# I want to buy a 35mm Film Camera **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 24, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309 "2011-12-24T21:38:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/1 "2011-12-24T21:38:52Z")
Is it possible? Does anyone still make them? I see tons of used models but I want a **new** , state of the art, 35mm **film** camera. Can anyone point me in the right direction? ---
**Author:** ![Dolomite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8491ac/32.png) [@Dolomite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dolomite)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/2 "2011-12-24T21:43:14Z")
The Nikon F6. > **[F6 | Nikon](https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product-archive/film-cameras/f6.html)** > > F6 | Nikon ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/3 "2011-12-24T21:57:37Z")
And what would be your reason? I’m not being snarky, I’m genuinely interested. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/4 "2011-12-24T21:59:42Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > And what would be your reason? I’m not being snarky, I’m genuinely interested. Because to get comparable quality from digital I’d need to spend $1,000’s ETA - OK to be honest I just like the thought of it and want to play ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/5 "2011-12-24T22:01:57Z")
> [@Dolomite](#): > > The Nikon F6. > > [Error | Nikon USA](http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Film-Cameras/1799/F6.html) YIKES! I was under the impression that film would cost me less - consider me disillusioned. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/6 "2011-12-24T22:07:43Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Because to get comparable quality from digital I’d need to spend $1,000’s I’m not sure that is true. Up to the film back or digital image chip, pretty much everything else optical is the same. As an amateur photog from way back, I can’t see turning back, unless it’s just for fun… ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/7 "2011-12-24T22:13:11Z")
There’s a ton of decent used 35mm cameras on ebay, but realistically, the only reason to own one is for nostalgia. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/8 "2011-12-24T22:14:56Z")
I’ve actually been thinking about grabbing one just as a toy. I’ve seen what would’ve been $1000+ camera and lens combos 20 years ago for $40 on craigslist. My question is: where can you get film developed these days? Is it strictly a specialty thing that you’d have to mail order away for? What does developing film cost? > [@zoid](#): > > YIKES! > I was under the impression that film would cost me less - consider me disillusioned. Well why would you insist on buying one new then? The old ones work just as well as they used to. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/9 "2011-12-24T22:24:08Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > YIKES! > I was under the impression that film would cost me less - consider me disillusioned. You mean film media (cost per frame) or film-handling cameras? Film cost and processing is waaaay more expensive than digital memory storage, and digital storage is getting cheaper all the time. Not to mention the time lag for film. I admit a certain amount of nostalgia for film. I still have an enlarger in the basement that I plan…Real Soon Now…to resurrect and use. Not to mention some glass plates from 1910 I have in the closet… ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/10 "2011-12-24T22:26:52Z")
[Nikon FM-10 $319.95](http://shop.nikonusa.com/store/nikonusa/en_US/pd/productID.213456300) VERY basic. . ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/11 "2011-12-24T22:39:07Z")
I think I’m gonna look for a Canon T2 used - opinions? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/12 "2011-12-24T22:45:43Z")
You don’t need a “new, state of the art” film camera to get excellent quality. _Any_ film SLR with a decent lens will give you excellent quality. Seriously. How about this: go to [eBay](http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=nikon+n90&_sacat=See-All-Categories) and pick up a Nikon N90 body for 50 dollars. Yes, fifty dollars. Totally doable without even bidding - just buy it now. Now go to B&H and buy a [Nikkor 50mm f1.8](http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/247091-USA/Nikon_2137_Normal_AF_Nikkor_50mm.html) for 124 dollars. Boom. Is that cheap enough for you? [This](http://postimage.org/image/iviw9a4rh/full/) is what I can do with that _exact_ setup and a roll of Ektar 100. And I’m far from an ace. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/13 "2011-12-24T22:49:03Z")
What does the ISO button on that N90 do? Edit: Ah, tell it what the speed is so it can do some sort of exposure compensation? Also, if you’re going with a used film camera, you might as well go with used old lenses too and save even more. ---
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/14 "2011-12-24T23:36:20Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > My question is: where can you get film developed these days? Is it strictly a specialty thing that you’d have to mail order away for? What does developing film cost? Many US suburban or urban pharmacies still process 35mm film and make 4X6" prints. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/15 "2011-12-24T23:48:00Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > You don’t need a “new, state of the art” film camera to get excellent quality. _Any_ film SLR with a decent lens will give you excellent quality. > > Seriously. How about this: go to [eBay](http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=nikon+n90&_sacat=See-All-Categories) and pick up a Nikon N90 body for 50 dollars. Yes, fifty dollars. Totally doable without even bidding - just buy it now. Now go to B&H and buy a [Nikkor 50mm f1.8](http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/247091-USA/Nikon_2137_Normal_AF_Nikkor_50mm.html) for 124 dollars. Boom. > > Is that cheap enough for you? > > [This](http://postimage.org/image/iviw9a4rh/full/) is what I can do with that _exact_ setup and a roll of Ektar 100. And I’m far from an ace. Do you digitize from the negative or from a print? ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/16 "2011-12-25T06:18:00Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Now go to B&H and buy a [Nikkor 50mm f1.8](http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/247091-USA/Nikon_2137_Normal_AF_Nikkor_50mm.html) for 124 dollars. Boom. Do it. Buy the “nifty fifty”. I _love_ mine; it’s the single lens I use most often, and it’s one of the least expensive lenses out there. Fantastic value. ---
**Author:** ![FoundWaldo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@FoundWaldo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoundWaldo)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/17 "2011-12-25T06:37:23Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > What does the ISO button on that N90 do? > > Edit: Ah, tell it what the speed is so it can do some sort of exposure compensation? It can’t tell you the right exposure (or do automatic exposure) if it doesn’t know the speed of the film. The DX code (the black and white/silver blocks on one side of the canister) allow the camera to detect the film speed. However, in some cases they might not be present or might be incorrect (e.g. when you load your own film). And if you want to “push” or “pull” the film (intentionally override the real speed and compensate during processing), you need to override the DX code. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/18 "2011-12-25T06:45:26Z")
Off the top of my head I have: Nikon FM3a Nikon FM2 Olympus OM1 Olympus OM4 Pentax K1000 Canon AE-1 Program Nikonos IV Nikonos V Argus C4 Different cameras for different things – though most of the ‘things’ overlap. I like the OM1 because of its simplicity and size. I like the Nikon FM3a because it’s a mechanical camera, but also offers auto-exposure. None of these are being made anymore, but they are readily available on eBay. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/19 "2011-12-25T09:13:32Z")
One of my clients does estate sales, and just handled one for a photographer. All of his film equipment, cameras, enlarger, lenses, went for pennies on the dollar. I work with a number of pros, and not one of them uses film any more. It just doesn’t offer any advantage over digital for their work. If you’re concerned with archiving single images, you can probably get an amazing deal on a film recorder - those things that would write from a computer to a slide from when slide projectors were cheaper and brighter than video projectors. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309/20 "2011-12-27T05:55:27Z")
I still have an old Canon AE-1 that I use occasionally for the hell of it. On a lark, I checked what they were going for on eBay, thinking I might be sitting on a gold mine. Alas, no; they were going for about $40! Great camera, though, and still takes great pics. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-35mm-film-camera/607309.md?page=2)