camera advice

I'm thinking of buying an slr film camera as i feel i never realy mastered it. I also think that going back to basics would be good for me. my crtieria for the camera:

1. Should work with FA/DFA and possibly DA 35
2. Aperature control from the body
3. Autofocus
4. Not too large and cumbersome

Any other criteria worth considering?

Any suggestions for camera (with a price guide)?



Thanks

Dave

Given that your DSLR can full fill the criteria. Why is film going to make a difference?

You say that you want to go back to basics, but the bodies which offer the features you want really aren't basic - they tend to be much like a DSLR in handling. I have an MZ-7 which fills all of those but it's just too much like digital to be fun (also the shutter on mine tends to stick open on the first shot after it has rested for a few days).

If you want to go basic look for a good MX or ME Super. I'd expect to find a good working MX with 50mm f1.7 for about £50 or an ME S for £30 or so. If you want to pay less then look for a good P30/P30n/P30T.

You need an MZ series body Dave, My thoughts on them are here CLICKY LINK.

Check this lens/body compatibility chart, if you want Av mode with DA lenses. http://www.mosphotos.com/PentaxLensCompatibility.html

An MZ6 or MZ7, or any SFX or PZ series camera is ideal if you also want reverse compatibility with M lenses (in a nutshell, those cameras will work with any K-mount lens you throw at them).

I ended up with a PZ70, which for the money (10 quid it cost me!) is a fabulous camera. My advice is decide what you want from the camera, in terms of what lenses it will drive, and be open to grabbing any of the compatible bodies if they come along at the right price.

*However* if it's really back to basics you want, MX or ME Super as Matt suggests, or (even better IMO) a P30 or P30t which are very trouble free, dirt cheap cameras (often available for less than ten pounds).

I still think an MZ30/50 will fill the bill, the 30 doesn't like M lenses but the 50 does.

They're also small enough to fit in a pocket, with the right lens fitted that is.

According to the chart, with M lenses the MZ50 'works with limitations in metering: the camera sets the shutter speed, the lens is always at its widest aperture'. So kind of like an M lens of a DSLR, but without stop-down metering.

-Nostalgia,
a feeling that digital cameras are a 'little over the top'like (modern HD,3D widescreen tv)
-I saw quite a lot of Pentax film cameras in a shop window in Skipton looking very lonely (and they were a temptinging/good price)
- I want to take black and white photos without messing about in photoshop

Thanks for all the thoughts. I currently have an FA 35-80 lens and an FA50 lens that i was thinking of using.

Dave and Will thaks for the two useful references.


I need to ponder more and digest the above

Dave

Good luck with it then Dave, sounds like you have CBA.
I'd forgotten about that shop. Do they sell new Pentax as well?

Its an age thing


Unfortunatly not.But they are nice and helpful with all non pentax things

To be honest if you want AF and for that FA50 to be handy then look for an SFX/SFXn with the F 35-70mm lens. I'm less than fond of the MZ series as they seem to have a ticking bomb in the form of that notorious drive cog failure (the cog splits, the motor then spins without doing anything). The SF series are big, chunky cameras but I rather like mine.

There is a battery grip for the SFX to allow the use of 4 x AA cells in place of the slightly more specialist single battery they use from the factory. Worth seeking out if you buy one. It will also fit the SFXn AFAIK, but not the SF7.

I would still say to go retro if you want to shoot B&W, it adds to the experience IMO. The MX and KX would be my bodies of choice with the ME Super a close runner up. Get a 28mm f3.5 and 135mm f3.5 (or 75-150mm f4 or 80-200mm f4.5) to go with the 50mm and enjoy using them.

Worth adding that the Super A / Super Programme has the retro feel, adds Tv mode which is handy for lenses without aperture ring.

It looks like I am going to have to look in the shops and handle some cameras as i never had a pentax film camera. is their a good site which details the attributes of the different cameras and their problems as dicussed above?

Note to self - do not get sucked into to buying all sorts of extras and create a new addiction...spend small and wise.

Fortunatley i have never bought on ebay and so can resist that particular temptation.

May be worth starting here link don't know about problems though.

To be honest, the older cameras (pre-af) seem to keep going forever providing they haven't been abused and were working on arrival. Those with electronic shutters tend to have more precise shutter speeds than those with cloth mechanical ones (where the springs age and tension alters over time). That said, I shoot colour slide in my MXs regularly and exposure seems on the money.