Yesterday's Film Camera...that's what!

WHAT DO I GIVE AN ARTIST?

By:

Camera Dept Team

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November 28, 2021

35mm FILM CAMERAS from the Past

Making Unique Gifts Today

We’ve made holiday shopping easy!

Unique and thoughtful - a major gift for under $200.

A Nikon 35 mm film camera and lens, plus a cleaning kit, film and more, all for under $200? Seems impossible! How about a Canon, Olympus, Minolta, or Pentax camera and lens? Yep. Those too. All for under $200.

Horn Photo made a sweet deal on a large amount of reconditioned used film cameras. Our good friends from Calagaz Photo, who specialize in reconditioning and selling used gear, have selected the best cameras and lenses for us, and made sure they are clean and in perfect working condition. Horn Photo is adding in some extras to make this a gift bundle you’ll want to wrap up.

Here’s what’s in the bundle:

35mm film camera (Reconditioned Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Minolta, Pentax)

50mm lens (Reconditioned Nikon, Canon,Olympus, Minolta, Pentax)

Cleaning kit

Camera strap

1 roll of film 24 exposures

Voucher for 1 free film processing

All of this for only $184.95 (Heck-a-va Deal 💰)

A very unique gift for the photographer in your life.

Whether it’s someone just starting out, or a seasoned photographer who has been shooting with digital cameras for twenty years, they will appreciate this present. Film is different, it’s exciting and it’s a fun challenge to get into.

Which one should I get?

If there is a particular brand that you or your loved one is loyal to, then select that one. Or try something different! You really can’t go wrong with any of our used cameras and lenses. All are superb mechanical marvels. Check out our selection here: https://hornphoto.com/shop/horn-photo-35mm-film-camera-bundle/77845f10-0d96-0139-a8b5-00163e90e196?variation=2859821

You asked, we answer.

If you want to learn about film cameras, then read the following blog. It addresses the seven most commonly asked questions we get about film cameras.

(For more information about the fundamentals of photography, watch our Camera Essentials video: https://hornphoto.com/blog/camera-essentials-class)

1. Why do people enjoy shooting with film cameras?

“It’s like Christmas! I have to wait to open my gifts.” This is the comment we hear over and over again from photographers shooting with film. “I shoot a roll of film, but don’t see how my pictures came out. When I finally do see my developed pictures, I get to relive the experience all over again. Film makes shooting pictures twice as fun!”

Alternately, digital photography has made us Snap Happy. We snap hundreds of images, see them immediately on the back of our cameras, download them to our computer, then forget about them.

However, with film, we’re are forced to think before we snap. We end up far fewer pictures, but the ones we have are taken with purpose.

We become a better photographers by shooting with film. We learn technical skills that we aren’t required to know with automatic digital cameras. Plus, what we learn about photography basics and technique while using a film camera also applies to digital.

2. What kind of film should I use?

Horn Photo has have a variety of different types of film to select from. It depends on what you plan on shooting, and the lighting conditions. We have color film and Black& White. If you are shooting in bright conditions, it’s best to use one with ISO’s of 50 to 200. Use ISO 400 if you want to shoot in shady conditions, and ISO’s 800 and above for dark environments. If you are not sure which is best for you, ask our film experts. We are always eager to help.

https://hornphoto.com/shop?query=film

Remember, when you purchase a 35mm Camera Bundle at Horn, the first roll of film is on us.

3. How do I load film in my camera?

While looking at the back of your camera, locate the rewind knob on the top left of the camera. Pull up on the knob and the back of the camera should pop open.

Hold the film canister in your left hand, and pull out enough film so that a little less than an inch of the wide part is exposed. This section of exposed film is called the Leader.

With the rewind knob up, place the film into the left side of the camera. Push the rewind knob down to secure the film in place.

Pull the leader of film over to the spool on the right (Take-Up Spool). Insert the narrow end of the film leader into the slot on the spool. Hold the spool steady with one hand and push the film deep inside the slot. It’s okay if the film comes out of the other side of the slot a little bit.

Make sure the teeth are properly placed on both sides of the film. Use the rewind know to take in any slack in the film, tighten the film to the camera. Then close the back of the camera and use the film advance to wind the film.

Take picture, then advance the film. Do this two more times for a total of three pictures. If the film has been loaded properly, the rewind knob will turn while you advance the film. If the rewind knob does not turn, then make sure the slack has been taken out by re-tightening the film. Taking three pictures will ensure that any film exposed to light during the loading process will be cleared, and you will start your shoot with fresh film. Once you see the number one in the exposure window, you are ready to take pictures.

4. After I load my film, can I start taking pictures?

STOP RIGHT THERE!

Before you do anything else, set your ISO (film speed) dial to match the ISO on your film. First thing. Don’t forget.

If you do forget, once you see how either underexposed or overexposed your pictures come out, you’ll be certain to never forget again. There is a very big difference from a digital camera, where the ISO can change from picture to picture. A film camera must have the proper ISO set before you start shooting.

Here’s how to set the ISO: Pull up on the ISO ring and turn it to your desired ISO. On some film camera models, the ISO will appear inside the window of the dial.

Here’s how to set the ISO (ISO formally known as ASA): Turn the ISO ring and turn it to your desired ISO.

On some film camera models, the ISO is on the shutter speed dial. Pull up on the ring to get your desired ISO to appear inside the window.

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Setting the Shutter Speed, Aperture and Focus

Here’s how to set the Shutter Speed: Rotate the shutter speed dial to your desired exposure time. This will rotate the numbers on the OUTSIDE of the dial.

Setting the Aperture:

To set the aperture, turn the aperture ring on the lens to the desired f/stop.

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Focusing:

The focus ring on the lens will have a range from the closest you can have your subject all the way to infinity. You should be able to look through your viewfinder and see when your subject comes into focus.

5. What settings should I use for a film camera?

This may seem daunting at first,but you will learn. It takes some practice, but the reward is great.

If you are used to the values on the digital settings, you will notice that there are far fewer shutter speed and aperture settings to choose from on a film camera. It’s not that there is less of a range that you can capture on film, it’s just that there are fewer divisions between the lowest and the highest settings.

Shutter Speed Settings

There may be only around 12 different shutter speeds to select from on a manual film camera. Each one (for the most part) is half the shutter speed as the last one. 30 would be 1/30th of a second. The next one on the dial is 60 (1/60th of a second) and so on. It starts at 1 (1 second) and goes all the way to 1000 or more (1/1000th of a second).

Here’s a tip: If you are hand holding your camera, avoid using shutter speeds slower than 1/60 of a second. Lean against a wall or set your camera on a solid surface. Hold your breath to steady yourself. Use a tripod for slower shutter speeds.

Aperture Settings

The aperture settings work like the pupils in your eye. In low light, the larger apertures, 1.4, 2.8, 4.0, 5.6, let in the maximum amount of light.

The aperture is set on the lens. Depending upon the lens, there are fewer to choose from than on a digital camera. f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8, f11, f16 and f22 are the common aperture values.

Here’s a tip: Keep in mind, that your camera meter reads the brightest light available, which can often affect the meter reading. Point your camera downwards so that the meter will read more of the landscape and less of the bright sky. Or step close to your subject to take your meter reading, then step back and take the shot.

In no time, you will be able to look at a scene, and say, “f16 at 1/250” or “f2.8 at 1/60”.

Focusing

Adjust the focus ring on your lens so that your subject is in focus. Different lenses have different ways of making it very clear when you reach focus perfection.

Don’t forget to change your settings when necessary!

If you are used to using a digital camera, then this is especially meant for you. When using a manual camera, it’s important to remember to change your settings each time you are in a new shooting situation, or change your position or angle.

6. How do I remove the film once I’ve used all the exposures?

When you’ve used up all your exposures, and are ready to get your film developed, press the film release or rewind button on the camera.

Fold out the film rewind crank and turn it in the direction of the arrow until you feel no more tension on the knob. It will be obvious when there is no more slack, and you may even hear the sound when the film retreats all the way back into the canister.

Pull up the rewind knob which will once again open the back of the camera, and remove your film. Now you’re ready to have Horn Photo develop your film. Your roll should look like this:

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7. How do I get my film developed?

https://hornphoto.com/film-developing

There are two ways to get your film developed. You can mail in your film, or drop your film off.

You have options on how you want to receive your developed film: Dropbox image scans to your email, or burn them to a CD. You can also have Kodak prints made. We offer higher resolution images and sleeving of the film as options as well.