I'm looking into getting my own 35mm Manual SLR, and the whole process is proving to be much more difficult than I had imagined!

I learned (And am still learning) darkroom B&W photography with a pentax K1000, but I'd like to be able to shoot outside of school and learn "beyond the classroom". I'm considering saving by purchasing relivitely simple body, and leaving my big investment for the lenses.

So far I've been wondering about a Konica FT-1 body.  It's in my super-poor Starbucks-wage student budget and seems to do the job that I want it to.. You know.. Not letting light onto the film and everything.


But for lenses,  will Nikon lenses fit on an old Konica? I'm going to start out just with a simple 50mm/1.8 lens [ or maybe a 1.4 if I get lucky], and then expand from there. 

Please give me tips, etc, or even reccomendations on lenses and bodies for a manual SLR if you can!  Price ranges would be wonderful too.


Thank you so much,

-Xi

If you like Nikkor lenses, how about an older Nikon camera? I once had an N2020 - it wasn't all that expensive when I bought it new so, if you can find one, it should be pretty cheap. It had a lot of automatic modes but was very simple to shoot in manual mode. It also had the older style aperture and shutter speed adjustments - no "wizz wheels," etc. Even though I went from one N2020 to three N8008 bodies, I kinda missed the N2020 sometimes. I think you will like it too.

Don't waste any money on a Konica.
Check ebay...
You can usually find a decent body for fairly cheap...
But stick with Canon or Nikon.
They're pretty much sixes.  But don't go with anyone else, because they suck.
As far as fitting Nikon glass to a Konica body, I really don't know, but my guess would be hell no.
I check ebay pretty regularly for backup bodies.  I shoot Canon, and really dig the A2 - you can usually find a body only for between $150 and $300, which is pretty cheap for what a workhorse it is.  I've rounded up 3 in the last 5 years and haven't had problems with any of them.  Problem with them, though, is you're stuck with USM lenses.  Not that that's a bad thing, but you can't fit older lenses on the newer bodies.
If you want to be able to fit on old (but sharp) lenses, look at older Nikon bodies.  I don't know what the old F3's are going for, but that's a badass body, and you can fit Nikon glass back to the late 60's on it.
Either way, you'll be happy.
Just remember that buying a body buys you into a system - don't buy into a shitty system.  Buy into something that'll give you room to grow.
Word to your mother.

weigh every option then look at the Konica Minolta A200

whent he tally of flexibility and quality, price and value all around is in
it ballances out well.

My Opinion:

Instead of looking at 35mm's... look around for a Bronica camera.... or an RB Pro-S Mamiya on ebay.

Polaroid back capability, large negatives, great scans, amazing stuff.  I'd suggest that you do medium rather than 35mm.  Take your time and do it right.

Look at the work of everyone who advises you and see who has what you're wanting to have.  There are good shooters advising you... find out how they got what they've got.

christian

I agree with the Nikon thoughts. I've used them since 1964 and I can use every lens ever made, almost, on any Nikon. If you can find a nice old F3, get it. I agree its a work horse.

I also agree with you that putting the real money into a lens is the way to go. The camera is a light box, the lens is the image maker.

Most of all have fun with the whole learning process!

Try looking for a Nikon FE, FM , FM2 . I have a FE . Great camera. 70's era., metal construction. Do a search on Ebay

Pentax also kept its bayonet mount forever, not just Nikon. Contax is a great brand. You can't beat their lenses.

Everyone who replied, I can't thank you enough. You all helped out a ton, and I'll be doing some searches for some old Nikons soon!

-Xi