# Old manual SLR camera vs. new automatic one

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-manual-slr-camera-vs-new-automatic-one/132516>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 16, 2002, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-manual-slr-camera-vs-new-automatic-one/132516 "2002-10-16T14:36:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**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:** [October 21, 2002, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-manual-slr-camera-vs-new-automatic-one/132516/21 "2002-10-21T04:47:23Z")

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Photography is fun.  
Sometimes, cameras get in the way.

If you choose a major brand, you’ll be able to get lenses and accsy’s for it. If no where else, eBay. But, I don’t recommend going to old for a beginner. Some cameras are hard to find extras for, and some batteries are gone forever.

Cartoon, the K-1000 is a god among cameras. So is the Canon FTB.

Some well known brands: Nikon, Pentax, Canon, Olympus, Minolta (The Top 5), also Yashica, Fuji, Ricoh, Chinon, Contax, Leica, Konica, Mamiya. I used to say that where you lived determined whether you should a ‘minor’ brand camera, but with eBay…

Just jump in and start shooting. (And build a pinhole camera, sometime, somewhere…)

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**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-manual-slr-camera-vs-new-automatic-one/132516/22 "2002-10-21T12:10:42Z")

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The images, IIRC, had the slight lack of focus and generally old world feeling that the very early images in France had. I haven’t ever thought of doing this, but I might have darkroom access soon.

Maybe I’ll try building some out of Foam Core and black paper tape, then doing contact prints of the camera film. Hmmmm. 🙂

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**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:** [October 21, 2002, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-manual-slr-camera-vs-new-automatic-one/132516/23 "2002-10-21T13:19:57Z")

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I meant, don’t go TOO old, not to old. Apparantly I can’t spell when drinking. Or any other time.

For pinhole cameras, the smaller the hole, the sharper the image. Same principal as the “camera obscura.” At one time, I had a web site bookmarked that had info on building one. I’ll try to find it and post it.

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