First film camera

The camera is a joy to use! I've run a roll of Poundland's finest film through it this morning which all seemed to work fine, the shutter appears to suffer from a bit of a squeak but I've read that it doesn't effect the performance, it is just the mirror damper after the shutter has opened and closed.

A few test shots, some of our cats and a couple of the wife, so hopefully there are a couple I can post up; going to send it off to filmed on Monday to see what we get!

I'm tempted to try some black and white film too, I see Ilfords is well recommended? Is Amazon a cheap place for film?

I can't thank Ken enough for his generosity!
 
A word on filters...

There's a good quality Hoya filter on the lens, best to keep it on.
Unlike digital, I find a coated filter helps film photography.

For B&W you may need to invest in a yellow filter to help with definition/contrast in skies.
The FD 50 1.8 uses a 55mm thread, as, I think, will any standard lenses for the AE-1 - a 28 or 135. (Zeiss standard prime lenses for my Contaxes all have 55mm threads)
 
Craigus said:
I'm tempted to try some black and white film too, I see Ilfords is well recommended? Is Amazon a cheap place for film?
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Worth noting, in case you don't already know, there are two types of B+W film. First, the type that requires B+W dev. chemicals and is expensive to get processed unless you DIY.
Second, the type that is developed the same as colour. Ilford XP2 is one of them.

I've never seen a good price for film on Amazon but there are good prices, inc. delivery, on e-bay.
 
Just a quick note on Canon FD lenses. All my FD lenses (50/1.8, 50/1.4, 28, 135 mm) have a 52mm filter thread.
 
NickT said:
Just a quick note on Canon FD lenses. All my FD lenses (50/1.8, 50/1.4, 28, 135 mm) have a 52mm filter thread.
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I tried a 52 as that was what I thought it was, but it turned out to be 55.

Just had a quick Google and they were produced in both sizes over the years.

Useful chart:
http://stores.ebay.com/Plumtree-Photo/Canon-Lens-Chart.html

It's cheaper overall to use stepping rings if there is a difference in thread sizes.
 
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Is it the breechlock 50mm that has a 55mm thread? I bought my A1 and lens (bayonet type) not long after the A1 came out and it was a 52mm thread.
 
NickT said:
Is it the breechlock 50mm that has a 55mm thread? I bought my A1 and lens (bayonet type) not long after the A1 came out and it was a 52mm thread.
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The lens that was on the AE-1 was a breechlock. I'm not familiar with Canon lenses though.
 
When people post their film, do you just chuck it in an envelope 1st class or is it too chunky to pass for that? Does it need a box etc?
 
You can stick 35mm rolls in a standard/padded envelope but they won't fit through the (edit)"Large letter" slot at the PO so postage will be around £2.85 for 2nd class or £3.15 1st class for 1 roll or 6 rolls.
 
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Standard 35mm rolls won't fit through the large letter slot. They won't even drop through without the plastic canister and without an envelope. 120 rolls don't fit either. The spool end snags.

They have to be sent 'small parcel' which is ludicrous.
 
But some of us take the risk and put them (Edit: without plastic case; I wrap mine in alfoil) in plastic envelopes (obtainable off the evil bay), stick a large letter stamp (95p) on and drop them in a post box. More likely to work for one or two rolls; for 3 or more the small parcel rate is less iniquitous.

If your local PO spots the under-postage, they delay it for a few days and charge me £3 surcharge at the other end, which Filmdev then recovers from me. So apart from the delay not vastly more expensive than the £3.35 first class small parcel rate (it's gone up, Steve).

Some folk here have never had the under-postage picked up; I've had it happen 3 or 4 times.
 
The b******d who set the slot width wasn't a filmie :(...... but can understand sending 4 or 5-120 films 2nd class for about 60p to avoid small parcel rate, but what annoys me is:- I know two 120 films in a jiffy bag will wriggle through but they have a silly rule it must drop through, so why? do they have a auto sorting process like for letters? If not, what's the problem? Anyone here work at royal mail?
 
It has to drop through unhindered. I sent two films in a normal envelope large letter and only the envelope arrived. The films had been ripped out of the envelope. I'm still waiting for RM to cough up the replacement cost for the postage and films! That was well over a month ago.

For single rolls which includes postage both ways then Ilford at £6.75 for development isn't bad. They also send you an envelope with the first order so it's easy to order again. Ilford charge the same for black and white, c41 and 35mm & 120.
 
srichards said:
It has to drop through unhindered. I sent two films in a normal envelope large letter and only the envelope arrived. The films had been ripped out of the envelope. I'm still waiting for RM to cough up the replacement cost for the postage and films! That was well over a month ago.

For single rolls which includes postage both ways then Ilford at £6.75 for development isn't bad. They also send you an envelope with the first order so it's easy to order again. Ilford charge the same for black and white, c41 and 35mm & 120.
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Well if they put all parcels in something like a hopper then used a grating system (like a cattle grid) to sort out parcels o_O That would make sense, but how come mine got through and well as others. We need an insider at royal mail to explain.
 
I don't work in a hub, I am in a delivery office, but I will ask tomorrow.
One thing I would say is decent packaging helps, it's heartbreaking at Christmas time especially to get empty packaging turning
up, yes we do deliver with the hope the person receiving it will recognise who it came from and possibly be able to retrieve the
missing contents
 
Well, I have had my first roll of film developed by filmdev - £5 for develop and good size scan is a very good price. Also the service from them is excellent, posted Tuesday first class and had the email with download link on the Wednesday lunchtime!

I shot a roll Agfa Vista 200 and had a few okay shots. The first dozen were shot at the wrong film speed of 400 ( :banghead: ) so they were a bit underexposed. This was probably the best of the bunch, only thing done to it is corrected the slight yellow cast in Lightroom.


R1-04211-0025 by Craigus89, on Flickr
 
Easy mistake to make. You soon get used to it. The good thing is you now know what effect 1 stop underexposure looks like with this camera.
The above looks good - well focused and exposed.
Did you just use the camera settings?
 
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Yes that's true, a few of the underexposed ones were taken indoors so the yellows and oranges are very very strong. I used a combo of full manual and aperture priority, the above from memory was in AP as it's obviously more convenient shooting kids. I think I stuck it on 1/250 and just shot away.

I've tried to fix the squeaky mirror damper a couple of times now but not had much success, I hesitate to try again as I don't want to flood the thing with oil in the wrong places. As evidenced by the photos being fine it doesn't affect the performance just sounds a bit odd.

It's great fun using it though, and as long as filmdev keep on going at their prices it is definitely something I'll persist with as it is not costly at all. It makes a nice change from shooting digital too. I completely get why people enjoy using film, there is something about it, and I take this camera out with me more as I'm not so concerned leaving it in the car places. The Mrs even showed some interest which she hasn't before with my digital stuff.

Thanks again, Ken!
 
The squeak may go away with use, but Canon A series tend to have this problem.
Here's a video of how to do it, but you probably don't want to trash it!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YMpMHwMtX4


It would probably be a good idea to check the condition of the light seals next time you open it. (and the mirror bumper)
 
ChrisR said:
Ah, I suspected there was something odd about my pics!

Seriously though, I guess every range has at least one well-built, small all-manual camera with a modern battery for the meter, excellent good value lenses and a superb viewfinder. Since I only use Pentax, I have to suggest the best from that range, the MX (of course the LX is significantly more sophisticated, but has more problems and 2-4 times as expensive).

Finding a manual camera with a meter but that will work at all speeds without a battery (should it fail) is a good direction to go if you want a real contrast to the auto-everything of the modern digeri camera.
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The only Pentax I owned was a black MX with 50mm f1.7 lens it hold very special memories for me as I took the very first pictures of my first granddaughter who was only seconds old.:) On ilford XP1/2 ?
I sadly sold it with lens and winder when I decided to go totally Nikon and part ex it for a Nikon FM chrome body.
In fact a few years ago I did manage to find a brand New boxed MX body from a collector and managed to find another 50mm f1.7 winder and a 80-200mm Pentax lens.
It's still in box lol :) but a superb mechanical camera and a Weston Master V as a back up !
my granddaughter has just had her 26th birthday
 
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Phiggys said:
The only Pentax I owned was a black MX with 50mm f1.7 lens it hold very special memories for me as I took the very first pictures of my first granddaughter who was only seconds old.:) On ilford XP1/2 ?
I sadly sold it with lens and winder when I decided to go totally Nikon and part ex it for a Nikon FM chrome body.
In fact a few years ago I did manage to find a brand New boxed MX body from a collector and managed to find another 50mm f1.7 winder and a 80-200mm Pentax lens.
It's still in box lol :) but a superb mechanical camera and a Weston Master V as a back up !
my granddaughter has just had her 26th birthday
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You're a lucky man to have a mint MX. Get out there and use it... or give it to your granddaughter;) !
 
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