What's a good 35mm SLR

[kornphlake]

I know this question has come up a lot, but that was several years ago, now with affordable DSLRs it's a lot less common on the fourms. So here goes...

I recently dropped my 35mm Pentax ZX-50 and broke the lens, I searched ebay and found that the body and lens I have sell for about the same price as a lens alone. I figure right now is the time to upgrade if I ever plan on doing so.

At the time I bought my Pentax I liked the features/price ratio so I bought a Pentax rather than a Nikon, Cannon or Minolta. My dad had a Minolta that I liked okay but it was an early generation AF camera and the AF was pretty buggy, eventually that camera just quit working altogether. My Pentax always focused on what I wanted to focus on almost instantly, that's my biggest concern in buying a used camera at this point is how well it will focus and what the build quality is like, I'll want something that can be expected to last 20 years or more like the Pentax K1000's that are still floating around. TTL metering and a couple of program modes along with fully manual controls that are easy to use would be ideal as well.

I'd pick up a ZX-5 as it was the top of the ZX series which I'm rather pleased with but I don't want to overlook anything. So what cameras are the pro's selling off dirt cheap as they go digital? What should I be searching for?

[another view]

I sold my Nikon F100 about a month ago for $400. That seems to be about going rate - it was in nice shape, had the box, manual and everything. They're amazing cameras and not really big and heavy. Next up is the Nikon F5 which sells in the $6-700 range. It's a lot bigger because of the battery compartment on the bottom of it, but you get 8fps and about the best viewfinder you'll ever look thru (it's removeable too). With both of these, TTL flash and a compatible flash like the SB28 are almost perfect, and that's even with slide film. Those flashes sell for $100, too. F100's were $1k when I bought mine, and at that time F5's were $2k.

Can't help you with the other brands though.

[racingpinarello]

As pros go digital, you will see all types of film camera being sold. Six months ago, I bought a Mamiya RZ Pro II camera, viewfinder, prism finder, two film backs, polaroid back, bellows, and power winder for $1900 including shipping. That's a steal.

For 35mm, you will see Canon 1V, Canon Eos3, Nikon F100, Nikon F5, etc. being sold for the sake of digital cameras. Find the system that you like and then shop for the lenses and cameras that you like. You will find plenty of used cameras on Ebay, BH Photo, KEH, etc. For used equipment I prefer to use KEH or BH Photo since they have a return policy.

Just recently I bought an used Canon 1Ds from KEH and it was in great condition.

Loren

[tink]

Well I was going to ask this very question! I have a Nikon D70 but am wanting to go back to film! I would like a good Nikon 35mm that will interchange with my already good range of lenses. Looks like ebay is a good option for a great price on a 2nd hand deal. I'm still searching! Would like to know from others who have the Nikon film SLR's about their satisfaction (esp from those who have both digi and film!)

[another view]

Tink, I guess I'd recommend the two I mentioned before. I'm not shooting a lot of film anymore so I sold my F100, chosing the F5 for the even better and 100% coverage viewfinder and the vertical grip. The weight doesn't bother me and actually seems to help with handholding slower shutter speeds. It's an amazing camera and it was only recently replaced by the F6. The capabilities of an F5 in a DSLR will cost you a lot of money. I guess the D1X would be a good comparison although they have dropped a lot in price with the new D2X out. You might argue that the D2X is closer because it's flash system is supposed to be very accurate, like the F5. The D1X used Nikon's DX flash system which was no where near as good.

Mostly I use a Fuji S2 which is a DSLR built into a Nikon N80. The viewfinder stinks, the AF doesn't do so good in low light, and it doesn't have a vertical grip. However, I use the F5 so little that I'm planning on selling it too. Long story behind it, but I had the F5 and F100 when I was shooting a few weddings (which I prefer to do on film) but I recently gave that up. That reason, along with the time of scanning film, and the expense of film and processing (and the time of developing B&W myself) and the overall state of labs is pushing me farther into digital. Labs are closing and many are offering fewer services, having quality control issues and/or significantly raising prices.

Nothing at all wrong with film and maybe I'll pick up a manual F3 at some point to do more B&W, but for now it's mostly digital. Nothing digital looks like Tri-X black and white to me.

[racingpinarello]

If I had to pick any film camera, it would be the Nikon F5. It was by far the most enjoyable camera that I have ever used. I really liked the viewfinder and the manual mirror lock up. The weight wasn't an issue because it felt good, and it was intuitive to use.

I sold mine to a working pro where I live so it went to good hands, but it was a great camera.

If you like film, you can use services like http://www.profotousa.com which will take your film, and scan it at the same time. You can get pretty hi-quality scans to boot.

Loren

[kornphlake]

It sounds like a resounding vote for the Nikon F5, I'm not sure I'm really ready for a professional level SLR, I'm not sure I can swing >$400 for a camera body only. Sure 1/8000th shutter speed would be neat to have, 1/250 flash sync is handy, the most accurate metering known to man is something to brag about, but in the end it's the photographer not the camera right? What is the whiz-bang camera body that falls closer to the $250 mark? N70? N90?

[another view]

What is the whiz-bang camera body that falls closer to the $250 mark? N70? N90?

I'd look at the N80. It's newer than the N90 and has more features than the N70. Actually it has a lot of the F5's features but the AF is slower, flash sync is slower, etc.

[kornphlake]

I've never liked the way cannon cameras feel, but just for kicks what's the comparable Cannon?

[photophorous]

I have an N75 with an AF Nikkor 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D IF lens, and it takes great pictures. AF is very accurate and fast most of the time but it does hunt a little in macro mode. I haven't used it for any action shots, so I don't know if it's that fast. I've mostly used it for landscapes. Auto exposures turn out really good most of the time and the manual settings are easy to use. I recommend the N75, but you should read the details on it's features/specs to see if it does what you need. I haven't had any problems with it, but in comparison to the N80, it doesn't feel quite as solid.

Hope this helps.

Paul

[mjs1973]

I've never liked the way cannon cameras feel, but just for kicks what's the comparable Cannon?

I just picked up a mint condition Canon Elan 7N on ebay for $200, with lens. I think this is pretty comparable to the Nikon N80. I'm not a Nikon shooter, so I could be off on that. It's not the top of the line for Canon, but it sure feels nice to me. You can check it out here.

[Franglais]

I know this question has come up a lot, but that was several years ago, now with affordable DSLRs it's a lot less common on the fourms. So here goes...

I recently dropped my 35mm Pentax ZX-50 and broke the lens, I searched ebay and found that the body and lens I have sell for about the same price as a lens alone. I figure right now is the time to upgrade if I ever plan on doing so.

At the time I bought my Pentax I liked the features/price ratio so I bought a Pentax rather than a Nikon, Cannon or Minolta. My dad had a Minolta that I liked okay but it was an early generation AF camera and the AF was pretty buggy, eventually that camera just quit working altogether. My Pentax always focused on what I wanted to focus on almost instantly, that's my biggest concern in buying a used camera at this point is how well it will focus and what the build quality is like, I'll want something that can be expected to last 20 years or more like the Pentax K1000's that are still floating around. TTL metering and a couple of program modes along with fully manual controls that are easy to use would be ideal as well.

I'd pick up a ZX-5 as it was the top of the ZX series which I'm rather pleased with but I don't want to overlook anything. So what cameras are the pro's selling off dirt cheap as they go digital? What should I be searching for?

Stick to Canon or Nikon. They have 90% of the digital SLR market and look like the safest investment for lenses etc. - if one day you decide to invest in digital.

I have the F100 which is a great pro camera. It's smaller and lighter than the F5, has all the features I need (1/250s flash sync, great viewfinder, great feel, great meter, 4 frames/sec.). I also have the F80 and the F75 which have many of the same features and functionality but for much less money. The F80 is a nice compromise as it has a good viewfinder and is fairly light. The F75 has a small viewfinder but apart from that it works just fine.

Charles