So I have just picked up a new hobby - film photography… thanks to my brother who has been into photography lately. He owns a high end Fujifilm DSLR camera (digital pro camera) – a Fujifilm XT5. He also had 3 different film cameras and he offered to sell me one of his film cameras because I guess he saw how interested I was about it. I bought it from him for CAD 200 including his 50 mm AF Nikon lens. The camera was the Nikon F-501 SLR from 1986. He bought it from eBay straight from a Japanese seller. Pictures below.
It didn’t have a flash and so I bought one from Facebook Marketplace second hand for only CAD 25 and it was a vintage 1982 Nikon Speedlight SB-22 (also in the photo).
I grew up pretty much using film cameras but only point-and-shoot. My Dad had Nikon F5 SLR which was even older… I think from 1982. We actually still have it and is fully operational except for the light leak which can easily be fixed. My Dad gave it to my brother and so he has it now.
Today I finished a roll of camera. My brother and I walked around the nearby park and shot some photos yesterday – him using a digital pro camera (DSLR) and myself using my newly acquired film camera.
It’s just a bit of an expensive hobby since I have to keep buying films and have them developed – which are not cheap. Tomorrow I will get the photos developed and see how I did. LOL.
I really love this newly found hobby. Shooting with a vintage professional SLR camera really taught me a lot how photography works (actually, my brother taught me a lot yesterday about film photography and how to use the camera). I guess the best thing about film photography is that I tend to think very carefully about photos I am about to shoot and make sure that I get it right… as opposed to mostly thoughtless, random photos I took with a digital camera or a phone camera.
I am now waiting for my Nikon 35-70mm AF focus lens which I have just purchased from eBay this morning.
By the way, the same brother also sold his first professional DSLR camera to my other brother – the one who actually works for Nikon Canada. It was a Nikon Z50. My brother wanted to upgrade to a more professional camera and also wanted to get out of the Nikon eco-system. Originally I was supposed to get that camera but changed my mind because I just thought CAD 1K was a lot of money to spend on a camera. My brother gave me a really good deal though because the deal included the camera body, 2 lenses, and an extra battery. My brother has only had it for a few years… and I thought why not give it to my other brother who works for Nikon and who does not own any Nikon cameras! My brother who got the Z50 is now very happy.
By the way, that same brother who owns a lot of cameras also used to work for Nikon Canada alongside the other brother. LOL. This is why both of them have been big camera enthusiasts. He only had to move to Montréal that’s why he had to quit that job but otherwise he really loved working for Nikon.