Photography experts?

[Herness]

What about Olympus? Can someone recommend this brand?
My son likes photography and i am thinking of making him a nice birthday present.
New camera plus few decent backlight from https://pеrfectpicturelights.com/ seem like a good option from my perspective.
Any other ideas or recommendations?

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Does anyone still make 35mm film? If so, where can you get your rolls processed? I read a few years ago that Kodak stopped making 35mm film. At that time Fuji (spelling?) was about the only quality film maker left. Don't even know if they're around.

I used to be a somewhat serious semi-pro "amateur" photographer. I dabbled in black & white processing of my own film and prints, but sent off color rolls for both print and slides. For many years I only took slide film pictures because the color quality was better.

I bought my camera gear when I was stationed on Okinawa in the early 80's. Cannon camera (one of the first to get the "new" A-1), 4 or 5 lenses from macro to telephoto, big motor drive, 2 flashes, large tripod. Cannon "L" series lenses were about the best you could hope to own for clarity. Their standard lenses were also pretty good.

Long story short, my old film camera rig has been sitting in it's carry bag for probably 20 years now. I do have a Cannon digital SLR, but I almost never use it anymore either. For most of the "pictures" I'm likely to take now, the camera on my Samsung phone is "good enough".

 

[deserteagle71]

What about Olympus? Can someone recommend this brand?

Olympus is an excellent brand with a good reputation. Be aware that it is a "micro four thirds" sensor camera (generally your choices of sensor size are full frame [same size as original 35mm film], APC-S, and Micro four thirds,) with full frame being the largest. In general, the larger the sensor size the higher the quality of photo it can take - at the same time, the camera is larger and the lenses much larger to accommodate the large sensor. It is also a "mirrorless" camera, not a DSLR. So there is no mirror that has to flip out of the way when the shutter release is pressed. Most of the camera manufacturers, including Nikon and Canon, are going mirrorless. You can learn a lot more here.https://www.dpreview.com/

Personally I have used mirrorless cameras since 2005 - love them. What you see in the viewfinder is what you get when you snap the photo - if it is underexposed or overexposed, you can see that. My current camera is a Panasonic G9 mirrorless.

 

[deserteagle71]

Wow, 17 year bump.

Welcome to TBN.

I'd say it depends on the depth of the person's passion for photography. Many cell phone cameras are better than 35mm film cameras were. I'd say make sure it's something the person would want and use before purchasing.

^This.

It is very true that the cameras in the newest high-end phones are excellent. But - they are still limited, even the ones with three lenses. The larger the sensor - the better the image quality, and phones have tiny sensors compared to a good camera. So if you want to zoom in, say to take a photo of a bird at your bird feeder, the quality of the phone photo cannot equal that taken with a quality telephoto lens on a good camera because with the phone when you zoom you are merely enlarging the image on that tiny sensor. (A digital enlargement vs an optical enlargement as happens with the telephoto lens.) Interchangeable lenses are a must for serious photographers - try doing a real macro photo with a phone.

On the other hand...a phone (usually) fits in your pocket and you always have it with you. Me, I'm pretty serious about my photography so I pack a camera case around with extra lenses and accessories. If you're not willing to carry that stuff with you, might as well stay with the phone.

An alternative might be something like this tiny Sony I pack when hiking. 24-200 lens, pop-up viewfinder, and excellent picture quality. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII: Digital Photography Review

 

[deserteagle71]

Does anyone still make 35mm film? If so, where can you get your rolls processed? I read a few years ago that Kodak stopped making 35mm film. At that time Fuji (spelling?) was about the only quality film maker left. Don't even know if they're around.

I used to be a somewhat serious semi-pro "amateur" photographer. I dabbled in black & white processing of my own film and prints, but sent off color rolls for both print and slides. For many years I only took slide film pictures because the color quality was better.

I bought my camera gear when I was stationed on Okinawa in the early 80's. Cannon camera (one of the first to get the "new" A-1), 4 or 5 lenses from macro to telephoto, big motor drive, 2 flashes, large tripod. Cannon "L" series lenses were about the best you could hope to own for clarity. Their standard lenses were also pretty good.

Long story short, my old film camera rig has been sitting in it's carry bag for probably 20 years now. I do have a Cannon digital SLR, but I almost never use it anymore either. For most of the "pictures" I'm likely to take now, the camera on my Samsung phone is "good enough".

Lots of 35mm film being made these days but finding processing can be problematic. Although why anyone would want to shoot film is beyond me. I have thousands upon thousands of Kodachrome slides and though they look great projected, who does that anymore? When I scan them so I can look at them on a good computer monitor they do not look as good as any of my digital stuff.

I bought my first Nikon way back when I was in Vietnam; I still have several Nikon bodies and lenses that I haven't used for years sitting in a closet. Same with all my darkroom equipment that's sitting in my basement - I'd give all that away but no one wants it these days. I also have quite a few rolls of Kodachrome slide film (unexposed) taking up space in my freezer...but there are no labs that process Kodachrome any more.

Kodak 35mm Film | B&H Photo Video

See B&H's vast selection of Kodak 35mm Film including popular models like ColorPlus, Pro Image 100, Portra 400, Gold 200 and Ektar 100, at the best prices.

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[JasperFrank]

 

[CalG]

That K 1000 has a lot going for it!

(and not Just because I have one ... ;-)

Here is an example provided only for visuals, first image return on a search

Amazon.com : Pentax K1000 Manual Focus SLR Film Camera with Pentax 50mm Lens : Slr Digital Cameras : Electronics

Amazon.com : Pentax K1000 Manual Focus SLR Film Camera with Pentax 50mm Lens : Slr Digital Cameras : Electronics

www.amazon.com

Marco lenses, Zooms etc etc

A true classic

 

[SgtSluggo]

I still love to shoot film. It just feels different with a look that is difficult to reproduce with a digital camera. I also like the physical process and the restriction it gives me.

@Slowpoke Slim What you probably remember is Kodak stopping the production of both the last kind of Kodachrome and the necessary chemicals needed to process it in color. If you still have Kodachrome film in a freezer somewhere there are labs that can process it in black and white.

I use Indie Film Lab or a local film lab to process my film.

@deserteagle71 If you scanned your slides yourself, you should try having a lab that specializes in slide scanning. There are scanners that are much higher resolution that what most people have at home. I wish I had a way to get that Kodachrome from you. It makes a beautiful B&W film.

 

[dmccarty]

Hi there guys! Sorry for bumping. Wanted to ask if it's still worth buying a camera for a present or it's enough to have an iPhone?

It totally depends on what you want to do. If you just want to take snap shots, share the with friends and post on the Internet, a smart phone camera is hard to beat. The vast majority of people using film cameras back in the day were not using an SLR. They were using point and shoot cameras and even disposable cameras.

If one wants to take images of birds, then it is DSLR time. One will need to buy or rent long lenses and need a good sensor, if we were talking film using fast film, to stop the motion of the bird AND fill the frame. The type of camera to us all gets down to the subject, conditions and how much effort one wants to put into photography.

I have hike for hours to try to get a picture. Got the picture but because the lens was not powerful enough did not get the quality I wanted. On the other hand, I have hiked for an hour or so, and then stood for hours barely moving to get some danged good images with a good DSLR and rented lens. A phone camera would not have worked.

Can't believe I posted on this discussion back in 2005! *** 17 *** YEARS ago!!!

 

[2manyrocks]

What about Olympus? Can someone recommend this brand?

IMO, tends to be more expensive relatively speaking than other brands such as Nikon or Canon, in my experience.

There are a lot of used DSLRs available for cheap from people who have switched to mirrorless cameras.

If you want the latest and greatest and don't mind the price tag, get a Nikon Z9.