Any photographers here?

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65LoveAffair

65LoveAffair

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I was at a local pawn shop this past Tuesday looking for a 35mm film SLR. I've been thinking about getting into photography, and wanted to start with film. Anyway, when I told the guy what I was looking for, he just held up one finger, said "Wait right here!" and walked off. A couple minutes later he came back with a big leather case.

View attachment Box-sizecomp.jpg
I put a 12oz. Red Bull can next to the box for size comparison.

When he opened the box and started pulling cameras out, I wasn't expecting what I saw.

View attachment 35mils.jpg
These were the first three he pulled out. A Pentax K1000, a Yashica Flash-O-Set, and a Pentax P30t.

View attachment PentaxK1000.jpg
Pentax K1000, circa 1976 or so

View attachment YashicaFlashOSet.jpg
Yashica Flash-O-Set, from 1961

View attachment PentaxP30t.jpg
Pentax P30t, early 90s

Also in the box were a bunch of extras, including some flash assemblies, a few close-up lenses, a light meter, and a filter.

View attachment Extras3.jpg

But the last camera he pulled out actually made my jaw drop. It's a Mamiya C330f Professional from the late 70s.

View attachment Mamiya1.jpg

This is a professional-level portraiture camera. It is a medium-format Twin-Lens Reflex (TLR) instead of the more familiar Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) camera.

View attachment Mamiya2.jpg

It shoots either 120 or 220 film, or single photo sheets with a different back.

When I asked the guy at the pawn shop how much he wanted for everything, he said that they had been taking up room for so long in the back that he would be happy if someone offered him $50 for the lot. That was a steal, cause the Mamiya goes for anywhere between 3 and 4 times that by itself! Needless to say, I bought it all. Now, I just have to learn photography. Anybody have any pointers?
 
65LoveAffair said:
Now, I just have to learn photography. Anybody have any pointers?
Click to expand...


Use 400 speed film for low light and fast moving subjects (cats for example). 100 speed film is better for well lit and still photos. For high speed (400) low light, you may need to adjust shutter speed, I think more...


You may want to check with some local photo developers to see if they can still develop 35mm film...
 
Man...you just got the deal of the century!
Start out shooting B&W, use a Tri X film which is 400. If you're just starting out you might want to find a lab that will print contact sheets rather than printing the entire roll individually. As I recall when I started out if I took 2 shots from a roll that I liked I was doing good.
It's a fun hobby....enjoy!
 
Cool score! I had a Roliflex twin lense reflex camera to learn with back in high school. It was hard to use it in the field because everything in the viewfinder was upside down and backwards. But it took great photos. It used 120/220 film and I also had the adapter to use 35mm too.

I agree about the use of B&W film. It teaches you lighting and exposure very well. Plus if you really like it, put together your own dark room at home and print the B&W shots. You can really manipulate the photos as you print them. Tons of fun!
 
Score! I like the twin lens cameras too. I also used one in High School. They aren't as handy to load the film over the 35mm cameras but have a large format negative which is good for enlarging the photos without too much grain. The 35's are also handy for interchangable lenses. tmm
 
That is a score you can buy old slr cameras real cheap and you can learn a lot to start off learn that Pentax k1000. It is a workhorse of a camera and will teach you well. I buy old canon cameras myself. You just can't beat that old glass.
 
I have to tell you that I don't necessarily recommend this approach nowadays. My understanding is that many photo classes still start out with film, but every year, it gets more and more difficult to find film and film processors.

In addition, some of the "big box" stores that still handle processing and that can give you a scanned CD of your prints may do so in less than really great resolution.

You can get some marvelous buys on DSLRs nowadays, used or new. For example, right here in Spokane a gal has a Canon 30D with basic lens (18-55) for 275.00 That's not a bad buy.

You CAN use most any DSLR in "all manual" mode to learn the basics of metering, focus, and so on.

I used to diddle with adapting old, manual glass to my DSLR, but this has it's pitfalls, as for "magical" reasons, some glass simply does not meter accurately when mounted on a DSLR. So that's a mixed bag

Some of my projects:

Sigma 600mm mirror lens, in Minolta MD mount, converted to Canon EF mount:

http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=11381

One wasn't enough, converted this one to M42 (42mm screw mount)

http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=11415

An attempt to turn a Canon tele lens into a spotting scope

http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=11503

One of my first, a tripod conversion project

http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=8815

A "dirty" project, a junker Canon FL 28mm lens converted to Canon EF mount

http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=9092

The eight dollar thrift store deal

http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=7987

and what I did with one of them

http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=7990

"Thrift store buy of the year"

http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=11045

Canon FL 19mm wide angle converted to Canon EF mount

http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=16902

and a couple of shots with the above conversion

http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=16935
 
krazykuda said:
You may want to check with some local photo developers to see if they can still develop 35mm film...
Click to expand...

It's not the 35mm I'm worried about. There are plenty of places around here that will still develop it. What I'm going to have to do is find somewhere that will sell me, and then later develop 120/220 film. Or, like someone said, learn to develop my own.
 
67Dart273 said:
I have to tell you that I don't necessarily recommend this approach nowadays. My understanding is that many photo classes still start out with film, but every year, it gets more and more difficult to find film and film processors.

In addition, some of the "big box" stores that still handle processing and that can give you a scanned CD of your prints may do so in less than really great resolution.

You can get some marvelous buys on DSLRs nowadays, used or new. For example, right here in Spokane a gal has a Canon 30D with basic lens (18-55) for 275.00 That's not a bad buy.

You CAN use most any DSLR in "all manual" mode to learn the basics of metering, focus, and so on.
Click to expand...

I do have a bit of an ulterior motive. My 8 year old has taken an interest in photography lately, also, and instead of just buying him a digital camera and turning him loose, I want to show him the roots. Sorta like making sure your kid can drive a stick shift before they get their license and are turned loose. Does that make any sense?
 
When it comes to the kid learning the basics, I would rather give them the digital. The operating costs are next to nothing, you can get them a decent digital camera today for next to nothing. And, they can get the instant gratification of seeing the pic on the computer or printed out. When you start sending those rolls of film out you are talking a chunk of change...
C
 
clhyer said:
When it comes to the kid learning the basics, I would rather give them the digital. The operating costs are next to nothing, you can get them a decent digital camera today for next to nothing. And, they can get the instant gratification of seeing the pic on the computer or printed out. When you start sending those rolls of film out you are talking a chunk of change...
C
Click to expand...

This is why. You are immediately starting out with the terminology that "goes along" with the digital world. As I said earlier, you CAN shoot most cameras, and certainly all DSLRs in "manual" mode so that you can learn the aspects of exposure, etc.

You can immediately see your results so if you are making mistakes, you don't have to wait for film to come back and try to remember "what you did," and as above, operating costs are very low.
 
clhyer said:
When it comes to the kid learning the basics, I would rather give them the digital. The operating costs are next to nothing, you can get them a decent digital camera today for next to nothing. And, they can get the instant gratification of seeing the pic on the computer or printed out. When you start sending those rolls of film out you are talking a chunk of change...
C
Click to expand...


And if they don't like the picture, you can always delete it and not waste film with digital...


I forgot to say, great score!
 
Just ordered my self a Fuji FinePix HS50EXR. It has a 42x(24 to 1000mm) manual zoom along with a ton of other features it will take me a year to learn. Looking forward to getting it and start experimenting, I have a couple of other cameras both 35mm and digital but nothing with the capabilities of this one. I have not pulled my 35mm out in 8 or 9 years.
 
My daughter, who had had her own photography company for 5 years, wound up taking a photography course at her university. You just don't take this course, you have to interview for it. The prof is, I gather, well known in multiple counties and just won the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Anyway, she arrives with pro/semi pro digital equipment, lens etc.. Finds out he doesn't do digital. Never has. I tracked down a minty K1000.I buy her rolls of B&W film and she process it. I am very impressed what she can produce over digital camera.

Having progressed from film (actually slides because they show what you took rather than a machine interpreting what it thinks you took) to digital over the last 30 years.. I had forgotten what a picture from a film could express over a digital picture. No matter what quality DSLR you have, the picture is flat. Like music from a record vs digital music. BTW, many folks are buying extremely expensive turntables and have moved over to records due to the quality of sound.

The advent of digital camera hasn't produced is a wave of really good photographers..just more picture snappers ..and if this is what you are after, go getcha a cheep cannon digital DSLR and big memory card and go at it.. I forgot to say that when you are using a film camera, you control the light and speed (F stop , aperture speed) of the camera where as with our first digital, you controlled the stuff I just talked about and 27 other variables. And, they need to be post processed afterwards.

There is a place for DSLRs..(we used to take 2000+ pictures at an MX race)..some advantages have been expressed in this thread...but if you want to get into photography....

As luck would have it...most of the expensive gear is now selling at a reasonable prices included enlargers, etc..Film is still easy to buy from a photographer store to ebay.

I am impressed with you energy of starting at the beginning..

BTW, Sarah gives her prints away and folks are blown away by what they see with just black and white...

Good luck..

Ian.

PS - leave the lens cap on the k1000 or you will kill the battery :)
 
Grassy is right on the mark!

A well composed B&W print will stop me in my tracks.

My first photography teacher was fond of saying "Picasso mastered all the rules before he broke them".
 
Great score! Especially for $50.
Certainly not high end stuff, but I still have my 35mm Minolta SRT102 I bought back in 1976 before my first child was born. Invested in a couple of additional lens and strobe. I've put a lot of film through that camera and it still takes great pics.
I resisted digital cameras for a long time but finally bought my Olympus E-300 about 5-6 years ago and haven't shot any film since. Shooting digital is just so much easier and less expensive. As said before, just delete the pic if you don't like it.
 
I appreciate and respect all of your opinions, but as grassy said I want to start at the beginning. I'm not afraid of the film costs, or developing the 35mm prints. Eventually, I will set up my own dark room if I continue with this. That way my only repeat cost out of pocket will be film and dark room supplies. We have a digital camera, though it's not a DSLR, and I have to admit that while it takes decent pictures, I'm not impressed. It just seems too easy. I guess you could say I'm a purist. I feel kind of like Tom Hanks did in Cast Away. He spent all that time on the island learning how to make fire on his own, and after he is rescued he picks up the stick lighter and lights it and just stares at it. There's no challenge to it. I'm not saying that digital photography has no challenge, but there's just something gratifying about taking your pictures and having to wait to see what you captured. I may not be making sense here to you all, but it makes sense to me in my head. And, in the end, I guess that's what matters. If anybody else has any other tips or pointers, please share them by all means. I'm open to any and all suggestions. Thanks again!
 
Have fun with the C330 - I found that square format made me look at composition in a whole different way...really enjoyed it!

If you need lenses/accessories for that one, check out www.keh.com
They were always great to deal with.
 
65LoveAffair said:
It's not the 35mm I'm worried about. There are plenty of places around here that will still develop it. What I'm going to have to do is find somewhere that will sell me, and then later develop 120/220 film. Or, like someone said, learn to develop my own.
Click to expand...

Much of the magic happens in the darkroom!
 
We can get the 35mm anytime we go to Walgreens, CVS, or Wal-Mart. The 120 stuff is going to have to wait until we can get to Springfield, Bloomington, or Champaign. You know our lovely town isn't going to have anything "fancy" like that! We're lucky we even have the Walgreens, CVS, and Wal-Mart to get the 35mm film!
 
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