35mm Canon Film Cameras - Advice?

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Dubwud

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Jack
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Hi TalkPhotography

I’m trying to source user-friendly Canon 35mm film cameras and I was wondering if this forum may be able to point me in the right direction.

I’m getting married in a couple of years’ time and since me and my friends are in to photography, I thought it would be a nice personal touch to have old Canon film cameras on the tables (along with a few packets of 35mm film). The idea is for people to pick up the cameras, use them throughout the day, and then I will have all of the film rolls developed after the wedding, and see what I come out with.

The reason I chose Canon is for interchangeability. I might as well stick to one brand, so if I get spare lenses or other equipment with one purchase, I can utilise it on another body only purchase. Since I have a 600d as my ‘main’ camera, it allows me to test the cameras/lenses using my own equipment first, plus if I pick up anything interesting, I can keep it and still use it after the wedding.

I have very little experience with Canons film range. So, what are people’s opinions? I will need around 12-15 cameras, so I need something that will be reasonably cheap, in terms of purchasing the body and lens, and in terms of maintenance (batteries etc). £30-40 or so for each camera is perfectly fine; I just don’t want to be spending thousands on something which I’m only going to use once.

I will also need cameras that have a full auto function. Most of the people using these cameras will be novices when it comes to photography, so I’d like people to be able to pick these cameras up and use them with little set-up. And finally, ideally, I want cameras with an automatic built in flash (unless people disapprove of Canons built in flashes?) allowing people to continue shooting long after the lights have gone down and the DJ has begun.

Thanks for your help!
 
Canon Eos 750/850 sounds like it would fit the bill. Should be able to pick up bodies for under a tenner.
 
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I do have a Nikon F80 and 50mm for sale in the forum... not Canon (but better lol) - resell after?
 
In case you don't know, stick to EOS cameras. The older manual focus Canon cameras use a different lens mount and the lenses won't fit on AF bodies. Gumtree is a good source for cheap bodies.

Apologies if I'm teaching you to suck eggs ;)
 
A lot of older canons suffer from the sticky shutter blades, try to have a look at the blades if you can and operate them while you look. I'd imagine the newer ones might be the best bet and can be had for beer money. I paid £4.99 for a working EOS 5000 or something like that.
 
Might be worth asking a few dealers if they will do you a deal on a weekend's rental or will buy back at a reasonable rate after the cameras have served their purpose. A quick peek at a recent AP shows that even EOS 5s can be had for well under £50, although suitable lenses might be less of a bargain!
 
The big problem with this plan as I see it, is simply that if you're going for the EOS 35mm cameras - which I'd suggest would be a good plan, as most "modern digital shooters" would be lost if handed a rangefinder or fully manual exposure and focusing SLR to use while half-pished at a wedding reception), then the lenses are going to cost you a possilby prohibitive amount. The EF lenses work with the current digital cameras, so even if you're grabbing a bunch of £10 and £20 bodies, unless you drop on something with the old "kit lens" 35-80mm you're still looking at another £30 or more to put some glass on the front... However, if they work, you'll probably be able to stick them back on fleabay and sell them for somewhere near what they cost...
 
RaglanSurf said:
Ahem!
Fuji Disposable-4 by Nick Watson, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Well, obviously in the hands of an expert they can produce decent shots....;) But a bunch of wedding guests on the lash is another matter entirely.
Are there no 3rd party Canon lenses to be had on the cheap, Sigma, Tamron etc?
 
excalibur2 said:
Ok...maybe one AF SLR camera passed from table to table (well that makes sense to me ;) )
Click to expand...

Actually that makes a lot of sense, perhaps a couple or three cameras and a few rolls of film on each table.
 
you should either ply your luck with ebay, or rockcameras :s
lens wise theres probably a fair few forgotten meh stuff u can get off ebay
 
theres holga lens if u cant find anyything, they like 8-10 quid, but f11 or sumin :/
 
Nod said:
But how much trick processing was done on that shot? Looks cross processed at least.
Click to expand...
You're partly right, that version has been tweaked in Lightroom, this is the original straight out of the camera
IBTL2013-04 by Nick Watson, on Flickr
 
Presumably this is for a reception indoors, possibly in the evening? Have you considered lighting? If you stick to lower models with built in flash that could be OK, but you may need to budget for flashguns otherwise. Will you be sticking them all in P or are you planning on putting idiot's guides on each table? What happens if someone alters the settings unwittingly?
 
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