Photo people, looking ull a full manual SLR

MajesticMoose

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2000
3,030
0
0
I need to get a "new" camera to replace my stolen one. I've been thinking for a while that i would rather had the full manual style to learn some stuff and just because I'm the kind of person that likes having control at the cost of convience(read i also drive stick, and love it). So anyway, I like the idea of the canon ae-1 since it's so common(parts for break downs and lenses and i think my dad has lenses for it that are no longer used. What are some equivilent or better models from other names (nikon, maybe lieca if it isn't too bad, etc.)?

Thanks
 

MajesticMoose

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2000
3,030
0
0
wow, they still make these things new? damn i never knew that. Then again, it's probably because they aren't marketed towards people like me...
 

ScottMac

Moderator<br>Networking<br>Elite member
Mar 19, 2001
5,471
2
0
Hard to beat an old Canon FT(ql), F1, or A1, Nikon FTN / maybe a Nikkormat.

Full manual, with integrated through-the-lens meterning.....

They used ro be the best thing there was (from Japan).

For German stuff, look for an old Contax, or Leica (viewfinder) or LeicaFlex (SLR).

Rollei made a pretty decent 35mm too.

Probably too old for ya, but they're still around, very cheap, very reliable.

Good Luck

Scott
 

abaez

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2000
7,155
1
81
I have a Canon AE1 I bought off ebay for 100 bux came with fisheye lens and all this stuff. Great camera that can be totally manual but it also has useful features for you to help you along.
Might be a little less expensive than a FM2N (which is a great camera too)
 

lowtech1

Diamond Member
Mar 9, 2000
4,644
1
0

What do you mean by manual?

Most people describe a manual camera is one that doesn?t have auto focus & no motorize rewind.

Manual ? No on camera light metering.
Aperture Control ? Aperture has to be manually match to the shutter speed via on camera metering (match metering).
Auto ? Aperture & shutter adjust with each other, and through the lens metering (pioneered by Minolta, Cannon gives it the name ?Auto? with the introduction of the AE1 & T series)
Auto Focus ? Pioneered by Minolta with the Maxxum 7000 ten years before Canon championed auto-focus with the EOS series.

There are several medium & large format cameras that are fully manual you can purchase, but the 35mm conterparts will be hard to find a good funtional body.

There are many used manual Aperature Control body that can be had for very little money such as the older K1000.

An Auto body is the easyest to find and most are funtional & are very good quality, because the world is littered with many great cammeras body from the 70-80s.

Any used SLR from the 70s to early 90s are good & should be able to be had for around $100.00 with a 50mm lens.

Good luck!
 

MajesticMoose

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2000
3,030
0
0
I was looking for one that has an exposure meter built in, but the shutter speed and aperture would be manually set on the lense. Focus also would be manual.
 

FSUpaintball

Banned
Jun 12, 2001
768
0
0
I whole-heartedly suggest the Pentax K-1000. It's been in production for years and years. It's simply an awesome camera for the price. You can find a ton of them at Pawn Shops and other used places. Pentax stopped making them under 2 years ago. I have one, and the pictures it can take are nothing short of stunning. Not a bit of shoddy quality in these cameras!
 

FeathersMcGraw

Diamond Member
Oct 17, 2001
4,041
1
0
Originally posted by: MajesticMoose
I was looking for one that has an exposure meter built in, but the shutter speed and aperture would be manually set on the lense. Focus also would be manual.

I haven't done an actual survey of features, but I think pretty much all the SLRs manufactured after the 1970s will have a built-in exposure meter (although there is certainly a variance in the availability of metering modes which decide which part or parts of the image in the viewfinder should be used to determine the exposure level). And the ability to auto-focus does not necessarily preclude manual focusing. I have a Nikon 6006 which includes both single-use and tracking auto-focus, but I just disable both and use manual all the time to conserve battery power.

Just FTR, I've never seen a camera which had both shutter speed and aperture controls set on the lens. The aperture control ring is on the lens, but all of the shutter speed controls I've seen have been on the camera body.
 

Doggiedog

Lifer
Aug 17, 2000
12,780
5
81
I have an AE-1 and a T-90. Too bad they are both in the dust bin. When I used both of them, they were great. Now I prefer the convenience of digital cameras.

I might suggest getting a Yashica camera as well since they can accept Carl Zeiss made Contax lenses. My dad had a Contax RTS-1 with a Carl Zeiss lens and that camera took the best photos I had ever seen.
 

MrBond

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2000
9,911
1
76
If in the future you think you'll be getting a Digital SLR, you might want to think about a Nikon F series camera now, because their D1 series DSLRs can take all Nikon F Series lenses.