I Still Shoot Film

It’s Sunday…. which means it’s time again for the best film camera deals on Ebay!  On a side note, let me just say one thing: If you don’t like Russian cameras, I am sorry, but I do and I will always feature them so perhaps you should go find your own Ebay deals instead of sending me nasty messages about how much you hate Russian cameras. You know who you are.

Moving on, a big thanks to Thomas Foolery (enneagon) for sharing a super Ebay find: Ebay seller Luca9774 has quite an array of manual film cameras to choose from, with many under a hundred Euros and reliable brands like Olympus, Yashica, and Pentax as well as fun discontinued brand like Petri, Chinon, and Rioch. There is still at least 1 day on every item in his store: http://tinyurl.com/2dpvhhv

• Zenit 12XP: starting bid $8.25, ends in 6 days, comes with what appears to be a 44mm Helios lens, instruction manual, and case. At less than 10 bucks, it’s hard to go wrong… and we all know I love, love, love Russian cameras http://tinyurl.com/2cvxmzj

• Canon AV-1: buy it now for $79.95, comes with 50mm 1.4 Canon lens http://tinyurl.com/2csohvm

• Zenit 11: buy it now for $45, ends in 29 days, comes with 44mm Helios lens http://tinyurl.com/39vh5at

• Canon A-1(KIT): minimum bid 1 cent (yes really), ends in 6 days, comes with 35-70mm, 80-200mm, and 52mm lenses, Canon flash head, cable release, filters, and other good stuff http://tinyurl.com/2uz2cqe

• Nikon EM: buy it now for $39.95, ends in 6 days, comes with 50mm lens and flash http://tinyurl.com/322x2s3

• Asahi Pentax K-1000: minimum bid 1 cent (yay again!), ends in 6 days, comes with 50mm lens (no international shipping :( ) http://tinyurl.com/35zprec

• Praktica LLC: minimum bid $59.99 or buy it now for $89.99, ends in 4 days, comes with what looks like a 50mm lens. I had a Praktica (got it at a flea market) and it worked great, so much so that I gave it to my niece for a film photography class she was taking… and I think since then she may have lost it [sigh] http://tinyurl.com/33otuey

It’s time for Ebay film camera deals, sorry for the delay but I am in wedding planning madness and just spent the last 24 hours in a Mexican standoff with my dressmaker. But hey, better late than never, nay? Besides, looking at yummy film cameras will make me feel better, which I totally need. So let’s get to it:

• Minolta XG-M (KIT): starting bid $79, ends in 2 hours, comes with 50mm, 135mm, and 28mm lenses, promatic flash, instruction manual, and bag. http://tinyurl.com/3388wec

• Olympus OM-1: current bid $46.54, ends in 7 hours, comes with 50mm lens http://tinyurl.com/2b3a2mu

• SUPER DEAL! Nikon EM (Kit): current bid $44, ends in 5 hours, comes with 50mm, 28mm, and 80-200mm lenses, lens bags, motorized bottom, hoya filter. Has serial number http://tinyurl.com/245ksun

• Canon AE-1 (KIT): current bid $25.49, ends in 8 hours, comes with camera bag, 3 rolls of film, and 80-200mm, 28-80mm lenses http://tinyurl.com/2ezeqeo

• Canon FTb QL: current bid $9.99, ends in 9 hours, comes with 70-210mm lens http://tinyurl.com/39zq9vg

• Zenit-E (Olympic Edition): buy it now for $30, ends in 24 days. I have this Russian camera from the 1980 Moscow Olympics and I love it. A definite buy. http://tinyurl.com/346pqpn

• Olympus OM-G: current bid 99 cents, ends in 1 day comes with 50mm lens http://tinyurl.com/2wnum7s

It’s Sunday, and you know what that means. Bust out those wallets and stop me from buying more cameras. So our first ebay deal is not at all an ebay deal, but a fellow Tumblr who offers a marketplace for cameras. If you’re not following LAMLUX, you should be: lamlux.net - Marketplace

Moving on…

• Canon TLB: current bid $9.95, ends in 7 hours, comes with 50mm canon and 135mm vivitar lenses (screw mount) http://tinyurl.com/2wgquwm

• Minolta X-370 (KIT): minimum bid $35, ends in 6 hours, 28-80mm Vivitar lens, Vivitar 16a auto flash, Minolta X220 auto flash, uv filter, remote synch, 1 roll of film, and camera bag http://tinyurl.com/37nkefe

• Zenit (TTL 35mm): minimum bid $5, ends in 5 hours, comes with Helios-44-2 2/58 lens. Ships worldwide. Uh oh, a Russian camera at $5? We all know what will happen if one of you doesn’t buy this. Help me help myself. Please. http://tinyurl.com/3ytqjoq

• Minolta X-570: minimum bid $34.99, ends in 8 hours, comes with 35-70mm lens. Okay this one has an automatic function which I am totally against, but it seems to be in great condition for a totally reasonable price. Just use it on manual. http://tinyurl.com/34qykvb

• Canon TLB: current bid $2.25, ends in 5 hours, comes with what appears to be a wide angle (?) lens http://tinyurl.com/2wcrdgq

• Canon AE-1: current bid $12.95, ends in 8 hours, comes with 28mm 2.8 lens, instruction manual (yay!) and tamrac bag (Paypal only) http://tinyurl.com/39rejss

• Minolta XG-M: minimum bid $34.99, ends in 8 hours, comes with 50mm 1.7 Kalimar lens (ships international) http://tinyurl.com/26dyurh

Yay it’s time for Sunday Ebay Deals! Since a lot of you inquired about my grandfather’s Mamiya Sekor 1000DTL, I decided to do a Mamiya special this week. I’ve included several different models that are similar to the one that I use, plus I found another 1000DTL for anyone who wants the exact model.

For those of you not sure how to choose cameras on Ebay, this is my personal checklist:

1. Is it fully manual? If yes, that’s a go.
2. Is the lens fully manual? If yes, that’s a go.
3. Does the shutter work? If yes, that’s go.
4. Does the seller specifically mention any problems or light leaks? If yes, that’s a no-go.
5. Does the seller use the term “AS-IS?” If yes, that’s a definite no-go.

and last but not least, READ THE DESCRIPTION. Minor things like dings and scratches do not matter and will not effect your image quality. Also, if they talk about “not testing with batteries” this refers only to the light meter. If the light meter doesn’t work, that does not effect image quality either.

On to this weeks finds:

ebay.com

• Minolta X-7000: buy it now, $87.99, comes with 80-200mm macro lens and motorized bottom, ends in 5 days http://tinyurl.com/ya7c9bl

• Mamiya Sekor 528TL: minimum bid $12.99, comes with 48mm 2.8 lens and original case, no lens cap but this is a great camera to find for under $20 so who cares, ends in 6 days http://tinyurl.com/y6n6cmp

• Mamiya Sekor 500TL: minimum bid $16.37, comes with 50mm lens and case, ends in 17 days http://tinyurl.com/y55l39j

• Mamiya Sekor 1000TL: minimum bid $15.17, comes with 55mm 1.8 lens and case, ends in 17 days http://tinyurl.com/yybqmfj

• Mamiya Sekor 1000DTL: minimum bid $9.99, comes with 35mm Vivitar lens and flash, ends in 1 day; this is the exact body that I permanently borrowed from my grandfather http://tinyurl.com/y78c84n

• Mamiya Sekor 500DTL: buy it now, $51.59, comes with 50mm 1.8 Portacon lens and 135mm Hanimex lens, camera case and carrying bag, copy of manual, ends in 24 dayshttp://tinyurl.com/y4osvjk

• Mamiya Sekor 500DTL: minimum bid $14.99, comes with 50mm 1.2 lens, ends in 1 day http://tinyurl.com/y22dhvt

*note: I will not be doing Ebay finds from ebay.fr (France) because the website literally makes no sense. Sorry Frenchies, but I’ve technically told all of you to hit the Troc et Puces in Torcy, which is where I get 90% of my goods. Plus, in my experience many ebay dealers will ship to France if you specifically contact them, ask nicely, and assure them that you have no problem paying for the shipping and customs charges.

Ebay.co.uk (I have to say a couple of things about the UK site… First off, I feel like UK ebay camera sellers do not have an accurate concept of the current prices of film cameras. As much as it makes me sick to my stomach to see a Nikon SLR body for sale under $500, that is where the market is. Second, there are a lot of Prakticas. Did someone in the UK like raid a German camera stock house and end up with all of the Prakticas? Prakticas are great cameras, but not so great to do an entire ebay deal section on them, so here are 2 nice ones I found):

• Praktica L2: buy it now for 99 pounds or best offer, comes with 50mm 2.8 lens (the lens is automatic but the body isn’t so it’s acceptable) http://tinyurl.com/y3yybfv

• Praktica LTL 3: buy it now, 35 pounds, comes with 80-20mm lens http://tinyurl.com/y33me2z

Recently, a lot of people having been asking me which digital camera I would recommend and what’s my favorite camera… as I have said before I am not an expert on digital SLRs but I figured it would be nice to do a quick rundown of some of the options out there for all who are interested.

• As per many of your questions, my “dream camera” is a Mamiya RZ67. I would also theoretically purchase a digital back to go with said dream camera. The whole package is about $21,000, so maybe not right away…
• My favorite camera that I own is my Nikon FM 2. I have had it since I was 10 years old and it has never failed me. EVER.
• My 2nd favorite camera is my Kiev 88 (a Russian copy of a Hasselblad). It’s super heavy but takes amazing photos. I use it for work a lot.
• I do not recommend buying automatic and/or new film SLRs. The body and lenses are made from plastic instead of metal, and there’s a big difference in the resulting images.

Moving on…

• The digital camera I work with is a Canon EOS 20D. I bought it because it’s cheap and takes studio lights. To be honest it’s served me well, but I’ve been wanting to get rid of it for a long time. I would recommend it (well the equivalent, they don’t make it anymore) to someone looking for a mid-level SLR that’s not too expensive.  I have upgraded to a Nikon D300s, it takes all of the old lenses I had for my FM2 and I am very happy with it so far. 

But…

• The digital camera I want (besides forementioned dream camera) is a Nikon D700.  I need lower noise, it’s out of control and an editor even mentioned something about it the other day (ahhh). In fact, I think I might sell my Canon and buy the Nikon. Obviously, I did not end up getting this model as previously stated.

Which leads us to: Stats

Nikon (under $1000)

• D60: 10.2 megapixels, no price listed on website
• D40: 6.1 megapixels, $499.99 (this is really really small for resolution)
• D3000: 10.2 megapixels, $549.95. This is definitely a good option for a starter
• D5000: 12.3 megapixels, movie mode, $629.95. Also a good choice to start with.
• D90: 12.3 megapixels, $899. I know professionals who use this.

Canon (under $1000)

• EOS Rebel XS: 10.1 megapixels, $569.99 (kit)
• EOS Rebel T2i EF-S: 18.1 megapixels, movie mode, $899.99. This guy gives super high quality images for the price. In fact, as I am writing this I am wondering if I should buy it.
• EOS Rebel T1i EF-S: 15.1 megapixels, HD video, $799. This also seems like a pretty great deal for the quality level.

Fuji

• S Series: I have never actually tried a Fuji digital product, but I love Fuji for film products (especially since they still manufacture EVERYTHING). While you can’t change the lenses on the Fuji S Series, they seem like they would definitely be a good option for beginners.

Pentax and Olympus might also be good places to look, although to be honest I don’t know anyone who works with either so I can’t say much about quality. Another thing some people might be interested to know: a lot of professional photographers (myself included) rent expensive camera equipment just for the day of the shoot. Same goes for lights, studio, and sometimes even assistants. Which means theoretically if you wanted to test a camera, you could rent it for a day and see how you feel. Or if you have a super limited budget, you can rent when you need to shoot. Hope this helps!

Since lacelinedlung asked about where to buy a cheap 35mm film camera, I got inspired to list some of the best Ebay finds for people who are interested. Generally speaking, I think everybody gets a better deal at flea markets, but there are still deals to be had on ebay. So, without furthur ado, today’s list:

• Yashica FX-3 (circa 1979): $50, ends in 7 hours, comes w/ lens, case, and flash:http://tinyurl.com/yatj56f

• Pentax K1000 (circa 1980): $76, ends in 8 hours, comes with full kit: http://tinyurl.com/yzrnzuw

• Mamiya Sekor 500 DTL (circa 1960’s): $19.99, ends in 10 hours, comes w/ lens [Personally, I have this camera and it is amazing! At $19 someone better buy it): http://tinyurl.com/yhs35n8

• Canon T-5 (circa 1982): $26, ends in 12 hours, comes with lens: http://tinyurl.com/ylntau3

• Kowa SER: 99 cents. I’ve never heard of it, but at working at 99 cents means I might buy it if someone else doesn’t: http://tinyurl.com/ygcq2sw

• Minolta XG-1(circa 1981): $75, ends in 12 hours, comes with lens: http://tinyurl.com/yb85eex

• Argus STL 1000: $29.98, ends in 16 hours, comes with 50mm lens [this is another one that I might buy if someone doesn’t jump on it] http://tinyurl.com/yc4r9xw

• Asahi Pentax K1000 (circa 1976): $40, ends in 17 hours, comes with 50.. 1.2 lens [let me just say that lenses this fast are hard to come by, I have one for my Nikon that has saved my life many a dark day] http://tinyurl.com/yd8nz5h

I’ll check again in a couple of days and post any good deals I find. Long live film!

As I continue presenting my babies (check Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV to see the first 20), I am realizing that I really needed to catalog them and there are so many that I need to use again. Anyway, here’s the next set of 4:

The Alsaphot: This baby is the newest edition to my collection, so I still don’t know that much about it. It was given to me by my sweetheart’s grandfather, who is also a photographer (and total Leica nut). I believe the shutter still works, but it definitely needs a cleaning. Takes 35mm film.

The Polaroid EE44: Another Polaroid for whom there is no film :-( This camera was given to me by my sweetheart’s mother (a lot of people give me cameras) when she was cleaning out her basement. It totally still works, takes AA batteries for the flash and everything.

The Moscva 5: Meet my next Russian baby, and one of the cameras that is closest to my heart. I’ve had it since I was a teenager, but I can’t seem to remember where I bought it. It was made in the 1950’s and shoots 6x6 or 6x9 medium format. Not only does this camera still work, it takes incredible photos. I think it has to do with the fact that it’s so dense and heavy you could kill someone with it.

The Voigtlander Compur: This is one of the newest additions to my collection; it was given to me by my sweetheart’s grandfather on our last trip to Brittany. This camera is officially my oldest, made in the 1913. Almost 20 film backs, 4 developing tanks, film holders, and clips came with the camera so I will definitely be able to use it. Although the film format has been out of production for years, said amazing grandfather made me a glass guide to cut down 4x5 film. There were some sheets of film inside, but they were ruined when I opened the backs and discovered them… sigh…

Presenting my babies, continued from Part I, Part II, and Part III:

The Kodak Tourist Camera: I found this folding camera at a flea market and it definitely still works, but takes discontinued 620 film :-( I do believe there might be away to modify the inside so that it takes 35mm. Perhaps a project to work on…

The Zero Image Pinhole: This camera is actually not vintage, but a limited edition medium format pinhole that I ordered from a special company about 8 years ago. It takes 120 film but the inside can be modified to shoot 6x9, 6x7, or 6x6. Obviously, the exposures are long but this little guy takes amazing landscapes.

Agfa Iso Rapid 1c: Another victim of the oh-so-unfortunate rapid load system. I found it at a flea market for a euro and bought it mostly because of my nostalgic love for agfa (best film company ever! oh I miss you agfa ultra 50) but technically the shutter does work.

The Kodak Disc 4000: This interesting camera was a gift from my sweetheart’s sister who found it in someone’s basement. It’s about the thickness of a cassette tape (for those of you who remember them) and theoretically fits in your pocket. However, the fad of “disc film” was so short lived, I had never even heard of it.

Part V Coming Up…

Apparently, you all seem to love my babies as much as I do, so without further ado I present the next set of 4: (If you thought I was even closed to finished you are so wrong)

#1: The Ultra Fex: I am pretty sure I bought this plastic wonder at some point when I was living in Brooklyn… Although it still works, there is a piece of plastic missing from the shutter which makes it like a tiny dagger that perforates your index finger every time you take a shot. I don’t use it that often, mostly due to the fact that I really like my fingers. Takes 120 film.

The Agfa JSOLY (or Jolly, as I like to pronounce it in my head): This camera is yet another Torcy find. Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you all this if I want to keep getting cameras there… Totally works, takes 35mm film (suprisingly because it looks like a medium format when you hold it).

The Brownie Starflex: I bought this tiny baby at Penn Camera when I still lived in DC, some guy was getting rid of his collection (mostly stuff that doesn’t work, otherwise it would’ve been a jackpot) and selling it there. It works, but unfortunately 127 format film has been out of production since before I was born and I don’t have the patience to cut down 120 film and respool it in the dark… alas…

The Ferrania 3M: This camera was part of the brief “Rapid Load” system (sort of like that whole Kodak Advantex phase we all already forgot about) and has a very unfortunate slit in the back which makes loading any other kind of film impossible. But technically, it still works. (This one was given to me as a gift)

Part I

Part II

Continuing in groups of four from Part 1, I present my next set of babies:

#1: Kodak Retinette: Yet another fabulous find at the annual Torcy flea market. This one needed a minor shutter repair, so I sent it to a fantastic guy in Florida who repairs all sorts of vintage cameras. Takes 35mm film.

#2. Cmena Symbol: I present to you the first of my beloved “Russian Collection,” since I am more obsessed with old Russian cameras than any others… it’s something about the glass. This guy, I ordered off the internet. Obviously still works, takes 35mm film.

#3. Novai 7000: I have never been able to find any information about this mysterious automatic plastic camera, but my guess is that it’s from the early 80’s. What I love about it the most is the super ghetto sound it makes when the film advances. Works great, takes 35mm film.

#4: Roniflex X 3000: This cute little guy cost me a euro at, you guessed it, the Torcy flea market (yet again, the key is to go early). Still works takes 35mm film.

I have been collecting vintage cameras since I was a teenager, picking them up here and there in shops, at flea markets, and people’s basements (normally a gold mine.) I try to only buy cameras that still work (or only need minor repairs) to stop myself from becoming a borderline hoarder.

The Agfa PD-16 Antar: I’ve had this for so long, I don’t even remember where I got it, which at least means I purchased it in the United States. Shutter still works, takes 616 film.

This is a Univex that I bought at a street market in Barcelona a couple of years ago. It still totally works and takes great pictures (excellent choice for muted colors). Takes 120 film

I bought this Dacora-matic at the annual flea market in Torcy, France. I always find great stuff there. Still works, takes 35mm film.

This Zenit-E is a special edition for the 1980 Moscow Olymic Games (complete with serial number). Also a Torcy flea market find. Still works, takes 35mm film.

Interesting fact: This camera is the only one I have ever bought in over 15 years that still had someone else’s film inside. I am waiting to develop it for a special day when I need cheering up.

Continue to Part II