A level Student Traditional Camera?

[Joshua91]

Hi There,

I am an AS level photography student but with out the appropriate camera. I need a 35mm SLR camera with manual controls for B&W photography. I have done some research and have come up with the Pentax k1000. My budget is about 1p- £150ish for the camera and a lense or 2. Please could you give me some advice on what camera would be good. I am desperate to get a camera a.s.a.p so in my haste I am sorry if I have written this in the wrong section there where many to look through and I felt this was where my post belonged.

Thankyou for any help

Josh

P.S Sorry I think this should have been posted in the camera chat section possibly

[nimbus]

This is generally accepted as a good camera to learn on. They are simple and reasonably robust with a decent standard lens. You will certainly find a good example in your price range, and still have something in hand for another lens.

Another worth considering is the Nikon FM2, you should be able to find one of these within your budget nowadays, like the Pentax it is basic, but has a greater range of shutter speeds with easier to use (in my opinion anyway) metering. There are plenty of lenses available for both of these cameras. The Nikon is probably more robust mechanically.

[AlexMonro]

Welcome Josh!

I believe the Pentax K1000 is regarded as the definitive photography student learning camera, thought the Nikon FM2 is also pretty good - I have one! The FM2, and Nikkor lenses, are probably slightly more expensive. Other manual cameras that might be worth considering include the Olympus OM2 or the Minolta XG series.

Some websites with detailed descriptions of these cameras:

Pentax K1000
Nikon FM2
Minolta XG

See if your local camera shop has a second hand section - most independents usually do, and London Camera Exchange can be good, but Jessops stopped doing 2nd hand a few years ago.

Otherwise, have a look in the dealer adverts in the back of AP - I see Mifsuds have a K1000 at £89, and a 50mm f/1.7 at £39, and like most dealers, offer a guarantee on 2nd hand kit.

You could also try Ebay, where things are probably cheaper, but you don't usually get a guarantee, and it can be more of a minefield.

Links to 2nd hand dealers' websites:
Mifsuds
Ffordes
MXV

to name a few...

[Rhys]

IIRC the K1000's meter is on all the time and the only way to turn it off is to put the lens cap on? When I was at college they used these for students to use (along with Zenits for starters to use).

Another alternative is the Pentax SP (Spotmatic) which is fully manual but easy to use plus lenses and accessories are dirt cheap (Carl Zeiss Jena lenses as well as the Pentax Takumar ones - mostly bought for about a fiver each). I used one of these to take my pics for my degree show so should be OK for A level (plus you can turn the light-meter off).

My fave lens was the CZJ 35mm Flektogon which focused quite close for about 1:2 macro as well. You can soon build up a nice little collection for the money you want to spend. (have a look in charity shops as well, I found quite a few cameras in them going cheep as well as lenses, tripods etc.)

Bit of info on the Spottie'

[Larry Shone]

Hi Joshua welcome to AP and the wonderful world of photography. I completed my 2 year A/S photography course in 2002, it was great fun, good luck with that! As for a camera, well I would recommend anything thats all manual, its the best way to learn what youre doing. Learn how to use a camera first, then how to abuse one!
I've never tried one but the Pentax K1000 does seem to carry the label 'student camera', and theyre widely available, but there are several similar camera that also have the same lens mount(Pentax K mount) meaning there are lots of compatible lenses going cheap out there. Amongst my collection of cameras I have a quite capable (or it was!)if heavy cosina CT1 EX. Its completely manual and is built like a brick so if you drop it make sure your foot's not in the way! Theres also a similar camera by Vivitar out there, same lens mount,and of course there are the old russian favourites Zenith. These use a screw mount lens(M42) which again are widely available second hand and cheap. I have an old Zenith TTL, best off avoiding anything earlier as they dont have ttl metering(Through the Lens,which is how all modern cameras meter the scene). They have a more recent model called the 12 I believe. Very basic heavy cameras but great to learn on!(my first SLR was a Zenith TTL my brother gave me when i was a kid)

[GeoffC]

The K1000 is still a popular choice among students yet was the most basic of the K series and can sell for pretty silly prices.

A better choice IMO would be the Pentax KM (a K1000 with self timer and depth of field preview - otherwise identical), it's less well known, but, with DOF preview, is a FAR better camera and tends to sell for less than the K1000 for some strange reason.

Better still would be a KX, if you can find one. This also has Mirror Lock-Up, a better viewfinder with both aperture and shutter speed displayed and a different meter which can be switched off. The KX does seem to be pretty scarce though.

[Larry Shone]

Those are nice Pentaxes Geoff. I wish I'd gone down the Pentax route,look at all those lenses that are available!

[Wheelu]

There's plenty of good advice here already, but I might just emphasise one point that has already been made.

The camera that you buy will be old and possibly heavily used. It may or may not be reliable. Unless you are desperate for money, and your budget suggests otherwise, I would be sure to buy from a dealer and get a guarantee. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you can't do your work because the camera has broken down.

If you were a hobbyist you could enjoy taking a gamble on Ebay, and I have both won and lost doing that in the past, but this is too important to you.

In addition to the names that have already been given I suggest that you consider FFordes, they have been around for a long time and have a good reputation. I have used them in the past and have been able to return a camera without problems.

Finally, you could add the Pentax MX to your list. It's a nicer fully manual camera than the K1000, but tends to be a bit of a cult object and therefore a bit more expensive.

Best of luck with your studies!

[Larry Shone]

There's plenty of good advice here already, but I might just emphasise one point that has already been made.

The camera that you buy will be old and possibly heavily used. It may or may not be reliable. Unless you are desperate for money, and your budget suggests otherwise, I would be sure to buy from a dealer and get a guarantee. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you can't do your work because the camera has broken down.
!

not necessarily. You can buy a brand new manual camera ideal for learning on if you get a Vivitar. True its actually made by Cosina but it has Pentax fit lenses and is qite lightweight.

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews147725.html

http://my-filmcameras.blogspot.com/2...mera-w-28.html
and it has a DOF preview button!
If i had to sell up and then sgtart again I'd probably go for it!

reliable vertical traveling metal focal plane shutter. 10 second self timer Hot shoe for optional flash Depth of field preview Dimensions - 3.5H x 5.4W x 2.3D Weighs 13 ounces Warranty - Camera - One Year; Lens - Five Years Includes lens hood, case, strap Filter Size - 52mm

[Learning]

FM2n. The 'n' is not in the model name but the first letter of the serial number. G Nikkors won't work but nearly everything else will. The trouble with them is that those us who own them don't want to sell them even if they are rarely used. Try to find a seller willing to do a deal on a 24mm f2.8, 50mm f 1.4 or f1.8 and 85mm f1.8 plus body for a good price.

[Oly_Man]

Really surprised no one has mentioned an OM1(n). Good chance if you find one in physically good condition it's not already been whipped to within an inch of its life. Lack of 1.35V batteries caused a stir when they first disappeared, but everyone's either moved onto a 1.4V zinc/air or had their camera adapted.

OM2(n) offers aperture-priority off-the-film auto-exposure (plus the same manual mode from the OM1) and compatability with easy-to-find LR44 batteries at the 'expense' of having a battery-dependent electronic shutter and no mirror-lockup.

EDIT: Christ I'd not noticed the most recent post here was five months old