I know my first thoughts were, "why mess with old technology?". Being somewhat old school in nature and having always liked photography and already owning an entry level Nikon DSLR, I decided to try out an old school 35mm camera (actually I now have several). The internet is a wonderful source of information and has definitely been great for me. On buying a camera...you can either take a chance on the "as is" or you can buy from someone who gives you a "guarantee". The old cameras are cheap enough and lenses are plentiful. One Canon AE-1 body I bought ($20.00 + S & H) gives the most beautiful pictures, another, a Canon A-1 had the dreaded shutter squeal, which I sent to SLR35/Joe and spent $145.00 to get it overhauled. The camera is perfect and I could not be happier. The best thing about the old cameras is they are definitely serviceable and taken care of will last a long, long time. On the cost side, they are still 'way, way' cheaper than even the cheapest entry level DSLR and your favorite store (Walgreen, etc..) can develope the film and digitize to CD a roll of 24 exposures for around $8.00. Throw the disc in your computer and now you have all the same options as the guy with high dollar DSLR down the street. Please understand, I would never get rid of my DSLR, it's too fast and way too convenient. If you have ever looked at a photo, one that really causes you to stop & think; how in the world? well, that's me. I can honestly say that the past few months have given me a few of those special moments when someone says something positive about a photo I've taken.
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