I ended up getting the Pentax *ist dl from Amazon for $398.00 after rebate/free 2nd day/$30.00 off with chase card app.

[Slacker]

This is the Ebay outfit I was thinking about buying Minolta 35mm with lenses $89.00


Even though I had a bad experience with a Kodak digital camera, I ended up getting the Pentax *ist DL that was in Hot Deals a couple of weeks ago, I paid $30.00 more than that deal but still got a very good price with the card app discount/ free 2nd day and $100.00 rebate from Pentax.


Link to kit at Amazon Pentax *istdl kit




I am going to Yellowstone next month and I want a good 35mm camera to take along, I dont know much about fstops and such, I guess I could learn enough to change the settings from wide distant scenery to close detail shots, but I dont want to come back and get my pics developed and find them to be fuzzy crap

Anyway, there is a package deal I am thinking about buying, some older 35mm stuff, I need someone who knows about this sort of thing to look at it and tell me if it is a good deal (I think it is) and if it is something that can be used as I described

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I've never done 35mm film stuff, but I'm pretty heavy into the DSLR stuff.

 

[ElFenix]

you might just want a P&S. you're not going to learn photography in a month.

 

[Slacker]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
you might just want a P&S. you're not going to learn photography in a month.

I know, but will a point and shoot do justice to Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, Devils Tower and Mt Rushmore?

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Yeah, I think I'm going to have to recommend a *quality* point and shoot. That way you can take a lot more pictures and not have to incur film costs.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

You can learn on the fly because you can instantly review your shots. With film you can't and nothing will be worse than processing 20 rolls of film just to see that EVERYTHING screwed up because you didn't know if you were doing something wrong or not the whole entire time.

 

[montanafan]

I used a film SLR for 25 years, a Canon AE-1, and I think I'm going to agree with ElFenix and fuzzybabybunny here. Because you don't have much time to learn how to use the manual settings on the camera, you're going to have to use the Auto setting for your photos to make mistakes less likely. That means that really the only thing you'll gain from having an SLR setup is the use of any variety of lenses that come with it. If this package does have some nice lenses, you could use them and the auto settings on the camera and get some really nice photos.

I would only recommend that you get the film SLR if it comes with a variety of lenses, you really want to learn to use an SLR eventually, and you're on a budget that would make it unlikely that you would want to put out the amount of money required for a DSLR body and a couple of good lenses in the next 3 or 4 years.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my Canon AE-1, but it would be much easier for you to learn with a digital.

Edited for typos.

 

[yhelothar]

just get a kit that comes with a 50mm..preferably F/1.4, and a 28mm lens.
Two good lens to start out with.
I personally got a Pentax ME with a 50mm F/1.4 lens for $77 off ebay. Amazing combination. The ME has a ridiculously big viewfinder. 97% magnification, 92% coverage.
It works in Av mode so it's pretty easy to use. It's almost as easy as a point and shoot.
Another good lens you'd want to get is a 16mm F/2.8 fisheye lens. Those are killer lens for landscape, especially on a full frame camera. Zenitar has a really good one for only $100. You could literally see things next to you with it as the lens is so wide.
The 50mm F/1.4 lens that it comes with is extremely high quality. Easily rivals or even beats todays lenses as pentax is known for making good primes.
Check out this comparison between an older 50mm F/1.4 made from pentax and a new canon 50mm F/1.8
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic2/238813/0
Film quality will still destroy digital. However, if you use the store bought C-41 process film, it won't look too great.

 

[JinLien]

I like mechanical Contact/Yashica & Leica bodies & lenses, but they are expensive.

My favorite is the Olympus OM-1 to OM-4Ti series and IMHO it is the best manual consumer cameras that ever made and it lenses are second to none.

Nikon F series come close behind the OM series, with larger arsenal of lenses but bodies and lens quality aren?t precision smooth as the OMs.

Mechanical Canon bodies are a little clunky but still ahead of the indestructible Pentax K1000 tanks, however the large selection of Canon lenses quality is up there with the competition. Canon F series is very clunky, A series is much better but still slightly behind the above competitors, T series bodies are well made, comfortable, well balance, and are indestructible that nips at Nikon heels, and the EOS series is the series that catapult Canon well past the competition however some of the low end bodies aren?t as good as the top end.

Minolta manual bodies are just as good as other run of the mill bodies, however the were way a head of the competition with auto focus Maxxum series and what killed the company is poor sales and crappy polycarbonate bodies.

Pentax lenses are just as good as the above competitions, however their manual/auto focus bodies & lenses are tanks therefore it didn?t do well.

Pick up any manual body and a standard 50mm lens for $50-100 if you are willing to do a bit of practice, and an OM kit would be nice to have it you can find it. Other wise a Canon T, or latter Nikkon F would do just fine. Or, jump to the Canon/Nikkon auto focus.

 

[Sid59]

i'm gonna say .. "go with the times". If you're not gonna spend time on learning the SLR, film speeds, aperture, bracketing, framing a shot, and etc .. you're gonna end up hating carrying around an SLR, buying film, and paying for development and then realize "it totally sucks".

Grab your favorite digital camera, stock pile extra batteries and a few flash cards and shoot away. Don't like the picture, delete and try again. When you get back from your trip, you have an instant advantage on uploading the pictures, picking which ones you like, do your own post processing and printing only the ones worth keeping. Can't say the same for film.


If you're serious about learning SLR, wait till after your trip, take a community class and shoot on the weekend to play with the camera.

edit - i used to take my film slr on trips because my gf liked my shots and wanted some film but i stopped taking them because my gf just snaps away at with her canon digital. I bought her a 1GB card and extra rechargables. She can take more pictures than i can imagine before i setup my camera.

 

[alrocky]

Hmmm, I thought you would've posted a link to that ebay film camera you wanted input on.

If you brought a digital camera and a laptop with you on your trip you could readily see how well the shot is you took and re-take it if it was unsatisfactory.

 

[Slacker]

Originally posted by: alrocky
Hmmm, I thought you would've posted a link to that ebay film camera you wanted input on.

If you brought a digital camera and a laptop with you on your trip you could readily see how well the shot is you took and re-take it if it was unsatisfactory.

He, I was doing that through p.m. didnt want someone to steal it out from under me

 

[Slacker]

This is the Ebay outfit I was thinking about buying Minolta 35mm with lenses $89.00


Even though I had a bad experience with a Kodak digital camera, I ended up getting the Pentax *ist DL that was in Hot Deals a couple of weeks ago, I paid $30.00 more than that deal but still got a very good price with the card app discount/ free 2nd day and $100.00 rebate from Pentax.


Link to kit at Amazon Pentax *istdl kit

 

[yhelothar]

Good buy.. amazing deal!
I have the *ist DS, and I let my mom borrow it when she went to Sedona. I put it in auto mode for her, and she used it as a P&S. It took very nice pictures, granted she could've learned a few basic techniques.
here's a pic she took

 

[Slacker]

Wow, that is an amazing photo!

I should get the camera by wednesday, then I will have a couple of weeks to get a feel for it, I plan to use it in auto mode and maybe try other settings for duplicate shots.

As for the price, people were getting this kit for $369.00 after rebate from beach camera a few weeks ago, I am still pleased that I got it for under $400.00