Part 1
As I said in a previous post I'm going to make a photography course on Steemit.
If you didn't grow up using film (or even if you did) there are a lot of choices of gear and of film which can be confusing or intimidating.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
There is an easy way.
Buy a 35mm point and shoot camera like one of these.
I bought a couple of these from the old evilBay.
You may have some luck in charity shops or second hand thrift stores.
One cost about £7 the other around £10.
They are unlikely to be more expensive.
Both of these cameras came out around the millennium. Maybe 1998-2003.
There were a lot of different models with different lenses and zoom choices.
Each new model seemed to have a longer top end zoom than the last.
These were designed not for the enthusiast photographer but for Joe Shmoe and as such have virtually no controls.
A zoom control, a couple of buttons to toggle the flash modes/self timer and a macro mode button.
Which doesn't work as well as a macro mode that you are probably familiar with on a digital camera of today.
They all have the familiar half press to focus/lock exposure, squeeze harder to take the photo operation.
When you turn the camera on the flash will almost always be automatically on which can be annoying so remember to switch it off unless you actually need it.
Demolition - Nikon Lite Touch 70W - Agfa APX400
There are 2 LED lights next to the viewfinder. One red to tell you the flash is ready to fire and the other green that stays lit to tell you that focus has been locked.
If it is struggling to focus it will blink slowly if it can't find anything to focus on it will blink quickly.
I found it always best to aim at as large a target as possible.
Sometimes they focus on something behind your subject if there is a lot of contrast.
So if you shot a portrait of someone standing in front of you either fill more of the frame with their face, get nearer by a step, zoom in or focus at their chest then recompose or else there's a risk that the focus will be on whatever is behind them.
Some of these types of camera wind film to the end and rewind it as you shoot, so that if you accidentally open it your images will be safe. Which to be honest just makes more sense. Especially for consumer cameras.
As these weren't aimed at enthusiast photographer and aren't held with a lot of love or nostalgia these are cheap.
Canon models were called sure shot. Olympus made great cameras called mju which are tiny and still sought after.
These will cost more.
Look at Nikon, Pentax, Minolta or Canon for some bargains.
I bought these to play with and to have camera for family photos that I could happily hand to anyone.
Nobody can use my DSLR in the way I have it set up.
Of the two the Nikon 120 ED in particular is really good. It has a cracking lens and really does give SLR quality images. Trouble is that it gives blurry images at maximum zoom unless you have it on a tripod or stable surface or good light. (or use the flash)
They always want to use a shutter speed too slow to freeze motion or stop camera shake.
Be aware of it and then use it creatively.
Zombies - Nikon Lite Touch 120 ED - Kodak ColorPlus 200
They both suffer from frustrating design choices.
You'd think that someone who bought the wider angle version might also buy the long zoom version.
So why do they use different batteries?
All of these models have a good viewfinder that zooms with the lens to show a reasonably accurate view of what the lens will see.
All of them have a fair amount of shutter lag.
By that I mean you squeeze the shutter and it takes a moment for the shot to happen.
If you want to capture action then you need to hit the shutter before it happens.
The shutter noise is very quiet but the film winding on isn't. Nor is the zoom mechanism.
I've used quieter drills.
If you are outdoors switch the flash off.
There is a landscape mode that focuses to infinity for when you want to shoot, you know... landscapes.
There's a red eye flash mode that doesn't really work.
There's flash on or auto flash where the camera will fire it when it thinks it needs it, (which is all the time unless you're pointing at the midday sun).
It does work reasonably well as a fill flash.
Finally and more interestingly there is slow sync flash. This keeps the camera shutter open then fires the flash which will create light trails and blurry movements if things are moving or the camera is moved.
Use these cameras in good light
Ochils - Nikon Lite Touch 120 ED - Kodak Ektar100
You will not find a more simple or inexpensive way of getting into film photography than using one of these.
The lithium battery will probably cost more than the camera and will last for a long time.
Point, Recompose,Shoot.
In the next part we will explore film choices.
I'll do a simliar post to this with SLR cameras and then a project and task for you to complete.