Recommend a good Canon film SLR

[BEphoto]

Now that I'm finally going back to school, I'm taking photography for my fine art that's required. I have an AE-1 program that I've shot since before moving to digital back in the day. I would rather use a more modern camera that is compatible with all of my current EF lenses.

Are the film rebels the entry level to film? I know there are other EOS cameras but don't know anything about them. What is the 40D of film SLRs? I would rather have something a little better than entry level.

Thanks guys and gals.

[RightAngle]

I have an elan that I bought for this very reason. It worked really well for me. It's set up pretty much exactly like a XXD camera for the most part. Definitely some different buttons and functions but its easy to get the feel of what's going on.

[CaptainG]

I think the 40D of film would be the A2E or the A2 and ebay has them for under $100. Both of them would use most of the EF lenses.

[KJ Smith]

You can buy a EOS 1 for less than $200.

Buy a good pro body, you will not regret it.

Kevin

[toverman]

Originally Posted by KJ Smith

You can buy a EOS 1 for less than $200.

Buy a good pro body, you will not regret it.

Kevin

+1 on that.

To answer your question, I'd agree that the Rebel film cameras are entry-level, the Elan series would kind of be like the prosumer XXD models, but the EOS 1 and its cousins the 1n and 1V are the cream of the crop.

I have an Elan II that I bought new in 1996. A great camera, but the vertical grip doesn't have an adjustment wheel on it, just a shutter release. At the time I was using it daily, I never knew what I was missing!

[BEphoto]

I'm definitely going to check out the 1 series and see if I can find one local, but doubt it. Can't say I've seen these going anywhere a all recently.

If any of you have anything for sale, let me know!

[KJ Smith]

Its not local, but KEH has them.

Kevin

[Valerie]

Your AE1 is just fine for Photo I. You should be learning fstops/shutter speeds/film speed/ composition/ processing and printing for the most part. A 55mm lens is sufficient.
Don't get hung up on "older" vs "modern".

[CaptainG]

Originally Posted by valerie

your Ae1 Is Just Fine For Photo I. You Should Be Learning Fstops/shutter Speeds/film Speed/ Composition/ Processing And Printing For The Most Part. A 55mm Lens Is Sufficient.
Don't Get Hung Up On "older" Vs "modern".

+1

[BEphoto]

I need a second camera for my wife though, so either way I'd be needing to buy another. Good to know I may only need to buy one though if the AE-1 will be alright.

[KJ Smith]

The AE1 is fine, I had one myself. But it is a FD mount. The EOS1 is a EF mount and his current lenses will work on it.

Kevin

[johnastovall]

All you may want to know about Canon Film bodies....

[venchka]

There was a nice EOS 3 for sale right here at TPF recently.

Elan IIe for your EOS lenses. Eye control focus and depth of field program run circles around digital bodies.

Invest in one or two really good lenses for the AE-1. Any of the S.S.C. lenses are great. Cheap too.

Valerie is totally correct: A camera that has all of the manual controls where you can see and feel them provides instant feedback.

Good luck. Share your progress with us.

[cooltouch]

Originally Posted by Valerie

Your AE1 is just fine for Photo I. You should be learning fstops/shutter speeds/film speed/ composition/ processing and printing for the most part. A 55mm lens is sufficient.
Don't get hung up on "older" vs "modern".

While an AE-1 or AE-1P or A-1 will certainly work for manual photography, they are inferior in my view. Why? Because the meter is not coupled to the aperture ring. The meter suggests an aperture, but does not show the selected aperture. They also have the dreaded (to me, at least) bottom center-weighted metering pattern.

For an FD camera, the hands-down best one imho is the original Canon F-1, followed closely by the FTb. They both have match-needle metering (one needle for the shutter speed and one for the aperture, which when aligned represent correct exposure). They both meter the center 12% of the image in a visible rectangle, that becomes very useful especially in unusually lit situations. They are solid, mechanical workhorses. Both have mirror lock up. The F-1 has interchangeable focusing screens, finders, and motor drive capability.

For EOS, if you can pick up a non-thrashed EOS-1 for cheap, I'd say go for it. I owned a first generation Rebel (which wore out after about 10 years of light use), and even it had full manual mode capabilities. I now own an Elan IIe, which also offers manual mode (of course), but it includes mirror up among its custom functions -- a feature I like for high magnification or long telephoto work. It's "whisper-quiet" belt drive is a plus, especially when rewinding the film. Elan IIe's are really cheap nowadays.

[BEphoto]

Lots of good information here. Keep it rolling in.

That eye control focus is pretty nuts. I've never seen that, nor do I have a clue how that works. Was it pretty accurate? Sounds interesting to say the least.


Edit: i'm going to see what these S.S.C. Lenses are for the FD mount too. Never heard of that before. I'd like to find for lenses for the AE-1. I currently have a 50 1.4, 24 2.8, and something like a 35-130 or something weird like that.