#olympus om2

[kathleen2k]

Esquire theater 1985. The film was processed by Kodak in Palo Alto. If I dropped off at my local camera store (Jeff’s Camera, Davis,Ca.) before the 11 am, it would be back by 11 am the next day, weekends not included.

[rarity-irl]

my photography in my school’s gallery for our student show :3!

im so happy and proud of myself, it’s my first time being in a gallery!! (well technically i had a ceramic piece in a show once when i was like 9 but i don’t remember it lol). i feel so lucky to be able to make art i love <3

[kiuyukiuyu1989]

[mil-doo]

First Film Camera Quick Guide!

I was putting together a list for a partner who's been interested in buying a film camera that can do a little more than his point and shoot and it was recommended to me that I share the picks I sent him!

This is by no means comprehensive but these are the four that come to mind for me. I've kept the options $200 and below (with lens, based on ebay listings) with the idea being if this is your first film camera, or first film SLR, you probably don't want to spend much more than that.

For anyone who's been shooting for a while who has some other options to share please feel free to mention them so nothing gets overlooked!

Nikon F4 ($200)

Pros: It was Nikon's first professional auto focus camera and also has multiple auto exposure modes from full auto, to aperture and shutter speed priority! It has great build quality, Nikons are known to be indestructible. It has advanced metering to help make sure everything in the frame is exposed properly. The F mount has been around for 70 years and counting and has the largest library of lenses available, many of which are fairly inexpensive. It also has the best viewfinder on this list for glasses wearers due to its size!

Cons: It's a tank! It's big and chunky and much like many other auto focus film cameras of the era it has that ugly DSLR look. It has a Swiss army knife worth of features many of which you may never use!

Canon EOS Rebel GII (>$100)

Pros: You can get the body and a lens for under $100 making it the cheapest option on this list! It's capable of auto focus and a number of different exposure modes that let you learn various settings or take pictures with the ease of a point and shoot. The EOS mount lasted for 30+ years so there's a wide variety of lenses across a wide spectrum of prices.

Cons: It's an enthusiast grade camera with consumer grade build quality and a somewhat limited feature set for a late era film SLR --but all the right features are included. It's big, chunky, kinda ugly.

Olympus OM-2 ($150)

Pros: It's really small for a professional camera! It has that classic film SLR look, and it was in FLCL! It's manual focus, but does have some auto exposure tools to assist you. You'll have to dial in aperture to your liking but shutter speed can be determined for you. You can grab one of these with a lens for around $150.

Cons: It will have a steeper learning curve than the auto focus cameras on this list. The OM mount library is pretty limited and while the 50mm lens you probably get with it will be cheap most other focal lengths get a little more pricey due to availability.

Nikon FE ($200)

Pros: Another small manual focus camera with auto exposure features! It uses the F mount so it's an easy system camera to grow into if you think you'll want to experiment with different focal lengths along the way! It's a Nikon so it'll probably outlast us all.

Cons: It's pricier up front than the OM-2 and if you don't think you'll want to experiment with different focal lengths down the line it probably isn't worth it!

Point & Shoot!

If you're looking for a point and shoot my main recommendation is to buy anything that's $50 or less. They all more or less work the same and they're all ticking time bombs of 90s consumer electronic goodness.

Facebook market place is a sadly a great place to find them, and where I got my beloved little Olympus MJU for $20 three years back!

Final Frame

Like I said up top, none of this is definitive! If you find something you think you can grow into that gets you excited to get out and shoot that's the camera for you! The most important thing is to have fun and make some art! Enjoy <3

[treadingwaterphotography]

some flower shots on ektar, shot on an olympus om2

[schmerzlich]

stairs in scotland, 2021 

[tokyo-camera-style]

Totem Pole Photo Gallery, Shinjuku

Olympus OM2 with 50mm f1.4 lens

Photographer:  Kira Walz / website

[karlender-blatt]

2022/008