Anyone still use MF cameras?

[truzoom]

My Canon A-1 from how many years ago works great for my birdshots, although I'm having a very difficult time to find decent lenses for it (I don't see the point in getting an AF lens at all). Just wondering if anyone here has any resources for older cameras?

[Leif]

My Canon A-1 from how many years ago works great for my birdshots, although I'm having a very difficult time to find decent lenses for it (I don't see the point in getting an AF lens at all). Just wondering if anyone here has any resources for older cameras?

You could always buy some American amateur photography magazines and look through the adverts. Here in the UK we have loads of shops dealing in used Canon MF lenses, so it can't be any different in the US. If you want to know whether or not a given shop is honest, then you can try the Photo Net web site. They have a lot of user reviews. Some shops are run by crooks, whereas others are first rate. Here is a helpful article:

http://www.photo.net/equipment/where-to-buy

I would post the URL for the Photo Net user reviews but can't find it!

[Andy Bright]

As Lief says, there's no shortage of FD lenses over here on the secondhand market, ...but from reliable retailers, with limited guarantee...just seen a very nice 500mm f4.5 FD L lens (GB£1200) . I cannot believe things are any different in North America...just a case of finding the right magazine that has the ads from these sellers.

[Adey Baker]

I don't use my Olympus OM1 cameras much nowadays but I do use my Canon EOS50E which is an autofocus camera.

Of course your Canon A1, like my OM1s, is manual-focus only so you don't have a choice of auto or manual focus options but with an auto-focus model you can choose which setting to use, in the same way that you can choose with your A1 whether to use the various auto-exposure options or manual exposure.

Although using auto-anything and everything can make you a bit lazy, there's no doubt that as you get older (and slower!) so do your eyes! Thus auto-focus becomes more and more useful as you get older.

There are many times when I over-ride the auto-focus - macro in particular can be much simpler in manual-focus mode. Just when you're ready to press the shutter a dragonfly, say, may move a fraction of an inch and the auto-focus will suddenly lock on to the background instead of the subject!

Sometimes a low contrast subject will fool the auto-focus which then needs manual over-ride. However, there are times when auto-focus could be a positive boon - setting up a remote control camera at a distance, for instance or birds in flight, when you're concentrating on keeping the subject in the right position in the frame.

Here in the UK, the 'collectability' of some Canon FD lenses has pushed up the price of some second-hand items. I've noticed, for instance, that the old 400mm F4.5 (which is not one of Canon's 'L'-series lenses) is quite high, whilst the 500mmF4.5L, a very high-quality lens can be picked up comparatively cheaply, providing you're not looking for a 'Mint'-condition one.

I believe that Tamron and Cosina still make a few of their lenses in manual-focus versions, though whether anybody keeps them in stock is a different matter.

[Adey Baker]

My post over-lapped with Andy's - it was no doubt the same advert for the 500mm lens that we've both seen that prompted my comments above!

[Orion's Belt]

For Canon A-1 lenses I heartily recommend bhphotovideo.com in New York or KEH.com. I've had a very long and successful relationship with B&H. They have a stellar reputation and won't add hidden charges like some of the other New York camera shops. In addition, the postage charges are actual charges, not some inflated price pulled out of the air. Their used lens ratings are pretty accurate. I've purchased 4 used lenses from B&H and the ratings descriptions were all accurate. In addition they will email the UPS or Fedex tracking info to you.
(BTW, I am just a happy consumer; I am in no way affiliated with either B&H or KEH camera stores.)