Analog film photography and cameras

Colour I think for now...

@ supersonik-zlad I would be very interested in finding out more about your Olympus OM2n.
My OM4 is having massive issues, and i need to get a replacement body!

aldi/lidl used to knock out 2x rolls of standard kodak colour for £2, most have stopped doing that now, but you never know!
Ebay is a good source for the budget films, but not for more pro stuff, people charge too much :/
Probably go for an iso400 film first time round as you'll probably have a tendancy to shoot lower shutter speeds and be thinking you'll get away with it ;) (you likely won't until you've got used to shooting slow speeds).
Can almost guarentee the light seals on that fujica will have rotted out, I've passed a few along and they almost always need done, the one at the spool end ESPECIALLY! If you can't find any material for doing it, then only load indoors in a dark corner, then tape up all the way round the film door with cheap BLACK electrical tape.
Works for me, and when abroad, esp in dodge places, it helps to have your camera look like you found it in a skip, makes it far less appealing to nick. When my digi SLR was new I used to wrap it in electrical + duck tape and allow it to get absolutely filthy, now its so wrecked (paint all flaked off, grazes, dents etc) that I don't need the 'urban camo' to disguise it lol.

Would anyone be interested in any photography books? Mainly textbooks that I bought when at night school such as Basic Photography by Michael Langford, a complete set of Ansel Adams Photography (The Camera/The Negative/The Print), etc. I need to rid my life of boxes of books! PM me for details...

Did my first ever presentation on Eve Arnold :(

poundland for budget film. Its only a £1 a roll funnily too

Great - will stop by to pick up a few rolls on my way home from work. Given my experience (very little) am I going to see a big difference between budget film and better quality stuff?

Also where is best to get the film developed? Is boots/snappy snaps okay or am I better off going elsewhere?

Sorry for the beginner questions!

Get the test film developed anywhere. I would get some proper film for your South Africa trip and get it developed in a proper lab.

I've never really used colour film so I'll stop doling out advice.

From my experience, every kind of film has its own charms and qualities and you'll find out what you like by shooting more. Try some high speed 400-800 iso, some slower 100iso (stick to shooting outside in daylight).

For your first rolls, just take em to anywhere cheap for developing.

+1
as cheap as poss.
try to over expo cheap films maybe 0.5 to 1stop. otherwise you just get TONNES of grain on everything, especially if dev'd cheap. Also that pracktica has pretty basic metering, so just be careful what you try and shoot, anything with any significant bright areas will probably throw the metering a mile off*

*add's to the fun though. Some of my favourite ever photo's I've taken were accidentally 3-5expo's under ;)

anyone interested in a broken ricoh gr1 and maybe a contax t2?

How broken is the gr1 and is the contax also broken?

If you want to experiment with cheap colour film, Jessops do a deal where they develop and print your colour film and give you a replacement roll of cheap Fuji for £6.50.

They do run it through some terrible colour-correction though. I put a roll in a couple of weeks ago, mostly shots of the purbecks in thick mist with red/purple vegetation - it came out really high-contrast with green-brown tint to the bushes.

Need to start paying for proper D&P, can't really afford it though.

I haven't paid for developing a single roll of film since 2005... lucky me we have a C-41 machine!! :-)

How broken is the gr1 and is the contax also broken?

gr1(silver) - the lens wont move out and open and the power button/ plate is missing. got another gr1 and used its button and plate and it would not turn on.

contax t2(silver) - it seems to work but it would irratically move the lens in/ out, on/off. shutter seems to work and the flash aswell. tested it with film and nothing came out on the negs - weird as it winds the film on and rewinds it.

both would be very good for parts.

Ricoh Europe (in Germany) fixed my GR1. It had similar problems with the lens motor and cover. It cost about £180 IIRC.

gr1 - £25

t2 - offers

golgol - where are you based? If you can get yourself to East London go to Eye Culture on Fashion Street, E1 (I know they've been mentioned loads of times but meh, they're good peoples and deserve the monies). Process and scan to CD (no prints) cost £3.50 last time I went. Two rolls or more and it's £3 per roll. They don't process slide or B&W though.

And that temperamental T2 is so very tempting. How much?

its quite tempting to keep as it may just be a minor problem to fix.

offer me a price and ill see if its good enough.

If you had come back with a too hard to refuse bargain price I might have gone for it. Realistically though my money should be going elsewhere. Keep me in mind though if you decide you want to get rid of it. ;)

Process and scan to CD (no prints) cost £3.50 last time I went. Two rolls or more and it's £3 per roll. They don't process slide or B&W though.

that's dirt cheap! shame i got one roll of bw and one roll of slide going...

I haven't paid for developing a single roll of film since 2005... lucky me we have a C-41 machine!! :-)

want!

I did keep looking at them on ebay a few years back but I don't have a house or a garage or anywhere suitable to put one... I was looking at full minilabs for RA4 prints too. how much do you have to put through it for it to be viable?

I think Spotter was after an Electro 35.

Well, he was a good few months ago

i bought one a while ago, well remembered though

want!

I did keep looking at them on ebay a few years back but I don't have a house or a garage or anywhere suitable to put one... I was looking at full minilabs for RA4 prints too. how much do you have to put through it for it to be viable?

I don't know, I use the one at the uni where I studies and now work... Technically I shouldn't be allowed to use it but nowadays the machines is somewhat underused, the technicians don't mind it since the chemicals will go to waste used to not.

contax t2 - £40?

Anyone have a used t2 that's working?

Had one that gave up the ghost a couple of years ago and loved it, so would like one that actually stays with me this time...