I may be getting an SLR

My father is in town, and I asked him how he liked his DSLR. He said he didn't have one (it is his wife's) but he does have a film camera. He asked me if I wanted it. I thought about it for about 200 milliseconds and said "sure". So, when he goes back home he will send it my way. I haven't gotten into details about it yet, as he just got into town- I should know more later. He generally does not buy junk. I am very excited, even though I know I am entering dangerous territory. The last time I took a photography class was in high school (graduated in 1986). What are some good sources for knocking of some rust?

this is what I used in high school

Finding out what camera you will be getting may give you some more specific sites to check around, but for just general any number of sites of your choosing will be just fine. If it's a more modern metered camera then not much is different than just point/focus/adjust/click. Fully auto cameras like my F100 are really nice for quick stuff, but it is a professional grade body and allows all the control I want.

As a starter, I suggest you brush up on the exposure triangle, "Sunny 16" rule, and depending on what the camera is maybe practice your ability to judge distance. The last one will help with "scale focus" street shots when combined with the sunny 16 rule. Preset your focus for say 8 feet, you're walking south on the east side of the street well before noon, so open shade (and assuming iso 400 film) you should be roughly about f/8 (barely visible shadows) and shutter speed of 1/500. When someone interesting walks anywhere from 13 feet to 6 feet you can snap the picture with assurance of a decent exposure and reasonable sharpness. To shoot someone on the other side of the street in full sun with hard shadows just dial down the aperture to f/16 really quick and shoot! It's basically a full manual way to shoot in aperture priority mode.

The scales on older manual focus lenses will tell you how much distance will be in focus at what aperture as well, if you're shooting f/11 (soft defined shadows in the sunny 16 rule) look at the numbers at f/11 on both sides of the scale, this will be near focus and far focus distances.

Many of us here still shoot film, even medium and large format as well. We can help you out with specific questions. But a good spot for general reading and taking the dive down the rabbit hole, check out apug.org. I have yet to classify myself as a camera collector (mostly because I tell the wife I buy them so I can sell them, but never do) but I do repair older camera and have shot/own many.

Let us know what and when you get it!

Thanks Xander. I had checked the wiki but didn't see anything. After I posted I saw the resources. I have been looking over rogerandfrances.com. I am looking forward to at least dipping my toes back in

Also, once you know the exact model you can find the manual online. There's so much info out there, I've even found stuff for some of my obscure make cameras, like my 127 film Ferrania Rondine.

Hard to go wrong with anything Roger Hicks has to say, he is quite biased in some respects but he's got the cred to allow for it. He has his own forum over on rangefinderforum.com which usually has some good discussion about various states of the industry and artistry.

Good luck with it! Keep us posted; I love old film cameras and think everyone should use them! And really, manual shooting isn't that hard, once you get the hang of it - it will give you control over what you wish the final image to look like. I would suggest - start with cheap film and local developing (if you can find it) until you get the feel, before going crazy on expensive stuff and mailing out black and white, etc. Have fun.

BowTieGuy said:

Good luck with it! Keep us posted; I love old film cameras and think everyone should use them! And really, manual shooting isn't that hard, once you get the hang of it - it will give you control over what you wish the final image to look like. I would suggest - start with cheap film and local developing (if you can find it) until you get the feel, before going crazy on expensive stuff and mailing out black and white, etc. Have fun.

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I used to do this in high school, so I will just be knocking rust off. I am going to stop by Half Price books and take a look at what they have. The house is paid off in a few years and I have a mother in law suite- I may end up making my own dark room.

Excellent. Enjoy.

Well, did ya get it yet?!

I was thinking about this... since I have never really given up film cameras and only recently gotten serious with digital I had to go through the motions of setting up a kit with an older film camera to see what I use to help. A good light meter is nice for double checking the meter or helping in tricky situations. You can download apps that are actually pretty good for free. I use Beecam light meter on my S4. (You have the same phone, correct? If so be sure to turn auto screen brightness OFF because the meter uses the same sensor and you will get screwy readings).

The vintage camera straps are actually helpful because they often have holders for a couple extra rolls of film, nice for not bulking up your pockets.

Batteries. This can be a tricky subject, many cameras from the early 80's and older used mercury cells which you can no longer get. They also had different voltages than alkaline or lithium cells. Some need an adapter to use modern cells, others will fit fine but the different voltage can throw off your metering by as much as a stop or more. Once you get it figured out, keep extras. (Also why an external light meter is nice )

Flash. Some older cameras had really high trigger voltages, this can cause the magic smoke to escape from your fancy modern expensive speed light. Getting that magic smoke back in is often tricky and more expensive than a new flash. Find out if a modern flash is ok with the camera here of via Google. Also, synch speeds are likely much slower. 1/30 or 1/60 are common and sometimes default. Know the guide number of your flash, without ttl flash metering you have to do the math. Guide number divided by distance to subject equals aperture. (Keep all units the same, often times guide numbers are listed in meters and feet) I.e. 110gn(feet)/15(feet)=7.33 <-- not an available f/stop so use the closest one like f/7.1 or f/8. If your bouncing your flash, use the distance the light will travel: feet from flash to ceiling plus feet from ceiling to subject.

Flash connection, if an even older camera it may have multiple sync sockets (PC sockets) marked X, M, FP, etc. Common is X and M. If using a modern flash always use the X socket. M is designed for flash bulbs that take longer to reach full brightness, so it trips the flash 20-30 milliseconds sooner. X trips it just before the shutter is fully open, say 5 milliseconds before.

This should get you up and running pretty quick. Hope it helps!

Still waiting, Xander. The old man operates on a different time schedule, and I don't want to goose him too hard

I know what you mean. My mother is that way, lol!

It's just that old cameras excite me

fast14riot said:

I know what you mean. My mother is that way, lol!

It's just that old cameras excite me

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I know what you mean. My father gets a new iMac every 1.5 years or so, and sends me his "old" one. Two months ago he sent me his 27 inch with 12 gigs of memory. I am more excited about that old film camera than I was about the computer

I love my old cameras, I got a Hasselblad and Leica M3, I usually use 50mm lens, so I don't need huge array of lenses.
I would love to add a Rolleiflex 2.8 and Pentax 67 to my collection.

Was talking with my bookkeeper at work today, she mentioned she has several old cameras stashed away somewhere. I mentioned that I love old cameras and never refuse being given any (beggars can't be choosers...) and then she said she still has somewhere in that box a camera she bought in Germany in 1967! She can't remember anything about it other than a bunch of knobs she didn't know how to use, lol!I'm really hoping that she decides to dig them out and either give them to me or offer to sell them to me!!! Boy would it be sweet to find a mint Leica rangefinder from then! I can only dream for now.

Very cool. Once I get back into it I may have to turn into a hint dropper.

My father is coming down, so I reminded him about the camera- hopefully he will bring it. I mentioned it to a coworker and he asked if I wanted to buy his Minolta- I told him to bring it in. Hopefully more details to come.

Funny you bring this back, my bookkeeper just told me this morning that she found the camera she bought in Germany, it's a Pentax. Don't know if she wants to sell it or have it fixed up and use it again, but I will see what happens with it!

Hope you get something cool!

fast14riot said:

Funny you bring this back, my bookkeeper just told me this morning that she found the camera she bought in Germany, it's a Pentax. Don't know if she wants to sell it or have it fixed up and use it again, but I will see what happens with it!

Hope you get something cool!

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Good luck, and post pics if you get it. Luckily, most people think that things like DE razors, fountain pens, and film cameras are useless.

I had a Minolta SRT-101 when I was in Nam. Burned a lot film through that thing. It got stolen after I got back to the states. Got another Minolta 35MM around here somewhere. Has a detachable motor drive and I've forgotten what else.

This is one of the last pics I took with it.


I miss that old dog. The camera not so much.

If your camera winds up being a Nikon, I highly recommend Nikonians.org. It is a great reference for Nikon cameras, lenses and accessories. Even if it's not a Nikon you should check it out for great information on Tripods and other gear. DPReview is another great site.

Joe