These cheap Nikon F50-65's on ebay

[andy-xr]

Fancy shooting some film using the lenses I've acquired from D40/80/300 ownership. Not expecting anything better than what I'm getting with digital (and the Delete button) understand there'll be limitations, but it's just a hobby

So, for the sake of £30 are these worth a punt, or am I setting myself up for a £30 joke in Boots?

Examples

- http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-F65-35mm-film-AF-SLR-C...

- http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NIKON-F50-AUTOFOCUS-SLR-body...

- http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-F55-N55-Autofocus-35mm...

[_dobbo_]

It depends on what lenses you have and whether the autofocus is compatible (and whether you care)

this chart shows what lens features are compatible with what each Nikon camera body

[andy-xr]

I doubt I''ll much care really at that price, even with other associated costs. Interesting to see it wont work with AFS, but I have a mix of allsorts. I can always give them a go, but seeing as some of them come with a kit lens, cant see where I'm going to go wrong really.

[malc350]

I bought an F75 kit a while ago as a present (for me ma! she's not going to get involved with digital, just wants to take pics of the garden and stuff).

Anyway F75 (silver) with 28-80 and 70-300 G lens for £100 all nicely presented in a 2 lens kit box.

What a bargain, see how little we'd spend if we used film?

On the other hand, being the gear heads we are, we'd still get a Nikon F6 plus grip and 17-35 and 70-200 F2.8 lenses at least...

Malc

[_dobbo_]

malc350 said:

What a bargain, see how little we'd spend if we used film?

I wish - I'm paying between £3 and £5 per film, that soon adds up especially when my hit rate is as low as it is!

Of course with film the body matters far less than digital but on the other hand the lens matters a bit more, so you save in one place and lose in the other!

[malc350]

_dobbo_ said:

malc350 said:

What a bargain, see how little we'd spend if we used film?

I wish - I'm paying between £3 and £5 per film, that soon adds up especially when my hit rate is as low as it is!

Of course with film the body matters far less than digital but on the other hand the lens matters a bit more, so you save in one place and lose in the other!

Try using medium format if you want to spend money on film: when I had my RB67 6x7cm format camera I used to get 10 exposures per roll, take off the end of the film for a "clip test" (wonder how many photographers 'round here know what that is?) and then I'm left with 8 exposures per roll.

However what a great way to become a pretty good photographer: with film costing that much I tried to make sure every (and I mean every) frame counted. I'd spend ages getting the shot framed right, carefully working out the exposure and I treated the shutter release like almost something not to be touched. Only when everything was spot on would I press the release.

That's why I used to pick up my films and find nearly every shot a keeper. Digital camera just make you go mad and fire shots like you're in Iraq!

Actually i just remembered I took a studio course where we learned to use 5x4 cameras. After we were shown what to do we were allowed one sheet of film per studio set. That did increase the keeper rate to 100%!!!

Malc

Edited by malc350 on Wednesday 7th January 12:41

[Simpo Two]

Funny to think of these old film cameras as like, full frame right, which is like, really cool?

Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 7th January 13:00

[_dobbo_]

Hey Simpo, didn't you know full frame is the next big thing?

malc350 said:

Try using medium format if you want to spend money on film

I am shooting MF actually - I picked up a job lot of about 50 rolls of film on ebay for not much cash so I'm not counting that in the per roll cost. Once I run out of film I'll spending even more per roll I fear!

[fergusd]

Simpo Two said:

Funny to think of these old film cameras as like, full frame right, which is like, really cool?

Sorry I mentioned it . . .

Fd

[Simpo Two]

fergusd said:

Simpo Two said:

Funny to think of these old film cameras as like, full frame right, which is like, really cool?

Sorry I mentioned it . . .

It wasn't a dig Ferg, my point was that 35mm cameras automatically have the 'full frame' so sought after by the new crop of DSLR nuts who wouldn't recognise film if they stepped on it!

[andy-xr]

Simpo Two said:

fergusd said:

Simpo Two said:

Funny to think of these old film cameras as like, full frame right, which is like, really cool?

Sorry I mentioned it . . .

It wasn't a dig Ferg, my point was that 35mm cameras automatically have the 'full frame' so sought after by the new crop of DSLR nuts who wouldn't recognise film if they stepped on it!

So, this loading film business. It's like, where the SD card goes?