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Great video! I had thought about using a rubber band, but I felt it was a bit unorthodox haha. I didn’t know about the pre-made solution though! I got a vintage lense that is wonderful, but it creeps!!

I have a Nikon FE and I am wondering why there is just a vertical seal at the hinge from the door and not on the other side where the door is closed. Is that normal?

Thanx for the awesome video. I just purchased a Nikon FE from Ebay which you mentioned and I couldn't be happier. This was the camera I always wanted when I was in college. I had to settle for the Minolta XG-1 for my photography class. It came with a 50mm f1.8 Ai lens. Yes I do have a Nikon D3500 DSLR but I learned photography thru film and you're right it does have that nostalgic feeling to shooting great pictures. Thanx again for the awesome video.

Beautiful shot!

i have a 20mm prime sigma with all the expensive filters but most of my best photos come from it

Is there any film camera still being manufacturade and selling brand new ?

I took photography classes and was the only student with a film camera (a Canon AE-1)... and that was in 2007. The teacher complimented me on that, saying that film will force me to pay careful attention to what I'm doing. A person with a digital camera can just take 100 digital images, choose the best one, and just delete the rest.

Film cameras, especially 645, 6x6 to 6x9 and large format ones will NEVER be obsolete. Even high end 35mm cameras such as the Nikon F100 / F4 / F5

I hate the terms "Boca" and "blurry backgrounds" used in the digital realm instead of "depth of field" which, to me, means so much more.

That’s THE question: “Obsolete for what?” Whenever someone raves about a product-or bags a product-my question is always, “Compared to what…?” I’ve always respected the way you stick with the gear that works for you. 👍

Another well done video there are times you outgrow your camera, but in most cases you fall for the height of the next new camera. It may have been you who said spend the money and go someplace to put something beautiful in front of your camera. Another great videoand I thought I was gonna go mirror less but my camera works fine for what I do.

I still shoot film, mainly black and white, but i intend to do colour very soon, i develop my on film and print photos the old school way in my darkroom, however i just bought a film scanner and now i can do colour and black and white without using the darkroom. Fim is definitely not obsolete now that you can buy film scanners. So my point is you can do it all yourself no need for sending your film away to be prossesed. To me this has made film photography viable for everyone. All you need is a develoing tank a darkroom or bag and the chemicals. Then just scan the negatives on a scanner you can buy from 40 dollars. I really enjoy your videos, and its great to see that Pentax its a beautiful workhorse keep these presentations coming.

Great video! I use the Leica M3 and M4, Nikon F2, F3, F5, Rolleiflex 2.8D, Hasselblad 500 C/M and Toyo 4x5. These cameras will outlive my Df and D800. There are many advantages to film, I have a negative hard copy, scan to a digital copy, make darkroom or digital prints, it allows we to slow down and shoot, I find less is more. I am not one for firing off several shots at a time. That one or two photos is what I’m after!

A camera is just a "TOOL" in the hand of the Artist. Our talents that we have as Photograhy Artists will never become Obsolete. We must enjoy what we do, and that is taking pictures, practicing our passion and art. What Camera and gear do we realy need? What do we want to achieve with our photo's and what megapixel is realy bad? There are to many "Experts", but did they ever start old school? Just a thought................................

I shoot Nikon F2 and F5 and I have just ordered an Nikon FM. Put a roll of film in anyone of these it might last a day a week a month . Because I also shoot digital. My film Camera's or photographic tools I expect will out last me. My F2 Hand assembled in 1974 in Japan still making photo's. Iike it did 50 YEARS ago , tell me for a few hundred Euro is not good value. It is for life. As for film how many hours entertainment for the price of one roll. Go to a bar or restaurant see how much that costs for a few hours. Love film shoot enjoy

Most of my photography experiences were from a Nikon F2. The costs of development and the long waiting times made me change my mind and went to digital. I loved shooting film and agree on your video and the film experience. But when I found out about the Leica MD 262, a digital camera without a LCD screen, covered all the basses for me and more...!

Were those 8x10 prints? Were they darkroom printed or scanned and printed?

Not dead, just abhorrently expensive. Shoot just 20 pictures a week on Pentax 67 Medium Format and you’re looking at around £2,500 a year.

I live in the N.W of England. Last Sunday morning I took my MPP MK VII Tech Field camera and three sheet film holders to my local Park. You should have seen the looks I got. There was also a young woman taking photos using her mobile phone (cell phone to you US people). Nothing wrong with that. It is the photograph that matters, even if the computer within the mobile phone do most of the tech side of it.

A really great video, more like a conversation. I shot my first roll of 35mm film in 1977. I have always kept photography as a hobby only. I shot some B&W film back in the day but as an admirer of Eliot Porter and David Muench, I shot mostly PKM 25 and PKR 64. I LOVED KODACHROME. When 2007 rolled around and Kodachrome production ended I was sure the apocalypse was near. Lol. In disgust I quit photography for 12 years. In 2019 I bought a Fujifilm XT3 followed by a GFX50R. Currently here in Arkansas I'm waiting for delivery of a Mamiya 645 Pro TL with the 45mm lens. Digital doesn't feel like photography to an old guy like me. I hate lightroom and sitting in front of a computer. I'm looking forward to shooting film again. I have a vacation cabin part time airbnb in the Boston Mountains on hwy 7 just north of Lurton Arkansas. I also enjoy shooting those waterfalls. Hopefully I'll see you on the trail.

I have both a film and digital camera and neither one has a bearing on the composition of the shot. The composition is the composition regardless the camera type.

Thanks for the interesting video. What is greatly under-estimated is that an UW lens requires excellent composition skills. Too often I have seen large and boring stones/rocks in the foreground, dominating the complete picture, whereas the spectacular landscape (mountains, waterfalls) are tiny in the background. In ealier years the UW lenses cost a fortune, and some focal lenghts of today were simply not available. Nikon‘s legendary 13mm f/5.6 was built to order and coat as much as a decent new car, today every amateur can afford UW lenses. My advice: spend the money first for classes in books and classes about composition. The lenses can wait.

My first camera was a CHINON CG5, with 50mm lens and a CPC Zoom. I printed by hand in the dark room. That was photography......... An art form. Burning in, dodging and multi grade filters and papers.... Man, what a joy.... I am glad I got the fundementals and grew from there, now digital is a breeze.......

You totally missed the fact that there is no digital noise with chemical film. If you are doing low light level photos, or long exposures, chemical film delivers the best results. AI video processing has further helped reduce noise, but it isn't 100%. The other issue is digital cameras pick up inferred and other wavelengths of light humans can't normally see. So the cameras that can take very low light level shots often have a blue tint to them from the IR that's still getting to the sensor. There are technical reasons to sill use chemical film, beyond just the experience of it. In a well lit forest, I'd go digital any day. If I wanted to take pictures of a waterfall at dusk, then chemical film would be the best thing to use due to noise and IR exposure.

Really well done, Michael. Your videos have come so far since you started. That Pentax is a beast - especially with that one-off west level finder…! Lovely work, mate.

Great work Michael! I've always thought that if I ever got a film camera, it would be the Pentax 67. Nice work!

Cool camera, I have never used a medium format camera, if I see one in my travels I might be tempted. I did have some luck I found a Pentax KX 35mm SLR for 40 dollars with a 70-210 Tokina lense, its not quite as nice as my Nikon FE but it us fully mechanical and the light meter works, I will probably do the light seals but it works fine. Not quite as cool as that monster that you have. Great video and very educational and very well presented thank you mate.

I started in the wet media. Do you scan you negatives? That would a good video.

This video is an excellent guide for me. I am also looking for a lens which will cover most of the scenarios in landscape. Thanks Michael 😊

I have insurance and I do not use a camera bag. I use a bad that has a tether attachment . I never use a camera bag when I am out and about. I have an AirPod that is attached to my camera when my body guard ( my hubby) is not with me and if I don’t need a piece of equipment it stays home.

¿ should we use lens hood when the sun is right behind? ¿Or is better without? ¿What is the best? Thanks again

Good job

Always looking for reputable camera sellers on eBay, but I cannot find ODA.camera-japan via a search. Would you provide a link to their store? Thanks.

I have done a few of your tips but I am sticking with used stuff from KEH or others because Ebay, for me, has proven to be a big pain. Our son has a Nikon D3100 and I wanted to pick up a 35mm lens for him. I looked and looked and found a seller with a good rep and ordered (it was approximately 15 bucks cheaper than KEH and others so I was excited. I received the wrong item. I contacted the seller and she told me to send it back. I asked for a return label and was told she would reimburse shipping it back. I shipped it back and she reimbursed part of my cost and none of the shipping. Plus, the part she sent me was to adapt older Nikon lenses to the newer Nikon camera's and it was worth a lot more than 80 bucks but I was honest. I got screwed and then I went to PayPal and Ebay for resolution and ended up spending days and days on getting some of my funds back. In the end, I had to order from KEH and got the lens, with caps, and hood in excellent condition for only about 20 bucks more than the Ebay seller. I ended up learning a lesson on Ebay and never looked at them again for gear.

One lens, 50mm. The only right answer. If you are asking this then you are a beginner. Again 50mm, 50mm, 50mm.

Great video and made me realize just how much I miss shooting on film. My first light painting was done on a Minolta 35mm no instantly seeing whether all that running around in the dark worked or not! Only ever bought one camera off Ebay and that was only recently and a camera I had wanted for years, a 16 year old Canon 50D full frame. I was lucky and got it from someone who had really looked after it.

Unpacking that beautiful Pentax 67 reminded me of the thrill I got, getting mine in the mail! I went all-in: meter finder, 35mm, 75mm shift (!), and the short-tele macro. (135mm? I can'r remember.) But I somehow didn't realize how heavy a system like that is, to carry in a backpack. It made one trip to Europe, and my neck ached the whole time. I still have it, but use a Sony a7R III now. Great tips for using Ebay; thank you! 😁

Love it, well done!

Great video. I was learning "proper" (i.e. not point and shoot) photography about 30 years ago, before digital swept the field, with a neat Minolta Dynax 404si (which I still use). Twenty years ago I got married, and was given a second-hand Nikon FE with two Carl Zeiss lenses as one of our wedding presents. The Dynax was kind of a bridge between traditional SLRs and modern digital cameras, in that it had auto-focus and different "modes" - only the bravest would take it to full manual! The FE was totally bare-bones by comparison, and forced me to think harder about what I was doing with the camera and why. As an aside, the professional photographer had a FM3A which he shot our wedding with, but when he saw the FE, he went all goo-goo over it! He also told me the very solid home truth that 90% of the quality of a photo comes from the lens, not from the camera, and he was really impressed with the two Zeiss pieces. That camera has stayed in the family ever since - I just wish I could ween my almost grown-up kids off digital, so that I can pass my collection on to them, and know it's going to get good use. Maybe I'll have to wait until I have grand-children for that, and indoctrinate them into film photography from an early age! PS - reading the other comments, I envy you Americans for getting taught photography at High School. No such luxury in Europe, unless you go to some sort of adult education centre or creative arts college. (But then we get to photograph amazing medieval cities, Gothic cathedrals, and jaw-dropping countryside right outside our doors!)

Excellent video, Michael! I agree re buying from sellers in Japan-their attention to detail and honesty is second to none. Watching you unbox these items was a good backdrop to your narration. And wow, what a purchase!! Nice work, old boy. 👍

Good video. In terms of price, I live in Europe. I shoot mainly black and white, and develop the negatives at home, which I get scanned at a local studio. It costs me between 5 and 6 Euros to buy the film, (Fomapan 100, Kentmere 100, or the fantastic Adox HR 50) and the scanning is 5 Euros per film, high quality - 4000 pixels on the bottom scale. If I shoot colour, it costs me €10 for a roll of Kodak Gold or Color Plus, and another €10 to get it developed and scanned, which works out at 27 Euro Cents per shot in Black and White, and 55 Euro Cents per shot, colour. That doesn't include printing, which is another 18 Euro Cents on top, for a 10 x 15 cm print. I wouldn't say that was expensive, but it's enough to make me really think about what I'm shooting, how I'm shooting, and that makes the difference between a mediocre and a great photo. I never really gave up film photography, but I drifted into digital laziness for about twenty years, before going on a home-development course last summer. Now my collection of film cameras has gone from two - a Nikon FE with Carl Zeiss lenses and a Minolta Dynax 404si (I think they were called Magnums in America) to an impressive six! One of my favourites, which I carry everywhere, is a chunky and bulletproof Nikkormat FTN, which I picked up for €100 with a 50mm f2 lens on the internet. I changed the light seals and mirror bumper myself - there are umpteen videos on the internet to show you how to do it, and it was quite a therapeutically pleasant job to do! So yes, I'd say, if you enjoy decent digital photography and want to develop as a photographer, then film is definitely the way to go, and Scotty's advice is absolutely spot on.

Very helpful as I am a newbie with a cannon

Nice video and great tips. I look forward to seeing some great photos from that camera.

great tips. especially the seller one. NEVER buy something from a new account with 0 history or ratings. 9/10 times it's a scam, especially if the price seems just a little too low. I just revamped my whole collection, mostly eBay sourced! Beautiful Pentax btw! Also - with the Japan purchases... lenses are ok but cameras you have to be careful. Sometimes on the international models you can't change the language (I've heard, Sony especially.)

It’s the only time I gain anything from having a resting bitch face 😂

Only a professional photographer could afford to take multiple shots or "maybe" shots with film. Even in its heyday film was not cheap and today far more so in relativity. Then there was developing and printing on top unless one did their own, which I did in the 1960s for a while. This meant that every single shot needed to be assessed as being worth it and if yes, composed perfectly, well.....Umm..... Not forgetting that a 35mm film roll was usually 36 shots. And that meant the film may need to last several trips out to use them up. Nearly all 35mm cameras did not allow for the removal of a roll and fitting a faster or slower or mono or colour film in place of a half used roll in the camera from last time. And just using the roll up was not something casual or amateurs did, cost again. Yes, it could be done but at the risk of double exposing the final earlier shots or leaving a large unused portion by shooting with hand over the lens until past the last original shot. That is if one could remember the number previously used to not waste shots. So Digital has it all over film cameras in usability and casual shooting and has introduced the world to burst shooting and then picking the best, also cropping and other manipulation, which I must admit I find better than taking the original. And the digital card is reusable, over and over and over. Hooray. Also with mirrorless cameras almost any old lens can be used as well with an adaptor. And modern lenses are sharper and faster more consistently than old manual focus lenses, though they don't look as good, in my opinion. Focus past infinity simply means they would waste time, therefore money setting up a stop for infinity. The modern cameras AF system would stop at the visual infinity without a hard stop. So canon could just put a blocker there at a known past infinity with no adjustment, as could all the others, who don't.

Digital cameras today can be used as simple, or as complex, as you want. They have the same controls as a Nikon FE, FM, F3, or F5, plus more.

I just finishing refurbishing my Pentax Spotamatic SP2 I had to replace the light seals and mirror bumper. I bought mainly for the Takumar lenses that came with it 50mm1.4, 35mm3.5 and 135mm3.5. I felt the camera was a bonus even if it had bad light seals. My DSLRS are all crop bodies so this my only full frame camera. I paid much less than the new film cameras that have been introduced in 2024 and I get interchangeable lenses and full frame camera instead of half frame camera with a fixed lens

Composition of my composition could be compositional! lol😂 dang I didn’t count how many times he said composition, but must have been 300 times😂

A monopod can come in handy in a moment of need 😊