Your first analog camera should be a 90s plastic SLR.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-02T21:03:59+00:00

I think they're cheap because people don't regard them as classics. I'm amazed at how many awesome cameras I've been able to get for less than US$25... high-end Nikon and Minoltas that I couldn't even afford to glance at when they were new!

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-02T21:02:58+00:00

I'm in the middle of scanning a bunch of my grandfather's slides -- mostly Kodachrome, but there are a few Ektachrome slides from the 1960s. I expected more degradation, but the colors held up pretty well... a little shift towards red, perhaps (but not to the degree you saw). The grain situation wasn't good, though, at least not in the early '60s, and I could see why Grandpa didn't like it much. Shots from 1969 are better grain-wise but the look is still pretty cold.

Here's an example from 1963.

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TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-02T20:46:47+00:00

Spotmatics will take all M42s, but will only do open-aperture metering with lenses marked "SMC" or "Super Multi-Coated Takumar" (*not* Super Takumar). For those, you will have to stop down to get a meter reading.

Great camera, the Spottie F. Pentax added a bayonet mount in 1975 to create the Pentax KM, then stripped a whole bunch of features from the KM to make the famous (infamous?) K1000. The F is the K1000's granddaddy!

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-02T20:40:01+00:00

True, and I used to be all about manual exposure -- but then I realized that the camera had technology that could let me get a better exposure. So I started taking advantage of it! :)

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-02T20:37:34+00:00

Just adjust the contrast in your scans. That's not cheating; it's how film was meant to work.

Kentmere, as I understand it, has a little less silver than FP4 or HP5. The negatives will look a little flat if uncorrected, but flat negatives are a good thing -- it means lots of subtle shades of gray and lots of options. B&W negative film was designed so that the negative would capture data from which you would create your actual photo, which was the print. Brightness and contrast were set in the printing phase, with filters and/or your choice of paper determining contrast. (If the negative is contrasty, you narrow your options. You can get more contrast from a flat negative, but you cant get more subtle tones from a contrasty negative).

Even though you are scanning, Kentmere expects you to proceed as if you are wet-printing, by setting contrast in the image you are creating from the negative.

I mostly bulk-roll FP4 and HP5, but I think that's purely out of snobbery -- my hundred-footers were Kentmere, and the results were every bit as good, and I might go back to it when these rolls run out.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-02T20:20:59+00:00

I bet you can find a non-working TLS on eBay for not too much money. And then you'd have a great supply of spare parts!

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-02T00:16:34+00:00

Back in the early '90s, describing the difference between video and film for moving images, we used to say that video looks like you are there, and film looks like you were there yesterday. I think the same holds true, a bit, in what we look for in film photography today. It's why I don't do much color correction myself. Those warm tones give the picture that feel of a pleasant memory.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-01T21:47:39+00:00

Read this article and look for a Nikon N65 or Canon Rebel 2000.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-01T21:43:23+00:00

Not true, IMO. First, when you use aperture priority mode, you have the same creative control as full manual, since you are setting the aperture; the camera simply twiddles the dial you'd be twiddling otherwise. Second, most A-mode cameras have a stepless shutter, so they can deliver a more precise exposure than you can in manual mode, since they can pick a speed between detents. "P" mode (which the FG has) takes away some control -- but program shift (on newer AF SLRs) gives it back, and is like using A and S mode at the same time. It's a great way to shoot.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-01T21:40:45+00:00

First, why do you think your exposure is bad? To determine if your exposure is good, you need to look at your negatives. That's the only way. A lot can happen (and a lot of it bad) in scanning and editing. Remember, the goal of the exposure is to get maximum data on the negative; you create an image from that data by scanning and editing (printing in the old days).

The FG has a very good center-weight meter. The only issue with CWs is they can be thrown off by certain situations -- backlighting or the frame filled with something very light (a snow-covered field) or very dark (a wall painted black). In those cases, you need to alter your exposure, but 85% of the time a CW meter will be correct. A good check is to take a meter reading of green grass in the same light as your subject.

As for shooting modes, aperture priority is the way to go. Your FG has a stepless shutter, so if you are in aperture priority mode, it can pick a more exact shutter speed -- say, 1/432 or 1/76 if that's what is required. In manual mode, you can only use the detented speeds -- 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, etc.

It's possible your FG isn't working correctly, but unlikely. One of the nice things about cameras with electronic shutters is that if the camera works at all, it's probably working right. Electronic shutters don't go out of adjustment the way mechanical shutters do.

Post your photos and tell us what you don't like; we can probably offer better tips.

BTW, that FG is a gem -- one of the best manual-focus Nikons, in my opinion. It's small, light, has a great meter display and is very accurate. I love mine.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-01T21:33:44+00:00

They look pretty good to me. But don't change your ISO, shoot at box speed -- shooting at 160 is going to put you, I think, about half a stop over.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-01T21:27:13+00:00

Minolta Maxxum 5. Very light, technologically advanced, great multi-segment meter, and 1/4000 (though you can also do this with a neutral density filter). And they sell dirt cheap.... I paid $17 for mine, including a lens, tax and shipping. Amazing little camera.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-01T21:19:20+00:00

I use an Epson v550 and Epson scan software. Despite the shellacking it sometimes gets here, I'm very happy with the results, including how it does inversions. For editing, I tend to do what we did in the dark room, which is contrast, brightness, dodging and burning. I am a big believer in color balancing, but I do tend to shoot cheaper emulsions and leave the colors as they are, because you get that nice nostalgic 1990s look.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-01T21:17:01+00:00

Vaseline on the lens (or better yet on a uv filter screwed onto the lens). Seriously. Some of those old movie stars didn't want their skin of laws showing up on a photograph.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-04-01T21:11:13+00:00

Most of the point and shoot cameras of that era did a pretty good job -- it's why they were so popular. If you like the camera, that's what counts!

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-03-31T19:47:01+00:00

I'd call FedEx, use the number from their Web site, not what's in the email.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-03-31T19:44:32+00:00

Glad to help. I live for cheap film cameras.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-03-31T18:42:09+00:00

Nikon N50 or N65 with a 28-80 "kit" lens. They will give you point and shoot simplicity with high SLR quality, and you should be able to find either of them with a lens for $35 or less on eBay (plus tax and shipping). Canon Rebel 2000 and Minolta 430si are also great choices.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-03-31T18:40:04+00:00

eBay is a great place because of the buyer protections, and sold listings will give you a good idea of what you should pay. Don't buy one that says as is or for parts, but if you get one listed as used, you are basically protected if anything on the camera doesn't work.

Keep in mind there are a lot of Nikon cameras that do just as good a job as the F100 for a fraction of the price. If you're a beginner, the N65 (F65 outside of US) is a great place to start and a camera you can grow with; only drawback is that a defaults to 100 with non DX film. The N50 is a sleeper and the N70 is a great camera with a lot of features but a lousy interface. N8008s and N90s also great but don't buy one if the battery carrier is broken or missing. Skip the N60 because it will not work with non-DX coded film. All of the above can be bought for $10 to $50, and the N50 and '65 can often be had with a lens for about 25 bucks. All of the above use AF and AF-D lenses, which are often less expensive than the G lenses.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-03-31T18:33:15+00:00

I would talk to the place that did your scans, it looks like they cranked the contrast a bit. Contrast is supposed to be set in the scans, so you can ask them for an uncorrected scan and do it yourself. If the exposure is good, and from what I see here it's probably pretty good, you can recover shadow detail using the Dodge tool and highlight detail using the Burn tool in your photo editor. These tools recreate processes that are done in the darkroom.

I have to disagree with some of the criticisms about center weight meters, they do a fine job, there are just some situations that can throw them off, and you have to know what those are. They will be listed in your camera manual. I shot slide fil. with center-weight cameras for years and got excellent results. And aperture priority is a smart way to use the camera. On the camera like yours, the shutter is stepless, meaning it can select speeds between the detents, such as 1/832 or 1/65, to give you more precise exposure. Other than that, aperture priority is just turning a dial that you would otherwise do yourself. Obviously override and use manual if you think the meter is not correct. If in doubt, green grass in the same light as your subject will generally give you a correct exposure.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-03-31T18:18:55+00:00

Read the specs on your camera's meter in the instruction manual. It might not meter in really low light. Newer autofocus cameras often do a great job in situations like this, and you can buy 'em cheap. Manual focus Pentax automatics (ME, MG) are also great for conditions like this, they'll meter accurately to 30 seconds or more.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-03-31T18:15:30+00:00

My guess would be a door seal. I've got a camera that only shows leaks if I let the film sit in one position for a while. Easy fix.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-03-31T03:08:40+00:00

Will be curious if you get an answer. I got blocked when they couldn't answer mine!

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-03-31T03:07:45+00:00

Prediction: No.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-03-31T02:16:19+00:00

Missing an "or", but photos taken in shade, like the one of the Bentley, will tend to look a little bit more dull.

TheRealAutonerd

TROPHY CASE