Recommend a 35mm Camera

Blog Category: cfzr.com — Blogged by: jane on March 12, 2010 at 1:26 pm
  • The camera that I used to shoot the pictures here: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133796 is an EOS ELAN II that I am borrowing from my brother-in-law. Anyway, I had tons of fun shooting my first roll of B&W 35mm film. Now, I'm ready to buy a hobby camera.

    First I looked into buying this camera off him for $75 or so. Are there any other 35mm camera bodies that I should look into before buying this?


  • EOS IX (http://www.thecamerasite.net/02_Rangefinders/Pages/revioixus.htm) <--stainless steel body (On EBay (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-eos-IX-metal-camera-slr-body-with-strap_W0QQitemZ360080351823QQcmdZViewItem?IMSfp=TL 080818102a10593#ebayphotohosting))


    Eh?! That is not a 35mm camera but an APS camera. The choice of films is really limited for these APS cameras.


  • 35mm SLR film cameras I like:

    EOS 7s (http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/film/data/2001-/2004_eos7s.html?lang=us&categ=crn&page=2001-&p=1)
    Canon A1 (http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/SLRs/a1/index.htm) (on EBay (http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en-us&q=Canon+A1+ebay&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title))


    Nikon F3
    Nikon F4
    Nikon F5
    Nikon F6

    Olympus OM-4Ti

    But you mentioned Canons so I only linked to those ones. :D And I never actually owned the Nikon F6. Just read about it. :D


  • Well, the shutter is quiet, but it wiggles the camera a little when using my small 50 f/1.4.

    Alrighty, eBay has the EOS-3's for right around $200 used for most of them on there. KEH has "LN-" ones for $350, and "BGN" ones for $175. I am familiar with the KEH terms, but I am guessing that a better buy would be ebay's rigs if I'm trying to stay in the $200 range. Opinions?

    I guess my options are:

    KEH

    LN- $350
    EX+ $275
    EX $235
    BGN $172

    eBay $200
    Too many options. I'm leaning towards the KEH EX for $235. What would you do?


  • and waiting for them to get developed.

    I don't understand... Last time I checked it only took about 30 min to develop film printing is what took up all the time.


  • Oh... Heh!

    I had one about 6 years ago. Someone gave it to me. It was built like a steel brick and the design was really classy. I never took any pictures with it but I could swear it was a 35mm. It was 24mm cartridge huh? Hehehe...

    Or maybe it was a different model? Is there one that looks like that (same styling) that is a 35mm film camera? To find this one I searched the camera museum because I don't remember the specific name.

    I'll have another look though.


  • Yes, the quartz date can be turned off...it may already have a dead battery as it takes a separate watch type battery. And yes, the eye-controlled-focus can be turned off as well.

    Thanks for the quick reply, Big Mike. After some quick googling, it appears that the QD function only will work until the year 2019 anyway!

    From specs here (http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/eos/eoscamera/EOSElanIIE5055/index.htm)
    These have a built-in LCD quartz digital calendar and clock programmed to the year 2019.

    I'll probably go with the IIeQD since it's only $65 in EX+ condition from KEH. Not a bad price.


  • great price... enjoy film and put away a few bucks every month. By the time you feel that you outgrew the Elan, you'll have cash for something better.

    Shoot, here we go again. Please help.

    I don't think I'll end up getting the EOS Elan II from him, as he is realizing the need to sell the kit as a package rather than trying to sell the promaster flash, hotshoe, and 28-80 by themselves.

    Here's the question... KEH has a ELAN IIE QuartzDate for $65 in EX+ condition. Can the quartzdate feature be turned OFF so I don't have the date on the photo? Also, can I disregard the "E" eye controlled feature?


  • I'm not sure about the Elan II...but I think the 7 models were made to be super quite.


  • Cool....

    btw... battery grip improves handling a lot (at least for me). Second shutter button and allows the use of AAs which will add a tad more weight.

    I take back what I said last post. Turns out he wants to keep the 75-300, so I will just buy the ELAN II for $75. Regardless, this thing is in great condition and surely doesn't have a high shutter count.

    I could see myself getting an EOS-3 sometime if this film thing sticks for awhile.


  • great price... enjoy film and put away a few bucks every month. By the time you feel that you outgrew the Elan, you'll have cash for something better.


  • The ELan IIe was my first EOS camera and still one of my favorites... I still have it. Not as advanced as later Elans but the dual dial layout was wonderful. Every feature of the camera was practically available via a turn of a dial. The only reservation I'd have is that it is an all plastic camera. I say go for it.


  • I think shutter-shake is a problem an all 35mm SLR film cameras. I never met one that was immune.


    EDIT: The solution of course is just to use a faster shutter speed. I can't remember the specific results from old tests done in the photo magazines but I think the cut off for shutter-shake was around 125 on most cameras without lens. The heavier the camera and lens the better.


  • oh it was really not a big deal. I just noticed that the camera being so light, and the shutter so big, when shooting at 1/60 in low light, the camera 'moved' a bit when the shutter actuated. No photos from the roll had a shake blur...it's just something I noticed while shooting. I figure that a heavier body will shake a bit less.


  • or mirror lockup for those long exposures.


  • Since you're already a Canon shooter, I'd say that sounds like a good deal to me.


  • Cool....

    btw... battery grip improves handling a lot (at least for me). Second shutter button and allows the use of AAs which will add a tad more weight.


  • ooOOooo... the slippery slop of G.A.S :-)

    First, Elan II ... good enough
    But... The Elan 7.. is more advanced
    But... The EOS 3 has that nice AF
    But... The 1n is a 1 series
    But... Guess the next step? At this point... the 1v (I have one love it).


    hehehe....


    The world of film is different from digital... as Mike said... whether you are shooting with an Elan or 1v.. the film inside is the same.


  • ooOOooo... the slippery slop of G.A.S :-)

    First, Elan II ... good enough
    But... The Elan 7.. is more advanced
    But... The EOS 3 has that nice AF
    But... The 1n is a 1 series
    But... Guess the next step? At this point... the 1v (I have one love it).


    hehehe....


    The world of film is different from digital... as Mike said... whether you are shooting with an Elan or 1v.. the film inside is the same.

    You are right...it's that slope. Shoot.

    I thought that film would be a phase I'd get into, but could see it lasting awhile. Film forces me to think before shooting. Also, the photos have far more value (to me) after spending so much time composing the shots, and waiting for them to get developed. Maybe what I really need is a good psychologist...


  • Sarcasm have you never worked in a darkroom? Most fun a man can have with his clothes off.


  • The ELAN series are pretty good. If you can swing an ELAN 7 or 7n, that would be several years more modern than the ELAN II. Some of the ELAN cameras have the 'eye controlled focus' (an 'e' in the name). This is a neat feature that some people love and some people hate.

    Depending on your budget, you might also consider a used 'pro' model. The EOS 3 was a great camera and there are plenty of 1 series cameras floating around...the 1n was very popular I think. The problem with those, are that they might have been heavily used by a pro, where as an ELAN might have been used twice a year by an old lady.

    I've got an EOS 650, the first EOS ever made. it's big and heavy but built like a tank. It has or does have the common problems though, a 'gooey' shutter bumper and a wonky control dial.


  • oh it was really not a big deal. I just noticed that the camera being so light, and the shutter so big, when shooting at 1/60 in low light, the camera 'moved' a bit when the shutter actuated. No photos from the roll had a shake blur...it's just something I noticed while shooting. I figure that a heavier body will shake a bit less.

    Yup. Weight or a massive tripod will kill it too. I have 3/4" steel plate around here somewhere that came off of a studio stand kinda like these: http://harrysproshop.com/Tripods/Studio_Stands/studio_stands.html but where the center support pole was about 18" thick and I'm sure weighed 200 lbs. or more. The plate weighs about 10 or 12 lbs. and fits between the cam and pod. It worked good for night shots with the light-weight olympus film cameras.


  • When talking film cameras...the actual model of the camera is pretty much irrelevant when talking about image quality and the ability to make enlargements. It's the lens and the film that are important. The 50mm F1.4 is a great lens, so I wouldn't see any problems. Although, I'd probably prefer to use your 70-200 for portraits.


  • thanks guys, you've helped make up my decision.

    I'll either buy this ELAN II from him, or get another ELAN II. It's a fun camera, and I like the style/appearance of it. It still has a familiar feel, even though it's a completely different camera than my 40Ds. Sounds like there's not much reason to go more expensive on a hobby camera. The ELAN II combined with my Canon 50mm f/1.4 has been a great combination.


  • well, I dunnit.

    I opted for the KEH "BGN" EOS-3 camera! $172. Then, after seeing shipping didn't increase by adding more items, I went ahead and added the ELAN IIeQD to my cart. I don't see it getting any cheaper in the future, and it's certainly a fun camera that I can easily resell if it doesn't get any use.

    Thanks for all the input on here. Tomorrow I'll be asking about the EOS 1V :)


  • Yes, the quartz date can be turned off...it may already have a dead battery as it takes a separate watch type battery. And yes, the eye-controlled-focus can be turned off as well.


  • I don't understand... Last time I checked it only took about 30 min to develop film printing is what took up all the time.

    I'll assume sarcasm...


  • Big Mike, that EOS 3 looks like a very capable camera...in fact, there are some features (45-point AF) that my 40Ds don't even have! It seems to be a great camera with great reviews. Also, it's apparently built better, so that's a plus.

    Now... I am TOTALLY comfortable using a film camera (as one of my cameras) to hold my 50 f/1.4 for portrait sessions. Is there any reason that this camera (combined with 50 f/1.4) would NOT be sufficient for taking portraits that could possibly be blown up to 16x20?


  • EOS IX = APS film camera = yuk. You'd be lucky to find traditional B&W film for it.


  • When talking film cameras...the actual model of the camera is pretty much irrelevant when talking about image quality and the ability to make enlargements. It's the lens and the film that are important. The 50mm F1.4 is a great lens, so I wouldn't see any problems. Although, I'd probably prefer to use your 70-200 for portraits.

    That's what I was wondering...didn't seem like the model would plan much of an effect since it's film. And yes, very good point....the 70-200 on a 35mm would be a great length for portraits. Seems a little far on digital sometimes.

    Would the shutter "chomp" be any less noticeable in the EOS-3 (than ELAN)? After every shot with the ELAN II, I am worried because the shutter hits harder and shakes the camera a bit more than my 40Ds. Probably normal for a bigger shutter, but something I am not used to. Doesn't seem as balanced or something.

    I'll probably go with the EOS-3 for 'feel' and quality since I plan to use this more often than before.


  • Sarcasm have you never worked in a darkroom? Most fun a man can have with his clothes off.

    haha no I haven't, but want to bad. The university here has a darkroom, and I will try to get in there.

    Update - I am buying the EOS ELAN II from my brother-in-law. It's the one I am using now...great condition.

    Anyway, I'm paying $225 (or less) for the following package


    EOS ELAN II Body w/ battery
    28-80 USM f/3.5-5.6 w/ UV filter
    Canon 75-300 f/4.5-5.6 USM w/ hood & uv filter
    Promaster flash
    Promaster hotshoe adapter

    He said he'd like $225, but would sell it to me for less. I'm guessing it'll be closer to $200 for the setup. So, my goal is to sell the 28-80, 75-300, flash, and hotshoe adapter for more than $125 total. I'll probably piece them separately, we'll see what happens.







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