Film Camera

[jgredline]

Hi Folks,
Looking for some advice. I have been pondering getting me a new used or new, new DSLR film camera...While, I would like to stay with Pentax, I would be willing to look at other brands....As far as budget goes, it may be wishful thinking, but would like to stay under $5-600 Bucks...I could spend more if need be...

My real question would be, would it be a benefit as far as quality goes compared to my beloved K1OOO...I realize I am at the learning stage, so it may not make a difference...and if this is the case, then I will stick with what I have...I have seen a difference in film..

Thanks folks.

[drg]

It is a lot cheaper to shoot digital.

Quality is subjective on many levels, but digital is easier for most people to get good photos, maybe not great, but good.

You could always get a digital camera for snapshots and quick stuff like a Canon Powershot series (doesn't have to be a G9) like a S-series camera. Lot of learning potential in those.

If sticking with film, a really good scanner might be a far better investment as well as one really premium lens.

All the current DSLR's are leaps and bounds better than most predecessors. There are not really 'bad' ones out there, but there is a lot of variation.

If you need to take 'a lot' of photos, then consider some digital mix in your photographic efforts. A $1000 DSLR can quickly pay for itself as long as you've got computer storage and capacity to deal with those images.

There are tradeoffs.

Best of luck, hope this helps a little bit. More later.

[photophorous]

I personally think film still has the image quality edge over digital, unless you start talking about pro level digital cameras which I have no experience with. I simply prefer the look of film. One thing I can say for sure is that slow 35mm film, exposed correctly with a quality lens, can capture much more fine detail than my 6MP D70s with the kit lens. Not just a little more. Much more. I'm sure the current 10 MP cameras are better, but I'm not convinced that they are significantly better. I could get a better lens for my D70s, and I'm sure that would help, but for the price of one quality lens for my D70s, I can buy two whole kits like my Minolta set-up. And I would still prefer the look of film.

However, there are many good things about digital, and if you don't print over 8x12, you don't need the extra detail. It's easier to fix mistakes and get usable results. You can correct for different color temperatures. No need to worry about what kind of film is in the camera. Instant feedback is a great advantage to someone who is learning the basics. Digital is also easier to travel with. And, digital at 400 ISO looks as clean as film at 100 ISO. That doesn't matter to me, because if I'm shooting super clean photos, it's probably landscape subject matter, which means I'm using a tripod and slow film. For other subject matter, film grain doesn't bother me, and I still prefer the colors I get from film. Digital noise on the other hand does bother me, and digital B&W doesn't even compare to B&W film.

So, to sum things up...I would say getting a DSLR for an improvement in image quality could leave you disappointed, but getting a DSLR for a learning tool is a great idea. I'm sure many would disagree with my opinions on the image quality. I would suggest borrowing one if possible, because you will have to be the judge. If that's not possible, you could always try it out and sell it if you don't like it. You could use it for a few months and probably sell it for 90% of what you paid.

Good luck.

Paul

[Greg McCary]

I had a Canon Rebel 2000, it was way under your budget. I paid a whopping $85.00 for mine but it was one heck of a camera. The best metering system I ever owned. There should also be a ton of used lenses for it on the market as well. Why not swing for an M7??????? Come on everyone needs an RF........LOL
I don't understand your post? Do you want a film or Digi Camera? Anyway DRG is right. I would look hard at full frame cameras if I had that much money in the budget. If you are wanting a DSLR that is.

[jgredline]

Oh my goodness. Yes, my OP does NOT make sense...What was I thinking...

Basically, I do not need a DSLR, but am thinking about a better Film SLR....

As far as DSLR's go, I am very happy with what I have. See my profile for an almost complete list.

As far as Film goes, I have 2 K1OOO's and 1 super ME.
I feel like I have a good film scanner with great software...So I am wondering if getting a better film camera will be of help to me...If so, point me in the right direction. I do realize that much of the performance is in the lens which is why Pentax is desirable to me...I have most if not all the latest high end Pentax Lenses including many full frame lenses...As far as film goes, I have pretty much settled on 28mm and 50mm primes, so If i need to buy those over again to fit a different body, no problem...If I go the nikon route, then I also have lenses I could use as my wife has a D40 and daughter has a D200...On second though, cancel the nikon idea as I will not here the end of it...Hope this is more clear. Thanks folks.

[walterick]

It sounds to me like you already have everything you need And know it.

I owned an ME Super for awhile it was one of the best handling cameras I've ever owned. If you already have the Pentax system, I would stay with that. Perhaps the only thing you are missing is an autofocus Pentax SLR? I know they made many, but I am not familiar enough with them to recommend one. I'm sure you could buy a top-of-the-line autofocus SLR for pennies today. Try Ebay and KEH.

Good luck!
Rick

[Loupey]

... I do realize that much of the performance is in the lens which is why Pentax is desirable to me...

With film photography, quality is going to stem only from your choice of film and lenses. The camera is simply a box to hold both of those. Stay with a robust manual camera (like the K1000). Anything else is just fluff.

[Xia_Ke]

Hi Javier, if you are looking for an AF camera with the bells and whistles, try taking a look for the Penatx MZ-S. It has good reviews here if you look through the reviews section. I tried finding literature on it but, only thing I found on Pentax's website was a PDF of the manual:

http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/manual/MZ-S.pdf

Taking a look at Ebay, Adorama, and KEH turned up none for sale, though it looks like there have been a couple in the past few weeks on Ebay.

That said, I'm all for Loupey's approach. Stick with a nice manual film set-up. If you need to shoot a lot or shoot quickly, then break out the DSLR.

[photophorous]

Oops...I guess my post wasn't very helpful.

I agree with the others. Film for slow manual shooting and digital for fast auto-everything.

Paul

[jgredline]

Thanks folks, You affirmed what I was thinking and hoping to hear. I shall stick with the K1000....BESIDES, one of the parts i really enjoy is that it is fully manual.