Dug out dads old Canon AE-1 and Nikon EM

[showbiz00ditc]

yo whats up guys i was in the basement and found some of my dads old cameras.

im sorta wanting to get into not digital-drunk-party-picture-taking and try out some shit with these.

i found a Canon AE-1 and Nikon EM

the canon looks alot older than the nikon.

anyone know anything about these cameras?

are they even worth using still?

any reputable websites that have facts n whatnot about old cameras like these?

i dunno if the info i've provided can help at all. i'll try and take pics of them when i can

but in the meantime...

SCHOOL ME

[showbiz00ditc]

wow, nothing? i thought there were some camera buffs up on here

[stillill]

I used the canon ae1 before upgrading to medium format, it is a great camera, especially with the fd 50mm 1.4 lens. I would prefer this camera over most of the new slr film cameras of today. Just google the camera names , there is a ton of info out there.

[arem]

AE-1 is a classic, one of the most popular cameras of the 80's. That was the camera that loads of people who wanted to dabble in 35mm bought at the time (kind of like a Rebel XT now, but way better). There's tons of info out there on that one, check ebay for old books. Make sure the meter is accurate and have fun!

[Vitamian]

The Canon AE-1 is a good basic SLR camera, certainly quite nice for starting out.

The quality of that camera beats any of those cheap plastic bric-a-bacs that are passed off as "SLRs" these days.

Canon's highest-end camera was the F1; and there was also the A-1.

[showbiz00ditc]

wanted to dabble in 35mm

im not sure if its just a rookie mistake on my part but when i look at the lense it says

Canon lens FD 50mm 1:1.8 S.C.

does that mean its a 50mm and not a 35mm?

maybe my dad switched the lense

and HocusPocus i was researching these cameras and found an online guidebook to the Nikon EM here...

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/emfgfg20/em/nikonem/page2.htm

[Cynlix]

^ Yes, the lens is 50mm, but the camera is still called a 35mm. What arem meant by 35mm is not the focal length of the lens, but the size of the film. Canon AE-1s are still one of the best SLRs to learn off of. I know most photography classes still recommend AE-1s to start off with.

[white_giraffe]

I have a Nikon EM. Nikon released it as an cheap, economy camera that's easy to use. There's a bunch of E-Series lenses that are cheap that go with it. It's aperture priority, which I don't mind. And if the battery on the camera dies, you can switch it to M90 (I think...) which is a set shutter speed and works mechanically. There's also a long exposure setting, that is also mechanical. The shutter stays open until you release it. Pretty basic camera, small size, and cheap. I like it.

[arem]

This is not a dis at all Showbiz, but the fact that I could refer to a 35mm and you wouldn't realize that I was talking about the camera type is just crazy to me. I feel older than shit when stuff like that happens. Someone please tell me you know what HC-110 or Dektol is.

[RAISED BY WOLVES]

Someone please tell me you know what HC-110 or Dektol is.

I know what HC-110 and Dektol are.

[showbiz00ditc]

cool guys thanks for the info

[Vitamian]

I know what HC-110 and Dektol are.

What about Beutler and Cibrachrome?

[BOORADLEY]

waits for carls response...

[arem]

What about Beutler and Cibrachrome?

WTF is Beutler?

[Carl]

waits for carls response...

Errrr...um, hmmm.

Well, my first camera was an AE-1 with a 50mm 1.8, so it's deffinetly a good starter set up.

And i do know what HC-110 and Dektol are, but i havent a clue about Beutler and Cibrachrome.

I would buy a couple rolls of Tri-X and a few rolls of Ultra Color 400 and then just mess around. Learn the basics of exposure, figure out what you want to shoot, and then go from there.

[airfrogusmc]

AAHHH ciba chrome...I did one of my final portfolios shooting Kodachrome 25(professional) and printed large cibachormes from them. Ciba was suppose to be very stable unlike other color processes which were did not meet archival standards. Cibachrome and die transfer were once considered archival. They have come to find that ciba is not what it was they once thought it was but kodachrome 25 was probably the finest color film ever made.

Which dilution of HC 110? Thats the question. Wasn't Adams that had what he called dilution C which he claimed gave him 9 zones (with detail) when used with tri x pro 320 sheet film?

[airfrogusmc]

And I would recommend something like a Canon FTb, Nikon F or Canon F-1 because they are fully manual.

[isoform]

^ Yes, the lens is 50mm, but the camera is still called a 35mm. What arem meant by 35mm is not the focal length of the lens, but the size of the film. Canon AE-1s are still one of the best SLRs to learn off of. I know most photography classes still recommend AE-1s to start off with.

Got a Canon AE-1 Program off of ebay plus two lenses and the filters that went with them off for 75$. Dunno if this was a steal or not, but I just wanted to start to learn photography... didn't even know Canon AE-1s were good beginner cameras. All I know is from google research is that these Canons were very popular in the 1980s for amateur photographers. They weren't fabulous, fully professional, fine crafted excellent pieces so folk can still get them for cheap.... :|

Anyway, the AE-1 is definitely intuitive and very easy to use.

Anyways--eBay is good for whoever asked where to get these cameras from... i bet a few ppl on here have Leicas or know of them. Well, I am glad I started off with the Canon versus Russian knockoffs like all the other hipsters. heh.

[Vitamian]

WTF is Beutler?

Beutler was an old German developer--notably used for the high silver content Adox films of the '50s-- for low-speed films which produced a very fine-grain negative. It is now sold as Neofin Blue.

AAHHH ciba chrome...I did one of my final portfolios shooting Kodachrome 25(professional) and printed large cibachormes from them. Ciba was suppose to be very stable unlike other color processes which were did not meet archival standards. Cibachrome and die transfer were once considered archival. They have come to find that ciba is not what it was they once thought it was but kodachrome 25 was probably the finest color film ever made.

Which dilution of HC 110? Thats the question. Wasn't Adams that had what he called dilution C which he claimed gave him 9 zones (with detail) when used with tri x pro 320 sheet film?

Dye Transfer Matrices are the Supreme print. Stunning. Unfortunately, only a few people know how to do it now; apparently Eggleston printed his famous pictures with that system.

[airfrogusmc]

FTbs go for usually under $100 with a lens and they are fully manual. I'd say a much better choice for someone really wanting to learn.