My $5 Canon Canonet QL17 GIII
If you’ve always wanted to shoot with film but didn't even know where to begin when it came to picking out a suitable camera, keep reading. I bought and been gifted many film cameras, lenses and accessories. Hopefully, I can use my experiences to help you take the plunge into film photography.
Camera Types
First, you need to decide what it is you want to do with the camera because that will determine which type of film camera you look for.
There are three main types of film cameras; SLR’s, rangefinders and point-and-shoots. SLR’s are what most people picture when they think of a “professional camera”. With their interchangeable lenses and option for full manual control over the camera’s settings, these give the most creative control over the final image. You can find SLR’s that have autofocus, fast shutter speeds and can still hold their own with many modern digital SLR’s. Or you can choose one that is fully manually controlled, operates mechanically and without any electronics. Rangefinders are more compact than SLR’s, some offer interchangeable lenses, some have a fixed lens. Different models offer varying degrees of control over camera settings and therefore varying levels of creative control over the image. Point-and-shoots are exactly as the name describes; just point it at your subject and fire away. Usually the most compact of the bunch, often made of cheap plastic and operate fully automatically, giving you very little to almost no control over the image. But they do offer a unique, stylized look that some people do enjoy.
Left to Right: Point-and-Shoot, SLR, Rangefinder
Once you settle on which type of camera will best suit your needs, it’s time to decide on a brand/camera system. I would stay away from really obscure brands that will be hard to find parts, lenses and accessories for. I’d also stay away from store-brand cameras and lenses (Sears had their own camera line, no bueno). Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Pentax, Olympus, Leica (if you have plenty of fuck-you money to burn) are all safe, reputable and ubiquitous brands. The nice thing about film camera bodies vs. digital camera bodies is, the body of a film camera has no affect on image quality; its essentially just a container for the film. Which brand of camera body you choose just comes down to what features you want and what your budget is.
Do Your Research
Many of these film cameras are several decades old and like any mechanical device, things can break and they need to be maintained. Once you have decided which camera you want to buy, learn everything you possibly can about it. Go on forums and read people’s experiences, find out what, if any, chronic issues the camera has, learn where its weak points are and how much a repair might cost. Find a PDF of the camera’s manual, read it and learn about all the camera’s features and how they are supposed to operate. Camerapedia is a great source to learn about the camera’s history and different variants that are available.
Search for the camera on eBay and look at the “Sold/Completed Listings”, that will give you a good idea of what the market value for the camera is. Then take a look at the online retailers (noted later on in the post) and see what they are selling the camera for. A fair price to pay would fall somewhere between the retail price and the completed eBay prices. One quick bit of advice; don’t pay retail price for anything that isn’t coming with a warranty.
Where To Find a Film Camera
Film cameras are for sale everywhere, some places are better to buy from than others.
Person-to-Person Sales: Sites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace are good places to shop from the comfort of your couch while still being able to inspect the camera in-person before making a purchase. You could also do it the old-fashioned way and cruise yard/estate sales, flea markets and thrift stores. You do take some risk buying from these places since you very likely will not be offered any sort of warranty or guarantee. However, if you are thorough with your research and know what to look out for, you can easily avoid buying a lemon. Or, like when I got my Canon Cannot QL17 GIII for just $5, the seller thought they were selling a broken camera. But thanks to my thorough research I knew it just needed a new battery and I walked away with a steal of deal. All but two of my cameras (even the digital ones) have been acquired through Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist and I’m yet to have an issue. You can read about my crowning jewel of my Craigslist finds here
Online Sales: KEH and UsePhotoPro are definitely the two best places (in the U.S.) to buy used camera gear online; they have a great selection of film cameras and lenses. The only downside is that the prices tend to be higher than what you might find on Craigslist or Facebook, but with that higher prices comes the guarantee that if the camera goes tits-up in two days you can return it and get your money back.
Inspecting The Camera
So you’ve done the research, you’ve found one for sale at a reasonable price, and now it’s time to meet the seller and look over the camera. I always bring several items with me when I meet a seller:
Batteries for the camera
A rocket blower
A light meter (or a camera with a light meter that I know works)
When you get the camera in your hands, put batteries in it (if it requires batteries). Turn it on, play with all the dials and buttons, make sure everything at least appears to be functioning correctly. Take the lens off and inspect the mirror, give the mirror and the focusing screen a quick blow with the rocket blower and see how well they clean up. Open up the film door and check the light seals. If the camera has an internal meter, see if it works; compare its reading to the light meter that you brought with you.
The focusing screen of my Minolta X-700
General things to look out for include:
Bad light seals: This is the least severe of the issues that you can find in an old camera. Inside the camera, most commonly around the film door, are seals that keep any stray light from entering the camera and ruining the film. These are usually made of foam which tends to break down and turn into a black, flaky, gooey mess. While it can be a pain in the ass to clean up, it is a super easy, inexpensive DIY fix.
De-silvered mirror: Improper cleaning, handling and just plain old age can cause the mirror inside an SLR to de-silver. This is when the silver, reflective coating of the mirror flakes off, leaving behind black spots. While it won’t affect your pictures, it will make it really difficult to see through the camera’s viewfinder. The de-silvering only gets worse over time so it’s best to avoid cameras with this issue.
Fungus: Lenses that were stored improperly can grow fungus inside of them. The fungus can etch the lens glass and ruin any protective coatings that were applied to the lens. I can also be pretty expensive to clean depending on how deep inside the lens the fungus is.
Dirty viewfinder: A dirty viewfinder can also be an easy fix. Most of the time it’s caused by specs of dirt on the focusing screen that’s inside the camera body above the mirror. A quick blast of air from a rocket blower should take care if it no problem. If that doesn’t clear up the viewfinder, the dirt might be deeper in the camera. It won’t have any affect on how your photos turn out, but it can be awfully annoying.
Broken or Inaccurate Light Meter: If the camera has an internal light meter, it’s not uncommon for it to be inaccurate or outright broken. I wouldn’t let a bad light meter deter me from buying the camera if it was otherwise a good deal. It could be as simple a fix as needing a new battery. If it’s truly a dead light meter, there’s plenty of free light meter apps for your smartphone, or you could be super cool and learn to shoot with the “Sunny 16 Rule”.
If everything is to your satisfaction, make an offer. Hopefully they accept and you can walk away with your new obsession. The next step is to load up a roll of film, get out there and get shooting!