Friend needs a 35mm SLR (not digital) camera for college, any ideas?

It needs to be cheap(ish) and I've heard Pentax are good. Any photographers out there?

Go to eBay and search for "Olympus Accura View Zoom 80 QD 35mm Film Camera". The result you find there might be a good choice; it's certainly cheap, and it's only been used a few times.

cannon rebel. Can be picked up used for relatively little money and is a quality slr for school projects.

buy a disposable camera, i know they can be reused you just have to open them carefully

I started with a Pentax K-1000
its a great camera simple to use and some good len's avalible
all quite cheap now that digital has taken over.

Pentax, Cannon, Nikon are all good. check you local pawn shops or e-bay.

www.craigslist.org

The Canon EOS 300 is a good and popular camera.

There are many good 35 MM cameras out there! I grew up on 35 mm before I went digital! man, to learn this again! You are lucky!

Try e-bay & Pantax is a good brand

I'd recommend a Canon AE1 - great camera to learn photography on and can be picked up quite cheaply secondhand these days - also there are lots of Canon s/h lenses available for it.

Can't go wrong!

i have a slr 4 sale v cheap also a large lens, ideal for beginners

I have two places that go to for used 35MM cameras and gear and eBay is not on that list.

Local Camera Shop

Try your local camera shop. They will have a reasonable selection of used stuff at reasonable prices. I suspect your friend will need a fully manual or semi auto 35mm for school. This should be confirmed and then do your shopping.

Local Pawn Shop

If you know your cameras you can often get lucky and get a real bargain at the pawn shops. Nobody on eBay will be able to touch it. Where do you think they get their stock from?

Happy hunting!

Go to second hand shops...

Nikon, cannon, (look for lens prices as well) and budget for tripod and insurance... very high risk steal item.

I've got a MZ50 one for sale. I can send you a pic if you send an email with your email address. Excellent condition, rarely used post 2000. One Tamron zoom lens 28-200 and a big flash gun. Purchased in Malaysia in early 2000.

I use digital these days mostly. Make an offer, you can get an idea of the price from ebay or go to your local second hand camera shop.

I assure you it would be cheap(ish).

i have a pentax me super,2 lens 28mm-70mm, 70mm-210mm, flash unit. bag you can have it for nothing mate. dont know what postage would be ?

ebay or jessops there very helpful and do have access to second hand stock all checked out by them dont know if its held in local shops or just on the internet though

Buy either CANON EOS or NIKON. Both can be picked up relatively cheaply on Ebay.

Just get two lenses - zoom 28 - 85mm & 75 - 300mm, a nice tilt & pan flash gun, and away you go!!

I've ran an EOS 600 for years before switching to FUJI digital - I still get better results with my old camera though. :)

If it's for photography classes, they generally recommend fully manual, no frills, built like a tank cameras. The kind of camera that can double as a hammer. Examples would be a Pentax K1000, or a Nikon FM. After the courses, when he/ she switches to digital, they make nice paperweights.
If it's for personal use, I'd recommend a new entry level Canon or Nikon. The new models are cheap and second hand, they're practically free. The entry level cameras won't be any better than the Pentax offerings, but Canon and Nikon do have big advantages for upgrades. In the digital market, Pentax is focusing on the low end of the market and it's future looks a bit uncertain.

Amongst the best older camera makers are Nikon,Canon,Pentax,Minolta,Olympus..The manual cameras were more durable. A semi automatic is good too. To test it place the exposure on one second and aperture on the smallest usually f16. Turn the camera towards you and press the shutter button. Notice if it takes longer than the chosen speed and simultaneously look to see if the diaphragm closes fully. Pentax Spotmatics were good . Nikormats(Nikon) were excellent. Olympuses were unique and Canons and Minoltas were very popular.

The recommended teaching SLR is the Pentax K-1000, but because these are still popular for just this purpose and because they're very well built, you could go for a cheaper alternative in the Ricoh KR-10, it has Auto-exposure and a Self-timer which the K-1000 doesn't, so it can be used for every day shooting too, it takes all the same lenses as the K-1000, and the Auto-exposure can be turned off if need be.

You should look out for a camera that is clean and free from fungus or mold (it can form inside the lense among other places), usually a good ebay listing will state the exact condition - any nicks or surface damage to the camera etc.

Expect to pay over 拢100 for a K-1000 in good condition with original Pentax lens, or as little as 拢15 for a Ricoh KR-10 in reasonable working condition (with original Ricoh lens).

A Fujica ST801, they are the best for pro Photo's, they have an ASA range from 25-3200 and shutter speeds of locked to 1/2000th of a second and the standard lense is a 55 milimetre fujinon lense that has F stops from 1.8f-16f, the focus range of this lense is from 0.45-infinity and has a praktica screw not bayonet mount, but sorry they are not cheap, they are about $6000 to buy now.

I Know I didnt help BuT have A nIcE Life,
Jobe,

See if you can find a book on basic SLR operation and techniques, then see what models people recomended here, and then go to http://keh.com I've bought from them in the past and was very pleased with their products and service.

It's too bad that alot of companies are phasing out the 35mm film cameras,but there's some left for sale.

I would recommend ... if you friend can find it with a good deal ... is the Nikon N80 or the F100. I would suggest getting the F100 if you can because it's almost like F6 or F5, but much lighter and have more easier commands and functions. The N80 is a consumer model I would recommend.

With Canon, I would recommended getting the Rebel KII with a kit lens, it's very affordable and with a great traveling camera to take with you. If your friend need to splurge, get the Elan 7NE, that will not disppoint you. It's a beautiful slick black body, make it look professional and have alot great feature. Plus it's a little faster camera than the Rebel series. You got to get the 28-135mm IS USM lens to go along with that Elan 7NE if you can.

Hope it helps a little.

Get a Canon APS IXUS - it's very easy to use, very compact and takes great photo's - the added bonus is that these cameras can now be picked up extremely cheap on ebay due to the digitial revolution.

I have a Nikon N70 SLR, with lenses, the macro attachment, too. I used it when I was in dental school just for 1 year.
Bought new for $2500 everything.. Sell for $200 negotiable. Wonderful .. perfect condition.. great camera

Holga

the canon EOS Elan 7n is a great camera for pretty cheap, it is also the latest model offered by Canon. Just as good but a bit older and missing a few of the upgraded key features such as spot meatering and the back lit LCD.

Pentax ME super, good for starters easy to use but with all the features of a classic analog SLR, i used one when i studyed photography and i got really good grades, also it has lot's of stuff that fit's onto it because it's almost universal, lens, flashes e.t.c and thier quite cheap 拢50 maybe less if you look on e-bay, just get it and you'll never have any problems... build well so it can take alot of abuse.