Recommendations for my first Interchangeable lens camera

[renosgurl85]

I am wanting to buy my first ILC but I have no idea where to start. I have several point and shoot cameras (Fuji Z, Nikon S3300 and S3000 I believe, Sony DSC H1 and Sony DSC H9) but I would like more control over my pictures. I will be essentially saving up money this year for a camera and possibly extra lenses. I would like to use some of the glass I already have for my Minolta XD-11 if I can, I have a minolta rokkor x 50mm, Soligar wide auto 28mm and a Soligar zoom+marco 80-200mm. 

My plan was to make my own dark room but that hasn't worked out as of yet and so I have tons of undeveloped film sitting around so I'm not getting better at any of this when I can't see my pictures.

I don't mind older gear, I will say I have lost a lot of my photography chops over the years, I used to know all the ins and outs but I will need to refresh myself on everything. I want to really immerse myself in whatever camera I choose and just have fun doing it. 

As far as what I want this camera for, mostly pictures of my pets, general wildlife, going to the beach, and taking on walks, I do want something that will have some good low light pictures and I don't mind having video capabilities. I have toyed with the idea of trying to sell prints and I don't know what is best for that. 

As far as a budget I would say I am willing to go up to around $1000 but for a hobby camera I would prefer less. I know this is a Canon forum but I am willing to consider any camera brand anyone can offer me and after looking at a lot of posts on here everyone seems pretty helpful. 

Cheers for any help I can get!

Here's a few pictures taken with my Sony DSC-H9 (it has a censor issue you really notice that red line in low light pictures)

Smiley boy

C'mon son!

Chewing grass

Silly boy

Shawn Spencer

[Tronhard]

I gather from the general tone of the thread that, like for many people, the cost of developing and printing a lot of film is prohibitive.  The OP has used digital cameras before, as per the example with the red line due to a sensor issue, but they have forgotten much of their knowledge and are starting from close to scratch. 
While the title says First Interchangeable Lens Camera, I think they mean first DSLR or MILC.  They have obviously shot with SLRs before and what seems to be a couple of point and shoot bodies.
It was in that context that I responded to their post.

[ebiggs1]

" I began shooting in JPG and later switched to both JPG and RAW, because I can do much more post-production correction with the RAW format."

The big advantage using raw is the enhanced editing ability. In 2023, now 2024, and the current editors there is no good reason to use jpg even if SD card space is cheap. The jpg still takes up space that more raw files could occupy.

If you are a current PS user you have Bridge. This makes seamless transfer from camera to computer easy. All your digital files go there any way, right? I guess jpg may be the thing for an iphone but not for a digital camera. People that use their iphone either keep the pictures on the iphone for viewing or u/l to a social media outlet for that jpg is fine.

You realize saving a jpg in camera, even in computer, discards and deletes photo data. It is lost forever, using raw you decide what is important and what is not.

[ebiggs1]

Love Gary's suggestion. I will add if all you want to do is develop the film besides what Gary has listed, you do not need a darkroom. You don't even need to darken the windows. You can use coat or heavy jacket. Put the film canister in side the coat zip it up and put your hands in the sleaves backwards to gain access to the film canister inside. Once loaded you can remove it from the coat and add the chems.

Oh, BTW, the red light you see in the movies when folks are in a darkroom is joke.

[justadude]

Great suggestion with the coat!  They even make zippered pouches for this that I have tried.  The only time that doesn't work well... it seems like about one in every 10 rolls is stubborn to feed into the spool.  Those are the times that it's nice to have a dark area with a bit more room, a small table in front of you, so you can open the half wound spool, let it fall to the table, then find the end and try again.  It was very cumbersome doing that in the bag.  Doable, but having the extra space is nice.  It's also a bonus being able to spread out the tools in front of you.  I know in the dark that my spools are on the far left, then the internal parts for the develop canister, then the canister... on the right I know the exact placement of the can opener, the scissors, and the film canister.  Doing this in the bag (or a coat) things tend to get a bit jumbled... but you are right, it can be done.  

Side note... I love shooting expired film as well as new film.  Some of the expired rolls are 30 years old, and are fun to shoot and develop.  However, those rolls are comparatively stiff, and usually require two or more attempts at feeding onto the spool (hate to admit it, but one roll took 6 attempts - lol).  

Anyway... Either way you do it (darkroom or coat), it's a very nice sense of accomplishment developing your own film, and a lot of fun!  

[renosgurl85]

I will definitely look into all these suggestions for developing film, I like the idea of having the negatives I did that years ago in high school that I still have the negatives for plus a print that I developed from those as well but I didn't know you could scan those with a normal printer. I have over a dozen rolls my dad never got developed and possibly 10 of my own rolls that I need to develop. I have a lot of research to do and I like the idea of being able to continue to use my XD-11 with my cameras I own now and a new camera.

[ebiggs1]

First, I never had any issue loading my film developing tanks perhaps it depends on which one you have. Two things to consider is color negatives. Developing temperature is critical with color film. Secondly unless you are well adapt at Photoshop scanning a color negative is difficult to impossible to get any where near normal looking images. 

Bottom line all this can be done but if it was easy everybody would be doing it. Its not for the average photographer just the ones of us on the edge. I worked for Hallmark in KC for 40 years. We had ten darkrooms and I had my own fully equipped darkroom in my house for years and years. Beseler 23c color head enlarger and color analyzer, heated tanks, chemical storage area, etc. the whole nine yards. When I went totally digital I converted it into a storage room.