Just an idle curiosity... (film processing)

[vbuggy]

I happened to come across an SLR for sale from my young'un days and I started entertaining thoughts about getting it. Especially what with the upheavals in Olympus and all.

First question: Is there a service which offers, I dunno, RAWs - i.e. something I can ingest straight away instead of fiddling with Photo CD's etc - along with prints?

Also, for any photography students or collectors, how practical is keeping an electronic-metering SLR from the late 80's (at oldest, I didn't actually ask how old that one was) presently? i.e. maintenance situation, etc?

 

[arrfep]

Are you asking what physical medium you can get files back in? Or what file type? There are places that will develop your film and upload it for you, or send it to you as negs and a CD, like Wal-Mart. But those are likely always going to be JPEG or TIFFS, unless they're using a higher end scanner that outputs Raw files.

I occasionally shoot some film, but only B&W and that I develop myself. There's no film bodies I would hold onto from a collectors standpoint. Film SLRs were pretty ubiquitous, and I highly doubt any of them will ever be worth any significant amount of money. I'd hold onto one because you enjoy it, but not for any other reason.

 

[vbuggy]

I guess so. Nope, a few hours later the nostalgia wore off and I realise why I didn't take anywhere near the same number of pictures before even when Photo CD came on the scene. Guess the OM will remain in my memories.

 

[vbuggy]

Heh. Funny how things turn out. I was getting all OM-nostalgic and turns out Olympus was too. I guess I've found yet another ILC to add to my collection

 

[ElFenix]

Heh. Funny how things turn out. I was getting all OM-nostalgic and turns out Olympus was too. I guess I've found yet another ILC to add to my collection

yeah it looks pretty neat

 

[bobdole369]

Film SLRs were pretty ubiquitous, and I highly doubt any of them will ever be worth any significant amount of money. I'd hold onto one because you enjoy it, but not for any other reason.

Once you hit a certain level the SLR's still hold value. Canon F-1's in good shape still fetch $200+, as do Nikon F5's+. Noting the A series from Canon often runs $50 or less. Some rangefinders have more collectable value than anything really useful, but they have certain qualities only available on a rangefinder.

 

[SecurityTheatre]

Once you hit a certain level the SLR's still hold value. Canon F-1's in good shape still fetch $200+, as do Nikon F5's+. Noting the A series from Canon often runs $50 or less. Some rangefinders have more collectable value than anything really useful, but they have certain qualities only available on a rangefinder.

The Nikon F5 was, hands-down, the best 35mm film camera ever made.

But that doesn't make me want one any more than I did before. My D700 does quite nicely.

 

[Tom]

I still have my OM-2n. Kind of excited to try out the old 50mm 1.4 on my $229 refurb E-PL1 once I get an adapter.

 

[JohnnyRebel]

I recently had my old AE-1 Program refurbished. Cost $75 and it is like new. I'll shoot some B&W just for the fun of it. Last year I had a Trip 35 and a PEN EES-2 refurbished. Seems like it was $120 for both. Just like having the old stuff in working order in case I want to pull it out. The F4, of course, is still performing as new just as it did when I bought it used in the 90's.

These old cameras are not that costly to have completely refurbished (CLA with complete disassemble and reassemble) and will be good for decades.

JR