I just bought some 35mm film SLR's

Ok, ok I'm not abandoning digital photography. It serves me well and beautifully and I have some nice DSLR's and gear. It's just that over the last 2 or so years I've kicked around in my mind regaining some film gear. I got my start in photography with film gear, both 35mm and medium format.When I was a kid maybe around 9-10 my parents were good friends with a lady photographer. She had a good home studio and one day I saw a huge Canon poster on her office wall. I said to myself "One day I'm going to have Canon cameras." This film based set up provided me a very decent living. I embraced the switch to digital in 2004, do not regret it and enjoy what it brings to me. I then figured at that time that I'd not have any use for my film gear and sold it all off. IDIOT ME! But by 2010 the itch to get my feet back wet again with film began to have its affect on me. I pushed it onto the back burner for the most part but finally I have relented and decided to fix the itch and not only for nostalgia but for possible future business ventures and decided to buy some 35mm SLR's and lens gear.

Of course I stuck with Canon, the brand that got into photography back when. I could have made it easy and just buy an EOS based film SLR from Canon but my film photography days always saw me use their FD mount manual focus systems and on top of that my all time favourite camera is the T-90 is an FD based one. I have had and use numerous SLR based cameras but the T-90 has without a doubt always been my favourite model. EVERY DSLR camera today in basic styling and ergonomics owes itself to the T-90. The T-90 redefined how cameras fit and feel in hand and in use. Anyways I wanted to stick with manual focus FD based system and knowing that over the years a SHIT LOAD of FD based lenses and accessories have been made and sold world wide. I can add good to great FD based lenses to my film gear now and not go broke in doing so.

I also added a Canon A-1 with the motor drive as that was another camera from Canon I liked during the 80's. If I'm to add another 35mm body at a later time it will be a Canon F-1n. But one step at a time.

I do not see film taking over from digital with me and it's not about digital vs film only about the options of having both and what each brings to the use and pleasure of photography. On top of that one can scan negs and even get hi-rez CD's made of film shot so that one can import to the computer to use digitally and to work with in Photoshop etc. if they choose.

Next, down the line will be to add a medium format kit again.


Well this stuff I'm getting (and for very good price/value) will be fun and a good nostalgia thing for me. Adding it into a future business ventures can also prove positive too.

Got my order of gear today. Very impressed by the condition. I'm gonna blow KEH's horn here. The gear exceeded their ratings in my mind. Each piece looks clean, sharp and in proper order. Gonna pick me up some rolls of 35mm and do some shooting.

Again nothing against my nice digital gear, but it's kind cool to add some 35mm film gear to my kit and I know that I have choices. I'm going to grab me some Medium Format stuff soon enough too.

Sounds like a fun (expensive) hobby. I would love to shoot some just to experience it, not having that luxury of unlimited chances to get the right shot probably focuses you on being perfect.

Dodge wrote:Sounds like a fun (expensive) hobby. I would love to shoot some just to experience it, not having that luxury of unlimited chances to get the right shot probably focuses you on being perfect.

Film cameras and lenses today can be quite inexpensive. I paid a little over $400 for 3 bodies, 4 lenses, 1 motor drive and 1 flash. Back in the day they'd have totaled around $2500. and with inflation it would be around $5000 today. You can still readily find film and get it developed at a good price even get high quality scans onto CD for a hybrid set up.