Back to School Cameras

Our picks for great "back to school" cameras or great starter cameras, all fall into the 35mm film camera category. These are basic and classic, and great systems to learn photography on. Why start on one of these as opposed to digital? The reason is, shooting digital allows people to too easily rely on automatic functions such as focus, metering, aperture, and shutter speed controls. By shooting on a manual system, it can build up your photographic knowledge and skills by starting at the beginning and allowing you to slow down and understand how and why the different controls are working. Not only is this important if you want to do anything within photography professionally, but it will also help to take your photography much further in general by providing you with the knowledge to apply to any other format you choose to shoot in, including medium format and digital.

All of these cameras have manual control settings such as manual shutter speeds, apertures, ISOs, metering, and even focusing. They also all include a hot shoe on top of the prism for an optional flash attachment. Along with having full control over your settings with these cameras, they are simple, sturdy, and super affordable.

 Pentax K1000 (shown with 50mm f1.4 lens)

 Canon A-1 (shown with 50mm f1.4 FD lens)

 Canon AE-1 (shown with 50mm f1.4 FD lens)

 Minolta X700 (shown with 50mm f1.4 MD lens)

 Nikon FE (shown with 50mm f1.8 lens)

Nikon FG (shown with 28mm f2.8 lens)

We have a variety of camera models and lenses available, as well as a variety of in-stock grades (or conditions), prices, and accessories. You can choose a body with or without a lens, and some come with a power winder or motor drive. Even better, we have plenty of the cameras mentioned above for under $100! Find all of our 35mm camera systems here. 

Interested in learning more about these types of cameras? Check out our articles on: An Introduction to 35mm Film Cameras, and Film Hunting- Where to Buy and Develop Film.