Buying a film camera

ANALOGUE

Buying a Film Camera Analogue Group: promoting film, darkroom and alternative process photography

The Royal Photographic Society was founded in 1853 to “promote the art and science of photography”.

The Analogue Group was formed in 2015. The aims of the group are to foster and develop interest and participation in analogue photography. Membership of the Group is open to all Society members at an additional annual subscription.

Copyright: the copyright of the text belongs to the author, the copyright of the images belongs to David Healey (cover), otherwise King Edward VI Aston School. Copyright of the booklet belongs to The Royal Photographic Society © 2018.

Disclaimer: the views expressed in the booklet are, unless otherwise noted, those of the author. They are not necessarily those of the Analogue Group or of The Royal Photographic Society. The guidance in this leaflet is general in nature, and no liability will be accepted for loss or damage occasioned by reliance upon it.

First Edition: 2018 Analogue Group E: analogue@rps.org

Royal Photographic Society

W: www.rps.org E: reception@rps.org T: +44 (0)1225 325733 Image credit Photos by King Edward VI Aston School pupils

ANALOGUE

Buying a used film camera David Healey ARPS Welcome to the world of film! You have perhaps used a Lomo, Holga or single-use camera, or just seen a friend’s film photos, and are now thinking, ‘This is interesting: I’d like a film camera. But where do I start? How do I know what to buy? and from where should I buy it?’

This article aims to help you what to look for when buying a used film camera, concentrating on the 35mm SLR (as the only one new still available is the Nikon F6).

Overview First, film comes in a variety of sizes. Cameras only take one size although the number of exposures may vary: •

35mm (from the overall width of the film): – Nowadays called 135, but in older books you will it called a miniature format. 35mm film comes in cassettes, or in bulk for loading (in complete darkness) into reloadable film cassettes.

•

Medium format or 120 film: – Sometimes abbreviated to MF or roll-film , the film is 65mm wide, giving a frame width of around 57mm (2¼in., an alternative name for the format).

– Film comes on a spool with light-proof backing paper.

– The other frame dimension varies on the camera, as does the resulting number of images on a roll. Thus 6x4.5cm, like a Bronica ETRS or Mamiya 645 allows 15 or 16 photos whereas 6x6cm has 12. As the frame size increases through 6x7, 6x8, 6x9, 6x12, and even 6x17cm 'panorama' the number of frames reduces, so the last-mentioned only takes only four frames per film.

– Most other roll-film cameras for film types such as 116, 127, 620, and 828 are now unusable as film is no longer available in such sizes (similarly true for 126, 110 or APS cartridge-based miniature formats).

– Larger MF cameras are often used in studios rather than on location because of their weight.

•

Large format ( 'LF'): 5x4 in. is the commonest, but several films are available in variety of other sheet sizes (Ilford offer FP4 Plus sizes up to 20x24 in., some to special order only).

– The cameras are huge, so if you are going to take it up mountains, 35mm or 6x4.5cm will be more portable.

Using a film camera will require some adjustment if you have grown up with digital. For example, the ISO of a film is fixed so that you have to shoot the entire roll at one ISO speed. Before the 1980s film speeds were set manually but on newer 35mm film SLRs it is set automatically when a 'DX-coded' cassette is loaded. SLRs usually offer the ability to override the ISO setting, a useful feature if you want to change (‘push’ or ‘pull’) the speed of film in home processing.

Choice of format Choose any camera based on the sort of photography you want to do and the aspect ratio you prefer.

As with digital, the bigger the film format, the better the quality. The smaller the film format, the lower the quality due to tonal and hue compression, though the more portable the camera is! 35mm is light, convenient and can achieve a high frame-rate on a motorised SLR for, say, sports photography. MF’s higher quality is balanced by the greater weight of the cameras. LF is much slower to use and the cameras are much bigger, but the quality is extraordinary. The processing equipment needed is correspondingly bigger and enlargers more limited in availability.

Which type of camera: compact, rangefinder or SLR? For film photography, the drawbacks of a compact camera (inability to change lenses, and limited control of depth of field) are compounded by the difficulty to fit filters such as a polariser or a yellow which are useful for landscapes.

However, for street photography an autofocus compact with a wide-angle lens would be really useful.

Akin to the mirrorless digital camera, interchangeable lens film rangefinder cameras (like Leica M, Voigtländer, Mamiya 7/7II, or Konica Hexar) are rare and expensive but will produce excellent results.

Choice of lens mount Thirdly, the lens mount can be an important decision. If you have never owned a film camera, and do not mind having one with a completely different lens mount to your digital camera, then you have a wider choice. The following general principles are worth bearing in mind: •

• • • • •

If you want to use its lenses on your DSLR, the widest choice of used film camera lenses that will work with their modern DSLR counterparts (in order) is probably Pentax K, Canon EF, Sony-Minolta A-mount, and lastly Nikon.

The is no forwards compatibility to modern DSLRs with Minolta MD, Olympus OM, Fujica bayonet, or M42 screw fittings.

APS-C DSLR lenses a have a smaller field of coverage than is needed for 35mm film, so cannot be used on the full-frame 35mm film camera (and, for example, in the case of Canon EOS, will not mount).

Manufacturers’ instruction booklets and web sites, and user-forums, should offer guidance on a DSLR’s compatibility with older lenses.

There are other old camera brands with unusual lens mounts such as Mamiya XE, Leica R or Exakta / Topcon.

If you own a mirrorless, adaptors are widely available to use film-era lenses on your digital camera with limited functionality.

ANALOGUE

Which brand?

Here is a brief overview of the second-hand 35mm SLR market, highlighting the common models worth looking at and taking in to account known reliability problems.

PENTAX K/M BAYONET MOUNT • •

Pentax K1000, MX, KM: mechanical Pentax LX, K2, KX: electronic. The ME Super is electronic and was popular, but has a fiddly manual exposure mode. Vivitar and Ricoh SLRs also have Pentax K mount lenses.

M42 / PENTAX SCREW FIT Its purest expression was the Pentax Spotmatic range. Makes such as Praktika and Zenit had the same lens fitting but were much less refined mechanically and ergonomically.

CANON • •

EF mount EOS models: electronic. If you see deposits of oil on the shutter blinds of these, don’t buy the camera.

Canon FD: now an obsolete lens mount but F1 and EF are solid cameras. The A1 can be unreliable, but the electronic AV1, AE1 and AT1 are nice cameras.

NIKON F MOUNT • • • •

Nikon F3, F4, F5, F6, EL2, FE, FE2, FM3: electronic and very robust.

Nikon F, F2, FM, FM2/N: mechanical and robust.

FG series: lightweight, plastic bodied electronic cameras.

Nikon F601, F801, F90, F100: electronic.

MINOLTA • •

Dynax cameras: Most lenses fit Sony DSLRs as the Sony A-mount lens was developed from the Minolta Dynax mount.

Older MD mount cameras: XD5, XD7, X700, X500 are nice. Avoid the XG series.

OLYMPUS •

OM1/2/3/4 are more robust that the OM10/20/30.

LEICA R •

Later SLRs are prone to electronic faults.

OTHER BRANDS Models such as Miranda, Exakta, Topcon, and Olympus FTL have less popular lens fittings so the range of used lenses available is limited. However, they may nevertheless be interesting cameras.

Where do I buy it from?

• •

•

A relative or friend may have good, no longer used, film camera lying in a draw. That will be the cheapest!

E-bay is the source of many used cameras but warranty can be a problem as often the seller does not know what they are selling.

– Tell-tale words in the item description which can imply the vendor understands cameras include ‘no evidence of battery corrosion’, ‘no fungus in lens’, and ‘mirror box and film chamber foam is in good condition or has been replaced’.

An increasing numbers of dealers offer used film equipment, and some specialise in film cameras.

– Reputable dealers will offer a warranty on used equipment and will be able to explain to you how to load the film and operate the camera.

– If you need an instruction book, you might find a PDF online, or a secondhand Magic Lantern or Hove camera guide for the model you want to buy.

Repairs If the worst happens...

Film cameras designed prior to the mid-80s tend to be mechanical, and thus easier to repair. Dave Boyle at Camera Repair Workshop in Bletchley can recalibrate the shutter speeds on a 1960s Pentax very easily, but it is ‘no spares available’ if the circuit board goes on a later, largely electronic, Pentax Super A. Older film cameras are frequently less automatic: on a Nikon FM you will have to wind and rewind you own film and set the ISO yourself (which you should not change mid-roll): but that is its appeal and all functions except the exposure meter will still work if the battery is dead.

Camera repairers known to undertake film camera repairs: • Camera Repair Workshop Tel: 01908 378 088 • Newton Ellis Tel: 0151 236 1391 W:http://www.newtonellis.com

A minor cosmetic issue: leatherette becomes unstuck, though often a sign of a camera having been dismantled during servicing. (L)

ANALOGUE

Will it work?

Having dealt in used cameras professionally and privately for many years, I have learned to check:

CAMERA BODY 1. For evidence of impact damage – dents on pentaprism, dented filter thread on lens – and rust. Do not worry about the odd speck of dust in the viewfinder or lens, but see below.

Signs of minor cosmetic wear on trim do not usually affect operation: however a dent or crack (especially on the pentaprism) may indicate internal damage. (R)

2. Foam a. Open the camera back (but do not touch the shutter blinds) and look at the edges of the back for pads of foam.

Check foam light traps with camera back open. (L)

Light trap in track where back fits on closure should be inspected for signs of stickiness or disintegration. (L)

b. Take the lens off and look at the pad of foam above the mirror.

If either is crumbling or sticky, the foam needs replacing.

Foam in mirror box is important: if beginning to dry out or disintegrate a repairer needs to replace the foam here and in the film chamber. (R)

3. Electrics a. If it powers up (if motorised and autofocus) see if the camera, meter, and shutter (if electronically timed) still operate. If not, take the battery out, look for signs of corrosion in the chamber (corrosion around the flash shoe is worse) and wipe it and the contacts with a soft cloth.

Battery compartment: look for signs of corrosion. (R)

b. If the battery is definitely dead, most are still available (even if known by different codes now) though for mercury batteries (e.g. PX625, PX400 or, common in Minox 35mm cameras, the PX27) you will need a replacement type as mercury batteries are no longer manufactured. c. Replacement batteries with different voltages can affect exposure readings. Contact the Small Battery Company on 0208 871 3730 for advice on adaptors. Repairers can adjust some cameras to work with the alkaline equivalent of the old mercury PX625.

4. Shutter operation a. With fresh batteries (if the shutter is electronic) but no film loaded, fire the shutter at all different shutter speeds and make sure they work. You should hear the shutter speeds get longer as exposure times increase.

Check shutter operation at all speeds on the shutter speed dial. (L)

5. Other a. Self-timer and other controls: see if they operate smoothly. (R)

6. Meter a. The meter needle or LED readout should respond consistently as you change apertures and shutter speeds. b. Meter accuracy: using another similar camera for comparison, set both cameras to the same ISO speed, and use a similar focal length of lens on each. Point them at the same evenly-lit plain surface like a white wall. Is the exposure suggested by the meter the same on both cameras, or within one stop? If so, the meter is probably OK.

7. Flash a. With built-in flash, or if you can fit a flashgun, set the camera to its flash sync speed, open the camera back, look through the shutter towards the lens. b. Fire the camera when the flash is charged up. You should see at the moment of exposure a bright white circle through the open shutter, indicating that the flash has synchronised correctly. (L)

ANALOGUE

8. With a test film If you have borrowed the camera to try out, or as soon as you have bought it, put a short black and white negative film through it and shoot it in a variety of lighting conditions. Check to see if the negatives are generally correctly exposed. Look especially for: a. Evidence of light leaks (dark bands across both frame and rebate). b. Uneven exposure within a frame, which may indicate uneven shutter travel or ‘blind drag’. c. If the shot was taken on flash, is the frame is divided into two, one section very dark and the other section correctly exposed. This indicates the use of too high a shutter speed for flash, or incorrect flash synchronisation if the correct speed had been selected. d. Is the space between each frame similar? If so, the film is transporting correctly.

LENSES 1. With the lens on a camera, look through the viewfinder and make sure it focuses and zooms (if a zoom) smoothly.

2. Check the mechanical operation of the iris mechanism which forms the lens apertures :

a. Set the lens to minimum aperture (i.e. the largest f-number such as f16 or f22): look at the front of the lens whilst pressing the shutter release to watch if the iris consistently closes and reopens smoothly. b. Check every aperture if you can.

Use depth of field preview (if present) or a long shutter speed to verify aperture operation. (L)

c. Iris mechanisms are difficult to check on modern electronic lenses (like Canon EF or Nikon G) as you cannot stop them down manually. d. Check the auto-diaphragm [stop-down] lever on the rear of the lens to see if it works consistently and changes the aperture smoothly on older mechanical lenses. (R)

3. If you can take the lens off, hold the lens up to the light and look through it with it very close to your eye. Any signs of hair-like growths, especially at the edges, indicates fungus in the lens. This is rarely repairable.

Lens aperture is asymmetric indicating possible iris mechanism fault. (L) 4. Look at the glass surfaces for evidence of scratching or worn optical coating.

5. Don’t worry too much about dust in a lens or viewfinder. Dust specks rarely affect lens performance, and if you can see them in the finder they will not appear on the film. However, insects in the viewfinder are problematic...

These tests are not an infallible guide. Always shoot a test film as soon as possible after purchase, and if you are testing a lens, use a tripod and a high shutter speed on the camera to ensure that any lack of sharpness is not caused by camera shake.

THE RPS, FENTON HOUSE, 122 WELLS ROAD, BATH BA2 3AH, UK +44(0)1225325733 www.rps.org reception@rps.org follow us twitter.com/The_RPS like usfacebook.com/royalphotographicsociety VATRegistration Number GB 753 305741

Charity Number 1107831