Re:

[Brian Levy <dlevy@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I have two types of recommendations:

1) If you want new, go as basic as possible. The K1000, Minolta X-700 are
both good but I prefer the Yashica FX3 Super. Yashica still supports it as a
full system which the other manufacturers are not doing. Yashica's
commitment is due to the Contax relationship,I think. It is a system which
you can go with with Yashica components and thereafter without loss of any
component move up to Contax bodies/lenses for better quality or versatility.
I've had students who bought an loved this body with the 45/2.8 pancake
Contax lens. Price is only about $400 with the pancake or about 180 with the
Yashica 50mm which is a very good lens optically. I am not sure but I am of
the opinion that Yashica lenses reflect (no pun intended) a certain quality
as a result of their relationship with Zeiss. The construction is not
Zeiss's quality though. I don't like the students to use zooms during
begingning courses, since it adds a variable which in itself should be
taught as a separate course.

2) If you can use other than 35mm in the class (I permit anything other than
110), then go find an old bakelite 120 box camera anywhere. Look for one
with aperatures which are fairly common. With these I teach 1) it isn't the
equip., but the person who makes successful photographs and 2) if you can do
it with one of these than you can use anything. Many of these students have
thereafter skipped 35mm and gone to MF equip after the class.

A 3rd (actually only a suggestion) go to local pawn shops, garage sales and
pick up the camera. I canvassed the local pawn shops prior to each class and
them supply me with a list of cameras and pricing for the students. For each
to supply the list they had to offer a discount AND offer a 10 day absolute
money back no questions asked warrantee. I would hand out the lists to any
who wanted them and advise them as to any which should be avoided. This
worked very well. One dealer noted that he actually had to go out and get
some cameras to fill demand. He now has a fairly thriving little camera
business.

The Pentax/Minolta/Canon/Nikon manual cameras are such a small segment of
their market, that I am not sure except for Pentax that they will not be
withdrawn. Pentax has withdrawn the LX limiting expansion of their system to
the K1000. Minolta has 2 bodies which are well proven, but I am seeing only
the x-700 being available and lens selection at dealers has dropped in
recent times. Canon and Nikon both support the manual focus market with
upscale camera bodies and this may not change in the medium run, but they do
not offer a low end manual body.

Of course there are a large number of used cameras available at reasonable
prices and with care a good body should last long after your students have
delegated it to the collectors shelf. 


At 09:06 PM 1/9/97 GMT, you wrote:
>
>
>----------
>> From: Liese Ricketts <lrickett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> To: ronk@xxxxxxxx
>> Subject: 
>> Date: Wednesday, January 08, 1997 1:16 PM
>> 
>> 
>> - Name:Liese A. Ricketts
>> 
>> - Profession/Study:Photography teacher
>
>     As a Photography Teacher what type camera do you recommend your
>studants use?  Some recommend using simple cameras such as the Pentax
>K1000,  and others say get a modern camera you can grow around.  I'm not
>saying which one I prefer, but I would like to start a discussion pro/con.
>
>Ron Walton 
>
>
>> 
>> - Country:USA
>> 
>> - Personal history of photography: long and involved
>> 
>> - preferred subjects:portraits
>> 
>> - materials (film, filters, paper, chemistry):many
>> 
>> - format (35mm/medium format/large format):medium format; 2 1/4"x 2 1/4"
>> and 6x7 and pinhole are favorites
>> 
>> - Other strange hobbies:Writing,fleamarketing and watching Seinfeld
>> re-runs ( I love George and his parents )
>> 
>> - How did you find out about this list:surfing the Internet
>> 
>> 
>
>
Brian Levy, J.D.
Agincourt Ont.
dlevy@xxxxxxxxxx


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Topic No. 22