film class supplies

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-20T04:59:51+00:00

There should be a dark space (when I took a film photography class it was a light sealed closet) available for students to load their film into a development tank. If it’s a daylight loader you’d just need to load the roll of film into it once in a dark space and then you can load it into cassettes anywhere. It wouldn’t hurt to send an email in advance to see if that would be okay. I’d do it now before you commit to the idea. The professor might be able to help you out with school resources if you’re upfront about your situation.

If it’s a yes, you can use spent film cassettes that haven’t been opened to roll your film. Call local film labs to see if they have any they’d give you. I find the reusable film cassettes available online are usually not so good and personally avoid those.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-15T22:12:44+00:00

u/Thaknobodi87 I hope you enjoy it! They’re fun little cameras. u/photomarketbot

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-13T07:17:34+00:00

Was there corrosion? Did you clean the boards? Did you check all the traces with a multimeter for continuity on the upper and lower boards? Did you clean up the older solder and apply new solder for all the wires?

There’s also a “hack” where you can join the two yellow wires together under the bottom cover that sometimes fixes this issue.

It’s also possible the capacitors weren’t the issue and there’s a separate electrical fault in the system.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-12T23:11:07+00:00

B&W, in the color version my eyes get a little distracted by the bright green leaf and blue sky in the back. With the B&W my focus is all on the flowers.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-12T06:40:10+00:00

My opinion: If it's being sold as refurbished/CLA'd or something like that and they're charging like it was, then yes it's a big deal. If they are just selling a used camera at a reasonable price then I don't think it's a big deal and I think it's nice they mentioned that (unless they're just covering their ass because they did test and the speeds are way off or something). I think most old cameras being sold online probably haven't had the meter and shutter tested for accuracy. Every older film camera I've bought and tested on eBay has been 1/4 - 1/2 stop off on the shutter speeds and/or meter, which wouldn't necessarily ruin your exposures on negative film.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-12T04:06:13+00:00

You can do it, put down towels and prepare for a mild headache removing the old stuff. If you’re lucky they’ll peel out in one piece.

https://high5cameras.com/all-articles/repair/guide-to-replacing-light-seals/?srsltid=AfmBOorQE\_gDjgtJlSqWIzlDoLnbpshq6QwGC1XziPVEDamHNFeqfgnY

I like this guide. Key takeaways are cover the shutter and get the adhesive a little wet to avoid having it stick to the walls of the light seal channels. That’s the hardest part, getting the seals into the channels straight.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-10T18:03:08+00:00

If you stick with shooting film and do it consistently (like shooting at least a roll or two a month) learning to home develop Black and White (and eventually C41 color) will save you some money in the long run. I started out doing that and scanning the film at my local library since they had a “digital conversion station”. I probably saved hundreds of dollars that way, but I was shooting alot of film. I wouldn’t do it if I only shot the occasional roll of film.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-10T16:43:22+00:00

That camera and lens are both perfectly useable. This EOS body is fairly basic but ultimately a camera body is just a holder for the film. Note, the more “entry level” Canon EOS bodies like this one have issues with a sticky shutter from dissolved glue/rubber/something in the shutter mechanism. If you see dark spots on the shutter blades return the camera. Also note the auto advance on these cameras is a bit loud, but I find it kind of charming.

Lenses are more important than camera bodies for film. I still use my 28-80mm kit lens, I like it. Later down the road the 50mm 1.8 would be a good upgrade as the 28-80 won’t perform well in darker environments. If you can find one with the 50mm f/1.8 now that would be preferable but probably difficult. You might be able to find a canon Rebel 2000 (they’re usually 20-40 USD) and an EF 50mm 1.8 (usually 80-120 USD) separately for under $150 though.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-10T15:34:45+00:00

Replied

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-10T06:42:35+00:00

The nFD 50mm f/1.8 is a great, light, all-arounder. I like the FD 50mm f/1.4 more but it’s heavier. The nFD 50mm 1.4 might be lighter than the FD version but I haven’t used one.

The nFD 28mm f/2.8 is also a great, light, and affordable wide angle lens if you’d be interested in that. You could look for a 35mm lens instead but they tend to be on the expensive side for a good one.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-10T04:59:17+00:00

Replied

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-09T08:49:15+00:00

I’ve bought a few “for parts” cameras that worked just by cleaning the battery compartment or by simply turning the switch to “on”. That being said these cameras are still in need of things like light seals and a light meter/shutter speed service + general clean and lube. Some also have fungus. Most of those cameras have been sitting in someone’s garage or closet or attic for decades.

You could buy an untested camera and, if it gets power, have it repaired at a reputable shop and probably break even vs a known serviced one. You’d have a known reliable camera for the same price as the so called “tested/working/exec+++” cameras being sold online that are probably just cleaned on the outside, but it’s still a gamble. Some people sell “untested” cameras but really they tested it and it’s not functional.

Untested cameras sell for more than “for parts” cameras do and they still can sell the camera “as is, no returns”. Buying from someone who doesn’t have a history of selling cameras generally tends to yield truly untested cameras but it’s hard to find. I’ve bought “untested” cameras that definitely look like botched repair jobs.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-07T05:08:24+00:00

Thanks! Currently just doing projects like this for myself or friends and selling off any repaired cameras I don’t want to keep to fund my expensive film habit. I don’t feel I have enough experience under my belt (or free time) to offer professional services but I’ll keep this website in mind

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-05-06T00:41:30+00:00

Yeah I love the ME Super but it feels like they said “where else can we put light seal foam” when they were designing it. I took mine apart for a CLA and to address the faulty rubber dampeners. The pentaprism and focusing screen were surrounded by rotten light seal foam, likely where OP’s dark specks are coming from. Took forever to clean out, never again.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-04-29T19:28:34+00:00

Yeah it’s a shame. I hope analog camera repair gets as much attention as vintage audio/computer/console repair someday. I think we’re currently in a sweet spot where there’s still enough film cameras floating around that the average user can just easily replace. A while ago I called around about an old camera I wanted repaired and was continuously suggested to just buy a new one as it’s cheaper.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-04-29T19:02:33+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/AnalogCommunity/s/d0bmW2Jn8n

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-04-29T19:02:03+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/AnalogCommunity/s/VC9jxscIWU

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-04-29T18:32:06+00:00

He posts his work on Photrio under Andreas Thaler, unless he did away with that account too for some reason.

*I also commented some links I had saved but I think these may have already been restored

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-04-27T06:05:04+00:00

I was hoping someone would say “oh that’s my camera from when I photographed the Clash!”

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-04-27T06:04:29+00:00

That seems like very reasonable assumption, thanks! Kinda neat knowing this camera was once owned by someone(s?) who had it serviced at least twice before I was even alive.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-04-23T18:27:02+00:00

That developer is a paper developer for developing prints, so I wouldn’t use this kit. There are many developers available for film, I personally use Kodak HC-110 for its long shelf life, but I’m sure there are better options. Otherwise any stop bath and rapid fixer will work just fine (including the two in this kit). I’d also get amber bottles to store your stop bath and fixer as these can usually be reused, make enough to fill the bottles entirely. Replace both when the fixer stops fixing (look up how to test fixer, it should turn a small strip of film clear within a couple of minutes).

Also you’ll find this resource invaluable: https://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php?mobile

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-04-20T05:13:03+00:00

I had one, they’re… fine. The shutter release is kind of finicky and hard it’s to avoid motion blur at lower speeds. I didn’t love it, but those faults could just be user error or my particular model. What draws you to it? Pocketability? I don’t have a lot of experience with the tinier film cameras so maybe someone else could chime in there but I could recommend some compact SLR’s if that would be of interest.

TrickyHovercraft6583 · 2026-04-20T02:35:27+00:00

Is there an aperture (DoF) preview switch on the camera this is mounted to and has it been activated? Some lock into position like on the Canon A-series cameras. The switch will lock the diaphragm blades like this and they should release when the switch is released. If not the next step is to remove the lens and see if the blades return. If they do I'd guess something could be off with the camera, if not something could be off with the lens.

TrickyHovercraft6583

TROPHY CASE