Advice on buying new 35mm camera?—catherine

Hi i’m going into a photojournalism class and we need an at least 35 mm camera. i don’t really know what that means (tell me?) and i need advice on what camera is good and what’s not.

Best Answer —Ben H

35mm refers to the width of the film used by the camera.

35mm has probably been one of the most popular film sizes in history, so cameras which use 35mm film are actually quite common.

35mm cameras come in several different types, mostly classified by their viewing and focusing system. Perhaps the most standard type for journalistic and other serious work, though, is the single lens reflex, or SLR. This is probably what you need for your class.

While you can still buy 35mm SLRs new, doing so really doesn’t make much sense these days. There are a lot of very nice used cameras on the market which are available for a small fraction of what their new cost was.

You’re most likely going to need an all-manual camera, so with that in mind the two models I could specifically suggest are the Canon FTb and Pentax K1000. Add to either of these a 50mm 1.7 or 1.8 lens for a good starter lens, and you’ll have a fine, solid camera for under $100.

Either is available from either Ebay(not recommended unless buying from a reputable seller) or from a used camera dealer like KEH.com(highly reccomended).

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