Margaerynne wrote to All <=-ãã Ma> So the lady got the urge to take up photography with a vintage camera,ã Ma> and we stumbled across an old Retina IIIcã Ma> in a thrift store.ããI'd recommend a camera that sold a lot of units, as those would have theãmost spares available now. Manual SLRs can take different lenses, areãmechanical and so only need a battery for metering, and are a lot of funãto shoot with.ããThe safest bet there would be a Pentax K1000. They were used in schoolsãfor years and Pentax sold millions of them. They use Pentax K-mountãlenses, and lots of companies made compatible bodies and lenses.ããRicoh XR1 and XR2s are tanks, and can shoot K-mount lenses.ããNow, these are mechanical bodies with no automation. If you want to beãable to shoot with the camera automatically selecting the exposure, theãCanon AE-1 and Pentax ME are two common models. Canons suffer from aãbreakdown in shutter lube that sounds like a squeak when the shutterãcloses. That'll require a Clean, Lube and Adjustment at a camera shopãwhich could double the price.ããCLAs aren't a bad idea if she's serious about the hobby, it can make aã40 year old camera feel (and shoot) like it's brand new.ããMy go-to shooter is a Canon FTb (similar to the K1000) with a 50/1.8ãlens, and I had it CLAed when I got it - shoots like new!ããShooting with a 50mm "prime" lens is a lot of fun. It's a natural focalãlength that looks normal compared to your vision's perspective, and theyãtend to be "fast" lenses, meaning that capture a lot of light and makeãlow-light photography easier.ããIf I had a higher budget, I'd look at a Nikon FM series.ããIf you're looking for a smaller camera, rangefinders are nice. Insteadãof seeing through the lens, they use a secondary viewfinder, along withãa split-screen inside of the viewfinder. You'll see an area with aãdouble-image - turn the focus knob until they become one, and you're inãfocus. The Canon Canonet QL 17 III and QL28 are very popular, as are theãYashica 35 GSN.ããOne note about batteries - most of these cameras took Mercury batteries,ãwhich have a higher voltage and a steadier voltage over time. Mercuryãbatteries are not available any more, and you need to fake it withãsilver oxide batteries. It may affect the meter by a stop or two.ããThe Pentax and Ricohs I mentioned don't have this problem as they takeãSR-44/357 batteries which you can find most places, the rangefindersãwould.ãããã--- MultiMail/Win v0.52ã þ Synchronet þ .: realitycheckbbs.org :: scientia potentia est :.ã
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