Photography n00b query!

Adam

Hi guys, brand new to the forum!

I browsed the resources charter and some of the links, but I think I need to talk to some people first as I don't even know what I'm looking for really!

Basically I've a sudden (yes, at 2 in the morning) urge to get into photography, but not digital. I want to try shooting/develpoing my own photo's, most likely black and white to begin with(does that complicate or simplify matters?).

So if possible I would like some pointers on where to start! I suppose the first few questions are what kind of camera do I need? Is developing difficult? Are the resources(solutions etc.) expensive?

I don't have, nor want to spend a lot of money on this venture as yet, is it possible to get into without big bucks?

Cheers for reading guys, looking forward to your responses!

ftg

Fajitas!

In a bit of a rush, but essentially, you'll need an SLR camera, B&W film, and I'm sure Jessops still do developing kits...well...one of them!

But before you rush into that...An SLR and a night class would be even better.

Developing is something you can read all about but you need someone to show you to the ropes!!!

Righteo, off to work!

G'luck!!!

peter1892

For a camera you could get one of the entry level Canon or Nikon SLR's, e.g. the Canon EOS 300v kit (discontinued?), which has a 28-90mm lens. That lens isn't great so you could get a 50mm f/1.8 lens with it, new that would cost around €300 in total but you might get it 2nd hand somewhere for a bit less.

There's some cheaper models based on the Pentax K1000 for around €150 I think they're Phenix or Centon) which would also be a good place to start. Pick up something like that & a bunch of BW film & see how you get on with taking photos.

Pop into some of the camera shops (are you in Dublin) and see what they've got to offer, and what will suit your budget.

6th

I'd say go with a Pheonix SLR, this is a remake of the Pentax K1000 but with plastic parts. No reason why if treated right it wont last you a good 10 years and its a perfect cheap entry level SLR that will give you good results - should only set you back €140 and most good camera shops stock it and will point out what a good starter camera it is.

mtracey

If I was you I'd go for something like a Nikon FE, F100 or an F4 type camera.
Pick them up on ebay for reasonable money, especially the FE.
Good lens to start with would be a Nikkor 50mm 1.8, great quality, very sharp and good price, maybe just over the €100 mark on ebay.

F100 is a nice camera, good build quality and if you dont like it you can always sell back on ebay for at least what you paid for it. I have a friend who resold and made a profit

Black and white development is in my opinion easier than colour processing.

For starters I shoot b+w and post off for development. If interested I can give you some names (UK based). Of course you might find later that you want to scan them onto a PC for storage and possible printing online (some good b+w online print outfits out there)

If you like what you're getting in terms of photos/composition then have a go at doing it all yourself.

With film, it depends on what sort of look you want, ie high contrast, lots of grain, more detail etc...

Let me know if you have questions

antifuse

I'd recommend going with Canon or Nikon. That way, if you decide you really really love photography, and want to go digital, you can just upgrade the body and keep using your lenses!

Beano

If you really want to get in to photography on the cheap take a look on Ebay. I picked up an Olympus OM10 with a 50/1.8 lens for a grand total of stg£26. Needed a bit of a clean and two new batteries. Aperture priority only but you can get a manual adaptor for it. Perfect for a beginner. Best of all it has a metal body so it feels right, nice and heavy. And if somebody tries to nick it from you it can be used as a bludgeon. If you play around with that for a while and enjoy it THEN you can think about a more expensive camera.

Adam

Just remembered my grandad gave my sister a camera a while back, he used to be big into photography and will help me in the developing department as he used to develop his own shots. So I have this camera at my disposal:

http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?AsahiPentaxSpotmatic.html~mainFrame

The review sounds quite good!

Morlar

There seems to be a lot of good brand mid range model film slr's floating around on the 2nd hand market thesedays.

Roen

fade_to_grey wrote:

Just remembered my grandad gave my sister a camera a while back, he used to be big into photography and will help me in the developing department as he used to develop his own shots. So I have this camera at my disposal:

http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?AsahiPentaxSpotmatic.html~mainFrame

The review sounds quite good!

Nice, a good camera, I remember using one a few years ago. Lenses are the trick really though, what did you get with that?

JMcL

Roen wrote:

Nice, a good camera, I remember using one a few years ago. Lenses are the trick really though, what did you get with that?

There're loads to be found on EBay