Originally posted by Just1MoreDave I would argue against buying the lower end film cameras today, because you can get better quality ones for only a little more, sometimes even for less money. The classic Pentax example: a late version K1000 with a lot of plastic cheapness might be twice as much as a KM made in Japan, and the KM is a better camera.
I am not really arguing FOR lower end cameras OVER higher ones, just that in my experience they have been very pleasant to use and surprising fun too. Do not get me wrong, I love my high and higher end stuff!
I have had plenty of the high end stuff go wrong though so, due to age, reliability with them is not a given, but IF the are fixable it is usually worth having them fixed.
You are bang on right about the KM. I got mine 5 years ago, and it was about 30% less than K1000s were at the time.
---------- Post added 03-07-21 at 11:06 PM ----------
Originally posted by boriscleto At this point I have stopped buying film SLRs with electronic shutter, so most of your list is out.
Yes you do need to be careful with them, but I have been lucky in this regard. The Nikon EM has been a bit of a wonder, though. £10 from RS photographic in Newent , Gloucestershire, in 2014, to replace a FG which failed on me. They told me they won't stock the FG models, as despite being popular they are very unreliable but the EM's are not. So far they have been proved right. Funny thing is the cost of a FG is now going through the roof for what it is.
I have not tried Ricoh models, probably because you do not see many in the UK, maybe I will keep an eye out once we are allowed back into shops! I avoid the Fuji STX, and likewise Konica, models because of the rare lens mount, but they do look to be good cameras.
---------- Post added 03-07-21 at 11:10 PM ----------
I do not think PZ1-p's fit into the category, they might be inexpensive now but were never low end. For this reason I did not include my SFXn which cost me very little.
---------- Post added 03-07-21 at 11:14 PM ----------
Originally posted by Bob 256 I agree wholeheartedly with richard0170, old cameras are a blast and like arithmetic, don't change their basic operations.
Unlike modern ones?