First of all, I discovered that many web sites devoted to film equipment are for professionals, with equipment costing hundreds of dollars. That was out of my reach. Then I found dozens of amateur pages loaded with good equipment, but no explanation about what half of it was or how it worked.
So, I have devoted this entry to all the camera equipment I have put together over the last few months. Keep in mind, all this equipment is solely for Single Lens Reflex or SLR cameras. I started out with a Pentax K1000 because my grandmother gave me two of those cameras a few years ago, and believe me, this is an incredible camera to start with. So, without any more rambling, here is my camera equipment list (an abbreviated list is below):
Pentax K1000 Camera Body
I have two of these, so I can have to different film types loaded at all times. Works out good that way. The K1000 is a durable camera body that is manual control only. This body uses K-mount lenses only that measure 49mm in diameter. These cameras have a built-in spot meter for measuring exposure, and in my experience as long as you keep the battery fresh the meter works good. On average, these cameras can be bought in kits from Ebay for about $60. The kits will usually include the camera body, a 50mm lens, a 135mm lens, and a flash.
50mm Prime Lens
This is the most basic lens for any 35mm SLR camera. The human eye sees the equivalent of 40mm, so the 50mm lens is close to what we see at certain distances. All lenses for the Pentax K-series are 49mm in diameter, which makes a difference when purchasing filters and hoods.
135mm Prime Lens
I use this lens most often. I personally prefer a shallow depth of field, and a longer lens is just one of four ways to accomplish this effect. I also like being able to stand 1 1/2 times further away from the subject and getting the same framing as the 50mm lens.
80-210 Zoom Lens
The workhorse of any photographer. This lens can a wide variety of shots quickly, going from a frame slightly smaller than a 50mm lens and much larger than the 135mm.
28mm or Wide Angle Lens
I have a Wide Angle attachment that can screw onto the front of my 50mm prime lens, but the 28mm lens also give the same affect. Since this is wide angle, you are able to get much closer to any subject and maintain a wide composition.
UV Filter
This little filter does not affect color or exposure at all. Instead, it blocks out dangerous UV rays from affecting the film or lens of the camera. It also serves as an excellent protection for your more expensive lenses.
Circular Polarizer Filter
When outside, I never take this filter off the camera. The purpose of the CP filter is to polarize the light bouncing off objects in the frame. With the polarizer rotated a certain direction on the lens, it will highlight reflections from water, glass, and brighten the sky. Rotate the filter 180 degrees, and it will make any reflections from water disappear and darken a blue sky.
Sunrise Filter
This nice filter is half shaded in a dark orange and half clear. The purpose is when taking pictures of a sunrise or sunset, you can attach the filter, rotate it properly, and turn the sky a nice orange hue.
Close-Up Filter Set
These sets usually come in +1, +2, and +4 increments. All lenses have a minimum focus distance, which grows larger with a longer lens. With the close-up set, you can use a 50mm lens and stand just inches from a subject such as a coin or spider. This is essential for doing Macro Photography.
Flash
Currently, I only have the flash that came with the camera, which is actually a really bad flash to use. From my research, I have found that two things are needed here for good Flash Photography: a flash extension and a better flash. The extension is to get the flash away from the lens, which causes red-eye. A better flash with use a different light source and therefore affect color temperature and affect on the subject. I will post more here when I get into Flash Photography of my own.
Shutter Release Cable
These cables screw into the shutter release button on the camera body. It allows you to snap off pictures without having to touch the camera. This is essential when doing Night Photography or when using long exposures for other special effects.
Lens Cleaning Kit
Lenses will get dirty and they will get hairs stuck on them. Nothing looks worse than taking a beautiful sunrise picture, blowing it up to an 8"x10", and seeing a large speck of dirt blotting out the sun. Never use your t-shirt to clean a lens, because this has the potential to scratch the lens and then leave you with bad images all the time.
Tripod
Not much needs to be said about this essential piece of equipment, other than this: spend the money to buy a good one. Cheap tripods have a habit of wobbling when fully extended. The better the tripod you can afford, the better your long lens photos will be. From my experience, I can tell you this: if you spend the money to buy a lens longer than 500mm, then you should spend at least $100 on a tripod.
Camera Bag
I bought a Canon Camera Backpack. This backpack has padded internal compartments for all my equipment, exterior pockets for water and film, padded straps and a sternum strap to make it easy to haul on your back. It also has a pair of ties on the bottom of the pack to attach the tripod. This back is absolutely essential for long photo expeditions or whenever you want to carry a lot of equipment with you, but I also suggest getting a smaller bag or fanny pack for just carrying a body, lens, and filters.
Keychain ID Tags
I bought a set of multi-colored tags from Lowe's Home Improvement for a couple of dollars. I labeled the tags 100ASA, 400ASA, 800ASA, and B&W. Each time I loaded one of my two cameras with film, I attach the appropriate tag so I won't forget or get confused later.
Flashlight
Good for when you are doing Night Photography. I bought a small keychain LED light which works perfectly.
Bug Spray
Trust me, if you are out in nature, the last thing you want is to be eaten alive while trying to take slow and careful pictures.
Filter Case
If you spend the money to buy the filters, the best idea is to protect them as well. The filter case also makes it easy to find filters later.
Small Notebook
When starting out, take notes on every picture you take. A small notebook will be handy when taking these notes, remembering great locations, and jotting down names of people you'll inevitably meet while out taking photos.
So, this is all my equipment. It took a long time to gather it all up, nearly half of it was given to me by my grandmother, but at least now I have a nice set. All I really lack is a good flash and I'll be set with my 35mm film camera.
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