Back to the Future

Blyth Spirit

Blyth Spirit

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North of the Wall but South of the Frontier.
For some years now I've plodded on with a small digital snapper; some decent results, some dire results. The vast, vast majority of images never get printed. I have been hankering for something a little more substantial so I've scratched the itch - as it were.

Being quite niggardly by nature I have eschewed modern hi-tech digital kit and I've gone and purchased a Praktica MTL3 35mm entirely manual SLR with a Zeiss lens probably made about 30 years ago.

Quality kit, solid German (albeit East) engineering, similar for the lens and I am genuinely excited with it.

Oh the thrill of the anticipation of taking a 36 exposure film to the developers!

Wish me luck....
 
Although the Praktica cameras feel solid, they're not that rugged.

I started my camera repairing career back in 1985 and the MTL3 was the camera that I started on. Lots of them.

Screws falling out of the mirror box mechanism and getting jammed elsewhere was a particular favourite.

Negative stuff aside, you could get them to set up quite nicely, with accurate shutter speeds and TTL metering, and the Zeiss lenses (usually a 50mm F2.8 Tessar) were very good, just make sure that the iris mechanism is nice and snappy.

Have fun!

Ian
 
Good luck with your back to the future experiment, I personally could never go back to 35mm, so wasteful lots and of chemicals buying film papers if you decide to set up a darkroom, but saying that printing a developing my own prints were my favourite part of the photographic process, If I were thinking of picking up a manual 35mm there are some incredible camera's out there for peanuts such as Nikon and Canon.

Jamie.
 
I've got an Olympus OM10 that's in as good condition today as it was when I bought it (second hand) and a Nikon F80. I doubt I could go back to 35mm but I gave serious consideration to developing my own negs and then using a neg scanner, only making prints if I really needed to. The OM10 could be a faff but I've changed the battery on it once in 20 years. I picked up my Nikon D40 the other to find that the battery was flat...
 
I don't know much about photography but was given my grandad's camera about two years ago along with a box full of accessories and an unused pocket diary from 1981 (a year before I was born). I bought film for it from Jessops (so was a little while back) and took some photos; I really must get round to getting them developed and seeing if they came out well
 
NotTheStig said:
I really must get round to getting them developed and seeing if they came out well
Click to expand...

I used to really enjoy the anticipation of waiting to see what the pictures were like. Of course, with digital, that's all gone.

Ian
 
A film camera (with a prime lens) is a fantastic thing to learn on. As you only have 24 to 36 exposures on a roll you can't just snap away, you have to compose and frame the shot properly and time it just right. All the best photographs I've taken have been on 35mm film (or transparency) and on prime lenses. With my D40 I can take thousands of shots but they will mostly be rubbish. The first or the last shots are usually the only decent ones. I am a big fan of auto focus though, I've missed so many shots because of manual focus (my fault, not the camera's).

(You probably all know this but a prime lens has a fixed focal length, it doesn't zoom in or out. If you want the object in the frame to be bigger, you move closer to it. Nice though zoom lenses are they're not as fast as prime lenses, 'fast' being the amount of light they let in which enables you to use natural light more easily).
 
IanM said:
NotTheStig said:
I really must get round to getting them developed and seeing if they came out well
Click to expand...

I used to really enjoy the anticipation of waiting to see what the pictures were like. Of course, with digital, that's all gone.

Ian
Click to expand...
Well it's still possible to use these cameras and have the films developed, just a bit less convenient. My wife (same age as me at 31) prefers having 'proper' laminated photos in physical albums. I prefer to have them digitally online somewhere. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
If I ever get round to getting the film developed I'll let you know how the photos came out.
My dad apparently borrowed the camera a few times after his father in law passed away so it was working into the early nineties.I had thought about selling the camera (I can't even remember what model it is) but every time I do I think of my grandad wearing it round his neck. He seemed to take it everywhere with him and it must be responsible for a lot of the photos I grew up looking at.
 
The good thing about some of the older cameras NTS, is that they're easy to repair and lenses and accessories for them can be had very cheaply of the 'bay. Some of the older cameras are still worth a few quid (like a Nikon F3).
 
That's no doubt very true. I hope that my grandad's is working well. I am off on holiday at the end of this week; this thread has spurred me to dig the camera out, take out the film and get it develped. Not sure I have one of those little film canisters so maybe that should be the first thing I do!
 
IanM said:
Although the Praktica cameras feel solid, they're not that rugged.

I started my camera repairing career back in 1985 and the MTL3 was the camera that I started on. Lots of them.

Screws falling out of the mirror box mechanism and getting jammed elsewhere was a particular favourite.

Negative stuff aside, you could get them to set up quite nicely, with accurate shutter speeds and TTL metering, and the Zeiss lenses (usually a 50mm F2.8 Tessar) were very good, just make sure that the iris mechanism is nice and snappy.

Have fun!

Ian
Click to expand...

Dont suppose you know how to fix my T90 EEE problem? I fixed it once before but I cant remember how???

I still have all my darkroom equipment, including a Durst colour enlarger. Havent used it for ten years or more and really miss the smell and dark red glow of my darkroom. My wife wont let me set it up in the new house :-(
 
I used to be fairly serious with my OM20 about 30 years ago then I discovered girls and stuff and kind of forgot photography, then I got a DSLR Fuji and kind of got back into it again, but the kit was too bulky, then I bought a Sony HX9V and its a wonderful bit of pocket sized kit.

The only thing that irks me is that it doesnt always take the photo the instant you hit the button.
 
Father Ted said:
The only thing that irks me is that it doesnt always take the photo the instant you hit the button.
Click to expand...

Pre focus. Depress the shutter button halfway to hold the focus, then press it all the way and it should* take the photo instantly.

*Depending on the model of your camera
 
I also have an ancient Yashica J (which was my grandfather's) and a Zenith EM bought new in 1980 - I only know that because of the Moscow Olympics motif - and that is built like a T34 tank. I think that the J is/may be beyond hope but I must have a clart about with the long forgotten Zenith.

I feel that this may become an obsession...:icon_rolleyes:
 
Also got a lovely yashicamat with the good lens and a mamiya c330. A few older canons and a rangefinder whose name escape me. I was going to sell them along with an old cinefilm camera, slide projector and a couple of Polaroids. Last time I checked however they don't get much money. Better to hold onto them and use every now and then for novelty value, you never know they might be worth more in 40 years time
 
Was asking my dad about some old kit he has he said it was a zenith which was a make people would look down their nose at a good few years back. Are they any good? I did tinker around with it in my younger days with some good photos the result.
 
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