Pentax MX

The Motor Drive is faster, but much bulkier and also very rare and expensive.

Then there's the 250 exposure back and by the time you've shot through that at 5fps you've used a lot of film and it's cost even more money.

It makes you realise one of the great advantages of digital photography.

Any advice on which film would be a good idea to start with ?

Jason

Never mind what film, i want to know how many times you will look at the back of the camera after taking a shot.

Never mind how many times you look at the back, I used to say hope that one comes out I always used Kodak 100 iso never had a problem.

There are so many to choose from it's hard to know where to start so I'll give you my opinion on what *not* to buy.

Don't buy out of date films. Yes they're cheap but they may also be no good. When you first start you want to test the camera out so if there are any problems when the film's developed you want to be 100% sure it's the camera and not the fault of some dodgy film. Once you've assured yourself that all is fine with the camera then by all means buy some outdated film - just be aware it sometimes works fine and sometimes gives very strange effects.

Bear in mind that slide film is processed "as shot" whereas print film is usually "tweaked" at the development stage by the lab to give a "correct" exposure, etc. While this might sound like a good thing I think the first roll should be slide film - again so you can see exactly how the camera behaved when it came to metering (warts and all).

Start with a medium speed film (say ISO 200) and try and take shots at *all* the shutter speeds, just to make sure they're all working properly. Again using slide film will make this obvious rather than print film that's been compensated for.

Once you've done all this it's a question of finding your favourite combination. I like Fuji Reala 100 (a print film) and I take it to a lab that uses exclusively Kodak paper; there's an almost infinite number of combinations out there so it'll come down to personal taste at the end of the day.

Slide film: Probably Fuji Velvia

Colour print Film: ant 200 ISO from Kodak or Fuji should be fine

Black and White print film: Kodak Tr-X developed in an Acutance developer for sharp crisp grain.

But the thing about films is that they have character, so you need to try a few and see what sort of result you like best. Black and white films are best developed at home because the type of developer also changes the nature of a film. For example, Tri-X in FX-39 looks very different to Tri-X in D76.

Two more quick questions.

What batteries do I need for the light meter on the MX ? and what sort of retailers would readily stock them (I'll be out today but not near a photographic shop) ?

If I decide to use slide film what method's are available to view them or put them on to the PC ?

Thanks
Jason

PM me your address and I'll send a pair of batteries to you.

That's decent of you , Thanks

PM sent

Jason

The MX takes two G13 (10L14) silver oxide cells. The alternative is the alkaline cell the same size, but the battery life is halved. Lithium batteries should not be used, possibly because of the voltage being too high or possibly because of heat generation.

Slides are the best way to learn how your photography technique is going, because what you take is what you get, with no automatic printing machines distorting it on the way. To view them on a PC they need to be scanned. A film scanner will give the best results for serious large scale printing, but many flat bed scanners will have the facility to scan film also.

Batteries are quite easy to get hold of, you just need a pair of LR44's (or equivalent) available from most chemists, Tescos, etc.

As for getting your pics onto your PC I'd suggest asking for them to be scanned at the development stage - most labs will do this for you and give you a set of your images as JPEGs on a CD (in addition to the actual slides / prints).

John beat me to it once again

I just wait for you to start typing and then hit the Add Comment button...

I did it once... I knew I would do it... DOH!

I haven't yet taken any pics with it but I reckon it's about even's on whether I look at the back of the camera or try to change the iso(asa) to increase sensitivity first.

Jason