you already have with cameras? Have you ever even used one before? Have you helped your friend out with his camera? Have you owned your own?

Like I said above, Ive gone through a handful of rolls on my dads camera, but that and photo class at school is the only film experience I've got

2) What gear, if any, do you currently have? (tripod, old camera lenses, mics, etc)

Tripods, rigs, and more digitally oriented equipment that isnt relevant in this situation. I do not own anything regarding film other than rolls of film & the Minolta XG-M setup I mentioned above.

4) What are you planning to shoot and how do you want to use your camera? Are you going to use this with the sole purpose of shooting skiing? or do you think you might try other stuff as well (movies, documentaries, short films, etc)

Just recreatinolly, probabl won't ever come skiing, just a new toy when I dont wanna bring out a DSLR or camcorder

5) Do you want a camera that you can hand to your friends, that could or could not have film experience, and let them shoot you? or will you be doing all the filming?

Doesn't really matter, most of them are in my photo class at school and should know how to work it anyway, but yeah' doesnt matter

6) When filming skiing, how do you tend to shoot? (follow cams, leave it on record on a tripod and hike, film from a tripod, etc)

Wont apply to this camera

7) What computer do you currently have/use to edit (if not currently editing, what would you most likely use)? If you can provide specifics, such as hard drive space, RAM, processor size, that would be great.

Not shooting video, my laptop can handle any photo editing ill be doing regardless

7) What program do you currently edit on? How familiar are you with it (1- just learning; 10- I can make tutorials and know the keyboard layout)

Photowise I use photoshop and/or lightroom

 
doesn't really matter since its just kind of a toy and im not dropping a crazy amount. Fixed would be okay if it was around 35, that seems like a good medium, but interchangeable could be plus, depends on the price really.. Yes an SLR would be optimal
 
For $90 you probably can't get into a nikon body and lens. If you want another SLR i'd check out a pentax k1000, canon ae-1, or maybe a minolta SRT or the camera you suggested. What mount is your digital camera, if it's canon I'd almost lean towards Pentax because you can adapt K or Screw mount lenses, so at least there is some usability there,

On the other hand you could go for a rangefinder like a Yashica Electro 35, or a Canonet ql17 Giii both which run for under $100. For film gear I'd check out ebay (as long as it's a reputable seller) or keh (buy BGN), maybe even local thrift shops they generally have an abundance of 35mm SLR's.....
 
try and get an OM-1 with a 50mm 1.8 or a Nikkormat with an old nikkor lens off of craigslist. Craigslist might be your best bet.

 
My girlfriend got one off ebay and it had the classic "sticky shutter problem" so I brought it to my local camera repair shop to get it checked out and they deemed it unfixable :'( She even went out of her way to get a new genuine leather grip for it in my favorite color, British racing green. So basically look out with the Canonet, you run the risk of getting a dud.
 
Buy a fully working one... I too would recommend the ql17, yashica electro 35, or an old contax/Nikon system
 
I have the Olympus OM-2, I've only shot off a couple rolls with it, but I like it. I also have an adapter so I can use the OM lenses on my Canon, and I like them a lot.
 
What I'm saying is to look out when buying because that the one that my girlfriend bought was listed as fully operational and was until I the shutter started to stick.
 
Thank you everyone for your advice, gonna look into all the cameras listed and make a decision based on quality/cost etc.

Thanks Again!
 
If you want to stick with Minolta, get an SRT-102/SRT-202 or a Minolta XD-11 if you want a more advanced body with AE. Each camera should easily be had for 40$ of off the evilbay.

If you want a 'fun' camera you can just throw in your bag and take everywhere: buy an Olympus Stylus Epic. It's small, portable, weather resistant/waterproof(ish), sturdy, sharp and it costs 50$. The only downside is it uses DX-coding which, unless you wind your own film into canisters, doesn't matter.

 
What lenses does your dad have for the Minolta? If he has anything good that he'd let you use, then definitely stick with the Minolta system, because that glass is awesome. I have two SRT 201's and they are pretty kick ass. Really easy to work with, and they feel very well built - because they are.

If you're looking to go with a whole new system, you really should figure out whether you want Auto Exposure or not. If you're looking for a fully manual system, then a Minolta SRT is probably the way to go, what with how affordable the Minolta system is now, and how high quality the system is, especially for the price.

I honestly wouldn't go for a Pentax K1000 over the Minolta, it's just not as nice to work with from my experience (I own both), and the glass is no better, and more expensive what with the demand for video lenses. You can also look into an Olympus OM-1, but this will cost you a little bit more (though the quality of the OM is fantastic, and the camera is a bit smaller - the lens system is also way sweet with all your exposure settings on the lens itself). An Ftb from Canon would be the top choice there - unless you want to splurge for an F-1. FD glass is also pretty affordable, and some of it is actually quite fantastic, especially if you get some FD L-glass to go with it (a 20-35L and a 50 f1.4 would be top choice for me, personally)

If you're looking for an AE camera, than the XD-11 that was mentioned above would be a great option from Minolta, an OM-2 would be a great Olympus system camera to grab, Nikon F3, though expensive, would be about as awesome as a Manual focus camera can be, and a Canon A-1 would probably be my choice, there (though, really, as much as I do like my AE-1, I'm not a huge fan of the Canon system, especially the A cameras because they're pretty damn cheesy.)

 
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