Is it possible to get a decent SLR camera (non-digital) for under 80$ ?

[episodic]

I want one with those big lenses in the front. . .

I know nothing about photography, only that those would be a good choice for me to learn on.

Thanks for putting up with this question

 

[Eli]

Not with a lens, no.

 

[todpod]

Go tp www.keh.com, look in the used section, you might find something, depending on how you define big.

 

[nsafreak]

If you look on eBay sure. I know some folks don't like eBay but I've had good luck for camera stuff at least. I've gotten a couple of good deals on Tiltall tripods (professional quality tripods, all aluminum and NO plastic) as well as lenses & camera bodies. You may want to see what you can find from Minolta & Canon on eBay. I did a quick search for the camera I currently use which is a Minolta SRT-101 and they have a couple with buy it nows of $50 and it comes with a decent lens. Keep in mind this is ALL manual there is absolutely automatic NOTHING on cameras like these. On the bright side you will definitely learn a lot about photography by using something along these lines.

 

[episodic]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15241&item=3819049607&rd=1

Would this be a good one?

 

[nsafreak]

No, that would not be a good one. That's essentially an automatic (and a crappy one at that) made to look like a manual. I highly suggest sticking with brand names like: Yashica, Pentax, Canon, Minolta, Olympus and perhaps Nikon although it'll be tough to find a Nikon in your price range.

 

[episodic]

Ok what about this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43493&item=3819069962&rd=1

It does not have a flash though unless I am missing something.

I looked at your model # you specified for yours, and none of them had flashes that I saw except some that were in the hundreds of dollars.

This one looks a little easier.

 

[nsafreak]

I'm a big fan of Minolta but I also like Yashica as well. Both are very rugged and take very nice pictures.

Here are a few I would suggest:

Minolta with auto
Nice Minolta all manual
A nice Yashica bundle

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: episodic
Ok what about this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43493&item=3819069962&rd=1

It does not have a flash though unless I am missing something.

I looked at your model # you specified for yours, and none of them had flashes that I saw except some that were in the hundreds of dollars.

This one looks a little easier.

Pretty decent one although you're going to pay another $50-$75 more for a cheap flash. Do you anticipate doing a lot of indoor photography? Personally I started with a lot of outdoor photography before I went indoor and started needing a flash.

 

[AvesPKS]

What about pawn shops? I see SLR's at pawn shops all the time.

 

[phantom309]

Go to eBay and look for a Nikon EM or FG. Both very nice aperture priority manual SLRs that almost always come with a pretty good E-series 50mm lens. The FG has more features, but the EM is more rugged, cheaper and IMHO looks better. With the right glass they'll make photos just as good as anything else Nikon makes.

Edit: The Olympus OM-10 is also an excellent little SLR that can be had for cheap.

 

[edro]

I got a Canon EOS SLR + lens at a thrift store for $7. It works great

Sometimes you just get lucky.

 

[mikebb]

The Pentax K1000 , probably the all-time most popular camera among beginning photography students. All manual operation, solid-build, and screw-mount lens (inexpensive, widely available lenses.)

 

[NeoPTLD]

So it boils down to OLD heavily used reputable camera vs. brand new comparably priced unknown brand, questionably engineered camera.