The class is black and white photography only, so for now, that’s all I can comment on. Most of the other students have new Canon Rebels or other Canons and I swear I’m getting better prints! We use only 400 speed film on 8×10 prints and develop our own film. I’ve been using only Kodak T-Max 36exp so far, but would like to try Ilford HP5 next for their nice grey mixing. Also, we are using only available light. The clarity and focus on my prints is phenomenal! The detail is very precise. The exposure meter calls it pretty good for the most part, but you have to learn when and when not to use the setting it’s suggesting. Mostly to adjust for extreme lights and darks, but that’s not a camera function, it’s something you just learn how to adjust for.

Luckily, for me, this is a completely idiot proof camera. You load the film, set the film speed, then let it tell you how to set your aperture and shutter. If you’re new to manual cameras, I highly suggest taking a course of some kind anyway. You learn the settings and depth of field stuff etc.

The lens gives you a wide range for a beginner. The 28mm almost ensures the entire shot will be in focus. If you go to the zoom distances, the depth of field range gives you a great effect. The split-field focus wasn’t as intimidating as I was told it would be. It works pretty slick, just line up the line, what’s so hard about that! All my photos have been in focus. No problem.

This is definitely not a waste of money for what you get!

This camera is completely manual. It requires thought in the composition of the subject, setting speed and aperture to suit the desired result. In the end it is the eyes capacity to take in the factors that make a picture and compensate for them using the cameras features as a tool.

The art of photography is not how smart the camera is but more how thoughtful the photographer is in preparing to take the shot. I bought this camera because I had become too complacent with auto everything and found that the quality of my pictures had degraded from when I took photos with a fully manual camera. Sure there is the option with many automatic cameras to set it to manual but then one is inclined to forget this option and take the easy way out.

Some aspects of the camera appear crude in its construction. It is a little small for my hands, but I am content with it all the same. The weight is slightly unbalanced, feeling heavy and the shutter feels like it is too physical in that if I were to take a photo in poor light the shutter action might jar the camera and cause unwanted blurring. I have not yet found this to be the case but then I have not put it to the test either.

For the price it is adequate and will function even if the batteries go flat. This is its biggest appeal to me as I’m sure that with four days of hiking in the mountains my digital camera’s battery will undoubtedly be flat by the end. There is something romantic about film. You don’t get the instant gratification that the digital provides but then you become more focused on making sure the shot is right.

While I read that film will never die I am finding that acquiring high resolution ISO is becoming harder to purchase. This is a bit disconcerting. It does seem that most film vendors favour poor resolution film to guarantee the purchaser that all shots will produce something due to the capacity for the 200/400 ISO films coping with poor lighting conditions. The sacrifice is the grainy low resolution images it produces. That’s fine if you want arty photo’s using grain as a special affect. I want 100 ISO B&W for its fine grain and yet in my town it seems it has long gone. The camera however is a good robust apparatus and great for travelling in rough terrain due to its rugged steel body construction.