dba

There are loads of great s/h bargains,and i wouldnt regard the Chinon as the best of them by any means

The 137 is indeed great,but i think the 167MT is also a superb sh buy,particularly since the Aria came out.They now go for silly money,and of course the Zeiss standard lenses are a match for Leitz at a fraction of the cost.

If you want even cheaper,take a look at an Olympus Om2n with a Zuiko 50mm lense,can be got for around £200 for a minter,its worth the extra few quid for the Om2 if you use flash,if not,the Om1n is even better value

and its another good point from Toonman,the 75/300 is only useful being part of a kit,and even then i would hardly ever use it.35/105 is a good cheapo zoom range,ideal for 99% of most daily snaps.

[Edited by dba - 11/6/2003 11:25:30 PM]

Scooby96

Any good? Bargain for £40 with 75-300mm lense?

Anyone got a picture of one?

Toonman1

I guess it depends what you want it for. Chinon were always bit players in the SLR market, and the distribution rights were bought by Dixons towards the end of the 1970s I seem to remember. That tends to tell its own story.

Most used the Pentax K mount, so lenses will be plentiful, and relatively cheap. Parts will be scarce, if available at all, although with labour charges the way they are, it'd be uneconomic to repair the camera anyway, if it went wrong.

The 75-300 lens will limit its use, as it's hardly a general purpose optic.

Cheers

Scooby96

Ok could someone recommend a reasonably priced SLR (£100max) for a xmas present - new or secondhand. As its only for the gfs hobby I dont want to spend a fortune until she gets good.

Toonman1

Pop into your local Jessops. Try something like a s/h Pentax P30, with a 50mm std lens or see if they can do one with a s/h Centon 28-70 Zoom. Whatever lens you get, make sure it's an A Series, with a lockable A setting on the aperture ring.

I recommend Jessops as they have loads of shops so should be able to source something for you from one of them, and they give a 12 month guarantee on used equipment. The P30's a good, solid reliable camera, that we've been using at College for over 15 years, with a 0% failure rate - and we buy them s/h from Jessops.

Cheers

Scooby96

thanks toonman

Toonman1

You're welcome.

Cheers

IWatkins

You can pick up a Canon 1000 SLR with lens for around £100 second hand from Jessops, or my favorite, London Camera Exchange.

It isn't fancy but the 1000 is a good 35mm SLR for starters and has quite a few features.

Cheers

Ian

Scooby96

What about a CANON T50 CAMERA +35-105mm for £65?

Toonman1

Up to you, but the T50's dead basic - Program only, with the slowest film advance of any camera ever made - even Noah's was faster.

Only suitable for beginners, with no room to move on, as their skills improve. It's also an old camera. We had one at College when I first started lecturing there P/T. That was 18 years ago. Someone stole it - and then returned it...

The lens mount is the old Canon breach lock/bayonet, so you wouldn't be able to use the lens with one of the newer Canon bodies. Pentax K mount lenses fit the latest Pentax *iST digital SLR, as well as their cameras from 40 years ago. Canon (and Minolta) weren't as forward thinking as Pentax (or Nikon).

Cheers

ProperCharlie

IMO you are better off with a good 50mmm lens than a zoom. Zoom is just a lazy aid to composition and the quality is never anything near a fixed length lens.

Toonman1

No it's not. I'd go for a Std Zoom rather than a Std Lens every time. The ability to give the impression of altered perspective, is a huge advantage. Also; want to take decent portrait shots? The 80mm end of a 28-80 Zoom works nicely, but not so a 50mm Std.

As for quality, it depends what you're comparing. I've a 45mm Std lens from a Contax G2 that'd blow most things away. On the other hand, my College still has the T50 and Canon 50mm lens. It can't compete with a Nikon 28-105AFD.

Cheers

ProperCharlie

maybe you're right toonman. i had an olmypus om40 that came with a 35-70 zoom and i thought it was a terrible camera and a terrible lens. i like to make sweeping generalisations . I've got a contax 137 with a carl zeiss 1.7/50mm lens that is pretty bloody good. but tbh i am too lazy to use it much, now that everything has gone digital, and i don't have access to a darkroom.

Toonman1

Nice camera. Very nice camera...

Cheers