Rebel With A Cause
Up to a point, whether it's a Nikon or a Zenith, a top professional model or a more basic one aimed at beginners, from the hardware side of things, the resultant photo is only as good as the film loaded in the back and the glass attached to the front (photographer's talent notwithstanding). As long as the camera body is competent at it’s task, it is essentially invisible in regard to the end result.
Back in the 90s there were a number of budget 35mm slr cameras, ones aimed typically at casual users or for folks who mostly took family snapshots but wanted something a little more capable than the typical 'point 'n' shoot' compact. Some models were a little limited in regard to functionality, but there were a number which had somewhat more sophistication.
‘Plastic fantastic' is a term often used with these cameras due to their comparatively flimsy construction, even the lens mount is made of this material. This can be both a curse and a blessing. The downside - they aren't likely to cope with a lot of abuse. The upside - they are very light and easy to carry around for extended periods of time (depending, of course, on the lens attached).
Many cameras of this type have a rather humble place in the still-film-shooting public's eye, lacking the panache and (usually well-earned) cult following of a number of other camera models. As such, they are often overlooked and can regularly be bought for a song on auction sites.
Enter the Canon EOS Rebel XS. In Europe it is known as the EOS 500 and, in it’s native Japan, EOS Kiss. This multimode model does have quite a decent specification and is quite a capable machine. The first one of these I bought a couple of years back for the princely sum of £5 (+shipping). I couldn't resist. How this American-named body came to be resident in the UK is a mystery, this particular one reeking of cheap perfume when it arrived. One issue they can suffer with due to age is the rubberised grip becoming rather sticky as the coating degrades. I found that the offending goo can be removed fairly easily with isopropanol without any apparent side effects, though this does leave the grip a little smooth and slippery. Other than that, all was pretty much well with it, even the light seals were still good. On my first outing with the Rebel, the little thud-whirr that comes from the shutter firing and the motor winding the film was so quiet, I found myself wondering if the mechanism was malfunctioning and I'd end up with a one-and-a-half metre strip of clear acetate. Fortunately my fears were unfounded and all was well: I had 36 nicely spaced, well exposed negatives to play with.
Recently, on yet another visit to that well-known den of temptation and rambling through the bargain basement, I came across another Rebel, this time with the less adventurous sounding European '500' designation. Once again seemingly overlooked by others, I picked it up for £3.99 (+ the usual p&p). This one seems to work equally as well as the first and, fortunately didn't have the first one's flowery aroma. The grip isn't too sticky either. All good there.
Rather than being lost in grey mediocrity, this humble Rebel has proven itself to be quite capable. For anyone on a tight budget who wants to enjoy the qualities of film photography beyond what the simple point ‘n’ shoot can provide, cameras like these are well worth considering (for the time being, anyway).
P.S. I did come close to a third, but got absorbed in something on the telly and missed the end of bidding. As such, one lucky soul snapped that one up for 99 pence. Ah well, can't win 'em all..
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Great captures as usual Ralph! Have you ever thought about offering prints for sale? I don’t know how you’d do it on substack but there must be a way.
I enjoyed reading this piece Ralph - not just for the great images that you shared - but also the mention of Zenit. My first 35mm SLR was a Zenit 10.