To mirror some comments about a range finder, I think this may also be a good route for a beginner. There is a nice discipline in framing up with a range finder. It feels more "real" than using an SLR. Not to say one is better than the other, but I firmly believe think that using a rangefinder forced me to make better compositions. My first camera was a digital SLR and I vividly remember being more concerned with focus, and bokeh– the really "cool" stuff that comes with using an SLR.
My freshman year of college I took a film photography course and purchased a Yaschia Lynx 14e. It has a f1.4 45mm lens. I took some of my favorite photos on that camera... it only cost me like $15. It had a broken light meter and some light leak issues. I already had some experience under my belt so I could expose by eye and just used gaff tape to seal up the back of the camera. Yashica also makes a camera called the electro... not sure if its full manual but its famously known as the camera Peter Parker uses. Yashica just down right made some great user friendly cameras back in the day. Great optics too. Fast forward 5 years I'm in the Leica system... currently using a Leica Q but had I an M10-P for some time. Looking back I took much better compositions on the M10-P.. I attribute that to the rangefinder. Everyone is different though. Just to add a further SLR recommendation: another great SLR from Japan is the Mamiya Sekor 1000 dtl. Pair it with a 35 or 50 and its a workhorse. Minolta's 70/80s offerings are great too. Lots of choice– can't really go wrong with anything TBH. Just put some quality film in any camera and it will look good. I'm sure you've considered digital but another great option is a used Canon t3i with a 24mm Pancake lens. This system is dirt cheap now and holds up years later. There is a lot of discipline and magic in film, but she will also learn a lot by needing to edit her photos... and the investment to buy film, develop, scan, etc is removed from the equation. Again, can't go wrong at all. The only problem you have on your hands is a plethora of choice. Also OP, Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but look on facebook groups to see what's out there for sale. Plenty of film camera groups to buy/sell/trade. Much more reliable than ebay sellers as most sellers are not photographers or enthusiasts. Just thrift shop flippers. On Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 6:20:12 PM UTC-7 Patrick Moore wrote: > And thanks for the links and information! > > On Sat, May 22, 2021 at 7:18 PM Patrick Moore <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Owner says 120 and so does: >> >> >> https://www.mikeeckman.com/2015/08/kodak-no-1-autographic-special-model-a-1916/ >> >> Apparently they made other "special" models that took 116 mm film. >> >> >> >> On Sat, May 22, 2021 at 7:16 PM Shawn Granton <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> >>> >>> On Sat, May 22, 2021 at 6:05 PM Patrick Moore <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> 120 mm film, and the OP says he used it, albeit long ago, to dip his >>>> feet into photography. He has no reason to believe it no longer works. >>>> >>>> Patrick- >>> >>> Everything online about this camera says it uses 116 film, not 120. They >>> are similar, but not the same. Has this person used 120 film in it? Maybe >>> it was modified at some point, or it's actually a different camera than >>> described? Unfortunately, I can't tell you these things, I can only say >>> that it's not the type of camera I was referring to. If you want that, >>> check this out: >>> >>> https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1312&_nkw=minolta+himatic+7s&_sacat=0 >>> >>> I can make a list of some other fixed-lens rangefinders worth checking >>> out, if you want. >>> >>> And there are ways to spool 120 film onto 116: >>> >>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/193259971118?chn=ps&var=493629870421&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=493629870421_193259971118&targetid=1262779892129&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9061079&poi=&campaignid=11614425326&mkgroupid=125167414711&rlsatarget=pla-1262779892129&abcId=9300456&merchantid=114697619&gclid=Cj0KCQjw16KFBhCgARIsALB0g8K5GdmgfAIcdT1p6GX8CVSgeiN3Md70V_GmZ43pcWBfjxqc4rPsh1YaAvqAEALw_wcB >>> >>> <https://www.ebay.com/itm/193259971118?chn=ps&var=493629870421&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=493629870421_193259971118&targetid=1262779892129&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9061079&poi=&campaignid=11614425326&mkgroupid=125167414711&rlsatarget=pla-1262779892129&abcId=9300456&merchantid=114697619&gclid=Cj0KCQjw16KFBhCgARIsALB0g8K5GdmgfAIcdT1p6GX8CVSgeiN3Md70V_GmZ43pcWBfjxqc4rPsh1YaAvqAEALw_wcB> >>> >>> If you do want to use the camera your friend wants to give you, note >>> that it won't have any focusing aid, so you'll need to guess distance. Some >>> folks are okay with that, others not. Also, it will not have a meter so >>> you'll need an external meter or use the Sunny 16 rule. Here's a recent >>> blogpost from someone detailing their use of a similar type of camera: >>> >>> https://alysvintagecameraalley.com/2021/05/21/zeiss-ikon-nettar-515-medium-format-in-the-palm-of-your-hand/ >>> >>> Best, >>> Shawn >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CA%2BE-ZpbDN5ONjya7Z5mFbQ7yEs5hodC-nWm-w409ww3vTOEVAA%40mail.gmail.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CA%2BE-ZpbDN5ONjya7Z5mFbQ7yEs5hodC-nWm-w409ww3vTOEVAA%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> >> >> -- >> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Patrick Moore >> Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum >> >> > > -- > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9bc98695-2d14-490c-ad83-efc5b2ea0ac2n%40googlegroups.com.
