@bekki if the price is right, why not - thought TBH, I think the £20 starting price is a bit optimistic.
I decided not to sell my EOS 300 film SLR as they were going for about a fiver & I'd rather keep it than give it away for that.
Praktica was only ever (I think) a cheap brand, so proceed with caution!
I bought one on ebay over a year ago when I did my college taster course. Mind I've hardly used it though. Mine is a Pentax Me Super and it came with a kit lens, 70-300mm lens and a mirror lens (which I've never used and don't know how to use, a flash gun, a load of filters, cleaning stuff and a massive bag. I love it but processing film is expensive. I'm on my second film, lol. I'm hoping to finish it soon as I have another taster course in March and want to develop it myself I paid £80 for the whole lot, don't know if that was good or not though but to me it was a bargain and it works perfectly. It is totally different from a DSLR though, whenever I take a pic with my DSLR and think I'll take the same shot with the Pentax I forget I need to set up differently then I have to wait to finish the spool before I see my pics so haven't a clue if they're any good. I have a feeling they'll all be rubbish, but hey.
I have almost a dozen film cameras all bought cheap from 1940-2005. Some medium format and others 35mm or other formats... I love them... digital is fun... but right now I have a pocket full of different films and I am relearning what I loved or hated about each...
I find I take my time with film, I bracket all my shots and most things turn up roses.... i'd say half the stuff that ends up on my 365 is film...
@bekki I bought a Praktica IV-F off eBay a few years ago and it's a great camera. It doesn't have onboard light metering or a hotshoe. It came with a light meter and a Meyer-Optik Gorlitz 50mm f/2.8.
It's a ton of fun and was worth every cent of the money I spent on it. Praktica is a great brand and a good way to re-learn non-digital photography :)
@brizmako it would be learn, ive never really used film as I got my first digi cam when I was 7 or 8 years old before that it was disposable film cameras :)
there is a 1988 olympus which may be a better option as its more modern ,
@bekki The old cameras are all full manual - focus, aperture & shutter - which means you have to set the aperture and shutter speed each and every time you want to press the 'take-pic-now' button. To determine what settings to use, you have to measure the light. There's also a setting for the ISO/ASA value of the film you're using which alters the exposure settings slightly as well.
Some old manual 35mm cameras have a light meter built-in, like my Zenit 12XP which has two flashing LEDs in the viewfinder - when the pic is going to be over-exposed the top led flashes, under-exposed the bottom led flashes, just right they both flash in sync. But a 1979 Praktica will need a light meter.
I recently bought an early 90's Minolta 35-mm that has AE (automatic exposure) and AF (automatic focus) and it's just like using a digital. If the 1988 Olympus has AE as one of its specifications, then you won't need a light meter :)
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I decided not to sell my EOS 300 film SLR as they were going for about a fiver & I'd rather keep it than give it away for that.
Praktica was only ever (I think) a cheap brand, so proceed with caution!
I find I take my time with film, I bracket all my shots and most things turn up roses.... i'd say half the stuff that ends up on my 365 is film...
It's a ton of fun and was worth every cent of the money I spent on it. Praktica is a great brand and a good way to re-learn non-digital photography :)
Go for it, I say.
there is a 1988 olympus which may be a better option as its more modern ,
why do you need a light meter?
Some old manual 35mm cameras have a light meter built-in, like my Zenit 12XP which has two flashing LEDs in the viewfinder - when the pic is going to be over-exposed the top led flashes, under-exposed the bottom led flashes, just right they both flash in sync. But a 1979 Praktica will need a light meter.
I recently bought an early 90's Minolta 35-mm that has AE (automatic exposure) and AF (automatic focus) and it's just like using a digital. If the 1988 Olympus has AE as one of its specifications, then you won't need a light meter :)